This page uses content from the Maaya Sakamoto biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

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. , April 23, 1997
2. DIVE, December 14, 1998
3. Lucy, March 28, 2001
4. , August 8, 2001
5. , December 10, 2003
6. , October 26, 2005

• Compilations

1. , December 16, 1999
2. , July 30, 2003

Singles

Listed chronologically.

1. , April 24, 1996
2. (Mini Sound Track), March 21, 1997
3. Gift, September 22, 1997
4. , April 22, 1998 (used as the opening song for the anime Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight)
5. , November 21, 1998
6. , October 21, 1999 (used as an opening song for the anime Card Captor Sakura)
7. , June 21, 2000
8. , August 23, 2000
9. , December 16, 2000
10. , February 21, 2002
11. Gravity, February 21, 2002 (used as the ending song for the anime Wolf's Rain)
12. Tune the Rainbow, April 2, 2003
13. , April 2, 2003 (used as the ending song for the anime Tsubasa Chronicle)
14. , 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
• 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)
• 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))
• Gunbuster 2 (Raruku)
• 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)
• 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.

External links

• Maaya Sakamoto Official Homepage
• Anime News Network - Maaya SAKAMOTO
• Hitoshi Doi's seiyuu page - Sakamoto Maaya
• Unofficial International Fanclub
• Maaya Sakamoto's Official Discography Page
• Maaya Sakamoto's Discography
• Maaya Sakamoto at Oricon
• CD information on Maaya's albums at Studio Neko-Han-Ten

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