Not Just Gundam: Evangelion Creator Collabs With Another Sci-Fi Classic for Special Anniversary

The influential Space Battleship Yamato series turns 50 this year, meaning Japan will celebrate this major milestone in style. The non-profit organization Anime Tokusatsu Archive Corporation (ATAC) will organize the Space Battleship Yamato: Complete Record Exhibition for the Seibu Shibuya department store in Tokyo. The exhibit will last for 17 days, starting on March 15th and lasting until the 31st of the same month. Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Hideaki Anno founded the ATAC and will be planning and producing the new Complete Record Exhibition for Space Battleship Yamato. New and rare production materials will be showcased at the event, highlighting never-before-seen drawings and character designs from the original anime adaptation in the 70s.

The event will also feature a history of Space Battleship Yamato that covers the original 1974 manga to the most recent anime film series. A giant model replica of the Yamato ship from the series will be displayed for gatherers to witness. The venue will also include many exclusive merchandise that fans can buy, plus a cafe collaboration with 365cafe on the store’s fourth floor where people can try Yamato-inspired menu options. The Complete Record Exhibition comes off the heels of the special anniversary screenings Anno produced at the end of 2024.

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Hideaki Anno Leaves a Special Message for Space Battleship Yamato Fans

The Evangelion creator has no shortage of admiration for the seminal sci-fi anime series and the influence it had on his life. Anno shared the following heartfelt message on Space Battleship Yamato when announcing the Complete Record Exhibition:

“Japan’s ‘anime’ began half a century ago with Space Battleship Yamato, which aired on October 6, 1974. If I had not encountered the epoch-making work of Space Battleship Yamato at that time, I would not be where I am today. As an expression of gratitude, respect, and repayment for the tremendous influence Yamato had on my life, I would like to bequeath as much of the existing materials on Space Battleship Yamato as possible to future generations and hope that more people will see, know, remember, and be moved by it in the form of a complete record exhibition, and share it widely with the world. We would like to start from Shibuya, Tokyo in March. Thank you very much for your support.”

Space Battleship Yamato‘s influence on Hideaki Anno’s works has been well-documented. The original series probably has the biggest influence on Evangelion, alongside the works of the Gundam’s creator, Yoshiyuki Tomino. The original anime also had a major impact on Mobile Suit Gundam and Super Dimension Fortress Macross, inspiring key plot points and themes taken directly from Yamato‘s narrative.

Hideaki Anno’s Other Projects Are Making Waves in Japan & Abroad

Besides working on the Complete Record Exhibition, Anno’s animation studio, Studio Khara, is working on the next main Gundam show, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX. A film compilation for Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX has already launched in Japan, becoming a box-office hit in its home country. Anno and his team have already worked on some of the biggest icons in Japan, directing and creating the Shin Godzilla, Shin Kamen Rider, and Shin Ultraman movies. There’s no Shin-style film announced for Space Battleship Yamato yet; instead, the series has been releasing new films known as Be Forever Yamato: Rebel 3199. The most entry launched in November 2024.

Confirmation courtesy of Crunchyroll, Natalie Comic, and the Space Battleship Yamato 50th anniversary project site.