Yamato yo Towa ni REBEL3199 Chapter 7 Stage Greeting: Fukui Harutoshi on Anxiety, Relief, and Cast Bonds

The latest chapter of the Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 series, Yamato yo Towa ni REBEL3199, is set to begin screenings of Chapter 7: Nijiiro no Rinne on October 30, 2026. Ahead of that launch, a completion stage greeting was held on October 2 at Shinjuku Piccadilly in Tokyo.

Eguchi Takuya, who plays Ranbel; Han Keiko, who plays Mother Dezarium; Han Megumi, who plays Sasha; director Yamato Naomichi; and general director Fukui Harutoshi appeared on stage. Nakamura Eriko, the voice of Kiryuu Mikage, served as MC.

Immediately after the screening, the venue still carried the heat and lingering emotion of an audience that had just finished the film. Sensing that atmosphere, Nakamura opened the event by asking, "Those of you who have bathed in the final chapter must be tingling in body and heart, right?" The cast members appeared on stage as if sharing the same excitement.

Han Keiko on Joining the Long Project and Co-Starring with Her Daughter

In his opening remarks, Eguchi said he wanted to talk with everyone while feeling the wave motion. Looking back on Ranbel, he described the character as someone who should follow the system, yet has a unique side that does not fit that framework. That out-of-spec quality, he said, makes Ranbel an important presence who moves the story.

Eguchi also felt the character overlapped with the work’s overarching theme of "what is right?" He revealed that he had been instructed to make the emotions stronger, and he built Ranbel with that direction in mind.

Han Keiko, who plays Mother Dezarium, looked back on how she felt when she received the offer about four years earlier. Because the series is a long-term project spanning multiple years, she was unsure whether she could responsibly carry the role to the end, and at one point considered declining. But a passionate message from general director Fukui later reached her, and she decided to take part.

In the end, she said Mother Dezarium became an important role that can also give viewers a chance to look at humanity’s future. She also expressed joy at standing before fans again after her long involvement with Yamato, and thanked Fukui. The venue responded with loud applause.

One of the biggest reactions of the event came from an episode about parent-child co-starring. Han Megumi, who plays Sasha, smiled as she looked back on acting alongside her mother, Han Keiko, saying it may have been the biggest parent-child quarrel of the century. According to Fukui, the two appearing together and their exchanges had been conceived from the early planning stage and realized over a long period.

The film contains many memorable interactions that work precisely because the actors are parent and child. When the conversation turned to scenes in which their voices synchronize, Han Megumi explained, "There is no voice I have heard as much as my parent’s voice." Her mother’s way of speaking and the tempo of her voice had naturally become part of her since childhood, so even without consciously trying to match, they would overlap naturally.

She also revealed that before recording, they had consulted over LINE about how much to synchronize their voices. The behind-the-scenes story unique to a parent-child pair brought a warm mood to the venue.

A Mentor-Student Bond Joins the Parent-Child Pair on Stage

The stage greeting also revealed an unexpected connection between Eguchi and Han Keiko. When Eguchi moved to Tokyo to become a voice actor, Han Keiko was a teacher who taught him at vocational school. Calling her "my master," Eguchi spoke with emotion about being able to appear in the same work.

Han Keiko responded by naming Ranbel as one of the characters that stayed with her. Praising the character’s out-of-spec charm, she told her former student, "He has really grown." It became a special stage greeting, with parent-child and mentor-student relationships standing together on the same stage.

Fukui Harutoshi Opens Up About His Anxiety and Relief

In the latter half of the event, general director Fukui Harutoshi spoke candidly about his feelings and conflicts regarding the film. On this day, instead of the happi coat that has become familiar at series events, he deliberately appeared without it. When asked why, he admitted that his attachment to the work was so strong that he could no longer evaluate it himself.

In past productions, he had always had a part of himself that could calmly look down on the process from above, but this time was different. Because he had entered the story too deeply, he could not shake the thought, "Was this really good?" until the very end.

"I wondered what I would do if it had turned out to be a complete flop," he said, revealing the extraordinary feelings he had poured into the work.

However, the moment he stepped into the venue, he said the theater was wrapped in more heat than usual. It also meant a great deal that Nakamura, the MC, told him directly in the dressing room, "It was good." Encouraged by the honest reactions of the cast who had seen the finished work, and by the audience response, he realized the film had reached people.

Fukui looked back, saying, "I felt that everyone had properly accepted it," and added, "Now I am truly relieved." His words conveyed the relief of a general director who had stayed face-to-face with the work through a long production period.

Fukui also mentioned "Ai yo Sono Hi made," the insert song used in the film. He said the song was indispensable when remaking Yamato yo Towa ni. It sings of the importance of looking at the precious person near you and speaking directly with them, and its lyrics resonate even more strongly now, when social media and other changes have transformed how people connect.

Director Yamato Naomichi commented that the film had become something that could be received by people who have walked with the work since they were born. Expressing gratitude to the staff and cast, he also said frankly, "I may never be involved in a work like this again in my life."

Taking Love and Communication to the Audience

At the end of the event, the cast and directors sent messages to the audience.

Eguchi described the film as an important work that makes you realize that whether one is human or machine, what you felt is what matters. He called for the film to reach as many people as possible.

Han Keiko said that now, when the relationship between AI and humans is being questioned in real society, she hopes families and precious people will watch the film together. She asked viewers to communicate after the screening and talk about the future of humanity.

Han Megumi spoke about how Yamato has continued to depict, over 50 years, the figure of someone choosing and pushing forward for the sake of a loved one. Because people have hearts, she said, they can share their feelings. As she spoke about her thoughts for the work and its fans, her eyes grew moist. She called out, "Please go to the theater with the person you love and help spread the wave motion of this work," and the venue was wrapped in warm applause.

The completion stage greeting took place before the October 30 opening. From their respective positions, the participants spoke about parent-child and mentor-student ties, as well as the "love" and "communication" the work asks about. In front of the audience’s reaction after the screening, Fukui finally showed a look of relief. The event conveyed the extraordinary passion poured into the film. What meaning is packed into the words "love" and "wave motion" that the speakers repeated? The answer should be checked at the theater.

Yamato yo Towa ni REBEL3199 Chapter 7: Nijiiro no Rinne begins screening on October 30, 2026 (Friday).

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(C) Nishizaki Yoshinobu / Uchuu Senkan Yamato 3199 Production Committee