A screening of the fifth chapter, "The Incandescent Galactic War," of " Be Forever Yamato: Rebel 3199, " the latest installment in the remake series of the popular anime " Space Battleship Yamato, " entitled "Yamato Talk Screening: Sound Edition," was held at Shinjuku Piccadilly (Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo) on March 4th. In addition to general director Harutoshi Fukui, director Naomichi Yamato, screenwriter Hideki Oka, and voice actress Eriko Nakamura, who plays Mikage Kiryu, sound director Tomohiro Yoshida also appeared as a guest and spoke about the attention to detail in the "sound" of "Yamato 3199."
◇Ideally, you want to go unnoticed
This will be Yoshida's first appearance at a Space Battleship Yamato event in about eight years, since his stage greeting for the fifth chapter, "Purgatory," of Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love, held in May 2018. Yoshida has been involved with Space Battleship Yamato since 1994, and has served as sound director since Space Battleship Yamato Resurrection in 2009.
Yoshida said he was originally a fan of "Space Battleship Yamato," and recalled, "I saw Oka singing at a fan club gathering about 40 years ago." Oka replied with a sigh, "40 years ago, huh... I sang 'Star Pendant.' It's a difficult song, isn't it!"
Yoshida became involved with Space Battleship Yamato Space Battleship Yamato' with Mitsuru Kashiwabara, which is expressed through sound effects and music."
Regarding his work as sound director, he said, "Fans have different preferences, but songs from 50 years ago reflect the era. It feels strange to sprinkle them all over one work. I want the audience to focus on the drama, so I don't want them to feel out of place. We take the extra effort to unify them. The old Yamato versions were made in an extravagant manner. We adjust things including the layout of the instruments. For example, the positioning of the instruments might be such that the violin is on the left and the trumpet on the right, but depending on the characteristics of the mixer, it might be reversed. We adjust that as well." He is meticulous about every detail.
On the other hand, as a craftsman, he says, "Ideally, it would go unnoticed. I would like people to think it was a beautiful video and a good drama, and to find themselves humming along to it at random times."
◇Perfect calculations! Amazing scene!
Each person also shared the scene that they found most thrilling. Oka chose "Garman Planet" from episode 11, commenting that "any fan would know this is episode 16 of Yamato III!" He added, "Yoshida perfectly calculated that if he played this song here, it would be a shock. He never imagined that 2205 would begin with the Bolar Federation's song."
Yamato chose "Fleur" from episode 12, saying, "It's a scene that doesn't appear in the original work, but it works because of the music," and Fukui nodded, saying, "The timing is great, with piano music playing when birds are flying."
Fukui seemed thrilled with the 15th episode, "Yamato Sleeping in the Sunset," saying, "This is it! I predicted they would play 'New Cosmo Tiger.' It shook my soul more than I expected. I couldn't have come up with a better song choice." Yoshida said, "'New Cosmo Tiger' also crossed my mind, but I went with 'Yamato Sleeping in the Sunset,' and thought about how well I could synchronize the ups and downs of the drama and the music."
Yoshida chose "Faring Away Feelings" from Chapter 4, saying, "I thought of it when I read the script. I wanted to reflect one of Sasha's highlights." Fukui revealed, "What's great about Yoshida is that he nitpicks things a little. He does it without anyone noticing."
◇ "Favourite song" also announced
They also had a passionate discussion about their favorite songs from the "Be Forever Yamato: Rebel 3199" Original Soundtrack Vol. 01, which was released in February.
Oka's favorite song is "A Thousand Years of Darkness," and he says, "It first appears in the scene where Scaldart speaks. I love it, and I want it to be played at my funeral. Fukui Harutoshi reads the eulogy. It makes me think, 'This guy really suffered...'" and seems to be a song he has a special attachment to.
Yamato chose "Desarium String Quartet," saying, "It sounds harsh when it's played in the film, but it's different when you listen to it on CD," and Fukui revealed that he had ordered "a song that makes you feel uncomfortable listening to it."
Fukui chose "Giant Enemy," saying, "It had to be this one!" He commented, "I heard it as a kid and thought it was cool. It has the feel of the early '80s. Now you can listen to it in the 'BGM Collection'."
Yoshida's favorite song is "Sasha Iskandar Kodai," and he revealed his preference, saying, "It used to be in 3/4 time, but I asked for it to be in 4/4 time. I asked them to express various aspects of Sasha, such as her immaturity, cuteness, and sadness."
"Yamato 3199" is a re-imagining of the original works "Be Forever Yamato" and "Space Battleship Yamato III," with new interpretations added. There are seven chapters in total, with the sixth chapter, "Blue Labyrinth," set to premiere on June 26th. Finally, Yoshida said, "The second part of the soundtrack will also be released. There are lots of great songs. Please send your support for the remaining two chapters!"
