Interview with Daisuke Ono & Harutoshi Fukui!　What does "Pure Love," the subtitle of the third chapter of "Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love," mean?

The third chapter "Pure Love Arc" of the theatrical animation work "Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love" will be screened in theaters from this weekend, Saturday, October 14.

In "Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love," interviews with Daisuke Ono, who plays the main character Mamoru Ancient, as in the previous work "Space Battleship Yamato 2199," and Harutoshi Fukui, who is in charge of series composition, have just arrived. Following the recently released interview with Akira Miyagawa, the composer in charge of music for the film, we will now introduce the two interviews.
⇒ The sound of Yamato revived by facing the music left by his father! Interview with Akira Miyagawa, composer of "Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love!

--What will happen in the third chapter?

Fukui: As mentioned in the preview for Chapter 3, "Pure Love Arc," a horde of Gatlantis reinforcements appears over Yamato's head, and in the face of this, a decision must be made as to whether to use the Wave Motion Cannon. For Ancient, the act of firing the wave motion cannon would be a betrayal to his soul. This is true for his own soul, Okita-san's soul, and for his benefactor on earth, Starsha. Whether he pulls the trigger with what he is convinced or not ...... that will be the first highlight.

Ono: Ancient times he has to make a choice, but especially in chapter 3, "Ancient times, choose! and that part was always difficult for me. As a performer and as an individual, I felt sorry for Ancient. I really think Mr. Fukui is a terrible person (laughs).

--Please tell us an episode from the post recording.

Ono: Hiroshi Kamiya, who played Klaus Keyman, was very impressive. In a word, Keyman is a character that makes you think, "Isn't he working in the dark?" I think he is a person who is in the dark. So I think he is a character that can only be played by someone who knows what is going to happen. I was impressed that Mr. Kamiya was eagerly asking questions to Mr. Fukui. He even left the post recording booth to ask questions. That was very much like the role of a key person who acts like "I want to know," and it was also a factor that boosted the morale of the scene.
What was interesting was Houko Kuwashima's role as Mori Yuki. Snow has a period in the story where she doesn't appear for a while, so Kuwashima-san also took a break from recording during that time. So, when she finally came out for the test, she ad-libbed something like, "It's been two months," which I thought was very Snow-like (laughs). Snow must have been sulking when he didn't appear this much, and I thought, "Ah, he has been on a long journey after all, and he looks just as he does in the role. That's what makes it so wonderful and amazing.

Fukui: This time, to put it in a simple way, there are many "crying" acts in the ancient times. Crying does not mean sobbing, but rather, it is a play in which the actor is unable to stand due to the outpouring of emotion. Since animation is still about pictures, I avoided using long shots to follow the actions of a single person, and instead switched cuts to move the story along. There are such scenes in episodes 7 and 9.

Ono: In episode 7, the scene where Ancient is lost, his hesitation and anxiety are extreme, and he hangs on to Mr. Okita's soul in a way. I wondered if it was right for Ancient to have lost so much confidence.　I was thinking, "Is it OK for Ancient to lose confidence so much? It's OK to be lost. It's OK to do it in a pathetic way. I wondered if ancient people cried so much, but if I recall, he cried so much at the end of "2199" that it was embarrassing. His mentality is that he is not afraid to act when his impulses are triggered.

Fukui: I don't need to mention the ancient times, but I think we will find out who the key players are and what they are all about. I think you will find out "What is the key person?

Ono Keiman is a cool person who sees things from a bird's eye view, so there were many lines that made sense to me. He says things like, "He puts all the responsibility on Ancient" to the people of Yamato, and I thought, "He's not just a jerk" (laughs). (laugh). There are parts of him that push Ancient back, and I felt that he is someone who is close to Yamato and can see what is important.

Fukui: For example, a subcontractor who comes from the outside understands the problems of a company better than an insider. However, even if they know, they have the choice of telling or not telling. The key person will say it. It would have been a careless thing for a person in that position, but he is a lovable person and a humanist. Keeman and one other person, Zoeder, are also noteworthy. We begin to understand what kind of enemy Gatlantis is. It is an overwhelmingly powerful enemy, but what is it and how is it a threat to humanity?　This is what we will see. However, conversely, it is because they are looking at love from the outside that they are able to talk about love in some aspects.

--Fukui: What is the meaning of "pure love," the subtitle of chapter 3?

Fukui: Love is what "Love Saves the Earth" is all about, and while there are glorious aspects of love, it is also a scary thing. If you look around the world, there are many incidents happening, and they are definitely done out of love. But, "That's not the point; isn't man good only for the sake of those he loves?" He said, "Farewell Space Battleship Yamato: Warriors of Love. However, isn't this "for the sake of those we love" eventually converted into ego?　Chapter 3, "Pure Love Arc," depicts the glorious side of love, but I believe that the darker side of love will also come out in the future. It is important to portray both sides of it. Zoeder, as I mentioned earlier, is very well aware of that problem and will continue to portray it that way in the future. Chapter 3 is a kind of a statement of position. In that sense, the title is actually a bit ironic.

Ono: I thought it would be hard for me, as an ancient man, to call it a "pure love chapter" at this point because I also depict different kinds of love (laughs). (Laughs.) However, I can relate to the expression of love and the way of life as an ancient person. I believe that love for a person or something is not logical when you get down to it, and the reason is an afterthought. I think it is necessary to have someone who looks down and asks questions about it, but I think I can say with pride, "I love it" without logic.

Fukui: In a sense, Ancient Susumu was a hero in the previous Yamato movies, but in "2202" he is a human being. This "human Susumu Ancient" has to make a decision, but he also has to take on a great deal of responsibility through ...... spur-of-the-moment reflexes. It means that "human beings do this in a moment of time. In other words, it is about what we do when we are prepared for and accept such a situation. I depicted this deeply in my work. I feel that Yamato was originally an anime that tried to reach out to the depths of human nature.

Ono: It is interesting. Ono: It is interesting, but it is also painful (for the ancient people) (laughs). (laughs). It reflects the times, doesn't it? I think it is largely because Mr. Fukui depicted it in that way.

--Lastly, what is the best part of the third chapter?

Fukui: This chapter is about "acting. I recorded the actors' plays with great persistence. The drawings were also re-taken and redrawn with a lot of passion. Of course, there is the mechanical action and spectacle that is typical of Yamato, but I hope that you can see a part of what I mean when I say, "Animation can go this far. As for the story, you can see the direction it is going in. Up to the second chapter, "2202" was a continuation of "2199," and it could be "Farewell" or "Space Battleship Yamato 2," so to speak.　In other words, how do we cross the complex pathway among the three elements? From the third chapter, we know that these questions have been answered, but where are we going?　I think the third chapter will be the first time to clarify where we are going.

Ono: Mr. Fukui mentioned "the play," and I was thrilled when I saw the video just before it was completed. I was thrilled when I saw the footage just before it was completed. I felt like there was raw emotion in it. Yamato is a science fiction anime, but the images made me feel that it was alive. I want people to feel the vividness of life. I hope that everyone can feel the skill of all the animation staff and their "love" for the film.