Good movie - worth the 2 hrs 35 minutes. This movie does not glorify war, but focuses on the human tragedy consequential to war. The title is in Japanese above YAMATO in the first image "Otoko-Tachi No YAMATO" which translates as "Men`s YAMATO".
Brief story overview:
The movie starts in the Yamato museum in Kure. A woman appearing to be in her forties views the exhibits, then proceeds to a Kyushu port and attempts to hire a boat to take her to latitude 3043N longitude 12804E. No takers - it`s 200KM out into the East China Sea.
She eventually finds an old fishing boat skipper (grey bearded guy) who asks why that particular position is of interest. Turns out the lady wants to honour her father who was a YAMATO survivor recently deceased by visiting the spot where the ship sank on the 60th anniversaryof the event (April 7, 2005).
Coincidentally, the fishing boat skipper was a good friend of her fathers; they reported aboard YAMATO together as IJN recruits, survived, but lost track of each other after the war.
The story develops through flashbacks as the skipper recalls their experiences from just before Leyte to the end in the East China Sea while they are enroute the spot.
Action sequences are excellent and capture the havoc straffing and bomb hits wreak on topside crewman and are somewhat like the action footage from
Saving Private Ryan. The characters central to the movie man
a triple 25mm anti-aircraft gun. There are too few panoramic views of the battle. One good sequence is from behind an Avenger torpedo plane as it makes its approach. YAMATO can be seen growing larger, turning to starboard, charging through forests of geysers from dive bomber close aboard bomb misses, smoking from damage, guns blazing. The ship capsizing is also well done - better than the Pearl Harbour movie scene of OKLAHOMA.
I counted only nine USN aircraft shot down in the final battle, which I believe is only one more than YAMATO`s and her escort`s guns actually brought down; this another indication this movie`s creation is not an indication of resurging Japanese militarism.
The movie has a good ending. I`ll see if there are plans for foreign release.
UPDATED: ADDITIONAL GALLERY ENTRIES:MORE 1/350:Kym Knight’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlAnton Kurchatkin’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlRobert Apfelzweig’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlPeter Hoskins’ Tamiya Musashi:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlErick Navas’s Tamiya Musashi:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlBernard Chan’s Tamiya Musahi:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlGustavo Z. Arriaga’s Tamiya Musashi:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlMarcello d'Andrea’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlCody Cleveland’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlLaurent Sciarretti’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlMartin Gajdosik’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlStephen Middlehurst’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlLouis Carabott’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlSergey Bobrov’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlMichal Nowak’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmSteve Power’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmJordi Minaya’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmGiuseppe Venuti’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmHarry T. Ji’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmWilmer Caballero Reyes’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmIrving González’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmKostas Katseas’ Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmAnthony Alvear’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmChris Flodberg’s Tamiya (old tool) Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmJorge Rivas Krause’s Tamiya (new tool) Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmHarry T. Ji’s Tamiya (new tool) Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmAnthony Alvear’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmWilmer Caballero Reyes’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmIrving González’s Tamiya (new tool) Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmKostas’ Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmMichael Franz’s Tamiya (new tool) Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmDeepesh Jha’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmAnthony Polychroniadis’ Tamiya (new tool) Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmJohn Soh’s Tamiya (new tool) Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmChris Flodberg’s Tamiya (new tool) Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmJay McKeown’s Tamiya Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmJeong-Hoon-Lee’s Tamiya (new tool) Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmRandy Lenetsky’s Tamiya (new tool) Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmWon-hui Lee’s Tamiya Musashi:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmSteve Luckinbill’s Musashi wreck diorama:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmEduardo Aguilar’s Tamiya Musashi:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmAlessandro Podenzani's Yamato:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htm
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