Akino Arai

Akino Arai (新居 昭乃, Arai Akino, born August 21, 1959, in Tokyo) is a Japanese singer, song-writer, and lyricist, best known for her works in anime such as Outlaw Star, Noir, Macross Plus, and many others.^[1]

She has performed with Yoko Kanno, Luna Sea, ZABADAK, Samply Red (unrelated to Simply Red), Yayoi Yula, and was once in a group called Marsh-Mallow. Arai debuted in 1986 with the theme song to anime Windaria, "Promise" (約束, yakusoku).

Biography

Arai has performed at many conventions, music festivals, and clubs. She continues to write music for commercials and anime such as the Gedo Senki and Kaze no Stigma. She has found success overseas, especially in France where she has a rather large fanbase following after her recent performance in Paris, following her first European live concert in Berlin. Her most recent solo efforts were the simultaneously released albums Red Planet/Blue Planet, in April 2012.

Discography

Studio albums

• Natsukashii Mirai (懐かしい未来, Nostalgic Future) – August 21, 1987
• Sora no Mori: Arai Akino Best Album (空の森, Forest of the Sky) – August 21, 1997
• Sora no Niwa (そらの庭, Garden of the Sky) – October 27, 1997
• Furu Platinum (降るプラチナ, Falling Platinum) – May 24, 2000
• concept album Kouseki Radio (鉱石ラジオ, Crystal Radio) – May 23, 2001
• collection album RGB – February 24, 2002
• Eden (エデン) – September 8, 2004
• VHmusic – August 19, 2005
• Sora no Uta (20th Anniversary album) (そらのうた, Songs of the Sky) – November 23, 2005
• VHmusic 2 – July 18, 2006
• Sora no Sphere (ソラノスフィア, Sphere of the Sky) – April 29, 2009
• Red Planet – April 25, 2012
• Blue Planet – April 25, 2012

Singles

• "Yakusoku" (Promise) – 1986
• "Chizu wo Yuku Kumo" (A Cloud Which Passes Through the Map) – 1986
• "Kaze to Tori to Sora ~Reincarnation~" (The Wind, the Birds, and the Sky) – 1992
• "Kooru Suna" (Frozen Sand) – 1992
• "Dragon Quest Retsuden: Roto no Monshou" (The Wings of Youth) – 1996
• "Hiru no Tsuki" (The Moon at Noon) – 1998 – end theme to Outlaw Star (episodes 1-13)
• "Tsuki no Ie" (The House of the Moon) – 1998 – end theme to Outlaw Star (episodes 14-26)
• "Kanaete" (Grant My Wish) – 1999 – end theme to Ayatsuri Sakon
• "Hana no Katachi" (Shape of a Flower) – 2001
• "PALME Songs" – 2002
• "Kakusei Toshi" (The City of Awakenings) – 2002 – end theme to Tokyo Underground
• "Nostalgic Sea" (懐かしい宇宙, "Natsukashii Umi") – 2004 – opening song to Kurau Phantom Memory peak ranked 37th at Oricon singles charts^[2]
• "Kimi e Mukau Hikari/Aquarium on the Moon" (キミヘ ムカウ ヒカリ) – 2006 – opening song to Zegapain peak ranked 31st at Oricon singles charts^[3]
• "Golden Wave, 1000 Waves" (金の波 千の波, "Kin no Nami, Sen no Nami") – 2008 – closing theme to ARIA the Origination peak ranked 26th at Oricon singles charts^[4]
• "Honeyed Dawn" (蜜の夜明け, "Mitsu no Yoake") – 2009 – opening song to second season of Spice and Wolf peak ranked 41st at Oricon singles charts^[5]
• "Unknown Vision" – 2013 – end theme to Maoyū Maō Yūsha

References

1. ↑ "Akino Arai on TV.com". Retrieved March 12, 2010. 
2. ↑ 懐かしい宇宙 (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved April 14, 2010. 
3. ↑ 金の波 千の波 (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved April 14, 2010. 
4. ↑ キミヘ ムカウ ヒカリ (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved April 14, 2010. 
5. ↑ 蜜の夜明け (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved April 14, 2010. 

External links

• Official web site (Japanese)
• Akino Arai at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Akino Arai at the Internet Movie Database