Inherited Feelings, Filled with Love and Respect
Written by Mitsuru Arenkan for Mantan Web, November 2. See the original article here.
In REBEL 3199 Chapter 4, Pale Blue Maiden/Sasha, the popular character Sasha appears in her grown-up form. Sasha is voiced by popular voice actress Megumi Han. Yamato 3199 is a new interpretation and reconstruction based on the original Be Forever Yamato and Yamato III. In the 1980 film Be Forever, Megumi’s mother, Keiko Han, voiced Sasha, making the passing of the role from mother to daughter an interesting topic. Megumi voices Sasha with love and respect.
Overwhelmed with emotion inheriting Sasha
Sasha’s full name is “Sasha Iscandar Kodai,” the daughter of Mamoru Kodai and Starsha, Queen of Iscandar. She is the niece of the protagonist, Susumu Kodai, and holds a crucial key to the story.
Megumi is known for roles like Gon Freecss in Hunter X Hunter and Arima Kana in My Favorite Child, while Keiko has starred in roles like Lala Sune in Mobile Suit Gundam. Mother and daughter now portray the popular character Sasha across generations. Keiko also appears in the remake series as Mother Dezarium.
Harutoshi Fukui, the chief director of Yamato 3199, once revealed the reason for casting the mother-daughter duo: “I couldn’t imagine anyone else.” Fukui had explained to Keiko that Megumi would be taking over the role of Sasha.
“One day, when I had dinner with Mr. Fukui, he brought storyboards. He then said, ‘I’m asking Megumi to play Sasha.’ I remember thinking, ‘Can Megumi really do this?’ The Sasha in Be Forever was fragile, but girls are strong now. Sasha has a strong will, but back then, fragility was what was needed. Maybe it was just due to the times? My daughter is stronger than me. Stronger in will, physical strength, and spirit. The Sasha I played at 26 was 14-17 years old. Could my daughter capture that fragile feeling? But after seeing the storyboards, I thought, ‘Maybe Sasha from this era could pull it off?’“
Megumi stated, ”I’m incredibly grateful to inherit this role from my mother. And since Mr. Fukui helped me when I debuted in Mobile Suit Gundam UC, I’m also thrilled to be working with him again. It’s truly overwhelming.”
“I felt her growth”
Megumi, upon inheriting Sasha, shared that her mother gave her a memorable line: “‘So you’ll be the one carrying this role forward from now on, huh?’ Such a motherly thing to say.” Megumi revealed that even before her casting in Yamato 3199 was decided, she had heard stories about Space Battleship Yamato from Keiko and had always seen Sasha as an extension of her mother.
“I feel Sasha is a cute, charming, very pure character with a girlish quality. When I hear about the life my mother has lived, it’s just like Sasha. She’s cute and charming, retaining that sparkle she had as a child, with a soft aura, yet you sense a strong will somewhere, and as a daughter, I also glimpse her stubbornness. That complex yet simple coexistence is what I feel Sasha is. Sasha is ultimately a strong character who makes her own choices. She represents my mother back then and my mother now. I feel she embodies my mother’s life.“
Megumi’s words convey deep love and respect for her mother. Keiko mentioned that when she heard Megumi voice Sasha in Yamato 3199, she thought, ”She’s more into it than I was. (Laughs) When I played Sasha, I was a complete newbie, but my daughter has built up so much experience. I could feel her growth and wasn’t worried. During Be Forever, I felt the love in the line ‘Sasha!’ delivered by the senior actor, Kei Tomiyama (who played Susumu Kodai). It was so full of affection, I thought, ‘He must like me!’ I was nurtured by a wonderful production team. My daughter, too, is learning and being supported by everyone on set, more than anything I could tell her.”
The love for Yamato has been passed from mother to daughter. Megumi’s portrayal of Sasha carries on the legacy of the Sasha from Be Forever, yet you also feel she is “Sasha of the present.”
Sasha, who was previously 2 years old, suddenly appears before Kodai and the others at age 17 in Chapter 4. The reason for her sudden growth was also revealed. However, Sasha and Mother Dezarium (Keiko’s character) still hold many mysteries. One can’t help but wonder if there’s some deeper meaning to this mother-daughter collaboration. What is the truth? We’ll be watching for future developments.
See Megumi Han’s credit list at Anime News Network here