The latest installment in the remake series of the popular anime "Space Battleship Yamato" is "Be Forever Yamato: Rebel 3199." The series consists of seven chapters. The third chapter, "Ultramarine Asteroid," was released on April 11th, and the exploits of Saijo Mirai, the operator of the Space Battleship Yamato's new equipment, the omnidirectional radar room, have been much talked about. Saijo Mirai is a new character introduced in the remake series, and is a "hard worker" who has been on board all of Yamato's voyages and has continued to silently carry out the wide range of duties of the ship's management department. Her performance in the fourth chapter, "Light Blue Maiden (Sasha)," which will be released on October 10th, is also attracting attention. We spoke to Moriya Satomi, who plays Saijo Mirai, about her thoughts on "Space Battleship Yamato" and Saijo.
◇The trigger for Yamato to be recognized by his parents
"Space Battleship Yamato" is a hugely popular anime that first aired on TV in 1974 and celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. Moriya is not from the "Yamato generation," but he has fond memories of it from his childhood.
"My first memory of Yamato is when I was in kindergarten. I was chosen to perform the theme song, and even though I didn't know what the work was about, I practiced the xylophone as hard as I could. So the song has been etched into my memory since I was a child. It's a work from my parents' generation, but they weren't all that familiar with anime... However, they apparently found out somewhere that I was going to be in it, and that was the catalyst that got my parents to accept me as a voice actor. It's a work that everyone knows, after all."
The remake series began with "Space Battleship Yamato 2199" in 2012, followed by "Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love" and "Space Battleship Yamato 2205: The New Voyage." Moriya has been playing Saijo for over 10 years.
"It's a work that has been loved by many people for a long time, but I was constantly tense and didn't have the mental space to really feel the weight of it all. I understand Saijo's role, of course, but there are things I won't understand until the story progresses, and the director doesn't intentionally explain everything, so I couldn't really feel like I was participating in Yamato... I went on without really feeling like that. Around the time of 2199, I was recording with such an impressive cast, and I thought I had to hang on desperately somehow...! It was a wonderful time that I treasure."
◇ Working hard in the Saijo style
Harutoshi Fukui will serve as the general director of "3199," and will also be in charge of series composition and scriptwriting. Fukui was in charge of series composition and scriptwriting for the remake series "2202" and "2205," and will also serve as general director for this latest installment. In Chapter 3, Saijo Mirai serves as a radar operator on the first bridge, and also serves as an operator when the omnidirectional radar room is in operation. The operator himself becomes the "eyes of Yamato," brilliantly utilizing the centralized information management system that utilizes augmented reality, and plays a major role in successfully detecting Desarium's stealth battleship, the Grodes.
"I wasn't told that I would play such an active role, so when I received the script I was surprised and thought, 'What?!' When I greeted Fukui-san after '2205' was over, he said, 'I'll ask you to work hard,' but perhaps this is what he meant? I never expected such a development to occur."
Saijo's image change in "3199," from long hair to a bob, was also a hot topic. Many people were surprised, as she was a character with impressive long, beautiful black hair. Perhaps she has grown up after going through the voyages up to now...
"I can't believe she cut her hair!? She's gotten older, and Domon and the others have joined the team, so I think she's grown. I sometimes think about how much I should be conscious of her growth in my acting. She's been through a lot of battlefields and is now in charge of the omnidirectional radar, so in the test for Chapter 3, I tried to act a little more mature and take into account the parts where she's grown, but I was directed to act a little more pathetic (laughs). It's like she's been thrown into outer space, a major event she's never experienced before, so she needs to be mature, but she's still true to herself and '3199' remains the same in a good way."
Saijo, a hard worker, is performing better than ever in "3199."
"I want to play the role well, while also trying to convey the character of Saijo. I've come this far after a voyage. I've come this far after regrets, and I've been trying to find her charms. But I can't be too conscious of that. I'm acting while drawing on her relationships with various people."
◇A sense of security and tension
Approximately 14 years have passed since the remake series began. Moriya-san felt the "Yamato-ness" of the series while participating in the recording.
“For 3199, the recording was done in small groups, and it was even more apparent that the seniors were very tense, focused on the work, and giving it their all. Everyone has something they are carrying on their shoulders, and they all have respect for Yamato. Daisuke Ono, who plays Kodai, approached the recordings with a particularly determined attitude, and he seemed to embrace the new crew members, including Tasuku Hatanaka, who plays Ryusuke Domon, with kindness, just like a captain. When I recorded with Ono, he said to me, ‘It was good to be able to record with Saijo again after so long,’ and I was really happy. Recording Yamato was done with a sense of security, but we all maintained a sense of tension, and we all tried our best to fulfill our roles. I am also trying my best to keep up.”
Moriya recently finished recording the seven-chapter series "3199."
"There were so many moments that I was left speechless. Each character had their own thoughts, and seeing them struggle made my heart warm. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone thinks when they watch it to the end. I'm also really looking forward to seeing the finished product."
What surprises await in "3199"? A passionate story packed into seven chapters. I want to see it through to the end, along with Saijo Mirai's struggles.