KOTOKO
Encyclopedia
, better known by her stage name
Kotoko (stylized as KOTOKO), is a Japanese J-pop
singer from Sapporo, Hokkaidō
. Kotoko began her singing career as a member of I've Sound
in 2000, and was later signed to Rondorobe under Geneon from 2004 to 2010. Kokoto left I've Sound and Geneon in 2010, and signed to Warner Home Video
in 2011. She composes and writes lyrics (for herself as well as other singers in I've Sound) for numerous other song collections. She has contributed songs to numerous anime
and video games including Onegai Teacher, Maria-sama ga Miteru
, Hourglass of Summer
, Hayate the Combat Butler
, Kannazuki no Miko
, Shakugan no Shana
and BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
, among others.
on January 19, 1980 From elementary school, she believed her career would be influenced by her voice and tried to involve herself in as many auditions as possible. In addition to regular education Kotoko attended courses at the music school Haura where she polished her musical talents.
She became a professional singer in 1999. Her first successful audition was with I've Sound
, a team of producers using the talents of various female vocalists for their productions—best recognized for their many dating sim
and eroge
game soundtracks. Since then, Kotoko has performed opening and ending themes for a few anime
and has gained significant recognition from her two I've Sound-related album releases. Her second album, Garasu no Kaze, released in June 2005 has been praised within multiple online communities. On October 13, 2005, she released her fourth maxi single, which featured a song from her Garasu no Kaze album, "421: A Will" and its B-side song called , which is featured in her third album, Uzu-Maki
.
Although not listed on her official Geneon
website, Kotoko has actually released five albums. Her very first album was called, Sora o Tobetara, which was released in 2000. Many of the tracks on this album were later re-recorded for her first I've Sound album, , and was attributed as her first album. Her first I've Sound CD appearance was on the CD "Dear Feeling" (only released at "Comic Market 59".) with previous singer Aki. She then appeared on I've Girls Compilation Album Vol.3 "Disintegration", a series of albums with various songs from the I've Sound singers.
Kotoko's first official performance in North America
was her highly successful American concert debut at Anime Expo 2005, followed soon after by the Kotoko Lax Tour. Now that her self-composed hybrid of pop and techno beats—sometimes pop—have crossed the Pacific, Kotoko's lyrics have elevated her presence among thousands of North American J-pop/anime
fans. In 2009, she wrote the song "Screw", for the Mamoru Oshii
live-action movie Assault Girls
. The song has also been featured as the opening theme song to the console version of video game Blazblue:Calamity Trigger. Kotoko 17th single "Light My Fire"
is written by Ryo of Supercell
, and the song is used as the first opening theme to the 2011 anime series Shakugan no Shana Final
.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Kotoko (stylized as KOTOKO), is a Japanese J-pop
J-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
singer from Sapporo, Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
. Kotoko began her singing career as a member of I've Sound
I've Sound
I've Sound, or simply called , is a Japanese techno/trance music production group based in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. Led by Kazuya Takase, it features the talents of seasoned "sound creators" and many different female vocalists, known as to their fans....
in 2000, and was later signed to Rondorobe under Geneon from 2004 to 2010. Kokoto left I've Sound and Geneon in 2010, and signed to Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
in 2011. She composes and writes lyrics (for herself as well as other singers in I've Sound) for numerous other song collections. She has contributed songs to numerous anime
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....
and video games including Onegai Teacher, Maria-sama ga Miteru
Maria-sama ga Miteru
, often shortened to , is a series of Japanese light novels written by Oyuki Konno and illustrated by Reine Hibiki. The series focuses on a group of teenage girls attending Lillian Catholic school for girls in Tokyo, Japan. Its storyline largely revolves around the lives and close relationships of...
, Hourglass of Summer
Hourglass of Summer
is a Japanese visual novel that was released by Princess Soft. It was brought to the U.S. by the Hirameki International Group. It is one of the few interactive dating games that have been translated into English...
, Hayate the Combat Butler
Hayate the Combat Butler
is a Japanese manga series, written and illustrated by Kenjiro Hata, about a boy who starts a new job as a butler and the events he experiences with his employer. Shogakukan have released 29 volumes in Japan. The English edition of the series has been licensed by Viz Media for distribution in North...
, Kannazuki no Miko
Kannazuki no Miko
is a manga series created by the duo Kaishaku. The series was serialized in fourteen chapters by Kadokawa Shoten and in Shōnen Ace in 2004 and 2005, and collected in two bound volumes. The series was adapted as an anime television series broadcast in 12 episodes on TNK between October and December...
, Shakugan no Shana
Shakugan no Shana
, also known simply as Shana, is a Japanese light novel series written by Yashichiro Takahashi, with illustrations by Noizi Ito. The series includes 25 novels released between November 2002 and October 2011 published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint...
and BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
is a fighting game developed by Arc System Works. The game's name is a portmanteau of "blaze" and "blue," with the "z" sound omitted in the Japanese pronunciation, rendering it similar to the word "brave" in pronunciation....
, among others.
Biography
Kotoko was born in Sapporo, JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on January 19, 1980 From elementary school, she believed her career would be influenced by her voice and tried to involve herself in as many auditions as possible. In addition to regular education Kotoko attended courses at the music school Haura where she polished her musical talents.
She became a professional singer in 1999. Her first successful audition was with I've Sound
I've Sound
I've Sound, or simply called , is a Japanese techno/trance music production group based in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. Led by Kazuya Takase, it features the talents of seasoned "sound creators" and many different female vocalists, known as to their fans....
, a team of producers using the talents of various female vocalists for their productions—best recognized for their many dating sim
Dating sim
Dating sims are a video game subgenre of simulation games, usually Japanese, with romantic elements. They are also sometimes put under the category of neoromance. The most common objective of dating sims is to date, usually choosing from among several characters, and to achieve a romantic...
and eroge
Eroge
An or Ero-ga is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. Eroge originated from galge, but unlike galge, they feature erotic/pornographic content.-History:...
game soundtracks. Since then, Kotoko has performed opening and ending themes for a few anime
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....
and has gained significant recognition from her two I've Sound-related album releases. Her second album, Garasu no Kaze, released in June 2005 has been praised within multiple online communities. On October 13, 2005, she released her fourth maxi single, which featured a song from her Garasu no Kaze album, "421: A Will" and its B-side song called , which is featured in her third album, Uzu-Maki
Uzu-Maki
UZU-MAKI is the 3rd album of singer Kotoko under Geneon Entertainment. It was released on December 13, 2006.- Track listing :#Introduction#:Composition/Arrangement: Kazuya Takase, Tomoyuki Nakazawa#UZU-MAKI#:Lyrics: Kotoko#:Composition: Kazuya Takase...
.
Although not listed on her official Geneon
Geneon
is a Japanese music, anime and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Geneon has been involved in the production and distribution of several anime in Japan...
website, Kotoko has actually released five albums. Her very first album was called, Sora o Tobetara, which was released in 2000. Many of the tracks on this album were later re-recorded for her first I've Sound album, , and was attributed as her first album. Her first I've Sound CD appearance was on the CD "Dear Feeling" (only released at "Comic Market 59".) with previous singer Aki. She then appeared on I've Girls Compilation Album Vol.3 "Disintegration", a series of albums with various songs from the I've Sound singers.
Kotoko's first official performance in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
was her highly successful American concert debut at Anime Expo 2005, followed soon after by the Kotoko Lax Tour. Now that her self-composed hybrid of pop and techno beats—sometimes pop—have crossed the Pacific, Kotoko's lyrics have elevated her presence among thousands of North American J-pop/anime
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....
fans. In 2009, she wrote the song "Screw", for the Mamoru Oshii
Mamoru Oshii
Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director, and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of popular anime, including Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer, Ghost in the Shell, and Patlabor 2...
live-action movie Assault Girls
Assault Girls
is a Japanese live-action feature written and directed by Mamoru Oshii.-Synopsis:In the aftermath of global thermonuclear war, three battle tested women wage war in a virtual reality videogame against giant mutant sandwhales...
. The song has also been featured as the opening theme song to the console version of video game Blazblue:Calamity Trigger. Kotoko 17th single "Light My Fire"
Light My Fire (Kotoko song)
Light My Fire is Kotoko's 17th single released on November 16, 2011 released under Warner Home Video.The A-side of the single was used as the opening of Shakugan no Shana III Final.Light My Fire was written and composed by ryo of Supercell.- Track listing :...
is written by Ryo of Supercell
Supercell (band)
Supercell is a Japanese 11-member music group led by composer and lyricist Ryo which formed in 2007 as a dōjin music group. Supercell started out by making use of the Hatsune Miku singing synthesizer to produce vocals for songs submitted to the Nico Nico Douga video sharing website...
, and the song is used as the first opening theme to the 2011 anime series Shakugan no Shana Final
Shakugan no Shana
, also known simply as Shana, is a Japanese light novel series written by Yashichiro Takahashi, with illustrations by Noizi Ito. The series includes 25 novels released between November 2002 and October 2011 published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint...
.
Discography
- 2000:
- 2004: HaneHANEHANE may refer to:* Hereditary angioneurotic edema, an angioedema* High-altitude nuclear explosion* Hane, a music album by Kotoko...
- 2005:
- 2006: Uzu-MakiUzu-MakiUZU-MAKI is the 3rd album of singer Kotoko under Geneon Entertainment. It was released on December 13, 2006.- Track listing :#Introduction#:Composition/Arrangement: Kazuya Takase, Tomoyuki Nakazawa#UZU-MAKI#:Lyrics: Kotoko#:Composition: Kazuya Takase...
- 2009:
- 2011:
North American appearances
- Anime Expo 2005: Anaheim, CAAnaheim, CaliforniaAnaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
(July 1–4, 2005)- Anaheim Convention Center
- Anime North 2006: TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada (May 26–28, 2006)- Toronto Congress Centre, Doubletree International Plaza Hotel
- YTV 2006: TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada (May 26, 2006)- YTV Studios
- A-Kon 2006: DallasDallas, TexasDallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, TX (June 9–11, 2006)- Adam's Mark Hotel