『宇宙戦艦ヤマト2199』Vol. 2 DVD/BD 7月27日発売！

Exciting disc jacket art for Volume 2 by Nobuteru Yuuki!

With the first installment of the SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199 saga, “The Long Voyage”, opening in ten select theaters in Japan this weekend, Bandai Visual has announced the second volume of the home video release — a month and a half before the first volume even hits domestic retail shelves on May 25th! Volume 2 will contain a total of four half-hour episodes, plus special features, clocking in at 130 minutes of content for ¥8,190 (Blu-ray Disc) and ¥7,190 (R2 DVD). The DVD will be presented in 16:9 Anamorphic, Dual Layer, and Dolby Digital Stereo. Conversely, the BD will be presented in AVCHD, BD50G, 1080p, 16:9 Anamorphic, and Linear PCM Stereo!

Special Features are to include an Audio Commentary (details to be released), a look at the Launch Event Screenings in Nagoya and Osaka, as well as a report on the Launch Event in Tokyo, and a special insert booklet. Both the DVD and BD releases will feature beautiful jacket art by character designer Nobuteru Yuuki and a slipcase sleeve by the legendary Naoyuki Kato. Now, while the DVD version will basically contain all of the special features of the BD, there’s one very important exception: English Subtitles. Since the US and Japan are in the same Region Encoding for BD, this is yet another major incentive to snag the BDs from Bandai Visual. The theatrical version of Episodes 3-6, “Desperate Battle in the Heliosphere”, opens in Japan on June 30th.

The episodes on Volume 2 will include:

03. ESCAPE FROM JUPITER (木星圏脱出): After completing the Warp Test from Mars to Jupiter, the Yamato suffers an engine malfunction and is forced to make an emergency landing on a continent floating in the atmosphere of the giant planet. While repairs are being made, the Gamilas attack the crippled ship, and Captain Okita decides to use their new weapon, the Wave Motion Gun!

04. THE TOMB OF ICE (氷原の墓標): The United Nations Cosmo Force picks up a distress signal and orders the Yamato to conduct a search and rescue mission to Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons. But, the Gamilas are laying in wait. During the battle on the surface of Enceladus, Kodai discovers a shipwreck frozen in the ice — and is shocked to discover the truth of its origin.

05. THE INESCAPABLE TRAP (死角なき罠): Okita is determined to destroy Gamilas’ outpost on Pluto, the launching point of the Planet Bombs dropped on Earth. The Yamato plans a strategic airstrike, but they are countered by Gamilas’ long-range Reflection Satellite Gun. Losing control, the Yamato plunges into the frozen sea on Pluto…

06. HADES’ TWILIGHT (冥王の落日): While the Yamato sinks to the bottom of Pluto’s sea, the Air Wing begins a search and destroy mission for the Gamilas outpost. Then, Kodai spots Gamilas planes emerging from a Plutonian Aurora. Now, able to bypass the attack of the Reflection Satellite, the Yamato launches her counterstrike.

As you can see by these synopses, the staff of YAMATO: 2199 are sticking very close to the original 1974 series, which may alleviate the worries and concerns of some Old Skool fans. Now, to pre-order your copy of SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199 Volume 2, click here to visit Amazon Japan (with English language support)!

Stay tuned to this blog and the official Star Blazers website for more news and information on SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199 as they develop — and soon, we’ll be off to outer space, on shiny discs of blue!

Watch this now, Episode 1 of SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, “Messenger from Iscandar”, before it disappears! UPDATE: Bandai Visual has removed Parts 1 & 2, and have not yet removed Part 3 for the time being.