Ritsuko Okazaki

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This article should be translated (or additional material should be added) from material at ja:岡崎律子. See also Wikipedia:Translation

Ritsuko Okazaki (岡崎律子 Okazaki Ritsuko, 29 December 1959–5 May 2004) was a Japanese singer-songwriter and author, known for her contribution to various anime series such as Fruits Basket.

[edit] Biography

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Ritsuko Okazaki was born in Nagasaki, Japan, on 29 December 1959. As is the case with many Japanese artists, her privacy was well guarded; little is known about her life apart from her artistic achievements.

Okazaki made her debut as a singer-songwriter in 1993. During the nineties, she continued her singing career and also wrote for anime seiyuu. From 2000, she became involved in earnest with anime and composed several songs for Wedding Peach, Fruits Basket and Love Hina. In 2001, together with Hinata Megumi she formed the duo Melocure. From 2001 to 2004, the duo had great success with several singles. In 2004, the they released their first album Melodic Hard Cure.

Her work consists mainly of ballads, and can probably be categorised within the spectrum of Japanese music as most closely related to J-Pop. According to many of her fans, Okazaki's songs were characterised by poetic imagery, depth of emotion, gentle optimism and simplicity. Her voice was considered to be of a particularly remarkable litheness and subtlety. For these reasons, some describe her as an "angelic singer."

On May 5, 2004, Ritsuko Okazaki died at the age of 44 from septic shock as a result of Septicemia. She was unable to speak any last words, and left her work unfinished.