Akino Arai
Encyclopedia
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.
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
, .
"Voices" from Macross Plus is possibly Arai's most famous song to date.
. 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 album was released in April 2009.
She is very close to fans. At concerts she always takes time to do autographs and take pictures and throughout the concert she is always thanking the audience. She likes to be close to fans by asking them what type of music they want from her and she also writes back to the fans who send her fanmail every chance she can.
Akino is an avid art fan and loves movies and nature.
Akino is very close to her mother and brother.
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
such as Outlaw Star
Outlaw Star
is a seinen manga series written and illustrated by Takehiko Itō and his affiliated Morning Star Studio. The series is a space opera/Space Western that takes place in the "Toward Stars Era" universe in which spacecraft are capable of traveling faster than the speed of light...
, Noir
Noir (anime)
is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series produced in 2001 by the Bee Train animation studio. Kōichi Mashimo directed Noir, it was written by Ryoe Tsukimura, and the soundtrack was composed by Yuki Kajiura...
, Macross Plus
Macross Plus
is a four-episode anime OVA and theatrical movie in the Macross series. It was the first sequel to the original Macross television series that took place in the official timeline...
, and many others.
She has performed with Yoko Kanno
Yoko Kanno
is a composer, arranger and musician best known for her work on the soundtracks for many games, anime films, TV series, live-action movies, and advertisements...
, Luna Sea
Luna Sea
Luna Sea is a rock band from Kanagawa, Japan, formed in 1989. The band was initially founded by bassist J and rhythm guitarist Inoran, when they were in high school. They soon recruited lead guitarist and violinist Sugizo, drummer Shinya and vocalist Ryuichi, a lineup that has remained the same...
, ZABADAK
ZABADAK
is a Japanese musical group formed by Tomohiko Kira, Yoko Ueno, and Katushi Matsuda in 1985. In 1993, Ueno and Matsuda left and Kira continued the group as a solo act still under the name Zabadak...
, Samply Red (unrelated to Simply Red
Simply Red
Simply Red were a British soul band that sold more than 50 million albums over a 25-year career. Their style drew influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, reggae and jazz...
), Yayoi Yula, and was once in a group called Marsh-Mallow. Arai debuted in 1986 with the theme song to anime Windaria
Windaria
-Release and marketing:Windaria was released theatrically in Japan on July 19, 1986. In 1987, Harmony Gold licensed Windaria for release in the United States, changing the title to Once Upon A Time and trimming the movie from its 101-minute running time to 95 minutes. The English language version...
, .
"Voices" from Macross Plus is possibly Arai's most famous song to date.
Current events
Akino Arai is currently a popular performer and is asked to sing at many conventions, music festivals, and clubs. She continues to write music for commercials and anime such as the recent #1 Japanese box office movie Gedo Senki and the popular Kaze no StigmaKaze no Stigma
or is a Japanese light novel series written by Takahiro Yamato and illustrated by Hanamaru Nanto. After the death of the author on July 20, 2009, the story remains incomplete at eleven volumes...
. 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 album was released in April 2009.
Personal life
Akino keeps her personal life hidden from the public and she is a very quiet person. Those close to her and those who have met her say she is humble and very kind.She is very close to fans. At concerts she always takes time to do autographs and take pictures and throughout the concert she is always thanking the audience. She likes to be close to fans by asking them what type of music they want from her and she also writes back to the fans who send her fanmail every chance she can.
Akino is an avid art fan and loves movies and nature.
Akino is very close to her mother and brother.
Official albums
– August 21, 1987 – August 21, 1997 – October 27, 1997 – May 24, 2000 – May 23, 2001- collection album RGBRGB (album)RGB is a collection album by Akino Arai. It contains several singles and b-sides previously unreleased on an album.-Track listing:#"昼の月"#: - First ending theme of Outlaw Star#"さかさまの虹"...
– February 24, 2002 – September 8, 2004 - VHmusic – August 19, 2005 – November 23, 2005
- VHmusic 2 – July 18, 2006 – April 29, 2009
Official 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 StarOutlaw Staris a seinen manga series written and illustrated by Takehiko Itō and his affiliated Morning Star Studio. The series is a space opera/Space Western that takes place in the "Toward Stars Era" universe in which spacecraft are capable of traveling faster than the speed of light...
(episodes 1-13) - "Tsuki no Ie" (The House of the Moon) – 1998 – end theme to Outlaw StarOutlaw Staris a seinen manga series written and illustrated by Takehiko Itō and his affiliated Morning Star Studio. The series is a space opera/Space Western that takes place in the "Toward Stars Era" universe in which spacecraft are capable of traveling faster than the speed of light...
(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 UndergroundTokyo Undergroundis a manga series by Akinobu Uraka and published by Enix. It became an anime series, produced by Studio Pierrot and shown on the TV Tokyo Network from April 2 until September 24, 2002....
– 2004 – opening song to Kurau Phantom MemoryKURAU Phantom Memoryis a 2004 science fiction anime series, produced by Bones and Media Factory, which was broadcast in Japan by the anime television networks Animax and TV Asahi. Set primarily in the year 2110, it explores themes such as inter-familial relationships and ethics in science. The series was licensed by...
peak ranked 37th at Oricon singles charts – 2006 – opening song to ZegapainZegapainis a Japanese anime television series created by Sunrise. The series premiered in Japan on April 6, 2006 on TV Tokyo and also later aired on BS Japan and AT-X. On October 2, 2007, Bandai Entertainment released the first Region 1 volume of Zegapain.-Plot:...
peak ranked 31st at Oricon singles charts – 2008 – closing theme to ARIA the OriginationARIA (manga)is a utopian science fantasy manga by Kozue Amano. The series was originally titled when it was published by Enix in the magazine Monthly Stencil, being retitled when it moved to Mag Garden's magazine Comic Blade. Aqua was serialized in Stencil from 2001 to 2002 and collected in two tankōbon volumes...
peak ranked 26th at Oricon singles charts – 2009 – opening song to second season of Spice and WolfSpice and Wolfis a Japanese light novel series written by Isuna Hasekura, with illustrations by Jū Ayakura. ASCII Media Works published 17 novels between February 2006 and July 2011 under their Dengeki Bunko imprint. ASCII Media Works reported that as of October 2008, over 2.2 million copies of the first nine...
peak ranked 41st at Oricon singles charts