The latest installment in the remake series of the popular anime "Space Battleship Yamato," "Be Forever Yamato: Rebel 3199," features the popular character Sasha, who appears as a grown-up in the fourth chapter, "Sasha," a light blue maiden. Sasha is played by popular voice actress Megumi Han. "Yamato 3199" is a reinterpretation and reconstruction of the original works "Be Forever Yamato" and "Space Battleship Yamato III." In "Be Forever Yamato ," released in 1980, Megumi's mother, Keiko Han, played Sasha, and her taking over the role from her mother has been a hot topic. Megumi plays Sasha with love and respect.
◇ Overwhelmed with emotion at inheriting Sasha
Sasha's full name is "Sasha Iskandar Kodai" and she is the daughter of Mamoru Kodai and Iskandar's Queen Starsha. She is the niece of the main character, Susumu Kodai, and holds an important key to the story.
Megumi is known for her roles as Gon Freecss in "HUNTER x HUNTER" and Kana Arima in " Oshi no Ko ," while Keiko has played roles such as Lalah Sune in "Mobile Suit Gundam." The mother and daughter duo will be playing the timeless popular character Sasha. Keiko is currently appearing in the remake series as Mother Desariam.
Harutoshi Fukui, the general director of Yamato 3199, once explained that he couldn't think of any other reason for casting the father-son duo. He said that he had explained to Keiko that Megumi would be taking over the role of Sasha.
"One day, when I was having dinner with Fukui-san, he brought over a storyboard and said, 'I'm asking Megumi to play Sasha.' I remember saying, 'I wonder if Megumi can do it?' Sasha in ' Be Forever Yamato' is fragile, but nowadays girls are strong. Sasha has a strong will, but at the time fragility was what was required, so I wonder if it was the times? My daughter is stronger than I am. She has strong will, stamina, and spirit. I was 26 when I played Sasha, and she was 14 to 17 years old, so I wondered if my daughter could convey that fragile feeling. But when I was shown the storyboard, I thought, perhaps Sasha from that era could do it."
Megumi took on the important role, saying, "I'm very grateful to be able to take over the role from my mother, and Fukui-san was very kind to me when I made my debut on Mobile Suit Gundam UC, so I'm very happy to be able to work with him again. I'm overwhelmed with emotion."
◇ "I felt my daughter's growth"
When Megumi inherited the role of Sasha, her mother said something very motherly to her: "I heard you take on this role from now on." Even before her role in Yamato 3199 was decided, Megumi had heard stories about Space Battleship Yamato from her mother, and she had seen Sasha and her mother overlap in some ways.
"Sasha is a cute, charming, very pure, girlish character, and when I hear stories about my mother's life, she's just like Sasha. She's cute and charming, and has the same sparkle that she had as a child, and a soft aura, but I sense a certain strength of will, and from her perspective as a daughter, she also has a glimpse of stubbornness. I feel that Sasha is a character in which these elements coexist in a complex yet simple way. Sasha is a strong character who ultimately makes her own choices. She is both my mother then and my mother now, and I think of her as a character that is just like my mother's life."
Megumi's words convey her love and respect for her mother. When Keiko heard Megumi's voice acting as Sasha in "Yamato 3199," she felt, "She's more into the character than I am (laughs)."
"When I played Sasha, I was a complete rookie, but my daughter has built up a lot of experience, so I could sense her growth and I'm not worried. During ' Be Forever Yamato,' I felt the love in the line 'Sasha!' from my senior, Toyama Kei (who played Kodai Susumu). It was a line filled with so much love that I thought, 'He really likes me!' I was raised on a wonderful set. My daughter is also learning from the support of everyone on set, rather than from what I say."
The passion for "Space Battleship Yamato" was passed down from mother to daughter. While Megumi's Sasha inherits the Sasha from "Be Forever Yamato," she also feels like the "Sasha of today."
In the fourth chapter, "The Light Blue Maiden (Sasha)," Sasha, who was 2 years old, suddenly appears before Kodai and the others at the age of 17. The reason for her sudden growth is also revealed. However, there are still many mysteries surrounding Mother Desariam, played by Sasha and Keiko. It is tempting to speculate that there may be some significance to the mother and daughter appearing together, but what is the truth? We will be keeping an eye on future developments. (Anima Mitsuru/MANTANWEB)
