Space Battleship Yamato 2202

[Ithekro]

I just realized that we are about a month away from getting the next 10 or so minute preview (this time for episode seven). The next Chapter (three) releases in 25 theaters (in Japan) on October 14th. The BD will come out on November 24th. (They are region free, but have no subtitles).

 

[zakkrusz]

...and it seems still no closer to having anything beyond episode 2 fansubbed. We'll probably have to wait for the inevitable TV broadcast for more groups to pick it up.

 

[Ithekro]

The next set of fansubbed episodes (four total) should be out in two to three weeks from what I understand.

 

[Skipper]

...and it seems still no closer to having anything beyond episode 2 fansubbed. We'll probably have to wait for the inevitable TV broadcast for more groups to pick it up.

Or learn Italian...

 

[137th Gebirg]

This whole translation thing really just simply defies all logic from a business model perspective.

 

[Noname Given]

This whole translation thing really just simply defies all logic from a business model perspective.

Unfortunately it doesn't. Back in the mid-1970ies when the Japanese did realize there would be much of an international market for this stuff (or sold a series that at the time wasn't that popular in Japan) - they often made deals with clauses like "North American distribution rights forever" (well, they have to pay a renewal fee set forth in the deal every 5 years, but I have a feeling it is a set - and maybe reasonable to to high in the 1970ies, but it's 'cheap' now.)
^^^
And that's why 40 years later Voyager Entertainment (with SBY) and also Harmony Gold with SDF Macross (aka Robotech in the U.S.) can assert their option as to what to do with anything that is made available in North America. They've made and continue to make something from the stuff made in the 1980ies.

Voyager Ent. probably felt that given the choice between their pressings of the Japanese discs in the U.S.; and getting discs straight from Japan (with Engklish subs) - a sizable portion of hardcore U.S. SBYamato fandom (like me) spent the extra cash and bought the original Japanese Blu-Rays instead; and as a result they were undercut in their attempts to market SBY2199 in the U.S. or make a TV/Cable deal as many of the outlets that run anime HAVE a direct relationship with Bandi, and with rather try and get a deal direct with the production company; or hope that Voyager Ent. cuts some deal with Bandi and Funimation <--- A company churning out tons of English translated anime for broadcast/streaming), etc. (Funimation both subbed and dubbed the SBY 2010 feature film; I have their Blu-Ray of it I purchased when I saw it at Best Buy (for $15.00) in 2014.

 

[137th Gebirg]

I wish I had actual statistics on the subject, but I somehow remember reading something years ago about how the US was the second-biggest anime consumer nation in the world behind, of course, Japan, on a per-capita/populous percentage basis. Certainly more than freakin' Italy. If Voyager wants to be the purveyor of all things Yamato in the US then step up, for chrissakes!! Or...step down and let Bandai market to the west direct...or find another outlet entirely. Shit, Voyager hasn't updated its website since it abruptly shut down its bluray production back in 2014! Surely, there must be other labels out there willing to take over the property and who can market it better to an English-speaking audience? Yamato is one of the hottest things going on in Japan right now, if any of the articles on ourstarblazers.com are to be believed, with merchandising, credit cards, and even putting an enormous Yamato decal on a plane, FFS!! If it's not making money here it isn't because it's not worth translating/watching. It's because some people dropped the ball on marketing it as a viable franchise. If public awareness is not properly exploited, of course it will never make a dent in a regional market. That's business management 101!

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

Maybe there's a Yamato/StarBlazers legal mess like the Macross/Robotech situation.

 

[skaianDestiny]

Actually it seems like the reason 2202 doesn't have subtitles is because a dude on the 2199 crew who was the only one who suggested putting English subtitles on the discs wasn't on the 2202 crew.

 

[Ithekro]

Maybe there's a Yamato/StarBlazers legal mess like the Macross/Robotech situation.

It isn't. The old US end of Voyager Entertainment was reabsorbed by its Japanese parent company around the time when Yamato 2199 came out, so its in the hands of the Japanese rights holders and the Nishizaki family. If it has issues it is because the parent company don't know how to market Yamato internationally, but wants to do it themselves, since that was what Voyager Entertainment was founded to do....market Yamato internationally. The problem is more they are using an archaic distribution model from the early 1990s and it just doesn't work that way anymore. Yamato's legal problems were back in the late 90s and early 00s between Nishizaki and Matsumoto. Those were resolved and no longer an issue.

Macross/Robotech is the true screw up of rights holders and content denying due to legal problems and poorly thought out rights granting. Though Harmony Gold's rights to Macross are I think due to expire soon, and Carl Macek is quite dead.

 

[Noname Given]

It isn't. The old US end of Voyager Entertainment was reabsorbed by its Japanese parent company around the time when Yamato 2199 came out, so its in the hands of the Japanese rights holders and the Nishizaki family. If it has issues it is because the parent company don't know how to market Yamato internationally, but wants to do it themselves, since that was what Voyager Entertainment was founded to do....market Yamato internationally. The problem is more they are using an archaic distribution model from the early 1990s and it just doesn't work that way anymore. Yamato's legal problems were back in the late 90s and early 00s between Nishizaki and Matsumoto. Those were resolved and no longer an issue.

Macross/Robotech is the true screw up of rights holders and content denying due to legal problems and poorly thought out rights granting. Though Harmony Gold's rights to Macross are I think due to expire soon, and Carl Macek is quite dead.

Wow - If that is the case - and they're just another arm of Bandi, then IDK - the exclusion of English subtitles on SBY2202 makes zero sense. (Of course then it does beg the question: "What happened with their marketing of SBY2199 that caused them to stop selling the series in the U.S. mid-release?")

 

[zakkrusz]

My kingdom for a working time machine...

Or learn Italian...

Spanish was hard enough, and I haven't used any of it since high school and barely remember anything.

 

[Ithekro]

Wow - If that is the case - and they're just another arm of Bandi, then IDK - the exclusion of English subtitles on SBY2202 makes zero sense. (Of course then it does beg the question: "What happened with their marketing of SBY2199 that caused them to stop selling the series in the U.S. mid-release?")

Bandai not putting subtitles on one of their products isn't unusual. It seem the only reason they had them on for Yamato 2199 is because they had someone on staff that suggested they do it and had a line up for a translator for the scripts. Otherwise, that's money and time they don't need to spend to hit their target audience, which is Japanese people in their 40s to early 60s....the original fans. This show isn't really advertised all that much in the usual anime circles. This gets spreads in business magazines and the like, because that's the target audience. Not the teenagers and twentysomething crowd that watches late night anime, though they do get some of those after Yamato 2199.

I think the stop of Star Blazers 2199 was partly because of the Star Blazers live action film being green lit. It supposedly will start filming this year, but I've not seen anything going on about it since probably last winter.

 

[Noname Given]

Bandai not putting subtitles on one of their products isn't unusual. It seem the only reason they had them on for Yamato 2199 is because they had someone on staff that suggested they do it and had a line up for a translator for the scripts. Otherwise, that's money and time they don't need to spend to hit their target audience, which is Japanese people in their 40s to early 60s....the original fans. This show isn't really advertised all that much in the usual anime circles. This gets spreads in business magazines and the like, because that's the target audience. Not the teenagers and twentysomething crowd that watches late night anime, though they do get some of those after Yamato 2199.

I think the stop of Star Blazers 2199 was partly because of the Star Blazers live action film being green lit. It supposedly will start filming this year, but I've not seen anything going on about it since probably last winter.

Interesting because nearly all of the new MS-Gundam stuff is English-subbed; but that said, I know Gundam's penetrated the U.S. Anime market in the 1990ies and early 2000;s way deeper than SBY ever has -- STILL annoying for this 54 year old U.S. fan.

 

[zakkrusz]

English subtitled Japanese releases are pretty rare in general.

This topic at ANN is a pretty good rundown of them though:
http://fast.animenewsnetwork.com/bbs/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=921892

It's only really been a thing since Blu-ray had the US, Canada and Japan become the same region code.

 

[Ithekro]

There are fansubs of the first six episodes of Yamato 2202 out starting Monday the 18th. Someplace. Anime Central I think, but those go around the net so it should be possible to see relatively soon, if not already.

 

[arch101]

The streaming services really need to show this. There's anime on them already so there's a precedent.

 

[Ithekro]

Well there are now six episodes with fansubs available online. Also some random ship news from one of the art directors. The new Earth cruiser is being reworked a little so he's taken the image of it off his twitter feed, but he has confirmed that it is now 188 meters long (up from 150 meters long back in 1978). The upscale means that it should be more in line with what a traditional cruiser should be armed with, since the new scaling more easily allows the ships turrets to have 20 cm guns.

Also the freighter seen in episode two is 220 meters long. No telling how large its guns, are but they are not exactly small.

 

[skaianDestiny]

New trailer:

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[137th Gebirg]

Interesting! So Kodai meets Zordar face to face in this one. Very cool!