Kosuke Toriumi: First appearance in Space Battleship Yamato as Seiya Kitano
Happy to work “In the middle of the action with Daisuke Ono”
The first chapter of the latest work in the popular Space Battleship Yamato remake series is Be Forever Yamato REBEL 3199, Dark Invasion. It will premiere July 19th. A new interpretation has been added to the third movie Be Forever Yamato (released in 1980) and it has been reconstructed into a total of 26 episodes/seven chapters.
New characters such as Seiya Kitano, who taught Ryusuke Domon and his friends as a strict instructor at the Space Defense University, will appear in Yamato 3199. Seiya Kitano is an original character who was not in Be Forever, and is played by popular voice actor Kosuke Toriumi. We asked Mr. Toriumi, who will be making his first appearance in Yamato, about REBEL 3199.
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He’s a demon instructor, but he’s not just strict
The first Yamato TV anime was broadcast in 1974. It is a masterpiece with a history spanning about half a century.
“It’s almost the same age as me, and I think it’s one of the most representative titles in Japan that everyone knows. The design of Yamato and the SF parts is attractive, but I also think the depth of the story, which depicts human drama, is one of its charms. It’s also good that Kodai is not just a superhero.”
Writer Harutoshi Fukui is the general director of REBEL 3199, and is also in charge of the series composition and scriptwriting. Fukui was in charge of the series composition and scriptwriting for Yamato 2202 and Yamato 2205, and will also serve as general director for the latest work. Naomichi Yamato will be the director.
Seiya Kitano, played by Toriumi, is an excellent soldier who calmly assesses the subtleties of offense and defense. He also has very high leadership qualities. During the Garmillas War, he was a candidate for the “Yamato Plan,” but was injured in an accident and was unable to board Yamato. After the war, he recovered from his wounds and returned to military service as an instructor at the Space Defense University. He devoted himself to training the younger generation through strict instruction that earned him the nickname “Demon Kitano.”
Domon and the other 38th class students are Seiya Kitano’s “last students,” and Tetsuya Kitano, who served as tactical officer on Yamato, is his younger brother. As an original character, there are many mysteries surrounding him.
“There are many things I can’t say because it would be a spoiler, but there are also things they don’t tell us, so I approach the script with a fresh feeling every time. Seiya Kitano is a serious person. He has a meaningful scar and parts of his body are mechanical. He has conflicts, thoughts, and things he has overcome from his past, but at the moment we haven’t shown any of that. I’ll be happy if he becomes a central character in the future, and although there are many things I can’t say right now, I hope you’ll look forward to that as well.”
Although he is a “demon instructor,” looking at the first chapter, it seems that this is in the past, and he seems to have calmed down a bit. “He used to be a demon instructor, but he’s not just strict. He treats his students with love. However, I don’t think he’s easy to understand or lenient, and he’s not the type whose facial expressions change that much, so I think about whether to include a little nuance when I’m acting.”
“In the episodes we recorded recently, there were scenes where his feelings were slightly revealed, but he just acts faithfully to his duty. He’s an adult, isn’t he? I’m looking forward to seeing if his feelings will come out little by little in the future.”
Deep human drama
Daisuke Ono has been playing the main character Susumu Kodai for about 12 years since the first remake series Yamato 2199 started in 2012. Toriumi and Ono have worked together on many previous productions.
“I’ve met Ono-san on other sets, but since we were recording Yamato at different times, we were only able to record together for the first time recently. At that time, I said, ‘I feel like I’m hearing your best voice in years.’ Recently, when we’ve worked together, he’s played a lot of macho characters. (Laughs) Of course, I know he plays a variety of characters. But it’s been a long time since I heard ‘the real Daisuke Ono’ live. That made me happy.”
“I’ve been working with him since he was young, so our generations and careers aren’t that different. We’re basically the same generation. I’ve arbitrarily included him in my generation (laughs).”
A wide range of voice talent, from young actors to veterans, appears in Yamato.
“When I go to the set, I often find myself with older people and the most senior people. That’s why I think Yamato is able to depict human drama so well. It’s a work that has weight in many ways. There are also young people, and the balance is good. I’m looking forward to it becoming an interesting story in the future.”
“I think it’s a title that everyone can look forward to; people who have been in touch with the work for 50 years, and new fans alike. We’re working hard on it, so I hope you’ll look forward to it and enjoy it. We haven’t been told the ending. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.”
What kind of performance will the mysterious Seiya Kitano show us? Expectations are high for his performance from the second chapter onward.