Shun Horie & Takuya Eguchi talk about Yamato!
Published November 22 at Anime Anime. See the original post here.
Be Forever Yamato REBEL 3199, The latest remake of the Space Battleship Yamato series, has been showing Chapter 2: Red Sun Sortie since November 22nd. A comment video and official interview has arrived with Shun Horie, who plays Isidore, and Takuya Eguchi, who plays Ranbel.
REBEL 3199 adds new interpretations to various elements of the third theatrical film Be Forever Yamato (1980), and reconstructs it into a series of seven chapters (26 episodes in total). Does the title 3199 refer to a thousand years in the future? What kind of hidden relationship is there between the Earth and Dezarium, which appears as an enemy? The surprises shown in the previous chapter continue to expand.
The drama is also more and more fulfilling, with Yuki Mori being captured by enemy officer Alphon, and Susumu Kodai unable to escape from his feelings of guilt. The love between the two is subjected to the trial of separation, and Starsha’s orphan Sasha is also heavily involved. As all the characters act with their own will, a tense and fierce battle unfolds, and the meaning of that battle is once again called into question.
In Chapter 2, the huge mobile fortress of Dezarium, Grand Reverse, has landed on the coast of the new capital. Dezarium’s Holy Emperor Skaldart, who has conquered Earth, tells the people, “We are you,” and explains the 1,000-year history of the Earth. They were searching for “fragments of Iscandar” to change the future of Earth, which is heading toward destruction. Surprisingly, they are not “enemies.”
Meanwhile, the old Yamato crew has reached the Icarus Observatory, where the new Space Battleship Yamato awaits. However, Susumu Kodai, who lost Yuki Mori, is so disheartened that he is not in a position to command. He has no idea that his beloved Yuki is being cared for by Major Alphon of Dezarium. Who is Dezarium? And what is its true purpose? Yamato is about to depart in search of answers to all the mysteries.
In the comment video that has just arrived, Shun Horie, who plays Isidore, and Takuya Eguchi, who plays Ranbel, introduced each other’s roles to Anime! Anime! readers. In this official interview, they talk about Yamato and general director Harutoshi Fukui, so be sure to check it out.
Interviewer: First, please tell us about the roles you two are playing.
Horie: Isidore, who I play, is a direct subordinate of Alphon, played by Makoto Furukawa. He’s very loyal, but there are times when I feel that his loyalty is a little excessive. That’s why I don’t like Alphon’s concern for Yuki, and I sometimes get a little harsh towards her. But I think that emotional side of him is human in a way.
Eguchi: Ranbel is a character who takes command among the invaders. Dezarium has extremely advanced technology, so emotions are not needed that much. Many people are calm even while carrying out their missions, but among them, Ranbel surprisingly has some emotionality left. Rather, he seems to enjoy what humans would call elation and excitement. I don’t know how that will affect future developments because I haven’t received the scripts yet, but he seems to have a human side to him.
Interviewer: How did you feel when you were chosen for this role?
Horie: I got the role through an audition, but actually, it wasn’t my first time meeting Fukui-san. There was a reading of a play called Hakoku no Ken that I appeared in with Eguchi-san. The role I was doing at the time was a rather harsh one, where I manipulated people and set traps for them, and Fukui-san wrote the script.
Since then, I met Fukui-san for the first time in a while on the first day of recording for this work, and he said, “I chose you to audition because I thought you would make this role interesting.” However, at this stage, the character of Isidore is a boy shrouded in a lot of mystery, so I wondered what will happen to Isidore in the future. In that sense, I was excited. But since Fukui-san said that, I thought I would work hard for the day when I can make him interesting. (Laughs)
Eguchi: I’m not from the Space Battleship Yamato generation, but it’s a work that everyone definitely knows. It was often played on TV in “nostalgic anime specials,” and I can sing the theme song. I felt an extra sense of excitement in a way because I was chosen for such a famous work. That’s because I had worked with Fukui-san in the same reading with Horie-kun. I was also happy to meet everyone again.
Interviewer: The Yamato series has a huge number of characters, and the human drama of each character is a highlight. Are there any characters or relationships that you’re interested in?
Horie: I went to see the first chapter with Yuto Uemura (voice actor for Takeshi Ageha), and I was really struck by Megumi Kanzaki’s scene. Of course, that was because of Megumi Hayashibara’s acting. I was really moved by the sight of her fighting with her heart full of feelings for the family she had lost. In the main story, there’s almost no mention of Kanzaki’s husband and children, but even so, it felt like I had watched a whole season’s worth of drama about this family. That’s how deep Hayashibara’s acting is. After we left the theater, the first thing Uemura and I said to each other was, “Kanzaki was amazing!” That’s how much the Cosmo Reverse scene touched me. I’m looking forward to seeing what Kanzaki does in the future.
Eguchi: As the character Alphon of Dezarium interacts with humans, there’s a sense that something is beginning to sprout. I’m really curious to see how that will change and how the relationships will evolve in the future. I’m looking forward to seeing where this will end, from a point where it seems like there’s no chance of winning.
On working with your “master” Keiko Han
Interviewer: How was the recording process?
Horie: When I was recording with Houko Kuwashima (Yuki Mori), I did a scene with the direction to “be more naughty” and “torment Yuki,” and afterward Kuwashima-san said “this role is perfect for Horie.” I wonder if she meant that Isidore-kun’s acting was good, or if she saw the mean side of me that I was trying so hard to hide. Kuwashima-san also appeared in Hakoku no Ken, which I mentioned earlier, and I wonder if she said, “You’re perfect for me” after seeing me in rehearsals and offstage. I’m not sure about the truth yet though. (Laughs)
However, Space Battleship Yamato is a work with a long history. The atmosphere during the recording was very serious. Rather than having a fun conversation, I was nervous and just wanted to do my best to stand up straight.
Eguchi: I also recorded alone, or with 2-3 people who gathered at the time, but the role of Mother Dezarium was played by Keiko Han. She was the one who gave the orders, and I was the one who received them. Keiko Han was actually a lecturer at the technical school I attended before I became a voice actor, and I took her classes. Since then, she has been saying things like, “You’re doing great.”
So even after I became a voice actor, she was very considerate and kind to me. This was the first time I had a conversation with her, so I was happy. However, if you look at the recording schedule, we’re obviously separate. So after the recording, I went to the booth and said, “You’re like a master to me. So I was really happy to receive various instructions from Mother and respond with YES!” Then we recorded together the following week.
When Mr. Fukui came in, he said, “After what I said last week…” but thanks to that, we were able to record our dialogue together. I was overwhelmed with emotion to be able to work with her after about 19 years. However, I came in wearing shorts during the recording, so she asked me, “Did you come from the beach?” (Laughs)
Interviewer: What kind of direction did the director and Mr. Fukui give you?
Horie: We often did the recording with Furukawa (Alphon) and Kuwashima (Yuki), and the thing I was told most was, “Be more like a brother-in-law” and “Please bully Yuki more.”
The role and the person should be separated, but Kuwashima-san is too nice. She always spoke to me kindly, like a real goddess. So even though it was just a role, I was worried that it would be really hard to kick her around. But I still whipped myself into tormenting Yuki. (Laughs)
Eguchi: I was told that it was okay to show an emotional side to Ranbel. I wanted him to enjoy it in a way, and to think that winning is a given in terms of technology. That’s why there are parts of him that are happy, excited, and having fun. So when he fires the cannon, he says, “Fire the Infinite Beta Cannon!” and I thought that was really exciting. (Laughs) It’s rare to get the chance to say, “Fire the cannon!” So when I heard that line, I thought Ranbel was having fun. When I said, “Fire the Infinite Beta Cannon!” (in an excited voice), I was told, “You’re having too much fun.” I thought, “I see, I shouldn’t have enjoyed it that much,” but that’s how we got the balance right.
Dezarium has its own justice
Interviewer: This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first broadcast of Yamato. When did you two first come into contact with it?
Horie: I first became involved in the Yamato series with REBEL 3199, but even in my generation, the brass band members would play Space Battleship Yamato when they were cheering on the baseball team. In that sense, I felt its great presence even as a teenager.
I was also quite an otaku in my school days, so when an artist I liked was chosen to perform the theme song for a movie, I wanted to see it. So I started with the song.
When I saw it in the theater as a spectator, I felt that it was a work that made me think about the heart. There are people who try to be human, and others who try to go against that. Like praying at a grave or looking up at the sky thinking of someone far away. As Isidore’s lines say, those actions seem really strange to him, and I think it’s only because we’re human that we can understand those feelings. In contrast, for example, when two people are fighting and one of them leaves, and the robot asks the other person, “Are you sure you don’t want me to chase after you?” the robot is surprisingly closer to human feelings. I was really moved by that kind of ambivalence. I think that’s also why so many people support it.
Eguchi: For our generation, it’s all about the “nostalgic anime specials” on TV. I wonder how many times I’ve seen the scene with Captain Okita when Yamato returns to Earth. I watched it so many times that I got the illusion that I’d already seen the whole movie. When I was in elementary school, I wanted a Yamato plastic model, but it was really expensive for a kid. It felt like a plastic model for adults. So I also felt like it was something I wanted but couldn’t get.
When I watched Yamato as an adult, I felt that it had a lot of romance. Not only the weight of what the humans were carrying, but also the back-and-forth battle they waged in space. Dezarium has its own sense of justice, and that’s really passionate. It’s full of passion, so I think people are moved when they watch it, and I think that’s what romance is all about.
Interviewer: Finally, please tell us about the highlights of Chapter 2.
Horie: When I saw Chapter 1 at the theater, Dezarium was a lot more evil than I thought. (Laughs) I thought we wouldn’t understand each other even if we talked about things. Of course, we’re the ones who separated Yuki from Kodai, but when I see Alphon caring about her, I get the feeling that he’s not a bad person after all. I guess you could say that you’ll understand if you talk to him.
I often worked with the Yuki side during recording, so I found myself empathizing with the Yuki side. How will she fight and survive alone, separated from the one she loves? However, Isidore is not amused by the sight of Yuki trying so hard there. So I’m also doing my best to shake off Kuwashima-san’s kindness and bully Yuki. I hope you’ll look forward to that, but I also hope you’ll pay attention to the drama surrounding Dezarium and Yuki.
Eguchi: Of course, the human relationships and character drama that have been building up are the focus of Chapter 2, but I’m drawn to the battle in space. I’m really looking forward to seeing that footage. I couldn’t see the images yet at the recording stage. I think it’ll be really cool to see the visuals and sounds on the big screen, and I hope everyone will look forward to it.