The latest remake of the popular anime series "Space Battleship Yamato," "Be Forever Yamato: Rebel 3199," will premiere on October 10th, with the fourth chapter, "Sasha, the Light Blue Maiden." The series has seven chapters in total, and Desler's appearance at the end of the third chapter, "Ultramarine Asteroid," which premiered on April 11th, also drew attention. We spoke to Koichi Yamadera, who plays Desler in the remake series, about his thoughts on "Space Battleship Yamato" and the filming of "3199."
◇Unforgettable words from Kei Toyama
The first TV anime series of "Space Battleship Yamato" was broadcast in 1974 and has been loved for over 50 years. Yamadera says he was shocked when he saw the first series.
"It first aired when I was in the first year of junior high school, and I watched every episode in real time from the first episode onwards. The reason I watched it in real time was because there was no recording function at the time. Reruns weren't easily available either. I heard rumors about it somewhere, and when I saw the first episode, I was shocked. At the time, there weren't many anime that adults could watch. I was about to move on from anime, but it was completely different from any anime I had seen up until then, and I became so engrossed that I watched it all the way to the end without missing a single episode."
At the time, he was impersonating Susumu Kodai, played by Kei Toyama, and was fascinated by Desler.
"Desler is a villain, but he's cool. He's scary, but cool, and Masato Ibu's voice is just wonderful. He's different from the villains in anime up until that point. He's an enemy, but he's also fascinating, and I think people saw him as a human drama."
Toyama passed away in 1995, and Yamadera went on to play Kodai in films such as "Space Battleship Yamato Resurrection."
"I was surprised. I really like Kei-san. Even in other works, I have tried acting while thinking about how Kei-san would act. Kei-san has played a variety of roles, but it doesn't feel like he's tailoring his performance to the role, and he doesn't change his voice tone drastically, but his acting is natural and wonderful. When I did the dubbing, I thought it would be perfect if I acted in Kei-san's image, but then I found out that Kei-san was playing the lead role in that work, which was a bit of a problem (laughs)."
He said of Toyama, "He was a senior whom I loved and respected."
"He was just a very kind person. At the time, there were many strict superiors, but Takashi was gentle and kind to everyone. There was one time when we had lunch together. I went into the restaurant on my break and Takashi was there alone, so I couldn't just leave. He invited me to eat with him, and we talked alone. I was really nervous, but he was kind even then. He said to me, 'Yamadera, you're great. You can play the leading man or the leading lady. I have to be on my guard when I play the leading lady,' and I still remember how happy I was."
◇Desler says "fate"
Yamadera will be playing Desler in the remake series that began with "Space Battleship Yamato 2199." Desler has undergone changes since "Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love" and "Space Battleship Yamato 2205: The New Voyage." Desler first appeared in "3199" at the end of the third chapter, "Ultramarine Asteroid."
"I'm glad I was able to appear in 3199 (laughs). I don't get called in very often, so I was honestly happy. Desler must be wondering how Desarium can have the nerve to do what they did to Garmillan. Desarium has some cool characters, but there are also some who are clearly evil, like Kazan (laughs). Desler goes through a lot, and after Garmillan and Earth have made peace and he has begun to understand the feelings of Kodai and Yamato, he reunites with them. I felt that Sasha's presence was a big part of that. She is the daughter of Starsha, whom he loved, and there is something about her existence that goes beyond the logic of 'fate'. I never thought Desler would call it 'fate'. I think Fukui (Harutoshi)'s book is amazing once again."
The scene where Desler laughs "Huff" is also memorable.
"There are a lot of 'huffs' in this scene too. It's really important, and a lot of different emotions are contained within a 'huff'. Whether to raise the corners of your mouth or not, whether to open or close your mouth. It's actually very deep. Is it mocking, does it mean that Kodai would understand, is it directed at Sasha... there are many different 'huffs', and I was reminded of that again this time. It's difficult. I'd like to be known as a voice actor who can do a hundred different 'huffs'."
At the beginning of each chapter of "3199," a video is shown in which each character looks back on the story so far. Chapter 4 is narrated by Desler.
"Desler's thoughts are depicted. I hope everyone will see it in the theater. I was happy, and it was fun to see it from Desler's perspective. He sometimes speaks eloquently, but he never has such long lines. I hope that one day, like Sanada-san in The Age of Space Battleship Yamato : Choices in the Year 2202, the whole thing will be narrated by Desler."
◇ "Yamato" is always tense
"319," a new interpretation of the original Yamato and Space Battleship Yamato III, is also attracting attention for the fact that Megumi Han plays the popular character Sasha. In "Be Forever Yamato , " Megumi Han's mother, Keiko Han, played Sasha, and she will be taking over the role from her mother.
"Megumi and I have co-starred in various productions, and we have also played buddy roles. It's so amazing that I can't even explain what makes her so wonderful. I've played a variety of roles up until now, but Sasha surprised me. Megumi and Keiko are completely different actors, but I can sense Keiko in Sasha somehow. I've never sensed Keiko in Megumi before, and I've never thought they were similar. It's a very difficult role, but she performed it brilliantly, it's amazing! I once bumped into Megumi and Keiko when we were children. I said to her, 'You're so cute!' And now we're acting together, it's amazing."
Daisuke Ono, who plays Susumu Kodai, took over the important role alongside Yamadera.
"Yamato is an ensemble drama, but it is ultimately the story of Kodai. Kodai struggles and suffers as he progresses. It must be difficult to act, but it's impressive. I've always felt that Ono has a good personality, and he plays Kodai with such integrity. It's difficult to take over a role. Everyone has an image of him in mind, and the burden is heavy. I want to be like Desler, but I can't come off as cunning. I have to fit in naturally, which is difficult. There's a constant sense of tension."
The remake series inherits the thoughts of its great predecessors. There may be a connection there.
