From Passion to Commercialization: Formation and Growth of Space Battleship Yamato Fandom as a Case Study

This is a case study on Space Battleship Yamato (Uchū senkan Yamato) focusing on roles played by fans, producer and mainstream media in establishing its popularity as well as anime as a new genre. The aim of this article is to provide an example of establishment of a genre and roles played by fans, producers and mainstream media in the process of its formation and recognition. The paper examines the process of formation of the fandom to argue that fans played central role, both actively and also as a target of business, in formation of the fandom as well as a genre called anime, which, unlike commonly considered in and outside academia, is only a small part of animation produced in Japan. By examining fan activities, relationship between fans and producers, commercialization of fans and fandoms and discourse on Yamato and its fans in mainstream media, the case study reveals that formation of a genre and its fandom, and more importantly, its growth and survival take place at intersection of the text, fan activity and their passion, the producers, commercialism, and critical discourse in media.