From Junon magazine, February 23, 2017
Space Battleship Yamato 2202, Soldiers of Love
This LOVE will shatter the cosmos
Hiroshi Kamiya talks about LOVE
Space Battleship Yamato‘s “Story of Love” is being revived in the present day in a new guise and interpretation. Voice actor Hiroshi Kamiya plays the role of original character Klaus Keyman. What form of love will this immortal masterpiece send into the turmoil of the 21st century? What he thinks “love” is.
What is love? I still don’t know. Is it to do something “for another person”?
If you know the Yamato song, you can enjoy this work
The catch phrase of Yamato 2202, in which I appear as Klaus Keyman, is “This love will shatter the cosmos.” I still don’t know what love is, but I think it might be a vague thing like, “Doing something for someone.” To do something for someone else, not for yourself. I think it may be doing an action for someone with good, heartfelt intentions without thinking of your own gain or loss. When I work as a voice actor, I get a lot of love from the fans. The love that leans my way from everyone involved in the animation feels like it is directed toward the work and the characters, and receiving it favorably is one of the reasons I’m glad to be a voice actor.
One recent episode of love involved an opportunity to go to a certain neighborhood for work, and I went around the office asking, “What kind of souvenir would you like me to buy?” When I went to Kanazawa the other day, I was asked for Kintetsu, so I bought a large amount to bring back. I got the report that “It was delicious,” and I smiled. “Oh, good.” Sometimes love is like an imposition (laughs). However, because I get so many sweets from my manager, I’m a little worried about my body lately. In the future, I’ll plan to get souvenirs that put less of a burden on the body. (Laughs)
Space Battleship Yamato is a work that continues to be loved. I think the fact that this work is still being made over 40 years since the time of the original represents how much love there is for it. I think this work is very suitable to understanding why that much remains. I am interested in how Harutoshi Fukui, who has a reputation for writing intricate stories, will develop Yamato. Klaus Keyman, the character I play, did not appear in the original. I feel it’s worth doing because it is a role that is fully packed with Mr. Fukui’s thoughts, and I’d like to see this challenge through.
I was very happy to received the offer for the role. When I heard about it from my manager, he said, “If you’re chosen, it will be a big title,” and I thought “I hope I’m chosen!” After that, the moment I got that word that “Mr. Kamiya was chosen,” it was a huge delight. I don’t get very many happy announcements like that over the course of a year.
Even someone who doesn’t know Yamato must surely have heard the theme song. When you know the content of the song, you can understand the basic story. You know, “we’re going to Iscandar,” and “it’s something to do with going off into space and returning.” Because this movie is a sequel built upon that, I think you can see it without knowing the previous work if you know that song.
I’d love to invite my friends and favorite people to go and see it by all means. If you’re invited by an interested man, you should definitely go together. Of course, I think it’s also important to address the women who may be anxious. Any boy who personally invites a girl by saying, “Let’s go see Yamato together” is surely a good guy. I want to be friends with them. (Laughs)
Lift quote on right side: “I’m happy to be able to appear in a work that continues to be loved for more than 40 years.”