I Reincarnated as the Captain of a Battleship in a Robot Anime, but at This Rate, I’m Going to Be Assassinated – Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Even Just Being the Captain of an Incompetent Battleship is a Death Flag, Isn’t It?
[space_man][space_man]The moment I tasted the unfamiliar alcohol spread throughout my mouth, the next thing I felt was a sourness rising from the back of my throat and the pain of my esophagus being burned by stomach acid.
[space_man][space_man]Despite managing to endure it and even unconsciously swallowing it back down, it proved to be counterproductive.
[space_man][space_man]All that stuff that had flowed back up came rushing back as if being pushed out by a pump.
[space_man][space_man]Lieutenant Commander Jowain Date immediately jumped out of his temporary bed, rushed into the toilet stall, and vomited violently.
[space_man][space_man]After he had finished throwing up, he staggered to the washroom, gargled, splashed water on his face, and tried to wake himself up.
[space_man][space_man]Once he was done washing up, he happened to look in the mirror.
[space_man][space_man]And he thought,
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Who is this old man?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Reflected in the mirror was his face…… or rather, it wasn’t.
[space_man][space_man]Jowain Date had Western features, but they weren’t particularly chiseled. His blonde mustache, which didn’t suit him, his strangely round eyes, and his pompadour-like hairstyle might have been fashionable, but unfortunately, his face and mustache were a terrible mismatch and didn’t suit him at all.
[space_man][space_man]He was trying hard to look young, but honestly, he was failing miserably.
[space_man][space_man]He’d look better with a buzz cut……
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”No, wait, I’m Japanese, aren’t I?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Jowain muttered to himself.
[space_man][space_man]Jowain……? Why did he think his name was Jowain?
[space_man][space_man]That couldn’t be right. He wasn’t a Westerner; he was a Japanese man named Shogo Hamagishi. At 29 years old, he was getting on in years, but he should still be young.
[space_man][space_man]But look at him now. He was a complete and utter middle-aged man who looked to be in his late forties or early fifties.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”N-No, that’s wrong, that’s not right!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Shogo=Jowain stared intently into the mirror.
[space_man][space_man]He knew himself well. He knew the man called Jowain Date. He knew that he was a character from a robot anime, the captain of a battleship, and a Lieutenant Commander.
[space_man][space_man]Within the organization he belonged to, he was a yes-man to the Colonel, the number two in command. He was a cunning and incompetent man who relied on his superior’s authority, disliked by both his superiors and subordinates. He was the kind of man who made people wonder how he ever became a captain, or even a soldier in the first place.
[space_man][space_man]And on top of that, he was supposed to die soon.
[space_man][space_man]At the same time, he was Shogo Hamagishi, an ordinary office worker who grew up in an ordinary family, an ordinary person.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Hey, this isn’t funny. At a time like this, couldn’t I at least be younger!?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]While recalling his awareness and memories as Shogo, he muttered to himself, trying to calm his confused self and organize the situation.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”In short, I’m, what? I’ve become an anime character?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Reincarnation…… no, in this case, it should be called possession.
[space_man][space_man]In any case, that was the easiest way to describe his current situation.
[space_man][space_man]He had been reincarnated, or rather, possessed, into the world of the sci-fi robot anime 『Trismegistus: New Order』, and he was now a Lieutenant Commander in the military force 『New Balance』, which was the antagonist to the protagonists.
[space_man][space_man]The story of 『Trismegistus』 was quite simple. Humanity had advanced into space, colonized planets, built space colonies, and formed a space force. Then, a conflict began between Earth and the space colonies.
[space_man][space_man]The protagonists of the anime were extraterrestrial colonists, the oppressed side, the anti-establishment force.
[space_man][space_man]Jowain was on Earth’s side, an officer in New Balance, an elite unit of the space force. As the name suggested, this organization was a military extremist group that sought to establish a new order.
[space_man][space_man]Jowain’s role was that of a nuisance, repeatedly attacking the protagonists only to be defeated time and time again. Naturally, he was an incompetent character with a tragic role and no real achievements. He would eventually die in the middle of the story. And it would be a quick death, betrayed by his own allies and sunk along with the battleship he was currently on.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”This is bad…… I can’t say I’m lucky just because I’ve watched the anime……”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]To begin with, this anime wasn’t broadcast on television.
[space_man][space_man]It was an OVA （Original Video Animation）. It was a transitional piece from a time when the OVA anime scene was at its peak.
[space_man][space_man]The biggest problem was that these kinds of OVA anime usually got canceled. Whether it was planned that way from the beginning or because they weren’t popular, the reasons varied, but this 『Trismegistus』 OVA anime was no exception; it was also canceled.
[space_man][space_man]In other words, the overall conclusion of the story was completely unknown.
[space_man][space_man]The only thing he knew was that Jowain would die soon. And he had become that Jowain.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Couldn’t I at least have been reborn as a baby or something……? Speaking of which, this old man was in his forties in the setting, wasn’t he? I’m only twenty-nine……”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]The fact that he had become older than his actual age was simply shocking.
[space_man][space_man]Moreover, this kind of development usually came with some kind of grace period to avoid a future of despair.
[space_man][space_man]For example, being reborn as a baby or a young boy before the story began and trying to walk a different path.
[space_man][space_man]But Shogo=Jowain’s current situation was on the verge of destruction.
[space_man][space_man]To put it in concrete terms, 『Trismegistus』 had a total of five volumes, with two episodes per volume, and Jowain would die in the sixth episode.
[space_man][space_man]So, what should he do to prevent that from happening?
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I’d rather not die…… but do I even have the ability to overcome this difficult situation……?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Shogo looked in the mirror again. There he saw a face that, while not animated, looked just like an actor who closely resembled the anime’s character design. He could recognize it as Lieutenant Commander Jowain because he had Jowain’s memories inside him.
[space_man][space_man]Moreover, he could remember them vividly. But at this point, Jowain’s memories weren’t very helpful.
[space_man][space_man]Most of them were about flattery, high-handed behavior towards his subordinates, and abuses of power based on his rank.
[space_man][space_man]In other words, his impression on others was terrible. He was so hated that the entire crew of this battleship was talking behind his back.
[space_man][space_man]Incidentally, the subordinate who would betray Jowain was so angered by his attitude and actions that he would execute him with a beam cannon while betraying him.
[space_man][space_man]However, many OVA viewers agreed that Jowain was ultimately to blame.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”……It’s impossible!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]It was too late to start doing good deeds now.
[space_man][space_man]And Jowain’s knowledge and memories whispered,
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『In twelve hours, we will arrive at the colony planet and carry out the destruction of the rebels’ new weapon. We even have planet-destroying missiles on board for that purpose.』
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Yes, in the first episode of the anime, Jowain would attack the planet that the protagonists had pioneered, kill their families, and massacre civilians.
[space_man][space_man]Such atrocities were only twelve hours away.