The "Space Battleship Yamato" franchise, known abroad under such titles as "Star Blazers" and "Space Cruiser Yamato," began life in 1974 as a TV cartoon space opera, then generated a hit animated film in 1977. Two more TV series and four more films followed, concluding the saga with the 1983 feature "Final Yamato."
Series creator and producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki and series director Leiji Matsumoto fought in court for years about the "Yamato" copyrights, finally agreeing in 2003 to share them. Nishizaki subsequently directed a "Yamato" animation that did indifferent business following its theatrical release in December 2009. On Nov. 7 of this year, he died after falling into the sea off Chichijima Island from a boat called, appropriately, "Yamato."
Hype over Takashi Yamazaki's live-action film "Space Battleship Yamato" has been building in Japan and abroad since it was announced in the summer of 2009. One reason was the ¥2 billion budget, a huge amount for a Japanese film, much of which has been lavished on effects.