When we think of Space Battleship Yamato, the first person to come to mind is Isao Sasaki, who has been singing the theme songs for the series. This week, we have an interview with him. Of course, he sang the theme song Kodai [I] and Yamato for the final installment of the series, Space Battleship Yamato, The Final Chapter, which will be released in mid-March. Since this is his last recording for Yamato, the emotions are particularly strong. We had a lively discussion about various topics, centering on Yamato, which holds many memories for us.

The last recording of Yamato, Kodai and Yamato, was released on February 1st

KuriKuri: I’m a big fan of Yamato. What are your thoughts on it?

Sasaki: I’ve been working in anime for about the last ten years. I have fond memories of the theme songs for each, but Gatchaman and Yamato are the only ones I did both singing and voice acting for. Of those, it was Yamato that really gained recognition from the public. In that sense, it was the masterpiece of my 30s. I was a big fan of science-fiction myself, and I understood to a certain extent what Producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki was trying to create, so…how can I put it…I feel like it was my youth in my 30s.

KuriKuri: I heard you used to do rockabilly, but what kind of songs do you like?

Sasaki: There are quite a lot of songs that I like. Speaking of my favorite songs from Yamato, of course I like the main theme, and in this case in particular, we re-recorded the ballad that started it off. I really like it. We first started recording it about eight years ago, and I was singing it with all my heart, but this time it feels like I sang it while savoring the feeling. And I think about what Yamato means to me. Yamato may be flying in everyone’s hearts, but the anime has come to an end, and for me it really feels like it’s time to say what Yamato was all about.

KuriKuri: What genre of songs do you want to sing now?

Sasaki: When it comes to work, I do what I want, but…for example, if I want to sing adult songs and release a record but it doesn’t sell, it means that I haven’t been accepted by the world. I think it all comes down to the way things are. My personal hope is to sing about myself in my 40s. In the case of anime, you have to take charge of a character, right? So there are parts where I have to force myself.

For example, if the main character is 18 years old, even if I’m told to sing from their perspective, I can’t do it for an 18 year old. Rather than that, I want to sing about myself in my 40s, since that’s not a stretch. In that way, I feel like I want to do something that is truly myself.

KuriKuri: What kind of music do you listen to?

Sasaki: I listen to pretty much anything. From classical to modern jazz, and even new music.

KuriKuri: What was something good that you heard recently?

Sasaki: Lately, I turned away from a music a little bit. It’s not that I’ve been getting away from it, but rather, I’ve really started to like classical music. So I’ve been listening to a lot of that. All the so-called masterpieces.

KuriKuri: This is a typical weekly magazine question, but how would you like to raise your children?

Sasaki: That’s what I’m most worried about right now. I don’t know how I should live my life in the future. In our case, there’s nothing that we can inherit from our parents. It’s not like Kabuki or anything like that. The entertainment industry may seem good at first glance, but it’s ultimately a matter of luck. Especially if you come into the industry using your parent’s name, it’s hard to follow in their footsteps. I think it would be hard for me personally.

I don’t really want my daughter to go into showbiz. On the other hand, I feel like I know what it’s like, so I might be able to give her some advice if she does enter the industry. I don’t think it’s up to me to decide, but rather I want my child to try what she wants to do first, and then find her own purpose in life through that. She’ll be in high school soon, after all.

KuriKuri: Recently, there have been a lot of new voice actors, singers, and other anime-related talents emerging. What do you think?

Sasaki: Newcomers just aren’t used to it. There are times when I think their technique is a bit off, but on the other hand, I think they have a youthful quality that we don’t have, something they can throw at us. So I think it’s important to keep improving in that area.

Even in the world of voice actors, it’s a very closed society, and the faces don’t really change. They’re all just getting older. It’s impossible for us to do young voices. So I think it’s a great thing that newcomers are appearing. But I think young people shouldn’t get hung up on being voice actors. That’s only one part of the job of an actor. So I want them to aim to be actors instead of just being voice actors. I don’t mind being a voice actor as part of my job. That’s what I think.

KuriKuri: This Yamato record is the last in the series, so how did you feel when recording it?

Sasaki: When I sang it, I felt a little emotional. I felt like this was the last time I’d be with Yamato.

KuriKuri: Will you be doing any voice acting in The Final Chapter?

Sasaki: Hideo Nakamura, who performed Daisuke Shima, recently became ill. I’ve been good friends with him since Gatchaman, so he asked me to take over Shima. And I think he’ll probably voice the character in the movie. If Hideo recovers, I’d like him to do it. But it’s difficult to play a character played by someone else, because the quality of the voice is different. I think it would feel strange for the viewers, too.

KuriKuri: You voiced Joe the Condor in Gatchaman. What do you think of that character?

Sasaki: I actually quite like that kind of lifestyle. I guess you could say it’s a destructive type. I think I admire people who just go ahead and do what they want, because I don’t really live that kind of life myself.

KuriKuri: What would you do if Yamato really existed and you had to board it?

Sasaki: I’m sure we’d do our best, but we’d be very anxious. We’d really have to say goodbye to Earth with the hope that we’d be back here again.

This week’s interviewers

Mika Maeda (2nd year high school student, Sumida Ward)
Tomoko Omori (2nd year high school student, Koto Ward)
Ichiro Saito (2nd year high school student, Edogawa Ward)

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