Maaya Sakamoto

Maaya Sakamoto

Maaya Sakamoto (坂本 真綾 Sakamoto Ma'aya, born March 31, 1980) is a Japanese seiyū (voice-actor) and singer who made her debut in 1996 as the voice of Hitomi Kanzaki in the hit anime series The Vision of Escaflowne.

In addition, she sang the opening song "Yakusoku wa Iranai" and the movie closing song "Yubiwa". She has since teamed up with composer Yoko Kanno and has had many subsequent voice roles in anime such as Record of Lodoss War, Kanon, RahXephon, Gundam SEED DESTINY, .hack//SIGN, and others. She also has had voice roles in video games such as Panzer Dragoon Saga, Kingdom Hearts, and Napple Tale. She also does the voice of Padmé Amidala in the Japanese dub of Star Wars Episodes I, II, and III and Max in the television series Dark Angel. She plays the role of Eponine in the Japanese production of Les Misérables.

On her singer side, Sakamoto has released five solo albums, one mini album, numerous singles, and two singles collections. In December 2003, she released her fourth original album, Shounen Alice, and a DVD of a short original movie from the director of Mizu no Onna called 03†. Sakamoto occasionally writes her own lyrics but most often works with others. Frequent collaborators include Yuuho Iwasato for Japanese songs and Tim Jensen for English songs. In 2004, Sakamoto's new fanclub "Idling Stop" opened. Composer Yoko Kanno worked with Sakamoto up until Yūnagi LOOP, her fifth album, which has no songs composed by Kanno.

She has graduated from Toyo University (Bachelor in sociology).

Discography

Albums

• Studio

1. Grapefruit (グレープフルーツ), April 23, 1997
2. DIVE, December 14, 1998
3. Lucy, March 28, 2001
4. Easy Listening (イージーリスニング), August 8, 2001
5. Shounen Alice (少年アリス), December 10, 2003
6. Yuunagi LOOP (夕凪LOOP), October 26, 2005

• Compilations

1. Single Collection + Hotchpotch (シングルコレクション プラス ハチポチ), December 16, 1999
2. Single Collection + Nikopachi (シングルコレクション＋ ニコパチ), July 30, 2003

Singles

Listed chronologically.

1. Yakusoku wa Iranai (約束はいらない), April 24, 1996
2. Clamp Gakuen Tanteidan (CLAMP学園探偵団, CLAMP School Detectives) (Mini Sound Track), March 21, 1997
3. Gift, September 22, 1997
4. Kiseki no Umi (奇跡の海), April 22, 1998 (used as the opening song for Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight)
5. Hashiru (走る), November 21, 1998
6. Platina (プラチナ, Purachina), October 21, 1999 (used as an opening song for Card Captor Sakura)
7. Yubiwa (指輪), June 21, 2000
8. Shippo no Uta (しっぽのうた), August 23, 2000
9. Mameshiba (マメシバ), December 16, 2000
10. Hemisphere (ヘミソフィア, Hemisofia), February 21, 2002 (used as the opening song for RahXephon)
11. Gravity, February 21, 2002 (used as the ending song for Wolf's Rain)
12. Tune the Rainbow, April 2, 2003 (used as the ending song for the RahXephon movie)
13. Loop (ループ), April 2, 2003 (used as the ending song for Tsubasa Chronicle)
14. Kazemachi Jet / Spica (風待ちジェット / スピカ, Kazemachi Jetto / Supika), June 14, 2006

Soundtracks

These are soundtracks on which Sakamoto has worked, listed in alphabetical order.

• 23-ji no Ongaku: NHK Rensoku Dorama "Mayonaka wa Betsu no Kao"
• Arjuna: Into the Another World
• Arjuna: Onna no Minato
• Brain Powerd Original Soundtrack 2
• Cardcaptor Sakura Original Soundtrack 4
• DeViceReigN OST
• Dream Power: Tsubasanaki Mono-tachi e
• El-Hazard: The Alternative World Ongakuhen
• Escaflowne Movie Original Soundtrack
• Escaflowne Original Soundtrack 1
• Escaflowne Original Soundtrack 3
• Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - be Human
• Kōya no Medarot
• Les Misérables 2003 Original Cast CD: "Purple" label recording starring Kiyotaka Imai as Valjean
• Little Lovers Soundtrack
• Mizuiro Jidai Musical CD
• Napple Tale Original Soundtrack Vol.1: Kaijū Zukan
• Napple Tale Original Soundtrack Vol.2: Yōsei Zukan
• RahXephon O.S.T. 1
• RahXephon Pluralitas Concentio O.S.T.
• Record of Lodoss War OST 1
• The Vision of Escaflowne
• Vocal Best: Shikura Chiyomaru Gakkyokuhen 1
• Wolf's Rain O.S.T
• Wolf's Rain O.S.T 2

Notable voice roles

Anime

• .hack//Legend of the Twilight (Aura)
• .hack//SIGN (Aura)
• Aim for the Top 2! (aka Diebuster) (Princess Lark)
• Binbou Shimai Monogatari (Kyou)
• Cardcaptor Sakura: The Sealed Card (2nd Movie) (The Nothing card)
• Cowboy Bebop (Stella (Roco's sister, ep.8))
• El Hazard (Qawoor Towles)
• Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (Aerith Gainsborough)
• Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (Little Motoko (ep.25))
• Gundam SEED Destiny (Lunamaria Hawke, Mayu Asuka)
• Kanon (Mishio Amano)
• Nightwalker (Riho Yamazaki)
• Ouran High School Host Club (Haruhi Fujioka)
• RahXephon (Reika Mishima, main title vocals)
• Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight (TV) (Leaf)
• Omishi Magical Theater: Risky Safety (Moe Katsuragi)
• Tsubasa Chronicle (Princess Tomoyo)
• The Vision of Escaflowne (Hitomi Kanzaki, Debut role)
• Wolf's Rain (Hamona)
• Saint Seiya (Pandora)

Games

• .hack (video games) (Aura, Natsume)
• Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball (Lisa)
• Dead or Alive 4 (Lisa)
• Fullmetal Alchemist 3: Kami wo Tsugu Shoujo (Sophie Belkman)
• Kanon (Mishio Amano)
• Kingdom Hearts series (Aerith Gainsborough)
• Napple Tale (Poach/Arsia)
• Panzer Dragoon Saga (Azel)
• Sonic the Hedgehog (2006 game) (Princess Elise)
• Super Robot Wars series (Reika Mishima)
• Tenkuu no Escaflowne (Hitomi Kanzaki)

Japanese Dubs

• Brandy and Mr. Whiskers (Brandy)
• Star Wars: Clone Wars (Padmé Amidala)
• Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (Kate Brewster)
• Doctor Who (Rose Tyler)

Trivia

• She's one half of the seiyū duo "Whoops!!", alongside Chieko Higuchi.
• She has voiced characters whereby their love interests are voiced by members of the seiyū duo "R-16" (Takahiro Sakurai and Kenichi Suzumura):
  • In the Kingdom Hearts series and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Maaya voices Aerith while Takahiro voices Cloud. Also, in Advent Children, Kenichi voices Zack, Aerith's first boyfriend.
  • In Gundam Seed Destiny, Maaya voices Lunamaria Hawke while Kenichi voices Shin Asuka. (Maaya also had a bit role as Shin's sister Mayu).
  • In Ouran High School Host Club, Kenichi voices Hitachiin Hikaru while Maaya voices his fellow host club member, who he's in love with, Fujioka Haruhi.
• Sakamoto has had at least one song appear on the NHK program Minna no Uta.
• Her first participation in animes and OVAs adapted from works by CLAMP was "Platina", an opening song for Cardcaptor Sakura. Later, she would lend her voice to a Clow Card (the Nothing) in the second CCS movie. Most recently, she voices Tomoyo (who also appears in CCS) in Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE.
• Has been called "Onesama" (お姉さま, a very respectful way of saying "older sister") by her Ouran co-host Ayaka Saito.
• Her father, Sakamoto Yoshimi, is an expert in stage lighting.

External links

• Maaya Sakamoto Official Homepage Template:Jp icon
• Maaya Sakamoto ({{{type}}}) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Hitoshi Doi's seiyuu page - Sakamoto Maaya
• Unofficial International Fanclub
• Maaya Sakamoto's Discography
• Maaya Sakamoto at Oricon Template:Jp icon
• CD information on Maaya's albums at Studio Neko-Han-Ten