Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love Chapter 5 - Purgatory! Interview with Eriko Nakamura - "Wooooooo! That's what I feel like (laughs).

The fifth chapter "Purgatory Arc" of the theatrical animated film "Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love" will finally be released in 35 movie theaters nationwide on May 25, 2018. In Chapter 4, "Tenseimei Arc," the Yamato crew has a chance encounter with Teresa, but the shadow of the avenging enemy, Dessler, is creeping up on them. ...... Furthermore, a direct confrontation with Gatlantis, which has finally embarked on an invasion of the earth, awaits them. ...... Eriko Nakamura, who plays the role of MIKAGE KIRYU in the film and also serves as the MC for the "Love Propaganda Conference," talked to us about the highlights of the film.

In order to fulfill the role of MIKAGE KIRYU, she dared to shut out her previous works for "2199.

─ Speaking of Ms. Nakamura, she played the role of MIKAGE KIRYU inthe previous film "SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO 2199," and we understand that she studied Yamato very hard for the role.

Eriko Nakamura (Nakamura ): No, my knowledge of Yamato is still quite limited. I was already familiar with the Yamato series, but I didn't know much about it at the time I joined "Space Battleship Yamato 2199" as a voice actress. But before "2199" came out, I was asked to appear in a movie ("Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Ark of the Stars"), and I was invited to participate in a "2199" talk event because of that. Of course, I said, "By all means! But when I thought about it, I realized that Mikage Kiryu had been a member of the crew since the middle of the film (Chapter 6), so I didn't know much about the first half of the story. I wondered if that would be a good idea, but I decided that if I gave a talk in the form of "teaching about Yamato to Nakamura, who doesn't know much about Yamato," it would broaden the audience of fans.

So, of course, I "don't know what I don't know," but I myself had a strong desire to see "2199," so I asked Nakamura, "I'd like to see it! I was allowed to watch everything from the first chapter to the latest episode that was being made at the time. Of course, I wasn't in the show, so I was just watching it from the perspective of a fan, but when I finished watching it, I thought, "This is so much fun! I was like, "This is so much fun!

─ Isn't Yamato basically an anime that boys like?　What was the reason why you got hooked on Yamato, Mr. Nakamura?

Nakamura: If I had seen the old "Space Battleship Yamato" (1974), I would be able to say many things about how different it is when I saw "2199," but up until now, I thought that it must be better to avoid watching the old works as much as possible! I have been thinking that it must be better not to see the old films as much as possible! I thought that if I watched the old movie, the flow from "2199" to "2202" would feel like a parallel world, and it might be difficult for me to act in the new movie.

So I can't talk about how the old work differs from the new work and what is good about the new work, but in "2199," the "battle" and "justice" that I had been thinking about until then are not dualistic at all. There are as many sorrows as there are people, as much happiness and joy, and as many ways of living. I felt something very human in the fact that they cannot be completely divided into enemies and allies. When I first saw Yamato, I was struck by the way it depicted the fragility of human beings who love each other but are swept away by absurdities such as having to kill each other or dying. That is how I came to love Yamato.

I see. So it wasn't that you liked the battle scenes of Yamato, but that you were attracted by its dramatic nature.

Nakamura: The more I watched it, the more I slowly came to appreciate the greatness of the battle scenes. As the chapters go by, combined with the technological advancements in the film, you become more and more capable of amazing fighting styles. In "2199," when they were fighting the Domer fleet, I thought, "This is going to be a big problem! I thought, "This is going to be a big problem!

Another great thing about Yamato is that throughout the entire film, it is never blurred that "people are fighting people. Even though it is not a hand-to-hand combat, it is a single ship that has gathered everyone's strength to fight, and even though it is not flesh and blood, there is a great sense of humanity in the battle. Perhaps this is something that could only be depicted in a work called "Space Battleship Yamato.

─ It is true that unlike most robot anime, Yamato is not a single hero, but rather a team of people who fight together as a whole team, and there is a strong sense of team play.

Nakamura: It's the same with the chain of command. In a general army, the order is given from the top to the bottom, but in the case of Yamato, there is a clear communication between people. I think this is a result of the production team's efforts to properly portray each and every character.

─ What was your first impression of working on Yamato?　Did you feel like "I'm a member of the Yamato crew! Did you feel like "I'm a member of the Yamato crew!

Nakamura: It wasn't until I heard the reaction of the people who saw the film that I realized, "Oh my God, I'm on Yamato! I had a lot of people who had no idea that I was in the movie go to see "2199" and say, "You were in Yamato, weren't you? I got a lot of reactions like, "You were in Yamato, weren't you? Or even my friends, when I told them that I was going to be in Yamato, they responded, "I was originally going to go see the movie, but now I'm definitely going to see it. That was a first for me.

─ ─ It seems that many of the other cast members also responded in this way in the case of Yamato. In particular, I heard that the response was especially strong from the "arafi-year-old" generation who had spent their boyhoods loving Yamato.

Nakamura: That's right. They saw Yamato and came to know who I am through it. When I go home for New Year's, I give my parents a report on the past year, and when I tell them that I appeared in Yamato, their reaction is, "Oh, Yamato? When I told my parents that I had worked on Yamato, they were totally taken aback (laughs).

(Laughs.) Even if I was not on the Yamato in the film, I was still very much aware that I was a crew member of the "Space Battleship Yamato.

──Did you feel any pressure during the recording sessions?　I know that there were many senior voice actors who were also involved in the recording.

Nakamura: There was not much pressure during recording. The unity of the cast was great, but it was an open circle, not a closed one, so it was easy for me to join. In the postrecording of "2199," the crew on the Gamilas side was also very large, as was the crew on the Yamato side. So, as is typical for voice actors, I had to play both sides. We would make jokes about it on the set, and there would be exchanges like, "You're the enemy today! We would exchange something like, "You're the enemy today! If a cast member really likes Yamato, he or she can translate the Gamilas language. I would ask him, "In Earth language (not Japanese), it says this, but in Gamilas language, how do you say it?

(Laughs.) So we work in an atmosphere where it doesn't matter at all when you board the Yamato, how many lines you have, or how many times your name appears in the film. Even if I wasn't on the Yamato during the film, I am very conscious that I am a crew member of the "Space Battleship Yamato" film.

──Then, moving on to"2202," Mikage Kiryu, who you play, will be one of the "remaining crew members" on Earth, won't you?　How did you feel at that time?　Did you feel any loneliness about not being able to participate in the voyage after this?

Nakamura: Hmmm. When I first met Mikage (*Note: Mikage Kiryu appeared in "2199" Chapter 6), Yamato had already been through many battles, so it was as if she came out in the middle. But because of that, as a viewer, I was able to watch it from an objective and somewhat detached perspective. Also, I had heard that MIKAGE would definitely appear in "2202," so I thought, "Why can't I just watch it as a pure Yamato fan during that time? I thought, "I can watch it purely as a Yamato fan during that time! I felt as if I had been given such time as a gift.

─ So, regarding this "2202", do you feel that you are rather following the past voyages from the fans' point of view?

Nakamura: That's right. I think I may have a strong feeling that way. Of course, I sometimes wonder what Mikage is doing on Earth while the other crew members are working hard on Yamato. If you say that thinking in that way is also a fan's pleasure, then yes, I think so! I think so.

But didn't you think that you spent a lot of time waiting on Earth?

Nakamura: Hmmm. But the time axis is rewound quite a bit, and thankfully I am able to meet and talk with the cast and staff through a webcast program called "Ai no Senden Kaigi" (Love Propaganda Conference).

Nakamura:You don't feel like you are that far away from each other?

Nakamura: Yes, I do!　Perhaps it is similar to Mikage's feelings. This side (Earth) is doing its best here, but how about that side (Yamato)?　How about you (Yamato)?

Translated from title="Earth":So, in this "Chapter 5", Earth has not appeared for a long time, and for you, Mr. Nakamura, it is the reappearance you have been waiting for.

Nakamura: Actually, I forgot about that for a while (laughs). Of course, I remembered that I had appeared in episode 17 (Chapter 5), but since I consider them as "chapters" rather than episodes, I did not really understand the connection between the previous and the next episodes. So, when I saw the video of Chapter 5, I thought to myself, "I've seen this story somewhere before.　I had a bit of déjà vu, thinking, "I've seen this story somewhere before. I thought, "Come to think of it, I think I've heard the voices of the other characters live before. Oh, the recording booth! (laughs). It was as if the excitement came later.

Mr.Nakamura:From a certain fan's point of view, what did you think of"2202"so far?

Nakamura: "Wooooooo! (laughs).

Nakamura:You think this is going to be a big problem?

Nakamura: That's exactly what I said at the time of the fourth chapter, that the fifth chapter would be a big problem. Come to think of it, I think I said that about Chapter 3 in Chapter 2 as well. And. But the words I always use are the same: "It's going to be a big trouble," and I have not betrayed that at all. So I always say, "Oh, it's going to be a big trouble! I always say, "Oh my God, it's going to be a big problem!

Nakamura:Certainly, it is becoming more and more difficult with each passing chapter, isn't it?

Nakamura: But even if you look back at chapters 2 and 3 as a review, you can still see how difficult it was at that time. The record of difficulties is updated with each passing chapter, but the difficulties of the time do not become old or dim. The type and color of the hardships change. I am amazed that you were able to collect all these difficulties.

─ ─ Moreover, the subtitle of this year's work is "Purgatory. It gives the impression that things are about to get pretty bad. Finally, the battle against the avenging enemy, Death Row and the direct confrontation with Gatlantis are coming up, and thereare a lot of original elements unique to"2202".

Nakamura: As I mentioned earlier, I dare not watch the older films, so everything in "2202" is "Yamato" for me. In that sense, I may be lucky in a sense that I can always watch it fresh. When all seven chapters of "2202" are completed this time, that is when I would like to see the old films, as they will finally be released, but only then will I be able to see how various elements are different. In that sense, I think it will be enjoyable to watch it twice or even three times.

For me, even if I had done the postrecording, that is only one piece of Yamato, and I think that for it to become a work called "Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love," all the elements would have to mesh together. So, even if I knew the story before the recording, for me, I always watch the movie as if it were fresh for the first time.

─ Finally, from your point of view, what are the highlights of Chapter 5?

Nakamura: Suddenly the enemy, Death Row, appears in front of Ancient and his friends, but what in the world is the "enemy"? As you watch this fifth chapter, you will find yourself wondering what the "enemy" is. In a sense, we are caught up in such a comfortable confusion as to what Yamato is fighting against and for what purpose. And in the end, I think that once again we will be able to feel the meaning of this "enemy," this "enemy created by love," so to speak.

Nakamura:After all, the theme is "love," isn't it?

Nakamura: Yes, that's right. At the moment, I feel that there is only "love" that is quite painful. ...... (laughs)

Thank you very much.