KimuTaku in Space

Upcoming Live-Action Movie of Space Battleship Yamato

Before there was Robotech, before there was Gundam, there was Space Battleship Yamato (Uchuu Senkan Yamato 宇宙戦艦ヤマト). It was one of the pioneers of the space anime story, and it was quite a sensation thirty-six years ago. Rather than recapping the story, off you go to trusty wikipedia for your dose of Yamato-goodness:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Battleship_Yamato

While no one has yet made a live-action Robotech movie (samsooki, we’re still waiting for you to win that lottery) – actually, let me amend, Tobey Maguire and Director Lawrence Kasden is preparing a live-action movie, but it’s been in the works for nearly four years so I won’t hold my breath – Japan has went ahead and made a live-action Space Battleship Yamato movie.

It’s schedule to air in December of 2010, and normally I would be only mildly curious (I am a Robotech girl first and foremost – the other space animes don’t make me rabid with want), I am extremely curious because Kimura Takuya has been cast as the lead of the movie. KimuTaku in space! Hell yeah, I’m so in for this casting coup alone. I’ve attached both the teaser and the full-length trailer for the movie below.

Teaser with English subs

Latest Full-length Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHIJPkg2Pjk

I think it’ll be as good as the trailers indicate, which is just good without any possibility of being groundbreaking or mindblowing. That’s fine by me, a good movie is hard to come by these days, much less one that entertains.

I’ve unearthed some screen caps of the movie for everyone to enjoy if you’re too lazy to watch the trailers. Space Battleship Yamato can be summed up in a quick comparison – a cross between Robotech and Battlestar Galactica.

And as a add-on, Yamashita Tomohisa has a new movie coming out this Winter as well, called Ashita no Joe, which is also a seminal manga adapted as a live-action movie. Pi plays a boxer named Joe, and I’ve found some BTS pics likely snapped by the paparazzi photogs. Pi looks like Joe, which isn’t necessarily a good thing since Joe is kinda crude and gaunt-looking.


Comments

KimuTaku in Space — 6 Comments

  1. @ unni

    My sentiments exactly. I’d take KimuTaku on an island, on a ship, on a plane, on a train – but in space is like my inner geek melding with my inner fangirl. Instant fusion!

    And he’s emoting in space, too! I see angst aplenty and some dirty roughed up looking KT. Yum.

  2. I’m so watching this. 🙂 not because of the previews… those r too cheesetastic. I just find KimuTaku less hammy, less ‘Kimutaku’ in movies. Don’t get me wrong, on TV, I slurped up whatever he’s serving on TV, afterall I’ve watched 3eps of TnK, but it’s nice to have a change of feel.

    I’m not that familiar w/ Space Battleship Yamato, but I’ve watched my share of ‘spaceship animes’

  3. @ twin

    You watched 3! eps of TnK? I am impressed, that is either dedication or masochism at work. 😉

    I agree the previews are cheestastic, but all Japanese space animes from the 70s and 80s are genuinely cheesy, because of all the hope for the future we-are-the-world blahblahblah themes. Nihilism didn’t appear on the scene until Akira, I recall.

    Anyways, let’s all watch together! His mane looks wild in this movie, btw.

  4. Hey mookie made it farther in to TnK than I did! I bailed after episode 2. And I love me some Kimutaku. Sign me up for watching Space BattleShip Yamato. 😎 Look at the pretty there in the trailer…..

  5. Woah, thanks for the update! I saw the short trailer when it came out late last year, and now after watching the longer version I’m more excited than ever! Looks pretty impressive — SFX! explosions! exterior spaceshippy shots! Kimura looking fierrrce+emo+hawt at intervals, sometimes even all at once! all my favorite people in the cast! (although… uh-oh, was the kid at 0:12 the same bulbous-headed blubberer from JIN? ohnoessss)! Yamazaki Tsutomu dressed as Capt. Haddock from Tintin! (lol sorry, so random)… Kimura in a vest carrying a gun! bare arms bare arms!!!!!!!! lolz

    I was never a space anime fan (Robotech… that’s kind of like Macross, right? I remember watching Macross and shipping Rick Hunter and his reserved, level-headed co-pilot, and NOT that ditzy blue-haired idoru Minmay, blerg), but I generally enjoy space operas (the JJ Abrams Star Trek prequel for one), despite their period feel and generous servings of cheese and bold&hokey “space!!! the final frontier!!! mankind must band together!” pronouncements. So… yay, Yamato lol

    I also remember coming across news reports that Kimura requested the producers to spruce up the SFX/VFX to give the movie a sleeker, more teched-up look… after he watched Avatar in December, lollll. Apparently Avatar made Kimura go, hey eybrybody (lol), let’s step it up now!!! He even offered to take a pay cut… although… I mean, seriously, come on Kimura. Not even your entire salary can make a dent in the SFX budget needed to make Yamato come anywhere near Avatarrific. So, good luck.

    The news report also mentioned the producers intended to push back the release date from Dec. 2010, but I guess they’re sticking to the plan after all…

    ***
    Hahahahahaha @ the Tsuki no Koibito loooove in this comment thread!!!!!!!!! Incidentally I tried finishing TnK last night (early morning, actually) but kept dozing off every 2 minutes, lol. Down to Ep. 8, which I’ll def. be watching tonight YAY ENDING THE TORTURE SOON *makes obscene gesture at Rensuke, that disgusting man*

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.