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Voice acting in Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise

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For the debut work of anime studio Gainax, the 1987 anime film Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise, director Hiroyuki Yamaga set a goal of "natural" dialogue, which he maintained was "a first in Japanese animation."[1] The performers chosen to portray the lead characters, Leo Morimoto as Shirotsugh and Mitsuki Yayoi as Riquinni, were professional actors who nevertheless had little to no experience working in anime. At the same time, Gainax sought out and recruited as Royal Space Force's sound director the highly experienced Atsumi Tashiro of Group TAC, known for his work on the 1974 TV series Space Battleship Yamato.[2] Tashiro accepted the staff position on Royal Space Force despite it being the first project he had undertaken outside his own company in over 20 years, seeing it as a chance to revitalize himself professionally, and the casting of Morimoto and Yayoi as an opportunity to depict genuine emotion and honest and fresh reactions, a spirit that Tashiro remarked he had forgotten within the world of anime.[3]

In contrast to the out-of-order production of the anime's visuals, the voice recording was done in sequential order, with actors uncertain of their roles at the beginning, but eventually confident enough to not need direction and to ad-lib lines.[4] Morimoto and Yayoi, among other cast members, expressed views about the growth and inner life of the characters they portrayed.[5][6] Voice cameo roles included the famous Japanese newscaster Kazuo Tokumitsu, whose network NTV was collaborating on the film's publicity, as well from one of the film's assistant directors, Takami Akai; actors of foreign origin were retained to voice characters from the Kingdom of Honnêamise's rival nation, the Republic. One of several aspects of the dismay Toshio Okada would express over the Star Quest dub being recorded for Royal Space Force's Hollywood premiere was its use of only seven actors to portray the film's roles, whereas the Japanese original used over 40 to give even minor roles a distinct "color."[7]

Voice acting

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Recruiting sound director

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The voice performances in Royal Space Force were supervised by Atsumi Tashiro of the anime studio Group TAC. Tashiro, who had been sound director for the highly influential 1974 TV series Space Battleship Yamato[8] and subsequent Yamato movies, as well as for the 1985 Gisaburo Sugii film Night on the Galactic Railroad,[9] remarked that in the more than 20 years of his career, Royal Space Force was the first time he had agreed to direct the sound for a work made outside his own company. Gainax had been enthusiastic in pursuing Tashiro's involvement, first sending him the script of the film, followed by a visit from Yamaga and Okada to explain the script, after which, Tashiro joked, he still couldn't understand it, even with several follow-up meetings. Despite his initial difficulty in grasping the project, however, Tashiro was struck by the passion and youth of the filmmakers, and felt that working with them on Royal Space Force would represent an opportunity to "revitalize" himself professionally.[10] Tashiro's relationship with the studio would continue after the film into Gainax's next two productions: their first OVA series Gunbuster, which modeled the character Captain Tashiro upon him, and their debut TV show, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, in which Group TAC was closely involved.[11]

In the director's commentary, Yamaga remarked that he "wanted the dialogue to be natural," which he maintained was "a first in Japanese animation." Akai felt that a tone had been set for Royal Space Force by the decision to cast Leo Morimoto in the lead role as Shirotsugh: "The other actors knew that this was going to be a different kind of animated film when we cast Leo."[12] Morimoto was a 43-year old veteran actor in live-action films and TV[13] but had very limited experience in anime, whereas Mitsuki Yayoi, cast as Riquinni after Gainax had heard her on the radio,[14] was a stage actor and member of the Seinenza Theater Company with some voice-over experience,[15] but who had never before played an anime role.[16] While remarking that there were already many professional voice actors who were suited to animation work, Tashiro saw the casting of Morimoto and Yayoi as a great opportunity for him, asserting that the apprehension the performers felt due to their mutual unfamiliarity with the field meant that they approached their roles as an actual encounter, with genuine emotion and reactions that were honest and fresh, a spirit that Tashiro said he had forgotten within the world of anime.[17]

Perspective of lead actors

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Morimoto remarked during a recording session for the film in late November 1986 that Tashiro directed him not to play the role of Shirotsugh as if it were an anime, but rather to attempt the flavor of a live performance,[18] noting in a later interview that Yamaga had given him the same instructions. He commented that it was a difficult role for him, as unlike a live-action drama, "you can't fake the mood, you have to express yourself correctly with just your voice," and viewed his work on Royal Space Force as "scary" but "fulfilling."[19] Although evaluating the character himself as "not a great hero," Morimoto at the same time said that he found much that was convincing in Shirotsugh's growth in the film, feeling that it somehow came to assume the role of history's own progression: "What is to be found at the end of that maturation is gradually revealed, arriving at a magnificent place." He added he was "shocked that a 24-year old could make such a film ... I'm glad to know that [creators] like this are making their debut, and I hope that more of them do." Asked what he wanted people to particularly watch for in the film, Morimoto answered that most adults, by which he included himself, "talk a lot about 'young people these days,' and so forth. But the truth is these young people who hear that from us are able to be clear about this world with an ease adults no longer possess. They have a firm grasp of history, and they don't shy away from the parts in this film that adults have avoided; they call out the lies, while at the same time, each one of them puts in their work with sincerity."[20]

Yayoi commented that Yamaga had described Riquinni to her as "uncompromising in her beliefs, and this could be seen as hardheadedness and causing problems or discomfort to those around her. But also that she could look upon something truly beautiful, yet not respond simply by thinking that yes, it is beautiful, but might ponder it, and wonder if it genuinely is. It's not a disability or a deliberate obstacle [in her character], but just that people around her would honestly think that this girl is a little bit weird."[21] Yayoi understood Riquinni as a "normal girl" who, to the extent she was out of step with everyday life, was not so much because she was strange on the inside, but because her relationships with the exterior world were governed by her strong will; Yayoi suggested that the film is her coming-of-age story as well.[22] Asked if there was anything she felt in common with Riquinni, Yayoi, herself in her early 20s, spoke first of their shared youth, and how while Riquinni's personal way of expressing her authenticity was through her religious beliefs, authenticity was a widely shared ideal of young people, and in that sense Riquinni represented "the parts of me that are genuine." Yayoi however could imagine herself also as sometimes expressing those genuine feelings directly, and sometimes holding them back with measured speech, interpreting Shirotsugh and Riquinni's final rendezvous in the film as an example of the latter; rather than any dramatic statements or tears, she noted, Riquinni simply ends the encounter with an itterasshai ("come back soon") as he departs. "But in her heart," said Yayoi, "she's thinking, 'Well, this will be the last time we meet,' laughing to the interviewer, 'Don't we all know what that feels like?'"[23]

Minoru Uchida, another veteran actor with little history in anime, voiced the role of General Khaidenn. Uchida joked that he found his own thoughts very much overlapped with those of the General, whom he saw as someone with ideals from his youth that had run into barriers. He remarked that when asked to voice the character, he had already been an actor for over 30 years, and what interested him about the film was that he felt it let him know what was truly on the mind of younger people; while he worked regularly with young actors in theater, Uchida felt that what he described as the "nonchalant" attitude of their generation meant that he would not learn their true feelings in the course of his professional interactions.[24] The most prominent part in the film actually performed by an experienced anime voice actor was that of Marty Tohn, portrayed by Kazuyuki Sogabe, whom Akai noted also assisted on giving direction with some of the other voice actors.[25]

Engagement of cast

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In contrast to the animation itself on Royal Space Force, whose scenes were completed out of sequence before being edited together, the dialogue was recorded in sequence; Yamaga commented that at the beginning of the film, "everyone was unsure of their character. But by the end of the project, I no longer needed to give any direction," to the extent, Akai noted, that Morimoto ad-libbed Shirotsugh's song upon arriving at the rocket launch site guarded by dummy tanks.[26] Yamaga suggested that an emphasis in Japanese voice acting upon clear voice projection worked against a realistic-sounding delivery in certain circumstances such as military communications or PA announcements, citing the performances Mamoru Oshii later obtained in the Patlabor anime as an example of what he wished he could have achieved for Royal Space Force.[27] Akai himself had a voice cameo as the soldier giving orders outside the Defense Ministry shortly before the General's meeting with his superiors.[28] The reporter whose voice is heard in the newsreel of Shiro's training regimen and the exterior shots before his abortive TV interview was Kazuo Tokumitsu, at the time host of the nationwide weekday morning television show Zoom In!! Morning! on NTV; the network, which was collaborating on the film's publicity, had requested halfway through production that the movie feature voices from their talent base. Yamaga and Akai remarked that by this stage only the news voice-overs were available, and it was too late to redraw the newsreel reporter so that he actually resembled Tokumitsu; they recalled being a bit embarrassed at how the situation had caused the network a certain offense.[29] Actors with a foreign background were employed to portray the voices of characters from the Republic, whose dialogue was delivered in a made-up language;[30] an example being the role of Republic minister Nereddon, voiced by Willie Dorsey,[31] a black American actor resident in Japan who had previously appeared in several Sonny Chiba films, including The Executioner.[32] Akai and Yamaga noted that one of the film's three assistant directors, Shoichi Masuo, was "an expert in voice actors" and "would find unknown actors doing bit parts on the radio and bring them in to audition for various roles."[33] In his 2010 memoir, Okada recalled his dismay at finding out that the Star Quest dub being recorded for Royal Space Force's Hollywood premiere intended to use only seven actors to voice the English version, contrasting it to the over 40 performers used in the Japanese original, and its assignment of special actors even to voice characters with only two or three lines, to give them each a distinct "color."[34]

References

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  • Akai, Takami; Yamaga, Hiroyuki (2000). Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (Director's Commentary) (DVD). Chicago: Manga Entertainment.
  • Animage Editorial Department, ed. (1988). The Art of Japanese Animation I: 25 Years of Television Cartoons. Tokyo: Tokuma Shoten. ISBN 978-4198181208.
  • Animage Editorial Department, ed. (1989). The Art of Japanese Animation II: 70 Years of Theatrical Films. Tokyo: Tokuma Shoten. ISBN 978-4198190101.
  • Macias, Patrick (2001). Tokyoscope: The Japanese Cult Film Companion. San Francisco: Cadence Books. ISBN 1569316813.
  • Matsushita, Kazumi, ed. (1987). Ōritsu Uchūgun Seisaku Kirokushū [Royal Space Force Production Archives]. Tokyo: Movic. ISBN 978-4943966074.
  • Okada, Toshio (2010). Yuigon [Testament]. Tokyo: Chikuma Shobō. ISBN 978-4-480-86405-5.
  • Suzuki, Toshio, ed. (February 1987b). "'87-nen 3-tsuki Tōhō yōga-kei kōkai Oneamisu no tsubasa ─ Ōritsu Uchūgun ─ Kono sakuhin kara tadayou "isekai no kaori" [The March 1987 Toho Foreign Film Branch Release The Wings of Honnêamise: Royal Space Force Has "The Fragrance of Another World"]". Animage. Tokyo: Tokuma Shoten.
  • Studio Ash, ed. (1987). This is Animation The Select 12: Oneamisu no Tsubasa: Ōritsu Uchūgun. Tokyo: Shogakukan. ISBN 4-09-101515-8.
  • Takeda, Yasuhiro (2005) [First published in Japan by Wani Books in 2002]. The Notenki Memoirs: Studio Gainax and the Men Who Created Evangelion. Houston: ADV Manga. ISBN 1-4139-0234-0.

Citations

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  1. ^ Akai & Yamaga 2000, 10:25
  2. ^ Animage Editorial Department 1988, p. 55
  3. ^ Matsushita 1987, p. 206
  4. ^ Akai & Yamaga 2000, 01:32:36
  5. ^ Matsushita 1987, p. 209
  6. ^ Suzuki 1987b, p. 33
  7. ^ Okada 2010, p. 90
  8. ^ Animage Editorial Department 1988, p. 55
  9. ^ Animage Editorial Department 1989, pp. 70, 74, 82, 85, 97, 109
  10. ^ 「まず、僕は20数年アニメーションをやっているわけですが、他所の会社の音響監督は自分の所の仕事ができなくなってしまうんでお断りするようにしているんですよ。そうしたら『そんなこと言わないでぜひともお願いしたい』と非常に熱心に言われたんです。それでシナリオを読んでみたんですが、何だかわからなかったので説明に来て欲しいと頼んだら監督とプロデューサーが来てくれたんですよ。 それでもわからなかったんですよね(笑)。ただそこで、若い彼達が積極的に情熱を持って内容を説明しようとしているのがとてもよくわかったんです。年齡を聞いたら監督が 23才（当時）というでしょう。僕は彼達と一緒に仕事をすることによって自分を活性化していくことができるのではないか、と思ったんです。それで一緒に仕事をやることになりまして全体に渡っての打ち合せをしたんだけど、それでもなかなかわからなかった。彼達の情熱はわかるけれども僕はどうしたらいいんだ(笑)。」Matsushita 1987, p. 206
  11. ^ Takeda 2005, pp. 93, 190
  12. ^ Akai & Yamaga 2000, 10:25
  13. ^ Matsushita 1987, p. 209
  14. ^ Akai & Yamaga 2000, 16:00
  15. ^ Matsushita 1987, p. 209
  16. ^ 「森本さんはアニメの本格的アフレコは初めてだが。。。そして、リイクニ役の弥生みつきさんもアニメの仕事は初めてでアフレコでは緊張したという。」Suzuki 1987b, p. 33
  17. ^ 「アニメーションに適した声の役者というのは世の中にいっぱいいるわけですが、あのキャスティングの中に経験豊かな人達がいてそこに森本レオさんと弥生みつきさんがぽ っと入った時に、今までアニメ界の中で忘れていたことを彼達が教えてくれたんです。。。全体の雰囲気ですね。彼達はアニメーションフィルム に対して恐怖心を持っているわけですよ。出会いが間近だから、純粋に作品に感動したリアクションというものが素直に出て、それに凄い新鮮味があるんです。」Matsushita 1987, p. 206
  18. ^ 「そして、11月27、28日に行なわれたアフレコでも、その演出は細部にわたって行なわれた。シロツグ役の森本レオさんは、休憩中にこの作品をこう語ってくれた。。。『音響ディレクターの田代(敦巳)さんから、アニメのようにだけは演らないでほしい。なるべくライブに、味をつけるようにやってほしいといわれたんです。』」Suzuki 1987b, p. 33
  19. ^ 「『難しいですねえ。ドラマと違って雰囲気でごまかせないでしょう。声だけできちっと表現しないといけないから。 非常に恐かったけれど充実感はありましたね。』『山賀(博之)監督から最初にこういう部分に注意して欲しいという言葉はありましたか？』『アニメのようにだけはやらないで欲しい、と言われて凄く嬉しかったですね。』」Matsushita 1987, p. 209
  20. ^ 「立派な英雄じゃない。。。シロツグがどんどんグローイングアップしていく話ですよね。そういう話にどれだけ説得力を持たせられるかということなんだけど、[王立宇宙軍]はそれはずいぶんあると思うし。個人の成長がいつのまにか歴史の成長に継がっていくんですよね。その成長の果てにあるものが段々と見えてくる。そのところが凄く壮大なんですよ、これ。こういう作品を24才の人が作ってしまうというのが凄いショックですね。やっぱりこういう人が出てくるんだなあというのが嬉しいし、どんどんと出てきて欲しい。。。どこっていっぱいあるんですけどね。いちばん感じて欲しいのは…僕達も含めて大人って『近頃の若い者は』とか色々と言うでしょう。でも実はそう言われている若い者は大人がもうできないような世界をとても軽々とクリアしているんです。歴史もしっかり把握して今まで大人達が映画の嘘と言って逃げていた部分を逃げないでひとつずつ誠実に仕事をしていこうとする、そういう若さの厶ク厶クと湧きあがってくる恐さをいちばん感じて欲しいですね。」Matsushita 1987, p. 209
  21. ^ 「『山賀監督からリイクニについてどんな説明を受けましたか？』『本人の信じている部分が逆に頑固になってしまって、 あまり頑固なんで他人に迷惑をかけるところがあると。きれいなものを見てきれいだわと素直に思うことができないで、本当にきれいなのかしらって思ってしまったりする。障害じゃないんですが他人から変な子じゃないかと思われてしまう子です、と。』」Matsushita 1987, p. 209
  22. ^ 「リイクニはちょっと変わった娘でしょ。でも心の中は普通の女の子だと思うんです。ただ自分の意志をしっかり持ってる娘で、意志が強すぎるために人には変な子だと思われている。それで日常生活の中に少しズレが出てる娘だと思うんです。この物語も青春物ですよね。」Suzuki 1987b, p. 33
  23. ^ 「う～ん、私達の年代に近いというか20代の若い感覚に合っているんではないかと。自分の中で純粋な部分、この子でいうと宗教みたいな部分になってくるんですが、その部分は私達の年代というか世代がたくさん持っているものだと思うんですよね。年のせいかもしれないけれど直線的に 『違う！』と言っちゃう時もあるけど、むしろそう思っていてもそれをグッと押さえて『違います』とちゃんと言える。そういう部分がわかるなあ、という感じはします。最後にシロツグさんが宇宙に行ってしまうさよならのシーンがあるんですが、そこでも『あ、行ってしまうのか、最後のさよならだわ』って思っても泣いたりしないで『行ってらっしゃい』とフワッと言ってしまってサラッと終ってしまうという感じなんです。でも本人の心の中では『ああ、こ れであなたに会うのは最後ね』と思っているんですよね。とてもわかると思いませんか？(笑)」Matsushita 1987, p. 209
  24. ^ 「今回は将軍役の劇団昴のベテラン内田稔さんにもお話を聞いてみた。『ぼくらが大人になって考えていることがちゃんと入っていて感心しました。若者と大人の対立風に見えてるんだけど、将軍はおそらく若いときは同じであって、理想と挫折もあって、芝居で若い者とやってる人間としては実によくわかる。結局、若い人はノンシャランでしょう。年寄りから見るとこのごろの若い者は何を考えてるんだということに対して、彼らが実は自分たちが考えてるのはこうなんだとこの作品は出そうとしている。そこがおもしろい。ズーッと昔から父と子と同じで、 年とった世代は新しく手渡していく世代にいつも物足りなさを感じていて、それがくりかえされてきたけど、やはりちゃんと受けついでいくんだなあといいたいのだと思うし、なるほどなあと思います。30数年役者をやって、将軍の想いに実にオーバーラップしちゃうんですねえ(笑)』」Suzuki 1987b, p. 34
  25. ^ Akai & Yamaga 2000, 09:57
  26. ^ Akai & Yamaga 2000, 01:32:36
  27. ^ Akai & Yamaga 2000, 58:30
  28. ^ Akai & Yamaga 2000, 58:03
  29. ^ Akai & Yamaga 2000, 55:29, 01:03:36
  30. ^ Akai & Yamaga 2000, 01:06:47
  31. ^ 「ネレッドン　ウィリー•ドーシー」Studio Ash 1987, p. 127
  32. ^ Macias 2001, p. 58
  33. ^ Akai & Yamaga 2000, 00:16:12
  34. ^ 「もともとの『王立宇宙軍』 は、アフレコのときに日本人の声優さんを四十人以上使っています。メインの配役はもちろん、ちょっとしたサブキャラでも、専用の声優さんにお願いしていました。二言三言のサブキャラでも、専用の声優さんを指定して、ちゃんと声の色を変えてたんです。ところが、アメリカ版のアフレコの会場に行ったら七人ぐらいしかいない。この七人で全てやろうというんです。」Okada 2010, p. 90
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