Who is "Goddess" Maaya Sakamoto?
It's all about Goddess Maaya Sakamoto!
Maaya Sakamoto's started her voice acting career at the age of 15, when she got the role of Hitomi Kanzaki in the TV anime series Vision of Escaflowne. Maaya debut as Hitomi was a hit. Maaya also sang the opening theme song and several insert songs for Vision of Escaflowne and that also proved to be a hit with the fans of the TV series. Later, in the Vision of Escaflowne movie, Maaya reprised her role as Hitomi Kanzaki.
With her stunning debut in Vision of Escaflowne, Maaya went on to voice in other TV anime series. She voiced Kauru in El Hazard - The Magnificent World (OAV). She also voiced Qawoor Towles in El Hazard 2 - The Magnificent World (OAV) & El Hazard: The Alternative World (TV). And sang the theme song performance for Omishi Magical Theater Risky Safety (TV) and provided the theme song vocals for Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight (TV). Later on, she voiced a few major role characters in RahXephon (TV) , Kanon(TV), Nightwalker (TV), Fantastic Children (TV),.hack//Legend Of The Twilight (TV), Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny (TV).Her other roles are mostly supporting characters. Her latest role is the voice of Aerith Gainsborough in Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children. It seems she is the voice for Aerith Gainsborough in all other anime movie and games that has Aerith in them. She voiced Aerith in both Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II.
Maaya also provided her voice in video games and PC Games. Some of her more notable games character roles are Azel in "Panzer Dragoon Orta" and "Panzer Dragoon Saga/Azel", Aerith in "Kingdom Hearts" , Reika Mishima in "Super Robot Wars MX" and Lisa in "Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball".
Maaya also provided her voice in some Japanese dubbed version of movies. She voiced Queen Amidala/Padme in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace", "Star Wars Episode II - Attack of the Clones", Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" and Eponine in "Les Miserables" (Japanese version of Les Miserables). A couple of her more notable roles in movies and live-action movies.
In April of 1997, Maaya released her first full length album named "Grapefruit". A year later in 1998, she released her second album "Dive". In 1999, she released her first Singles Compilation album "Hotchpotch". In 2001, she released 2 albums. Her third album "Lucy" and "Easy Listening". In 2003, she released her second Singles Compilation Album "Nikopachi". Then in Dec 2003, she released her fourth Album
"Shounen Alice". Her up and coming 5th album "Yunagi Loop" will be release on the 26th October 2005. In the course of 1996 to 2005, Maaya also released a dozen anime singles.
In 2003, she starred in her first short Japanese film title "03 Cross" and had a cameo appearance in a TV drama series "The Eldest Boy and His Three Elder Sisters".
After having some not that successful major role for all her animes after Escaflowne, she finally got a starring role in the new anime series Ouran High School Host Club, where she voiced leading girl Haruhi Fujioka.
And below is what I think about Maaya Sakamoto.
Maaya Sakamoto is a Goddess!! Her voice is insanely GREAT!!!! My first time listening to her is from the anime series Vision of Escaflowne. In the series, Maaya voice acted as Hitomi Kanzaki. Coincidently, Vision of Escaflowne is also her debut role into the anime voice acting scene. So, no one can say I didn't know her back then, because other people started to know her with Vision of Escaflowne, I also started with Vision of Escaflowne only later. However, that doesn't really matters. What really matters is that Maaya is a great voice actor and also a singer. Thanks to my cousin, he managed to get all current album singles of Maaya Sakamoto. And after listening, I am totally worshipping her as a Goddess!!! So, now I call her Goddess Maaya Sakamoto.
Here is the list of Animes/OAV she voice acted in
.hack//GIFT (OAV) as Aura
.hack//Legend Of The Twilight (TV) as Aura; Molti
.hack//SIGN (TV) as Aura
Barom One (TV) as Kido Noriko
Binbou Shimai Monogatari (TV) as Kyou Yamada
Cardcaptor Sakura Movie 2: The Sealed Card as Nothing Card
Case Closed (TV) as Okano Yuki (ep 249-250)
Clover (special) as Suu
Cowboy Bebop (TV) as Stella
El Hazard - The Magnificent World (OAV) as Qawoor Towles
El Hazard: The Alternative World (TV) as Qawoor Towles
Escaflowne: The Movie as Hitomi Kanzaki
Fantastic Children (TV) as Mel
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (movie) as Aerith Gainsborough
Fullmetal Alchemist (TV) as Sophie Belkman
Geneshaft (TV) as Beatrice Ratio
Ghost in the Shell (movie) as Motoko Kusanagi (young)
Ghost Stories (TV) as Miyuki Watanabe (ep 17)
Hokuto no Ken - Raoh Gaiden Junai-hen (movie) as Lin
Jing: King of Bandits (TV) as Mimosa (ep 9)
Kanon (TV) as Mishio Amano
Kanon Kazahana (special) as Mishio Amano
Kokoro Library (TV) as Shune (ep 6); Shuri (ep 11)
Medabots (TV) as Karin
Mizuiro Jidai (TV) as Natsumi Kugayama
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny (TV) as Lunamaria Hawke; Mayu Asuka
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Final Plus: The Chosen Future (OAV) as Lunamaria Hawke
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Special Edition (OAV) as Lunamaria Hawke
Mushishi (TV) as Amane (ep 25)
Nightwalker (TV) as Riho Yamazaki
Omishi Magical Theater Risky Safety (TV) as Moe Katsuragi
Ouran High School Host Club (TV) as Haruhi Fujioka
Petite Princess Yucie (TV) as Arieth (ep 11)
RahXephon (TV) as Reika Mishima
Rahxephon: Pluralitas Concentio (movie) as Haruka Mishima; Reika Kamina
Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight (TV) as Leaf
Saint Seiya: The Hades Chapter - Inferno (OAV) as Pandora
Saint Seiya: The Hades Chapter - Sanctuary (OAV) as Pandora
Top wo Nerae 2! (OAV) as Raruku
Tsubasa Chronicle (TV) as Tomoyo
Tsubasa Chronicle - Torikago no Kuni no Himegimi (movie) as Princess Tomoyo
Vision of Escaflowne (TV) as Hitomi Kanzaki (debut role)
Wolf's Rain (TV) as Hamona
xxxHOLiC (movie) as Tomoyo
And yes, she IS Aeris/ Aerith Gainsborough in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (OAV) and also in other Final Fantasy VII related movies/animes and such.
And she sang these theme songs (opening or ending) for these anime series/OAV :
Arjuna (TV) : Theme Song Performance
Brain Powered (TV) : Theme Song Performance ("Light of Love")
Cardcaptor Sakura (TV) : Theme Song Performance (OP3)
Clamp School (TV) : Theme Song Performance (ED2)
El Hazard: The Alternative World (TV) : Theme Song Performance (ED2)
Escaflowne: The Movie : Theme Song Performance (ED)
Omishi Magical Theater Risky Safety (TV) : Theme Song Performance
RahXephon (TV) : Theme Song Performance (OP)
RahXephon OVA : Theme Song Performance (OP)
Rahxephon: Pluralitas Concentio (movie) : Theme Song Performance (ED)
Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight (TV) : Theme Song Vocals (OP)
Tsubasa Chronicle (TV) : Theme Song Lyrics (ED2), Theme Song Performance (ED)
Vision of Escaflowne (TV) : Theme Song Performance (OP)
Wolf's Rain (OAV) : Theme Song Performance (ED)
Wolf's Rain (TV) : Theme Song Performance (ED)
Here non-animes voice acting roles are these :
Aegis in "Persona 3" (VG) (Japanese)
Aerith in "Kingdom Hearts II" (VG) (Japanese)
Aerith in "Kingdom Hearts" (VG) (Japanese)
Aisha in "Giga Wing" (VG) (Japanese)
Angela Chase in "My So-Called Life" (tv show) (Japanese)
Aura in ".hack//INFECTION" (VG) (Japanese)
Aura in ".hack//Mutation" (VG) (Japanese)
Aura in ".hack//Outbreak" (VG) (Japanese)
Aura in ".hack//QUARANTINE" (VG) (Japanese)
Azel in "Panzer Dragoon Orta" (VG) (Japanese)
Azel in "Panzer Dragoon Saga/Azel" (VG) (Japanese)
Brandy Harrington in "Brandy and Mr. Whiskers" (animated TV series) (Japanese)
Cera (animation debut) in "The Land Before Time" (Japanese)
Eponine in "Les Miserables" (Japanese)
Julie in "The Raccoons" (animated tv series) (Japanese)
Juliet in "William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet" (live-action movie) (Japanese)
Kate Brewster in "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" (live action movie) (Japanese)
Kimishima Yuka in "Shirachuu Tankenbu" (VG) (Japanese)
Lex in "Jurassic Park" (live-action movie) (Japanese)
Lisa in "Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball" (VG) (Japanese)
Maria in "Cho Hatsume BOY Kanipan" (VG) (Japanese)
Mei Fujiwara in "Fantastic Fortune" (VG) (Japanese)
Mirin in "Dengen Tenshi Shangri-la" (VG) (Japanese)
Mishio Amano in "Kanon" (VG) (Japanese)
Moe in "Boku no Natsuyasumi" (VG) (Japanese)
Nagisa Shinohara in "Okaeri!~Yuunagi iro no Koimonogatari~" (VG) (Japanese)
Natsume in ".hack//Infection" (VG) (Japanese)
Natsume in ".hack//Mutation" (VG) (Japanese)
Natsume in ".hack//Outbreak" (VG) (Japanese)
Natsume in ".hack//Quarantine" (VG) (Japanese)
Padme Amidala in "Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones" (Japanese dub)
Padme Amidala in "Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith" (Japanese dub)
Paty in "Lunar Wing" (Japanese)
Pochi/Arsia in "Napple Tale" (VG) (Japanese)
Queen Amidala/Padme in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" (Japanese)
Reika Mishima in "RahXephon Sokyu Gensokyoku" (VG) (Japanese)
Reika Mishima in "Super Robot Wars MX" (VG/PS2) (Japanese)
Risa Hashinoto in "Kouyasai" (VG) (Japanese)
Sarah Ryback in "Under Siege 2: Dark Territory" (live-action movie) (Japanese)
Serina Leby Laura in "Romancia" (VG) (Japanese)
Shione Yuunagi in "Devicereign" (VG) (Japanese)
Siena Areel in "Missing Blue" (VG) (Japanese)
Sophie Belkman in "Hagane no Renkinjutsushi 3 Kami Wo Tsugu Shoujo" (VG) (Japanese)
Suzuna in "Dancing Blade 2, Tears of Eden" (VG) (Japanese)
Tanya Lipinsky in "Kita he, White Illumination" (VG)
Telia hime in "Tail Concerto" (VG) (Japanese)
Yasuko in "Boku no Natsuyasumi: Umi no Bouken Hen" (VG) (Japanese)
Youka in "Bujingai" (VG) (Japanese)
Yui in "Little Lovers 2nd" (VG) (Japanese)
Yui in "Little Lovers, She so game" (VG)
List of some of her albums
Grapefruit
Dive
Hotchpotch
Lucy
Easy Listening
Nikopachi
Shounen Alice
Loop
Yunagi Loop
Kazemichi Jet
(yeah, her albums have weird names)!!!
Goddess Maaya might not have a LOOOONG list of voice acting roles as compare to other voice actress in the anime world, but she is making waves in it.
Look out for Goddess Maaya Sakamoto. She is Belldandy in disguise!!!
Note : I finally got to updating the information for Goddess Maaya! :)
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Goddess Maaya Sakamoto, Maaya Sakamoto, Seiyuu, Haruhi Fujioka
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