Minori Chihara
Minori Chihara (茅原 実里, Chihara Minori?, born November 18, 1980) is a Japanese voice actress who has had roles in several anime series, and a J-pop singer.[1][2] As a seiyū, she works under the agency Avex Planning & Development, while in her musical career, she has been signed under King Records and is currently with Lantis.[3] She was born in the city of Utsunomiya, Tochigi and was raised in Saitama.[2]
She is affectionately referred to as "Minorin" (みのりん) by her fans.
Summary
Career
- 2003
- From April to September, served as the assistant to Mariko Kōda's radio program "Kōda Mariko no GM" through an audition. Coupled with her winning first place at the "Seiyū Grand Prix Club," acquired the right to work in the avex artist academy.[4]
- In October, was chosen as one of the top 4 finalists for Pony Canyon, Inc.'s "Voice Artist & Singer Audition「VSオーディション2003」" sponsorship contest, but did not win the grand prize. She expressed regret for not winning, but commented about further disciplining herself to reach her dream.[5]
- 2004
- From April to September, debuted her voice acting career as Aya Natsume in Tenjho Tenge.
- In December, begins her blog "minorhythm" and at the same time, releases her album Heroine under King Records.
- 2005
- In April, begins work as a host personality for the internet radio program Oshiyaberi Yattemasu along with Masaya Onosaka and Miyu Matsuki as the Thursday group.
- In May, begins both radio programs Avex presents Chihara Minori no Makenai Radio and Avex presents Chihara Minori no Ikenai Radio.
- 2006
- 2007
- On January 24, releases the single Junpaku Sanctuary, ending a two-year hiatus from her personal singing career.
- On March 18, performs in the Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekisou concert.[7]
- In May, begins the radio program in conjunction to her blog called "radio minorhythm" on Wednesdays as part of the Lantis web radio lineup.
- On June 6, releases the single Kimi ga Kureta Anohi, placing 20th on the Oricon charts.
- From June 29 to July 2, appears at Anime Expo 2007 along with Aya Hirano and Yūko Gotō at Long Beach, California as a guest of honor.[8]
- On July 7, performs in the "Animelo Summer Live 2007「Generation-A」" concert.[9]
- On August 16, holds a press conference that is broadcast to 115 storefronts across Japan to announce three important news items: the release of her new album Contact on October 24, her tour Live starting its opening on November 18 as part of her birthday concert, and the release of her PV collection DVD slated for December 2007.[10]
- In December, releases the PV DVD Message 01. With it, a follow-up track to the album Contact titled "Contact 13th" is bundled with the DVD as an extra CD.[11]
- 2008
- On March 26, releases the single Melty Tale Storage.[12][13]
- On April 1, her official fanclub "m.s.s. (Minori Smile Seasons)" is opened.[14]
- On August 6, releases the single Ameagari no Hana yo Sake, placing 17th on the Oricon charts.
- On August 30, performs at Animelo Summer Live 2008 - Challenge day 1.
- On November 5, releases the single Paradise Lost, placing 15th on the Oricon charts.
- On November 26, releases the album Parade, placing 16th on the Oricon charts.
- On December 7, performs in the "Dream Stage" concert at the Fancy Frontier convention held in Taipei, Taiwan.[15]
- 2009
- On March 29, performs in the Lucky Star Concert Called Lucky Star in Budokan -Anata no Tame Dakara- / らき☆すた in 武道館 あなたのためだから.
- On April 29, performs at the Suzumiya Haruhi no Gensō (涼宮ハルヒの弦奏, The Symphony of Haruhi Suzumiya?) held at Tokyo Kosei Nenkin Kaikan with music by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and Philip Chu as conductor.
- On May 3, performs at Ga-Rei Zero - The Live at Shibuya-AX.[16]
- On June 3, releases the single Tomorrow's Chance.
- On July 12, performs in her first ever South East Asian concert in DaiCon 「DaiCon-大コン-」, Multimedia University, Cyberjaya in Malaysia.[17]
- On August 22, performs at Animelo Summer Live 2009 Re:Bridge day 1.
- On December 23, releases the single Precious One.
- 2010
- On February 4, releases the PV DVD Message 02.
- On February 17, releases the album Sing All Love.
- On April 10, releases the PV DVD Message 03.
- On August 29, performs at Animelo Summer Live 2010 -evolution- day 2.
- On October 9, performs her first ever American solo concert at New York Anime Festival in New York City.
- 2011
Personal
- While auditioning for her role in Ikki Tousen: Dragon Destiny, she sought help from her guitar teacher to learn how to better speak the Kansai dialect required for her character.
- The release of Junpaku Sanctuary not only ended her singing hiatus (outside of anime) since the release of Heroine, but also prompted the start of her "Re:Birth tour."[18]
- Although her role as Yuki Nagato in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya propelled her popularity, long-time fans have seen her perform with her guitar on the streets of Akihabara. According to her blog, the last time she performed this way was on April 9, 2006.[19]
- One of her hobbies includes playing her acoustic guitar, which she named "Go-kun" (ゴー君).
- She is good at playing catch, as her father was a baseball coach, and she was a center fielder for her junior high school team. She wanted to play as an outfielder by any means, because she feared the danger presented to infielders from high-velocity, low-batted balls. She was also attracted to the charm of being able to catch fly balls. Coincidentally, her character Yuki Nagato in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya also played center in the episode "The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya".
- She is a lover of Tirol-Choco candy (especially the kinako-covered mochi kind). Her favorite types of food include salmon, squash, avocados, and shrimp. She likes to post news items about shrimp-related cuisine on her blog.
- She is a big fan of Yutaka Ozaki and collected many of his albums before his untimely death. She also enjoys the group B'z, as they have often become the topic of her blog. Additionally, she admits to having belonged to a fan club of Hiroshi Inaba. She is also a fan of Miyuki Nakajima.
- Although admittedly not good at cooking, she is proud of her curry.
Performance
Leading roles in bold.
Anime
- 2004
- 2005
- 2006
- 2007
- 2008
- 2009
- 2010
- 2011
Web Anime
- 2009
OVA
Film
- 2010
Game
Drama CD
Radio
Television
Drama
Live events
- Debut 1st Anniversary Commemoration Event ～minorin★Spring Celebration 2005～ (April 10, 2005)
- Birthday Event ～minorin★Birthday Celebration 2005～ (November 20, 2005)
- Debut 2nd Anniversary Commemoration Event ～minorin★Spring Celebration 2006～ (April 22, 2006)
- Love Live 2006 ～Minori Chihara Birthday～ (November 18, 2006)
- i melody 〜Minori Chihara Birthday Live 2007〜 (November 18, 2007)
- Starchild Presents ～Starchild Collection～[21]
- Minori Chihara 1st Live Tour 2008 ～Contact～ (March 9, March 16, March 22, March 23)[22]
- Minori Chihara's radio minorhythm Sound Recording Release (September 13, 2008)
- Minori Chihara Live Tour 2009 〜Parade〜 (February–March 2009)[23]
- Minori Chihara Live at DaiCon (Malaysia) 「DaiCon-大コン-」 (July 11–12, 2009)[24]
- Minori Chihara Live 2009 "Summer Camp" (August 1–2, 2009)[25]
- Minori Chihara Live 2010 "Invasion Tour" at NYAF/NYCC (October 9, 2010)[26]
Additional work
- Blister Pack V♀ices
- True Love: Winter Best Songs (Commercial narration)
- True Love: Spring Memorial Songs (Commercial narration)
- Natsu Monogatari: Summer Best Songs (Commercial narration)
Discography
Singles
| Date Released |
Single Name |
| January 13, 2005 |
Zutto...Issho/Makenai ~Ichizu Version~ (ずっと...一緒/負けない〜一途バージョン〜?) |
| January 24, 2007 |
Junpaku Sanctuary (純白サンクチュアリィ?) |
| June 6, 2007 |
Kimi ga Kureta Ano Hi (君がくれたあの日?) |
| March 26, 2008 |
Melty Tale Storage |
| August 6, 2008 |
Ameagari no Hana yo Sake (雨上がりの花よ咲け?) |
| November 5, 2008 |
Paradise Lost |
| June 3, 2009 |
Tomorrow's Chance |
| December 23, 2009 |
Precious One |
| February 24, 2010 |
Yasashii Bōkyaku (優しい忘却?) |
| July 21, 2010 |
Freedom Dreamer |
| August 7, 2010 |
Ittōsei (一等星?) |
| February 9, 2011 |
Defection |
| February 9, 2011 |
KEY FOR LIFE |
| July 6, 2011 |
Planet patrol |
| October 19, 2011 |
TERMINATED |
Albums
Character singles
| Date Released |
Character Single Name |
| September 29, 2004 |
Tenjho Tenge Great Disc. 1 (天上天下 Great Disc. 1?) |
| January 25, 2006 |
Angel addict |
| February 22, 2006 |
Smile means love |
| May 10, 2006 |
Hare Hare Yukai (ハレ晴レユカイ?) |
| July 5, 2006 |
Nagato Yuki Character Song (Vol. 2 長門 有希?) |
| November 1, 2006 |
LoveLoveLove no Sei na no yo! (LoveLoveLoveのせいなのよ!?) |
| November 22, 2006 |
Saikyo Pare Parade (最強パレパレード?) |
| December 6, 2006 |
Candy (bitter&sweet) |
| March 21, 2007 |
Seioh Gakuen Kōka Band (聖桜学園校歌バンド?) |
| March 21, 2007 |
Only Lonely Rain |
| July 25, 2007 |
Fragment: Shooting star of the origin |
| September 26, 2007 |
Iwasaki Minami Character Song (Vol.006 岩崎みなみ?) |
| October 24, 2007 |
Keikenchi Joshochu☆ (経験値上昇中☆?) |
| October 31, 2007 |
Mune Pettan Girls Character Song (Vol.010 胸ぺったんガールズ?) |
| November 21, 2007 |
Colorful Days (カラフルDays?) |
| December 26, 2007 |
Lucky ☆ Star Re-Mix002 |
| December 26, 2007 |
D.C. II: Da Capo II Vol.0 |
| January 23, 2008 |
Kokoro no Tsubasa (ココロノツバサ?) |
| January 23, 2008 |
Sekai ga Yume miru YUME NO NAKA/Saishuu Mirai o Misete! (世界が夢見るユメノナカ／最終未来を見せて!?) |
| February 6, 2008 |
Sono Koe ga Kiki Takute (その声が聞きたくて?) |
| February 27, 2008 |
D.C. II: Da Capo II Character Song Vol. 3 |
| April 23, 2008 |
Minami-ke Biyori (みなみけ びより?) |
| January 23, 2009 |
『Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekidō』 Vocal Mini-album (『涼宮ハルヒの激動』ボーカルミニアルバム?) |
DVD
- Message 01, released December 26, 2007
- Minori Chihara 1st Live Tour 2008 Contact DVD, released June 25, 2008
- Message 02, released February 4, 2009
- Minori Chihara Live Tour 2009 Parade DVD, released June 24, 2009
- Message 03, released April 10, 2010
- Minori Chihara Live Tour 2010 -Sing All Love- DVD, released November 10, 2010
- Minori Chihara Summer Camp 2 DVD, released February 23, 2011
Book
- Minorhythm, published March 30, 2006
See also
List of J-pop artists
References
External links
| Persondata |
| Name |
Chihara, Minori |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
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| Date of birth |
November 18, 1980 |
| Place of birth |
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| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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