You can appreciate why she needs the support, and I like to “spread the...Tomoko Kawakami flies off to meet The Girl In the Sky
Ξ June 14th, 2011 | → 8 Comments | ∇ The Anime Annals |
I was greatly saddened this past weekend to read that Tomoko Kawakami, one of my favorite voice actresses, passed away at the young age of 41 from cancer. It’s kind of funny how one can feel such sorrow for someone you haven’t met, but regardless, the tears fell from my eyes even though I wasn’t weeping, even though I never knew her. I thought of all the roles she played and the characters she voiced so well, among them several favorite girls from very different anime. I thought of making a tribute to her career through the images of the characters she played so well…
Of course I have to lead off with AIR-TV ‘s Misuzu Kamio, my favorite anime girl (along with Clannad‘s Nagisa Furukawa). Tomoko totally owned this challenging role, effortlessly going from silly to solemn, from flustered to wise, and grows from a clumsy girl to (ultimately) a graceful swan both dramatic and dignified as her fate becomes ever more apparent. There’s so much to love about Misuzu that it defies explanation; just listen to Tomoko bring this poor, but very brave girl, to life, in the following spoiler-free compilation of scenes from the first half of AIR (and never search YouTube for more unless you want to be completely spoiled or have seen it already). Protip: expand these videos to Full Screen for maximum effect 
And yes… I DO own a “Gao Gao Stegosaurus” shirt just like the one Yukito is wearing 
My second-favorite role she voiced was Clannad‘s Girl From the Illusory World, a fairly thankless role for which she didn’t get many lines, but so beautifully portrayed the few she did have. This next video contains many of the brief clips stitched together from multiple episodes of Clannad (but no spoilers!), and probably won’t make sense if you haven’t seen it. But you will get the gist of it, and hopefully will pique your interest in this superb anime. Everything is significant Again, I’ll warn you against searching YouTube for more clips, since it is VERY easy to get spoiled, and we definitely don’t want that to happen, right? Seriously, if you’re attracted to the series concept and genre, just buy the darn thing already!
Kanon‘s Sayuri provided Tomoko with another juicy role; she is a kind, sweet, and reflective sort of girl, not too different from Misuzu. Less clumsy, for sure LOL In the series, Sayuri is Mai’s (the sword-wielding demon hunter) best friend and constant companion, and they have several cute scenes showing their devotion to one another. But her shining moment occurrs in revealing her backstory, which is depicted in the next clip. She effortlessly switches between her “current” and “younger” voices with ease, and does a wonderful job of it in this very poignant story:
It’s no coincidence that Tomoko Kawakami appears in central roles in each of the KEY/Kyoto Animation “Triple Crown” shows of Air, Kanon, and Clannad, and no coincidence that these are amongst my favorite stories of all time, as well as these other favorite shows included here.
On a completely different note, and role, is that of sadistic little Mariko, one of Elfen Lied ‘s Diclonius mutations. Believe me, this role is 180 degrees from her previous characters! It took quite awhile to find a video that didn’t have music (after all, I’m looking for Tomoko’s speaking parts), but could only find one that contained a very spoilerish scene. So: SPOILER WARNING!!!: This is Elfen Lied, so be forewarned regarding the violence and heartwrenching emoting, and depiction of key character deaths in this next video. Briefly, Kurama is head of a government-sponsored detention facility for the mutant Diclonius, who are intent on destroying humankind. Mariko is one of the most advanced and dangerous, Number 35. She is Kurama’s daughter… and the story will kind of tell the rest. Fasten your safety belts:
(EDIT: Okay, unfasten them; the control freaks pulled it already *vid snipped* :-( )
I tried without success in finding a video of Tomoko voicing Athena Glory from the serene and beautiful ARIA series, only finding clips of her singing two or three songs that were actually performed by the late Eri Kawaii. Athena speaks very little (she’s a quiet and clumsy girl!) but surprisingly to her friends has pipes of gold. Sad that both of Athena’s seiyuu have passed away… but we are left with such lovely memories such as these, and this:
Since Tomoko didn’t sing on that anime, here’s a final video of her singing a beautiful version of “Natsukage” from AIR-TV, featuring (of course!) a Misuzu slideshow! So relaxing and sublime… we’ll just leave it at that, shall we? Much gratitude to her for her excellent work that shall live on…
on June 15th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
Hello, Rob.
Long time, no see.
Thank you for the tribute to Tomoko Kawakami. As you may remember, Misuzu is the one that made me realize that I had an infatuation with an anime girl for the first time. You know… that moe thing?
It is so sad to hear of such a beautiful life taken away from us at such a young age. My eyes are swelling with tears as I write this.
I actually came here to share something with you that you may find appropriate for the occasion… a bit of “moving on” if you may.
I recently revisited my anime music folder and listened to the ED of Shuffle! I seem to recall that you had a bad experience with that series thanks to an unfortunate spoiler. But, I would like to invite you to listen to this song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbJHBhVPy80
The contemporary soft rock, combined with the classical guitar and Miyuki Hashimoto’s soft, breathy harmonies makes for one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard.
I know how much you love music, so I’m hoping this will be meaningful for you.
Here’s the best translation I could find…
===
We are walking together; we are searching together
But what reflects in my eyes is your wavering figure
What is between you and I
Is the sea of noise where dreams mix together
Which is unchanging is only breathing inside of you
Because I’m sure that the treasure that no one in the world touches
Will shine stronger than anything for you
We are wishing together; we are lost together
A distant future; where will we go to? While we still can’t see-
The string that ties you and I together
Still just might be thin
But I cast off everything, entrust you, and try to feel you
At the deep lake that all love in the world guides to
Gently I take my feelings that still overflow for you and――
I’d like to believe that someday we can understand each other
Please, I want you to show me enough of your heart so that I can see through it
I’m sure that the treasure that no one in the world touches
Should shine stronger than anything for you
I’d like to believe that someday we can understand each other
Please, I want you to show me enough of your heart so that I can see through it
===
on June 15th, 2011 at 3:11 pm
Heya DL,
Great to see you again
Yeah, I do remember about Misuzu’s effect on you and since I’d felt the same realized that our tastes in anime are pretty damn close! I think I watched Kanon before AIR, so Ayu was actually my “first”. But Misuzu’s character is so much deeper that by the end of AIR I was completely smitten with her. Such a brave girl… and she fought her battle mostly alone. Until that 1000th Summer, any way…
Thanks for that lovely song; nice work on the translation too! (For some reason, lyric translations fail badly; see most any subtitled OP/ED for proof LOL).
It may be time to revisit Shuffle! soon since I’ve now forgotten what the spoiler was
Maybe in-between seasons; I have a lot on my anime plate currently what with fifteen series I’m tracking :-O
Thanks for the visit; I’d been thinking about you lately and wondering how things were going! Good timing
Take it easy,
~Rob
on June 15th, 2011 at 5:10 pm
Weeeell, the interesting thing about Shuffle! is that it’s a harem anime that starts getting good AFTER the point of “which one will he choose?”
In the early going it’s just plain silly. But, if you can make it through that, it gets deadly serious and the pay off is huge. I was blown away by the ending.
Aside from that, I’m totally in love with the girls. They are just sooo damn cute!
on June 16th, 2011 at 12:26 am
I can take a little silliness as long as it “fits”; Shuffle! got too over-the-top for me when the sovereigns decided to room with the protagonist, which is when I dropped it (IIRC). Having seen that part already it should be easier going the second attempt
Especially if the end justifies the means, as it were
(EDIT: By the way, are you watching Ano Hana? MUST SEE! You’ll love it, I’m sure; highly recommended!)
on June 16th, 2011 at 4:35 am
The “sovereigns” (kings of the gods and demons) don’t actually move in with the protag. They conviently move in next door. Unless you count Primula, and who wouldn’t want a little sweetheart like her sharing your home?
I shamefully admit that my inner lolicon melts at the thought of her.
BTW, I meant to add, thanks for the kind words. Sorry for not stopping by more often.
To be honest, I haven’t even watched any anime in the past six months or so. I don’t know if I’m outgrowing it or just going through a general lack of interest.
Still, there are some things that linger, and I remember, with fondness, the stories and delightful characters that anime has brought to me.
And, since I’m on a Shuffle! kick, here’s a little nudge in that direction.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s352/mushianime/3n-s/Shuffle/shufflegroup.jpg
I have to repeat, I love those girls! I put a lot of weight on character design and they are among my all time favorites.
Still, it just may not be your cup of tea, and that’s cool. We all have our preferences.
Whoa! Did a search for Ano Hana. What the heck is up with that title?
“Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai”
LOL
I just watched the OP for it. The style made me think of Toradora! And, what do you know… a wiki search shows the same director for both series, Tatsuyuki Nagai. Other notable works, that I’m familiar with, include Witch Hunter Robin, Mushishi, Shigofumi and Railgun. All of which I thought were fantastic.
I’ll give Ano Hana a try. Sounds like a good series to rekindle that fondness I previously mentioned.
on June 16th, 2011 at 11:09 am
Next door is fine then
Thanks for the pic, it’s sweet to see them all together in one shot.
I’ve watched most “worthwhile” (YMMV!) shows over the past six months and there have been quite a few good ones. I realize that it’s a bit of scrolling (still can’t get the “More” tag to work LOL), but if you scroll down to the past Anime entries you’ll see some highly regarded ones that I felt worth mentioning, with samples
Ano Hana is just … an experience. With two more episodes left I can’t see it failing unless the ending is poor, which I doubt will happen. It’s shaping up to be quite dramatic; I’m sure that you’ll love it. I do
Menma <3
Oh. Look up the version of Secret Base by ZONE. You’ll love that too
on July 10th, 2011 at 12:40 am
Revisiting some old posts. God, this just makes me want to bawl all over again. You will never be forgotten, Tomoko.
I came across a vid that is beautiful. It’s not some youtube wannabe, this is pro. It makes me so envious.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J5h0X48VWw
And, as long as we’re dabbing our eyes, you’ll probably want to see the follow-on link for Dango Daikazoku.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cByd7OwgWGU&NR=1
Nagisa… *sniff*
on July 10th, 2011 at 1:37 am
Yeah, Tomoko owns Misuzu; what a great role.
That’s some nice (acoustic) guitarring there! Thanks for the links
Since (a) you provided renditions of AIR and Clannad, and (b) I’m such a completist, here’s the same guy’s version of Kanon’s OP, Last Regrets:
http://youtu.be/vQGy0kpRdWQ
Nothing beats the originals though