{"id":25520,"date":"2018-09-09T12:52:59","date_gmt":"2018-09-09T19:52:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/?p=25520"},"modified":"2018-11-14T14:58:01","modified_gmt":"2018-11-14T22:58:01","slug":"335a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/335a\/","title":{"rendered":"Eriko Nakamura interview, May 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"1809icon\"<\/p>\n

Mikage Kiryu only appears briefly in Yamato 2202<\/em>, but her voice actor Eriko Nakamura has been a prominent advocate for all things Yamato<\/em> the entire time. Akiba Souken<\/em> talked with her about her role and her fandom just before the premiere of Chapter 5.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Voice actor Eriko Nakamura first appeared in the latter half of Yamato 2199<\/em> and has been serving as both a character and a superfan ever since. Mikage Kiryu only appears briefly in 2202<\/em>, but Nakamura has been a prominent advocate for all things Yamato<\/em> the entire time. Akiba Souken talked with her about her role and her fandom just before the premiere of Chapter 5.<\/p>\n

See the original article (published May 24, 2018) here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Yamato 2202<\/em> Chapter 5 opens! Eriko Nakamura Interview: Now it\u2019s a feeling of \u201cWhoah!\u201d<\/h2>\n

Chapter 5 of Yamato 2202, Purgatory Chapter<\/em> finally opens nationwide on May 25, 2018. The crew of Yamato<\/em> achieved an encounter with Teresa in Chapter 4, and then the shadow of an enemy crept in\u2026Dessler. In addition, a direct confrontation with Gatlantis and its invasion of Earth is finally in the offing. This is an important chapter in the 7-part series, and we hear the highlights from Eriko Nakamura, who plays the role of Mikage Kiryu while also serving as Yamato<\/em>\u2019s MC in the Promotional Meeting of Love<\/em> web series.<\/p>\n

I dared to place a moratorium on the original work to fulfill the role of Mikage Kiryu in 2199<\/em><\/h3>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> You appeared in the role of Mikage Kiryu in Yamato 2199<\/em>, and I heard that you studied Yamato<\/em> quite eagerly\u2026<\/p>\n

Nakamura:<\/em><\/span> Not just for knowledge. Originally I knew there was a work called Yamato<\/em>, but I wasn\u2019t very familiar with it when I participated as a voice actor in 2199<\/em>. But before I appeared in 2199<\/em>, I got the story about the movie (Ark of the Stars)<\/em> and I was asked to appear in 2199<\/em> talk events related to that. Of course, I said, \u201cBy all means!\u201d, but when I thought about it carefully, Mikage Kiryu is a crew member who appears along the way (in Chapter 6), so I didn\u2019t know the first half of the story well. So if I was going to talk about it, I thought, \u201cI\u2019ll talk about Yamato<\/em> for Nakamura, who doesn\u2019t know much about Yamato<\/em>.\u201d It was agreed that this could increase the range of fans, too.<\/p>\n[Translator\u2019s note: in terms of production history, Ark of the Stars<\/em> was conceived as a film while Yamato 2199<\/em> was still in production. Mikage Kiryu was a character created for the film, so she was written into the series as early as possible. This timing meant that her earliest possible appearance was in Chapter 6.]
<\/p>\n

Of course, \u201cI don\u2019t know what I don\u2019t know,\u201d so I had the strong feeling of \u201cI want to watch it!\u201d from the first chapter. I was able to see all the episodes that had been completed up to that time, and since I hadn\u2019t appeared in them I could watch them through the eyes of a fan. When I finished I said, \u201cThis is fascinating!\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Isn\u2019t Yamato<\/em> basically a boy\u2019s anime? What\u2019s the reason you got hooked on Yamato<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Nakamura:<\/em><\/span> If you watch the original Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> from 1974 and then watch Yamato 2199<\/em>, I think you can say various things are different. Until now, I thought it would be better not to see the original as much as possible! When you see the flow from 2199<\/em> to 2202<\/em>, the old work feels like a parallel world, and I thought that might make it difficult to perform.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t give you a comparison between the differences of the old work and the new work and what\u2019s good. I thought 2199<\/em> was all about \u201cfighting\u201d and \u201cjustice,\u201d but it\u2019s not at all dualistic. There are a number of people who experience sorrow, happiness, and joy, and we see their way of life. There are places where you can\u2019t completely divide enemies and allies, and it feels wonderfully human. I really like them, but I have to kill them. And the fragility of human beings forced into absurd situations is well depicted. The first time I saw Yamato<\/em> I was like, \u201cwow.\u201d That\u2019s why I love it.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> I see. It’s not as though you’re saying you particularly liked Yamato<\/em>‘s battle scenes, but you were drawn in by their drama, is that it?<\/p>\n

Nakamura:<\/em><\/span> As far as the awesome-ness of the battle scenes, it was a feeling I came to gradually understand. By building up the technical advancement as chapters progressed, it was possible to have some awesome fights. In the part where they fought the Domel fleet, I thought, \u201cThis is going to be great!\u201d<\/p>\n

But the \u201cpeople are fighting against people\u201d part was never blurred in any of the chapters, which I think is a wonderful part of Yamato<\/em>. It\u2019s never a hand-to-hand fight because everyone\u2019s power is concentrated into the ships that clash with each other, but even if it\u2019s not real flesh and blood, it has a great feeling of humanity there. It may be that there couldn\u2019t be a work called Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> if it didn\u2019t depict this.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Unlike general robot anime, there isn\u2019t one lone hero in Yamato<\/em>. The whole team fights with all they\u2019ve got. That sense of teamwork is strong, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

Nakamura:<\/em><\/span> It\u2019s also due to the command structure. The military is all top-down, and in the case of Yamato<\/em> we communicate with each other. I think that\u2019s the result of the production team trying to depict each character properly.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> What was your first impression of becoming involved with Yamato<\/em>? Did you feel like you \u201cbecame a member of Yamato<\/em>\u2019s crew\u201d?<\/p>\n

Nakamura:<\/em><\/span> Only after I saw the responses of people who saw it. Then I thought, \u201cOh, I\u2019ll be getting on board Yamato<\/em>.\u201d People who didn\u2019t know I would appear in it had gone to see 2199<\/em> and there were a lot of reactions like, \u201cYou\u2019re going to be on Yamato<\/em>?\u201d Or I\u2019d tell a friend, \u201cI\u2019m going to be on Yamato<\/em>,\u201d and they\u2019d say, \u201cI was thinking of going to see it, but now I definitely will.\u201d That was a first for me.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> It seems there have been a lot of reactions among other cast members. In particular, they loved Yamato<\/em> in their childhood. The reaction from those around 50 is amazing.<\/p>\n

Nakamura:<\/em><\/span> That\u2019s right. But my parents\u2019 reaction was entirely different. When I went home to their house for the new year holiday, I reported on my year and told them I appeared in Yamato<\/em> and they went, \u201cEh? Yamato<\/em>?\u201d (Laughs)<\/p>\n

Even if you don\u2019t get on board Yamato<\/em> in the story, there is a strong consciousness of being \u201cone of the crew\u201d<\/h3>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Was there some pressure during the voice recording? I would think a lot of veteran actors lined up there.<\/p>\n

Nakamura:<\/em><\/span> There wasn\u2019t much pressure during the recording. The combined power of the performers is wonderful, and it\u2019s never a closed circle. It\u2019s an open circle, so it was easy to enter. In the recordings for 2199<\/em>, there were a lot of people on both the Yamato<\/em> crew side and the Garmillas side. And so while it just comes with the territory with voice acting, you perform no matter which side you’re on.<\/p>\n

There are exchanges at the site like, \u201cYou\u2019re an enemy today!\u201d And you\u2019re a cast member who really likes Yamato<\/em> when you can translate Garmillas words. You\u2019d say, \u201cIt\u2019s written here in Earth language (it doesn\u2019t say Japanese), so how do you say it in Garmillas?\u201d And the answer comes back right away. (Laughs)<\/p>\n

When I boarded Yamato<\/em> the feeling wasn\u2019t how many lines do I have, or how often my name appears, because that\u2019s entirely irrelevant to the atmosphere. Even if you don\u2019t go on board Yamato<\/em> in the story, there is a strong consciousness that you\u2019re a crew member of Yamato<\/em>.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> With that, let\u2019s move on to the story of 2202<\/em>. Doesn\u2019t Mikage Kiryu become one of the \u201cresidual group\u201d that stays behind on Earth? What was your feeling about that at the time? Did you feel some loneliness at not being able to participate in the voyage?<\/p>\n

Nakamura:<\/em><\/span> Hmm. When I first met Mikage (in 2199<\/em> Chapter 6), Yamato<\/em> had already accumulated a lot of battles, so it looked like I joined up in the middle. Therefore, I was able to see some aspects of it objectively, just like the audience. As for 2202<\/em>, when I heard what Mikage\u2019s part of the story would be, my feeling was, \u201cIn the meantime, I can watch it purely as a Yamato<\/em> fan!\u201d That\u2019s how I still feel about at the present.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> So with 2202<\/em>, you feel like you\u2019re following the voyage with the view of a fan?<\/p>\n

Nakamura:<\/em><\/span> That\u2019s right. It\u2019s a strong feeling. Of course, while the rest of the crew is working hard on Yamato<\/em>, I\u2019m thinking about what Mikage is doing on Earth. That is certainly one of the ways it\u2019s fun to be a fan! That\u2019s what I think.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Still, doesn\u2019t it seem like you\u2019re waiting on Earth for a long time?<\/p>\n

Nakamura:<\/em><\/span> Yeah, but no matter how long it takes I\u2019m still thankful that I can meet with the cast and staff and hear their stories in the Promotional Meeting of Love<\/em> web program.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Does it feel like you\u2019re all really far apart?<\/p>\n

Nakamura:<\/em><\/span> It does! It might be the same way Mikage feels. I\u2019m working hard here (on Earth). What about over there (Yamato<\/em>)? That\u2019s what it\u2019s like.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> After a long absence we go back to Earth in Chapter 5. You\u2019ve been waiting a long time to appear again.<\/p>\n

Nakamura:<\/em><\/span> To tell the truth, I had sort of forgotten about it. (Laughs) Of course, I remembered that I would be appearing in Episode 17, but since I think of it in \u201cchapters\u201d rather than individual episodes, I didn\u2019t really understand the before-and-after connections. So when I saw Chapter 5, I thought \u201cEh? Haven\u2019t I seen this story somewhere?\u201d It was sort of a d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu state. \u201cI feel like I\u2019ve heard the voices of these characters. Oh, it was in the voice recording booth!\u201d (Laughs) It felt like it had a sort of delayed impression on me.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> What kind of impression do you have so far from watching 2202<\/em> through a fan\u2019s eyes?<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Nakamura:<\/em><\/span> Now it\u2019s a feeling of \u201cWhoah!\u201d<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> This is getting serious, huh?<\/p>\n

Nakamura:<\/em><\/span> That\u2019s what I said about Chapter 4 and now you can say it\u2019s getting really serious in Chapter 5, but wasn\u2019t that the feeling about Chapter 2 I had back at the stage greeting for Chapter 3? I\u2019m always saying, \u201cThis is getting serious\u201d and that doesn\u2019t change, it\u2019s always been like that and it\u2019s always going to be.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Every time a new chapter comes out, it always gets more serious, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

Nakamura:<\/em><\/span> But even when you go back and review Chapters 2 and 3, it turns out there was a lot of difficulty at that time. Every time a chapter is added, the record of difficulty is renewed. The difficulty at that time does not get overshadowed. It\u2019s a different kind of difficulty with a different color. I think it\u2019s really amazing that so many difficult situations have been gathered together.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Morever, the subtitle this time is Purgatory Chapter<\/em>. This is an atmosphere that I think will be quite dangerous. At last we have the fight with the mortal enemy Dessler, and there is direct confrontation with Gatlantis. 2202<\/em> is also packed with unique, original elements. How about that part?<\/p>\n

Nakamura:<\/em><\/span> As I mentioned earlier, I don\u2019t dare to look at the older work. 2202<\/em> is all of Yamato<\/em> for me. In that way, it may be lucky that I\u2019m always seeing it fresh. When all seven chapters of 2202<\/em> are completed, then I think I\u2019ll finally lift the moratorium and see the old work. Only then will I know how various elements are different. Then I think I\u2019ll be able to enjoy it two or three times.<\/p>\n

Even though I participate in the voice recording, that\u2019s only one piece of Yamato<\/em>, and for it to become a work called Yamato 2202<\/em>, I think all the elements have to be engaged. So even if I previously knew the story at the voice recording, for me I always get a fresh look when I first see it.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Finally, please tell us what you consider to be the highlights of Chapter 5.<\/p>\n

Nakamura:<\/em><\/span> Suddenly, the enemy Dessler appears before the eyes of Kodai. What exactly is an \u201cenemy?\u201d While watching Chapter 5, I lost track of that more and more. What does Yamato<\/em> fight for and fight against? In that way, you get caught up in a pleasant sort of confusion. And in there is the definition of \u201cenemy,\u201d and I think you can discover the meaning of \u201can enemy produced by love.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> The theme is \u201clove,\u201d after all.<\/p>\n

Nakamura:<\/em><\/span> That\u2019s right. At the moment, I feel like \u201clove\u201d is very painful\u2026 (Laughs)<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Thank you very much.<\/p>\n

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