In commemoration of the screening of "The Age of Space Battleship Yamato: The Selection of 2202 A.D.", Daisuke Ono, who played Susumu Ancient, interviewed the director of "Space Battleship Yamato"! Interview with Daisuke Ono as Susumu Ancient

The "Space Battleship Yamato: The Era of 2202 A.D." is currently being screened to rave reviews. An official interview with Daisuke Ono, who plays the role of Susumu Ancient, the main character of the "Yamato" series, has now arrived.

The "Space Battleship Yamato 2199" series, a remake of the immortal masterpiece "Space Battleship Yamato," was broadcast on TV on a nationwide network in 2013 and gained great support. The "Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love" series, a sequel inspired by "Farewell Space Battleship Yamato: Warriors of Love," which once caused a frenzy throughout Japan, was sequentially screened in theaters in seven chapters and broadcast on TV Tokyo from 2017.

A special compilation film "The Era of 'Space Battleship Yamato': Selection in the Year 2202 A.D.," which reconstructs both series from a new angle, is currently being screened to rave reviews.

To commemorate the excitement of the film, an official interview with Daisuke Ono, who plays Susumu Ancient, was conducted. We would like you to feel Mr. Ono's thoughts on the "Yamato" series and his great predecessor voice actors.

───First of all, please tell us about your impressions of "Space Battleship Yamato: The Era of 2202 A.D. Selection".

Ono: What was impressive to me was the way the story progresses in the form of Mr. Sanada responding to interviews. As both of us are ancient voyagers who went through a tough voyage together, it was something that really touched my heart. Mr. Sanada is a man who does not often talk about himself, so I myself wondered, "What kind of person is Shiro Sanada really? I was wondering what kind of person Shiro Sanada really was as I traveled. I was very happy to hear Mr. Sanada talk about Susumu Ancient, his brother's protection, and himself. I was touched by the fact that such a logical person thinks that what transcends logic is still passion like Ancient Susumu's. When I heard Sanada-san's speech in the last episode of "Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love" ("2202"), I was also very moved by the fact that he had been watching Ancient One for so long and that he had a passion in his heart that he never usually shows but that moves people like that. I was very moved by that.

─ Did the way you played Ancient One change from "Space Battleship Yamato 2199" ("2199") to "2202"?

Ono: In my mind, there was no change. Since the time of "2199," he has been troubled by his thoughts and has a habit of looking down. He is a man of action, but he is also an introspective person. When he looks to the side, he sees his friends, but he looks down and thinks he can handle things on his own. In truth, I think he was aware of his friends around him during "2199. But after Captain Okita passed away, Ancient in "2202" became a bit introspective again. I think it was Hijikata-san who made him look up again. Ancient was saved by Hijikata-san. In "2202," I think he kept following Hijikata-san's back.

--Ono: The two captains were a big part of Ancient's life, weren't they?

Ono: The most important line in "2202" for me was "I will carry out the order of former captain Hijikata! I didn't think anything of it. I didn't think about it and just acted it out with my feelings. After the screening, I was told by a fan that my performance was very similar to that of Takashi Toyama in "Saraba Space Battleship Yamato: Warriors of Love" ("Saraba"). Actually, I didn't dare to watch "Saraba" before acting in it. After all was said and done, I watched "Saraba" again, and I saw the resemblance. I thought, "Ah, this is what it means to receive feelings. I believe that Mr. Unsho Ishizuka gave me that feeling. Looking at my performance in that scene again in this compilation, it may be irreverent of me to say so, but I felt that I was "accepted. I would like to tell Mr. Ishizuka, "I received it.

───The word "choice" is also included in the title, but how did you feel the pressure of "choice" imposed on ancient times in "2202"?

Ono: Lately, especially, I feel that I am becoming one with Susumu Ancient, or rather, I am becoming one with him. I feel that there is a link to Daisuke Ono's way of life. I even feel that he is writing about me. So it was honestly hard for me because it was so close to my own life. Just like in ancient times, there were great senior actors, and there were many talented junior actors coming up, and I was somewhere in between. At such times, I feel as if I have to pass on to my juniors what I have received from my seniors, and that is what I have to do. In the case of this production, I play the leading role, so as the leader of the company, I feel that I have to carry the load by myself. He does not really have to take on the responsibility by himself, but he tries his best on his own, which is just like ancient times. That is why I could understand him. I even feel that we are leaning on each other. It's a tough way to live, though (laughs). If Mr. Ishizuka were here, he might have told me to relax my shoulders.

--Looking back on "2199" and "2202," what are your thoughts on the "Space Battleship Yamato" era?

Ono: Having traveled through "2199" and "2202," I realized that we, too, have created the "Space Battleship Yamato era. After the initial Yamato boom, I was able to reconfirm that we have created a new form of "Yamato" that even our generation, which does not know that era, can be passionate about. I feel a sense of accomplishment that all my hard work has paid off. I believe that this compilation will be a work that will allow fans who have been watching "2199" and "2202" for a long time to discover new aspects of the series.

─ ─ Finally, please tell us about your enthusiasm for the next work, "Space Battleship Yamato 2205: A New Journey" ("2205").

Ono: Above all, I want to reward the fans who sympathized and resonated with this work "Space Battleship Yamato" and traveled with me. With "2202," we have reached a great harmony, but it seems that there are still difficulties and crises awaiting us in space. Yamato is a ship of hope, and so we will set out again toward the future. I would like to return the thoughts and feelings I received from all of you. In terms of the link between ancient times and me, I want to pass on the work of Yamato to the new generation that will create the future, and I want to pass it on to them. I believe that the new work "2205" will also depict such hope, passing on our thoughts to the future, and I would be happy if the fans can share this hope.

Daisuke Ono

Born on May 4 in Kochi Prefecture. His major roles include "Space Battleship Yamato 2199" and "Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love" as Susumu Ancient, "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" series as Jotaro Kujo, "Osomatsu-san" as Matsuno Jushimatsu, dubbed Western version of "Pacific Rim: Uprising" as Nathan Lambert, and many others.