movie program book<\/a>) The good old days.<\/p>\nKimura:<\/em> I bought this a long time ago, too. I don’t have it any more.<\/p>\nYamazaki: Yamato<\/em> was different from previous animation, wasn\u2019t it? It was a tight story, and quite exciting. I liked things like Star Wars<\/em> and Close Encounters<\/em> when I got into this industry, but Yamato<\/em> was deeply rooted before that, and might possibly be the work I wanted to make most. I think I would have really regretted it if I didn\u2019t direct it, and I\u2019m glad I got to make it in live-action.<\/p>\nKimura:<\/em> When I was in kindergarten, I was challenged to draw my favorite thing from my head, and it was Yamato<\/em> traveling through space, trailing smoke. It\u2019s not a physical molecule, but Yamato<\/em> was an element that formed me. But there\u2019s no way I ever thought I could be Susumu Kodai. No matter how much appeal I thought I had, I never thought I\u2019d be qualified to board Yamato<\/em>.<\/p>\nYamazaki:<\/em> Maybe so.<\/p>\nKimura:<\/em> However, I certainly was excited when we shot the firing of the Wave-Motion Gun. It\u2019s fired within Earth\u2019s atmosphere, but it was the first time the Wave-Motion Gun is seen on the screen. It was good that we pushed that forward so I could relax afterward. (Laughs)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/dec15\/074a02.JPG\")
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Yamazaki:<\/em> Me too. From when it\u2019s fired until it hits the target with a big bang, I was unconsciously counting it off. If we went on shooting for too long, you wouldn\u2019t have your firing voice at the end. (Laughs) I was intoxicated with it, too. The situation Kodai was facing when firing the Wave-Motion Gun had a lot of reality for me, and I thought, \u201cthe dream finally came true!\u201d I plunged you into it by making the sound effect with my mouth. (Laughs)<\/p>\nKimura:<\/em> I don\u2019t actually mind it when you imitate the sounds with your mouth. (Laughs)<\/p>\nYamazaki:<\/em> Speaking of the filming, did you say on the radio that \u201cit felt like a club activity\u201d?<\/p>\nKimura:<\/em> Yes. (Laughs) With Mr. Yanagiba [Sanada] sitting behind me, there was an immeasurable aura of Yamato<\/em> love. (Laughs) It had a great feeling of \u201cthe excitement of the journey with the crew\u201d all the way through the shoot. I was excited the first time I saw the full-scale set for the bridge, and when I sat in Susumu Kodai\u2019s seat I somehow felt a great responsibility.<\/p>\nYamazaki:<\/em> When we were standing by on set, when we\u2019d consider Yamato<\/em>\u2019s CG, you\u2019d drop in looking really interested and said stuff like, \u201cDidn\u2019t the engine open up like this?\u201d When I heard that, I thought, \u201cMr. Kimura has really watched Yamato<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\nKimura:<\/em> I wanted to know about the CG since there was no information other than the bridge set. (Laughs) That reminds me, when I took a break with Tsutomu Yamazaki [Okita] in the smoking room, he told me, \u201cThis is a really good director, he gives us the \u2018mood\u2019.\u201d Up until then I was sort of selfish about the work, but when I started to notice the \u201cmood\u201d of everyone around me I felt like it straightened me out. It got to be a lot of fun from there. Since the content was so deep, shooting really seemed to fly by.<\/p>\nThis movie is an expression of love in the form of a cover<\/h3>\n
Yamazaki:<\/em> We didn\u2019t talk very much before we started shooting, did we?<\/p>\nKimura:<\/em> No, we didn\u2019t. (Laughs)<\/p>\nYamazaki:<\/em> Because I had the feeling that you grasped it properly. I wanted Kodai to have the persuasive power of a man you could entrust the Earth to, and that\u2019s the feeling of trust I had in you.<\/p>\nKimura:<\/em> When I played Kodai, I was playing a person who occupies a major part in the lives of a lot of people. In some blog posting, there was a dig at me like, \u201cKimtak is playing the teenage Susumu Kodai?\u201d And I thought, \u201cYeah, they\u2019re right.\u201d But then I thought, \u201cAren\u2019t I also one of these people who willfuly pushes a \u201cSusumu Kodai is supposed to be like this!\u201d line? If I were to put it in a sort of cowardly way, I was the avatar for the presence of Susumu Kodai in Yamato<\/em>. (Laughs) But actually, I felt that the image of Kodai for this movie was formed by the whole.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/dec15\/074a03.JPG\")
<\/span><\/p>\nYamazaki:<\/em> The Susumu Kodai in this movie is a man who knows terrible pain, so in that sense he\u2019s an adult Kodai. It isn\u2019t a \u201ccombat\u201d drama, and he\u2019s a soldier who knows that the fighting is really just a joke, so there is darkness in his heart. Therefore, I wanted to make Kodai a man who knows all about war. If you played him\u2026I knew it was one image of Susumu Kodai that would come out if you played him.<\/p>\nKimura:<\/em> When the workers were trapped in that cave-in in Chile, they were rescued after ten days by the \u201cPhoenix\u201d capsule. Their families welcomed them back to the surface, hugging and kissing them without hesitation\u2026I cried when I saw that. I thought, \u201cIf that\u2019s true, that\u2019s just an ordinary rescue operation.\u201d We can just wipe from some cooking corner being broadcast to that, where the media of the world is picking it up. Since that\u2019s the age we\u2019re living in, I\u2019ll say I\u2019m glad I was able to do Yamato<\/em> now. <\/p>\nLately, I think I\u2019ve somehow stayed calm. If I can say this without fear of misunderstanding, I think it\u2019s an expression of love in the form of a \u201ccover.\u201d Once I thought a particular Eric Clapton song was really good, but then I was surprised when I heard that it was a song by Bob Dylan. It would be technically impossible to make this movie without VFX, so VFX is something like a phoenix, and I think that I was able to become Susumu Kodai thanks to that.<\/p>\n
The thing is, while I think that the major meaning of this Yamato<\/em> is the theme that \u201clife is connected,\u201d the sad thing was that when I called up friends to see the screening, there wasn\u2019t a single lady there, though they were vital to that theme. (Laughs) There were 11 guys, clustered in the middle of this huge screening room, watching it stone-faced. Still, the Yamato<\/em> I saw there was exceptional. (Laughs)<\/p>\nYamazaki:<\/em> Now that you mention it, that did happen. Why did we watch it so stone-faced, I wonder?<\/p>\nKimura:<\/em> Indeed. (Laughs)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/dec15\/074a04.JPG\")
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A place full of \u201cYamato<\/em> Love\u201d with a club activity mood!?<\/h2>\nFrom Cinema Square<\/em> Vol. 34
\nNovember 25, 2010
\nHinode Publishing<\/span><\/p>\nThe shaping of Yamato<\/em> by two people on the shooting set<\/h3>\nInterviewer:<\/em> First, please tell me what the shooting set was like.<\/p>\nYamazaki:<\/em> A club-like atmosphere?<\/p>\nKimura:<\/em> (Laughs)<\/p>\nYamazaki:<\/em> Of course we had to keep it tight because it was work, but at the same time there was the feeling that everyone had gathered to do an interesting thing. I wanted to share the images with as many people as possible, so I brought in the previz (rough CG images), or when there was a lot of spare time I brought in the CG equipment to work on the shape of battleship Yamato<\/em>. Then Mr. Kimura was happy to come by. (Laughs) I decided various things like \u201cwould the engine nozzle open this much?\u201d while talking on-site. I like Yamato<\/em>, but I also got the feeling that \u201cMr. Kimura really likes it, too!\u201d (Laughs) I understand that passion.<\/p>\nKimura:<\/em> The art staff made a great set that gave me an uplifting feeling. It was exciting to see Yamato<\/em>\u2019s interior at full scale in font of me. When I put on my costume and threw myself into that set for the first time, I felt like I\u2019d won a great prize. There\u2019s the captain, and Shima\u2019s next to me, and when I set down with Toshiro Yanagiba [Sanada] behind me, there was an immeasurable aura of love for Yamato<\/em>. (Laughs) It sounds like an exaggeration, but I went on a journey with that crew to the end of shooting.<\/p>\nThe excitement at the beginning was wonderful. There was so much human emotion on the set, it was surprising to look outside and see the greenscreen. (Laughs) At that time, for example, without trying to cause trouble, I asked the director \u201cHow far are we from Earth now, and what\u2019s the position of Jupiter?\u201d because I thought everyone needed that information. He quickly pulled out a laser pointer and pointed it and said, \u201cIt\u2019s that way.\u201d (Laughs)<\/p>\n
Yamazaki:<\/em> (Laughs)<\/p>\nKimura:<\/em> I thought, \u201cThe picture is already perfectly completed in his head.\u201d But\u2026in this live-action film, Susumu Kodai\u2019s Cosmo Zero can transform. I liked that, so I just quickly answered, \u201cI see.\u201d I was excited and thought, \u201cI wonder what shape it will have in the previz–?\u201d and asked him\u2026please show me with your right hand!<\/p>\nYamazaki:<\/em> Ahaha! Oh, yeah.<\/p>\nKimura:<\/em> (Holding up his right hand) The explanation was, \u201cVooom! It comes flying in and catches Yuki Mori, Goom! Bang! Like that.\u201d I like sound effects, too\u2026 (Laughs)<\/p>\nInterviewer:<\/em> The Wave-Motion Gun is in the picture, too\u2026!<\/p>\nYamazaki:<\/em> Mr. Kimura teased me when he was sitting on the catapult and lights flashed before he had time to reach the other side. Therefore, the shot didn\u2019t work. (Laughs)<\/p>\nKimura:<\/em> (Laughs)<\/p>\nYamazaki:<\/em> It was like being intoxicated. It was photography, but at the same time it went beyond photography with a feeling of [hearty voice] \u201cI\u2019ve arrived at last!\u201d It was the happy moment when a dream came true.<\/p>\nKimura:<\/em> The only thing that bugged me was that when a situation was spreading out in front of me, I wanted to be inside the director\u2019s mind. But I was still excited during the production.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/dec15\/074a05.JPG\")
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Kimura quote: The director explained the Cosmo Zero with sound effects and his right hand (Laughs)<\/em><\/div>\nYamazaki quote: I like <\/em>Yamato, but Mr. Kimura really likes it, too!<\/em><\/div>\n<\/br><\/p>\n
The captain who sees all ~ the words of Tsutomu Yamazaki<\/h3>\n
Kimura:<\/em> Between takes, the captain said something that surprised me. \u201cThis director is really good, he gives us the \u2018mood\u2019.\u201d I thought about that word, and when I reconsidered it I said, \u201cit really is true.\u201d Rather than just feeling my own mood, I felt for the first time that I was feeling the \u2018mood\u2019 of everyone around me. That straightened me out.<\/p>\nYamazaki:<\/em> Mr. Yamazaki [Captain Okita] has a wonderful outlook. He taught me a few things, too. After the first private screening was over, he was bobbing his head and looked happy. (Laughs)<\/p>\nKimura:<\/em> The gas tank was completely full when the captain spoke that word, and it all became more fun. It was a really solid, enriching time. However, after the shooting ended and I met the director again after a while, it was strange that I couldn’t think of anything to say. (Laughs) At the time the shooting ended, I had the feeling of being an alumnus. We can giggle and embarrass each other.<\/p>\nYamazaki:<\/em> (Laughs) This Kodai is a man who knows a great deal of pain. Compared with the original, there is the sense that Mr. Kimura portrays an \u201cadult Kodai.\u201d He\u2019s a persona who has passed through some serious things, and has gained a lot of depth as a human being.<\/p>\nKimura:<\/em> In some blog posting, there was some kind of dig at me, like \u201cKimtak is playing Kodai, who was 18 years old in the original!\u201d Still, even while thinking that, at the same time I was also thinking that I have to just lay that aside. Anyway, this may be a cowardly way to put it, but I\u2019m an \u201cavatar\u201d for Susumu Kodai to exist in this Yamato<\/em>.<\/p>\nYamazaki:<\/em> (Laughs)<\/p>\nTakashi Yamazaki Q&A<\/h3>\n
Is there a work that gives you courage?<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cWorks that say, \u2018Even if the world falls, people can live\u2019!\u201d <\/p>\n
I saw Mad Max 2 [The Road Warrior]<\/em> when I was a junior high student. I remember it produced a strange rush of vitality in me, and moved me to ride my bicycle really hard. I thought, \u201cEven if the world falls, people can live!\u201d (Laughs)<\/p>\nWhich <\/em>Yamato character are you most attracted to?<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cThe great sorrow shown at a glance by Kodai is really good.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the end, it\u2019s Susumu Kodai. By his own decision and will, he takes heroic action, and the sadness that comes through him at a glance is really good. The feeling from Kodai, too, from what Shima says to him. I\u2019m glad there\u2019s that human kindness to him. I really wanted to see Kodai\u2019s face during the end credits, so I decided to put it there. As I see this image of Kodai, with his weaknesses as a human showing on his face and yet he keeps moving forward, I think all over again, \u201cThis guy is really something!\u201d<\/p>\n
The End<\/h3>\n
Special thanks to Neil Nadelman for translation support.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,119],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-action-movie","category-others-interviews-essays"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20256"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20262,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20256\/revisions\/20262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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