Tomo Sakurai (櫻井 智, Sakurai Tomo, born September 10, 1971) is a Japanese actress and singer. Sakurai was a member of I'm Enterprise but later became freelance until her retirement. She previously announced her retirement on September 1, 2016, but on June 1, 2019, she announced that she would return to the entertainment industry.
Tomo Sakurai | |
|---|---|
櫻井 智 | |
| Born | Tomoe Hatta September 10, 1971 Gyōtoku District Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan |
| Other names | Akira-chan |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1993–2016, 2019–present |
| Height | 159.6 cm (5 ft 3 in)[1] |
Career
editDebut
editAt 14, Sakurai debuted as a sub-member for "Kiss Fairlies," a group that worked as campaign girls for the local Kijima Motorcycle Racing Team. All members were over 15 years old, aside from Tomo.
In age of "Lemon Angel"
editAt 17, she joined the idol-pop unit, Lemon Angel, a counter project of Cream Lemon coordinated by the same company that produced "Kiss Fairlies". The project contained comic, animated, and idol pop units. The unit played themselves in Midnight Anime Lemon Angel. She released 5 albums during her time at Lemon Angel.
After Lemon Angel
editSakurai joined a new video game idol unit and released one album with this unit. After leaving, she focused her career mainly on voice acting work.
Retirement
editOn September 1, 2016, Sakurai announced her retirement from her professional voice acting and singing careers on her official blog post titled "Arigato/Thank You."[2]
She explained: "I used to have a strong vocal cord that couldn't be broken and became stronger even after singing for hours. But recently, I have realized it's becoming more and more difficult for me to use my important voice as an actress. I know it's a natural thing as time goes by, but I can't accept the change, then I understand it's almost time to retire."
Return
editOn June 1, 2019, Sakurai announced that she was returning to the entertainment industry.
Play roll are Doll Lica alongside Neya Michiko in Super Doll Chan, Makimachi Misao of Runrōni Kenshin along with Mayo Suzukaze & Miki Fujitani & Meimi Haneoka alongside Kikuko Inoue & Kōsuke Okano in Kaitō Saint Tail.
Filmography
editTelevision animation
edit- Akazukin Chacha (1994), Marin
- Macross 7 (1994), Mylene Jenius
- El-Hazard (1995), Shayla Shayla[3]
- Saint Tail (1995), Meimi Haneoka/Saint Tail
- Rurouni Kenshin (1996), Makimachi Misao
- Super Doll Licca-chan (1998), Doll Licca
- Shakugan no Shana (2005), Chigusa Sakai[4]
- My-Otome (2005), Lena Sayers
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX (2006), Mizuchi Saio
- Idolmaster: Xenoglossia (2007), Azusa Miura
- Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl (2007), Cynthia/Shirona
- Gintama (2009), Hinowa
- The World God Only Knows (2010), Asuka Sora
- Kuromajo-san ga Toru!! (2012), Choco's Mother[5]
- Pocket Monsters: Best Wishes! 2 (2012), Cynthia/Shirona
- Pocket Monsters (2021), Yoshino,[6] Cynthia/Shirona[7]
- Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again (2024), Kaede[8]
Theatrical animation
edit- Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture (1994), Sulia Gaudeamus
Original video animation
edit- Shamanic Princess (1996), Sara
- Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer (1996), Karin Son
- Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc (2011), Makimachi Misao[9]
Video games
edit- Samurai Shodown III (1995), Rimururu
- Tengai Makyō: Daiyon no Mokushiroku (1997), Yumemi
- The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (2003), Emma Granger
Audio drama
editDubbing
editLive-action
edit- Admission, Portia Nathan (Tina Fey)[10]
- The City of Your Final Destination, Arden Langdon (Charlotte Gainsbourg)[11]
- Dragon Blade, Parthian Queen (Lorie Pester)[12]
- The Monkey King, Chang'e (Gigi Leung)[13]
- The Taking of Tiger Mountain, Ma Qinglian (Yu Nan)[14]
- Third Person, Julia Weiss (Mila Kunis)[15]
- Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon, Yin Ruiji (Angelababy)[16]
Animation
edit- Robinson Crusoe, Kiki[17]
- Chaotic, Codemaster Amzen
- The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Flapjack
References
edit- ^ "健康診断に行き、ここ3年で毎年0.5ずつ身長が増え158センチの私が159.5になっていましたが、今回の健康診断では159.6😅 0.1プラスなだけでした💦 血圧が高めでした〜😅💦今年は引っかかりそうかな〜🥺 皆さんは、健康診断してますか😊 今日も一日お疲れ様でした⭐️ おやすみなさい🌙💤". Twitter. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- ^ "Macross 7/Rurouni Kenshin Voice Actress & Singer Tomo Sakurai Retires". Anime News Network. September 1, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- ^ The Scarecrow Video Movie Guide. Sasquatch Books. 2004. p. 541. ISBN 978-1-57061-415-6. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
- ^ "灼眼のシャナ" (in Japanese). AT-X (TV network). Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ "Kuromajyo-san ga Tōru!!'s Additional Cast Revealed". Anime News Network. March 15, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ "ポケットモンスター「コハルとワンパチと、時々、ゲンガー」" (in Japanese). TV Tokyo. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ "Pokémon TV Anime Brings Back Cynthia After 9 Years". Anime News Network. October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ "Jiisan Baasan Wakagaeru TV Anime's Main Promo Video Reveals Theme Songs, April 7 Debut". Anime News Network. March 1, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
- ^ "New Rurouni Kenshin to Be 2-Part Shin Kyoto Video Anime". Anime News Network. August 20, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ "アドミッション -親たちの入学試験-". Star Channel. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
- ^ "最終目的地 スペシャル・エディション". NBCUniversal Japan. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ "ドラゴン・ブレイド". Sony Pictures. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- ^ "モンキー・マジック 孫悟空誕生". Twin. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- ^ "タイガー・マウンテン 雪原の死闘". Twin. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ "サード・パーソン". Star Channel. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ "ライズ・オブ・シードラゴン 謎の鉄の爪". Twin. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "ロビンソン・クルーソー". Twin. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
External links
edit- Tomo Sakurai at GamePlaza-Haruka Voice Acting Database (in Japanese)
- Tomo Sakurai at Hitoshi Doi's Seiyuu Database
- Tomo Sakurai at Anime News Network's encyclopedia