Voice Actor Koichi Yamadera on Age of Yamato: “Every scene is a great one”
Interview and text by Yuka Abe, photography by Kasako
Yuka Abe was born in 1992. After working as a director and editor of web media, she became a freelance writer for entertainment and business.
(See the original article here)
The Space Battleship Yamato anime series had a great impact on many famous people who became involved in anime. One of them is the voice actor Koichi Yamadera, who is known as “the voice of seven colors.”
For the past 20 years, he has been appearing in the series that influenced him. In 1999, he was chosen to play Susumu Kodai, the main character in the Playstation game Yamato, The Distant Planet Iscandar as the successor to voice actor Kei Tomiyama. He also played the role of Kodai in Yamato Resurrection, released in 2009. Furthermore, he was chosen to play Kodai’s enemy Dessler in the remake TV anime Yamato 2199 that aired in 2013.
“When I was in junior high school, I used to watch the show every week and imitate the voices of various characters. It was probably around this time that I started to gain an eye toward voice acting.”
Thoughts on Space Battleship Yamato, beyond the pressure
“I have been a fan of Space Battleship Yamato since I saw it in the first year of junior high school, and also a big fan of Masato Ibu, who played Dessler. I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing Dessler, so I felt a lot of pressure and wondered if I could do it.”
Yamadera had played many popular characters before, but he had some concerns about playing Dessler.
“Would I be able to handle being so involved in my favorite show, Yamato? And not just as Kodai, but Dessler as well?”
At the same time, looking beyond the pressure, he had a strong desire to be involved in the production.
“I’d rather challenge myself than have someone else play the role.”
In Yamato 2199, Dessler differs from the previous work in several ways. He now has the full name “Abelt Dessler,” the title “Great Garmillas Imperial Eternal Leader,” and a more youthful appearance. Dessler’s background, which has never been depicted before, is revealed in the sequel, Yamato 2202. The backbone of the character is depicted, which is simultaneously easy and difficult to portray.
“It all became clear to me why he turned out the way he did,” Yamadera said. “The old Dessler was portrayed as an emperor, a charismatic, cold-hearted dictator, trying to save the Garmillas empire. The appeal of Dessler’s character was that he never showed his weaknesses and never revealed his inner thoughts. However, we now live in an age where it is difficult for people to sympathize with such characters.”
The scriptwriter, Harutoshi Fukui, decided to depict Dessler’s past in Yamato 2202.
“By depicting the past, we can better understand Dessler’s choices and decisions. At the same time, it was more difficult to play the role with that past. But the more difficult it is, the more rewarding it feels. It was a great joy and a pleasure.”
Understanding of character prepares you to be an expressive person
Having played Dessler in Yamato 2199 and Yamato 2202, Yamadera says his feelings for Dessler became even stronger.
“Before I found out about Dessler’s past, I felt that I was not carrying anything on my shoulders,” he laughed. However, expressing each of Dessler’s choices, decisions, and determination with his “voice” was something that Yamadera himself had to carry.
“Dessler had a lot more on his shoulders than I thought. He was prepared to take on the fact that there would be victims to his actions, and there would be people who did not agree with him. Dessler was always ready to take on all of that, and he was always making decisions. If you don’t understand his determination, you’ll end up with a line that’s just a mouthful of words. My role was to flexibly interpret his story and incorporate it into the lines. Since the story was depicted so carefully, I was able to put more energy into it.”
On June 11, Age of Yamato, the Choices of 2202, a compilation film reconstructed around Yamato 2202, will open in theaters. “Choices” was treated as a very important word in this work. Yamadera commented on the “choices” each character makes.
“You can look at it in many ways. What you have carried in the past has a big impact on the choices you make in the future. At first, I didn’t understand Zordar (the Great Emperor of Gatlantis). In fact, he too had a sad past. That’s why he denies all love and tries to erase all creatures that have love, right? If he didn’t have that past, he wouldn’t have come up with such thoughts and actions.”
“I felt that one misstep, one wrong choice can change the world. But we all have to make choices all the time, from the smallest to the largest. What is right for someone is also wrong for someone else. That’s why people continue to live in doubt. We make mistakes and feel shame. That’s what we talk about in Yamato 2199 and Yamato 2202.”
Dessler’s “choice” is the same: “The choice to protect the people of Garmillas will lead to the future of Garmillas, but it will also end the future of people on other planets. On the other hand, if you choose to save everyone, you may sacrifice the people of Garmillas instead of saving them.”
After watching Age of Yamato, Yamadera said, “I deeply understand Dessler’s feeling of having to choose and decide among various options. I want to continue to play the role.”
A new approach for Age of Yamato
Age of Yamato is not just a compilation (digest video). The narrator is Shiro Sanada, who boards Yamato with the main character Kodai and plays an active role as the XO. With Shiro Sanada as the narrator, the historical turning points that occur in Yamato 2199 and Yamato 2202 are expressed with a documentary-like touch.
Mr. Yamadera expressed his surprise, saying, “I was surprised from the very beginning. Even though I had already seen it many times, I felt many things and was moved at the end. There is not much explanation in the main story of this series. Even when Kodai is struggling with his thoughts, the story progresses without any monologue. On the other hand, in Age of Yamato, the character’s feelings at the time are described from Sanada’s point of view, and it makes my heart beat faster when I compare it with my own interpretation.”
Yamadera spoke happily about Klaus Keyman, a Garmillas military officer stationed on Earth. He is a new character in Yamato 2202. As his name suggests, he plays a very important role, and his relationship with Dessler is one of the highlights of the story.
“When Keyman appeared, it felt like Dessler’s role was lost. Who’s this guy? (Laughs), but as the story progresses, he becomes more and more attractive. When I found out about his relationship with Dessler, I felt a lot of love for Keyman. In the second half of Age of Yamato, when the story switches from Sanada’s words to Keyman’s monologue, I got goosebumps.”
Mr. Yamadera, a fan of Space Battleship Yamato, says that “Every scene in Age of Yamato is a great one.” We asked him again about the highlights.
“I’m sure you’ll agree with me. Miyuki Sawashiro, who plays the narration, is also very active. I felt like I was watching a news program. (Laughs) It’s a compilation of Yamato 2199 and Yamato 2202 in two hours, so every scene is a great one. For those who have not been exposed to Space Battleship Yamato, it is an enjoyable introduction. And for those who have loved it, it is a film with new impressions. I hope that all people will see it.”
PROFILE
Koichi Yamadera was born on June 17 in Miyagi Prefecture. Belongs to Across Entertainment. Major works include Yamato 2202 (as Abelt Dessler) and Cowboy Bebop (as Spike Spiegel). He has also appeared in Soreike! Anpanman (as Meiken Cheese, Kabao-kun, and Kamameshi-don), Lilo and Stitch (as Stitch), Aladdin (as Genie) and more. He has also dubbed for many anime and foreign films.