Megumi Hayashibara

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Megumi Hayashibara
林原 めぐみ
Background information
Born March 30, 1967
Origin Flag of Japan Kita-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Genre(s) J-Pop
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter
Years active 1989–Present
Label(s) King Records
Website megumi HOUSE

Megumi Hayashibara (林原 めぐみ Hayashibara Megumi?), born March 30, 1967 in Kita-ku, Tokyo, Japan) is a very popular Japanese seiyū, lyricist and singer. She is married and has one daughter.

Hayashibara began her voice acting career with training at the Arts Vision voice acting school/talent agency, while at the same time studying to be a registered nurse, her original career choice. Her debut as a seiyū came in 1986, with a bit part in the anime series Maison Ikkoku. She has since gone on to play many of anime's most beloved characters, including Hello Kitty, Faye Valentine in Cowboy Bebop, Lime from the Saber Marionette series, Haruka Urashima from Love Hina, Rei Ayanami of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Musashi (Jessie) of Team Rocket from the Pokémon anime series, Lina Inverse from the Slayers series, Canal in Lost Universe and the female Ranma Saotome in the Ranma 1/2 series.

According to the Anime News Network Encyclopedia, as of March 2007, Hayashibara is the most prolific female seiyū with 200 credits to her name. [1] She is arguably the best known seiyū outside Japan, and is considered by some anime fans to be the "queen" of the seiyū, likely due to the large number of major roles she has performed, as well as the personal relationship she has cultivated with her fans, through her radio shows and her writing.

As one of the pioneers of the "Third Seiyū Boom", Hayashibara is among the most prolific seiyū-turned-singers in history. Since her musical debut in 1989, she has sung the theme songs for numerous anime series, including all the Slayers TV series, movies, and OVAs, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, Lost Universe, Sorcerer Hunters, most the Saber Marionette series Love Hina, the themes "Oversoul", "Trust You", "Northern Lights", and "Omokage" for Shaman King, and most recently the opening and ending themes of Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight!. In addition, she has released several solo musical albums, and she has also sung as part of the bands DoCo and Ties, and as a guest vocalist for Hinata Girls. She has written lyrics for many of the songs she has performed.

Though Hayashibara is not well known in the music industry outside of Japan, within Japan, her albums sell strongly, routinely debuting in the top 10 on Japan’s Oricon pop music charts. Additionally, she hosts two radio shows, Tokyo Boogie Night and Heartful Station, which frequently showcase her songs, as well as those sung by other seiyū.

Hayashibara has also written several books, including two collections of essays, two volumes compiling her former magazine column, Aitakute Aitakute, an autobiographical manga, Ashita ga aru sa, and the Pokémon children’s book Jigglypuff's Magic Lullaby. She currently writes an advice column appearing monthly in Newtype magazine.

Contents

[edit] Notable voice roles

[edit] Anime

Current anime that Hayashibara is performing is in bold

[edit] Game

  • 3x3 Eyes -Kyuusei Koushu- as Pai and Sanjiyan
  • 3x3 Eyes Tenrin'ou Genmu as Pai and Sanjiyan
  • Ayanami Ikusei Keikaku as Ayanami Rei
  • Eva to Yukai na Nakama tachi as Ayanami Rei
  • Evangelion 2nd Impression as Ayanami Rei
  • Evangelion Koutetsu no Girlfriend(Girlfriend of Steel) as Ayanami Rei and Kirishima Mana
  • Battle Tycoon as Tilia Rosette
  • EMIT as Tanaka Yuri
  • Fire Woman Matoigumi as Sakai Ryoko
  • Kidou Senshi Gundam Climax U.C. as Christina MacKenzie
  • Kidou Senshi Gundam Senki as Christina MacKenzie
  • Lunar Eternal Blue as Remiina
  • Mujintou Monogatari as Kurashima Saori
  • O-chan no Oekaki Logic as Hebe
  • Popoitto Hebereke as all voices
  • Quo Vadis 2 as Hilda Belens
  • Ranma 1/2 as Saotome Ranma
  • Ranma 1/2 Battle Renaissance as Saotome Ranma
  • Ranma 1/2 Datou, Ganso Musabetsu Kakutouryuu! as Saotome Ranma
  • Ranma 1/2 Torawareno Hanayome as Saotome Ranma
  • Shaman King: Soul Fight as Anna Kyoyama
  • Shining Force Neo as Freya
  • Shining Tears as Blanc Neige
  • Slayers Royal as Lina Inverse
  • Slayers Royal 2 as Lina Inverse
  • Slayers Wonderful as Lina Inverse
  • Super Robot Taisen F as Patricia Hackman
  • Torifels Mahou Gakuen as Eltz
  • WarioWare: Smooth Moves! as Ashley and Red (Japanese version)
  • WarioWare: Touched! as Ashley and Red (Japanese version)
  • Wrestle Angels as Megumi

[edit] Drama CD

  • Akihabara Dennou Gumi as Tsubame
  • Bakuretsu Hunt as Tira Mis
  • Bannou Bunka Nekomusume as Natsume Atsuko
  • Dancing Whispers as Miifa
  • GS Mikami Gokuraku Daisakusen!! as DJ
  • Jungle de Ikou as Ongo
  • Kodomotachi ha Yoru no Juunin as Yumi
  • Lamune & 40 DX as Mountain Dew Gold
  • Lips the Agent as Yuu and Winter Fairy
  • Love Hina as Urashima Haruka
  • Mujintou Monogatari as Kurashima Saori
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion as Ayanami Rei
  • PopFul Mail Paradise 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 as Mail
  • Popful Mail The Next Generation as Mail
  • RG Veda as Ashura
  • Shadow Skill as El Lag
  • Slayers Extra as Lina Inverse
  • Slayers Nextra as Lina Inverse
  • Slayers Premium as Lina Inverse
  • Slayers vs. Orphen as Lina Inverse
  • SM Girls Saber Marionette J/R as Lime
  • Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko as Madoka Midou
  • Tokyo Juliette as Ayase Minori

As of August 2006, she is known to have sung a total of at least 332 unique songs (457 songs, including remixes and edited versions), most of which have been related to anime series, drama CDs, or video games. As of that date, she had appeared on at least 562 known CD releases, 325 of which include singing performances. However, no official canonical list of her CD releases has been compiled, and it is possible that the true totals exceed these figures to some degree.

She was the voice of Li'l Sneezer in the Japanese dub of Tiny Toon Adventures.

[edit] Solo CD Albums

All are King Records releases unless otherwise noted

  • Half and, Half (KICS-100, 1991)
  • WHATEVER (KICS-176, 1992)
  • Perfume (KICS-215, 1992)
  • SHAMROCK (KICS-345, 1993)
  • PULSE (Futureland, TYCY-5413, 1994)
  • SpHERE (KICS-430, 1994)
  • Enfleurage (KICS-475, 1995)
  • bertemu (KICS-590, 1996)
  • Irāvatī (KICS-640, 1997)
  • Fuwari(ふわり) (KICS-755, 1999)
  • VINTAGE S (KICS-790, 2000)
  • VINTAGE A (KICS-810, 2000)
  • feel well (KICS-955, 2002)
  • Northern lights (2002)
  • center color (KICS-1070, 2004)
  • PLAIN (KICS-1303, to be released April 21, 2007)

[edit] Radio shows

Hayashibara has/had hosted the following radio shows:

  • Tokyo Boogie Night
  • Haoujuku
  • Heartful Station
  • Muboujuku

[edit] Manga (Japanese Comics)

[edit] U.S. Convention appearances

Anime America 1993[2] and 1995[3]

[edit] Trivia

  • Blood type: O
  • Height: 1.55 (5'1") m
  • Weight: 45 kg (99 lbs)
  • 3 Sizes: 80-59-85
  • Shoe size: 23 cm
  • She admits being camera shy, as she's been offered roles for many tokusatsu shows due to her talents as being a voice actor. She is more comfortable working in voice only instead of in front of the camera. Currently, her only association with this genre is doing the opening for the Henshin Heroine series, Vanny Knights. Many tokusatsu fans familiar with her work feel confident that she's quite capable of transitioning from anime to tokusatsu, as many tokusatsu actors and actresses made successful transitions to anime.
  • In many anime, Hayashibara is cast as a redheaded character with combat abilities.
  • She shares the same birthday with Ayako Kawasumi.
  • Hayashibara actually did obtain a nursing license, and has cited incidents where she has had to perform advanced first aid on audience members during public appearances.
  • The character of Megumi Reinard in Martian Successor Nadesico, a successful seiyū who goes to war as the ship's communcations officer, appears to be partially modeled on Hayashibara.

[edit] External links

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