Yoko Oginome
Encyclopedia
, real name , is a singer, actress and voice actress
. Oginome spent most of her elementary
and junior high years living in the town of Ranzan
in Saitama Prefecture
, though she attended school in the city of Sakura
. She graduated from Horikoshi High School
in Nakano, Tokyo
. She is represented by the talent management firm Vision Factory
(formerly Rising Production). Oginome's older sister is actress Keiko Oginome
.
In 2001, Oginome was four months pregnant when she had a shotgun wedding with Ryūsō Tsujino, a professional tennis player with whom she had graduated from Horikoshi High School. Oginome had a second child in 2004, and took a year off work to spend time with her children and family. She announced the pending birth of her third child in her blog on 2006-03-16, and the safe delivery on 2006-08-10.
Her fans often call her
Oginome-chan.
label. The group only released two singles and broke up a little over a year after forming. During junior high, Oginome auditioned for a part in Kitty Film's live action movie Shonben Rider, and was subsequently voice cast
in their new anime
series Miyuki
in the role of the heroine, Miyuki Wakamatu. This led to roles in the anime film Bari Bari Densetsu
and the kids TV series Ugo Ugo Rūga.
She made her solo singing debut in 1984 with Future Sailing after finishing up work on Miyuki, though she didn't become well known for another year or so after that. During this slow period, her single Beloved Caribbean received wide play as a rooting song
at baseball
and soccer games for teams such the Seibu Lions
, Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
, and Cerezo Osaka
.
The song that catapulted Oginome into the ranks of superstar
s was her 1985 release Dancing Hero (Eat You Up). After that song, almost every song she released was instantly popular, and she began to appear in commercials
and on variety show
s where her Eurobeat
style gained even more exposure. She was also host of the Young Studio 101 variety show, a show hosted at various times by other popular idol stars such as Yoko Minamino
and Miyoko Yoshimoto.
Her acting career really started in 1986 with starring roles in programs such as the TBS
drama , the 1987 TBS series , and the 1989 Fuji TV
drama . Oginome also sang the theme songs for these programs. She also appeared in several NHK
drama series, including (1990), (1993), and (1995).
Oginome has crossed wits with comedian and actor Beat Takeshi
on the NTV network
variety show Super Jockey, a show known for its crass humor and topics of discussion. She also appeared as a guest performer on the TBS network variety show , starring Takeshi and George Tokoro
(and having similar topcs of discussion and humor as Super Jockey). On both shows, she was asked some embarrassing questions regarding her love life and why she wasn't married (this was before she was married), though she was able to come back and handle the questions without becoming too flustered.
1985 (1985-02-21) (1985-05-21) (1985-08-05) (1985-11-21, performed at her first appearance on Kōhaku Uta Gassen
, the song is also used frequently for Bon Odori)
1986 (1986-03-26) (1986-06-10) (1986-10-29)
1987 (1987-03-03) (1987-06-21) (1987-10-27, theme song for the TBS
drama beginning 1987-10-10)
1988 (1988-01-21) (1988-04-27) (1988-07-21, theme song for the film )
1989 (1989-01-18)
1990 (1990-06-27, lyrics and song by Yōsui Inoue
) (1990-12-05)
1991 (1991-06-05, the background vocals are by Toshinobu Kubota) (1991-12-16, used in a commercial for "Victoria")
1992
1993 (1993-05-21, under "Oginome Yōko with Ugo Ugo Rūga" name)
1994 (1994-11-23)
1995 (1995-06-21) (1995-08-23)
1997
1998
2001
Sources:
: 06SH 473) (1980-08-01, Warner Japan, EP: L-358W)
charts) (1987-07-16)
1990s
2000s (2005-03-24, 1-CD selection from the 1995 release)
Sources:
Sources:
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
. Oginome spent most of her elementary
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
and junior high years living in the town of Ranzan
Ranzan, Saitama
is a town located in Hiki District, Saitama, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 19,629 and a density of 657.59 persons per km². The total area is 29.85 km².-External links:*...
in Saitama Prefecture
Saitama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...
, though she attended school in the city of Sakura
Sakura, Chiba
is a city located in northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 172,176 and a population density of 1660 persons per km². The total area was 103.59 km².-Geography:...
. She graduated from Horikoshi High School
Horikoshi High School
is a Japanese private high school founded in 1923. The school is famous for being attended by many Japanese celebrities. It offers them lenient attendance requirements.- Notable students :* Yumi Adachi* Risa Ai* Jin Akanishi * Yū Aoi...
in Nakano, Tokyo
Nakano, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Nakano City .As of April 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 311,690 with a household number of 176,936 and a density of 19,992.94 persons per km². The total area is 15.59 km².-Geography:Five special wards...
. She is represented by the talent management firm Vision Factory
Vision Factory
Vision Factory is a Japanese talent agency. It largely works with musical talent, but has branched out in recent years to include actors and comedians. It was founded by Tetsuo Taira in 1984 under the name Rising Productions. However, the company changed its name to Freegate Promotions and now...
(formerly Rising Production). Oginome's older sister is actress Keiko Oginome
Keiko Oginome
is a Japanese actress. She won the award for best supporting actress at the 14th Yokohama Film Festival for The Triple Cross. Yōko Oginome is her younger sister.-Filmography:* The Triple Cross * Crest of Betrayal...
.
In 2001, Oginome was four months pregnant when she had a shotgun wedding with Ryūsō Tsujino, a professional tennis player with whom she had graduated from Horikoshi High School. Oginome had a second child in 2004, and took a year off work to spend time with her children and family. She announced the pending birth of her third child in her blog on 2006-03-16, and the safe delivery on 2006-08-10.
Her fans often call her
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
Oginome-chan.
Career
While in elementary school, she won a contest and was selected to be part of a three-member group called "Milk" under the CBS/SonySony Music Entertainment Japan
is Sony's music arm in Japan. SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Corporation and independent from the United States-based Sony Music Entertainment due to its strength in the Japanese music industry....
label. The group only released two singles and broke up a little over a year after forming. During junior high, Oginome auditioned for a part in Kitty Film's live action movie Shonben Rider, and was subsequently voice cast
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
in their new 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....
series Miyuki
Miyuki (manga)
is a romantic comedy manga series by Mitsuru Adachi. It was published by Shogakukan from 1980 to 1984 in the biweekly manga magazine Shōnen Big Comic . The series was adapted into a movie, an anime television series, and a live-action television drama...
in the role of the heroine, Miyuki Wakamatu. This led to roles in the anime film Bari Bari Densetsu
Bari Bari Densetsu
is an early motorbike racing manga series by Shuichi Shigeno, who went on to create the Initial D series. It was published in 38 volumes between 1983 and 1991 by Kodansha...
and the kids TV series Ugo Ugo Rūga.
She made her solo singing debut in 1984 with Future Sailing after finishing up work on Miyuki, though she didn't become well known for another year or so after that. During this slow period, her single Beloved Caribbean received wide play as a rooting song
Fight song
A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
at baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and soccer games for teams such the Seibu Lions
Seibu Lions
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based west of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Prince Hotels, which in turn is owned by the Seibu Group...
, Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
, and Cerezo Osaka
Cerezo Osaka
is a J. League Division 1 association football team. The team name Cerezo means cherry tree in Spanish, which is also the flower of Ōsaka city....
.
The song that catapulted Oginome into the ranks of superstar
Superstar
A superstar is a widely acclaimed celebrity.Superstar or superstars may also refer to:-People:* Warhol Superstar, associates of Andy Warhol* WWE Superstar, the term used to refer to entertainers from the WWE...
s was her 1985 release Dancing Hero (Eat You Up). After that song, almost every song she released was instantly popular, and she began to appear in commercials
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
and on variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
s where her Eurobeat
Eurobeat
Eurobeat is a form of italo-disco/hi-NRG music that developed in the late 1980s.In the United States, Eurobeat was sometimes marketed as Hi-NRG and for a short while shared this term with the very early freestyle music hits....
style gained even more exposure. She was also host of the Young Studio 101 variety show, a show hosted at various times by other popular idol stars such as Yoko Minamino
Yoko Minamino
is a Japanese idol, singer, and actress born on June 23, 1967 in Itami, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. She graduated from Horikoshi High School in the Chūō district of Nakano, Tokyo. She is well known for her role as Saki Asamiya in the second season of the live action Sukeban Deka TV series, replacing...
and Miyoko Yoshimoto.
Her acting career really started in 1986 with starring roles in programs such as the TBS
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
drama , the 1987 TBS series , and the 1989 Fuji TV
Fuji Television
is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....
drama . Oginome also sang the theme songs for these programs. She also appeared in several NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
drama series, including (1990), (1993), and (1995).
Oginome has crossed wits with comedian and actor Beat Takeshi
Takeshi Kitano
is a Japanese filmmaker, comedian, singer, actor, film editor, presenter, screenwriter, author, poet, painter, and one-time video game designer who has received critical acclaim, both in his native Japan and abroad, for his highly idiosyncratic cinematic work. The famed Japanese film critic...
on the NTV network
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
variety show Super Jockey, a show known for its crass humor and topics of discussion. She also appeared as a guest performer on the TBS network variety show , starring Takeshi and George Tokoro
George Tokoro
is the stage name of Japanese tarento, singer-songwriter, comedian, Master of Ceremonies, and essayist . Born in Tokorozawa, Saitama, he attended Takushoku University's Commercial Science class.-Works:*ALF - ALF...
(and having similar topcs of discussion and humor as Super Jockey). On both shows, she was asked some embarrassing questions regarding her love life and why she wasn't married (this was before she was married), though she was able to come back and handle the questions without becoming too flustered.
Singles
1984 (1984-04-03, debut song) (1984-07-21) (1984-11-05)1985 (1985-02-21) (1985-05-21) (1985-08-05) (1985-11-21, performed at her first appearance on Kōhaku Uta Gassen
Kohaku Uta Gassen
, more commonly known as simply Kōhaku, is an annual music show on New Year's Eve produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK and broadcast on both television and radio, nationally and internationally by NHK's networks and some overseas broadcasters which bought the program...
, the song is also used frequently for Bon Odori)
1986 (1986-03-26) (1986-06-10) (1986-10-29)
1987 (1987-03-03) (1987-06-21) (1987-10-27, theme song for the TBS
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
drama beginning 1987-10-10)
1988 (1988-01-21) (1988-04-27) (1988-07-21, theme song for the film )
1989 (1989-01-18)
- This Could Be the Night (1989-02-21, used in a Kyōdō PetroleumJapan Energyis a Japanese petroleum company, which is a subsidiary wholly owned by . Nippon Mining Holdings Group has four main business areas, petroleum, non-ferrous metals, electronics materials and other operations...
commercial for its High-Octane Jet GP-1 fuel) (1989-06-07 used in a Kyōdō Petroleum commercialTelevision advertisementA television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
for its High-Octane Jet GP-1 fuel) (1989-09-27)
1990 (1990-06-27, lyrics and song by Yōsui Inoue
Yosui Inoue
is a Japanese singer, lyricist, composer, guitarist and record producer, who is an important figure in Japanese music. He is renowned for his unique tone, eccentric lyrics, and dark sunglasses which he always wears....
) (1990-12-05)
1991 (1991-06-05, the background vocals are by Toshinobu Kubota) (1991-12-16, used in a commercial for "Victoria")
1992
- Steal Your Love (1992-03-27, used in a commercial for Ginza Jewelry Maki Camellia Diamond) (1992-05-08, under the name "Yo-Co") (1992-07-01)
1993 (1993-05-21, under "Oginome Yōko with Ugo Ugo Rūga" name)
- Tokyo Girl (1993-06-23) (1993-08-21, used in a commercial for the Nissan Laurel C34Nissan LaurelIn April 1968 Nissan presented its new Laurel in four-door deLuxe and Super deLuxe versions, both equipped with a 1.8 L inline-four cylinder engine and independent rear suspension. In summer 1970 a hardtop coupé joined the line-up, one year later a 2000 cc engine became available...
)
1994 (1994-11-23)
1995 (1995-06-21) (1995-08-23)
1997
- Look up to the Sky (1997-03-21)
- Make It On My Own (1997-08-21, "maxi-single" the title sing with "Limited Club Mixes" as the other three songs)
- From My Garden (1997-11-21)
1998
- We'll Be Together (1999-06-23)
- Feeling (1999-11-20)
2001
- Love (2001-10-24)
Sources:
Milk singles
These are singles released as part of the pop group "Milk". (April 1979, CBS/Sony, EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
: 06SH 473) (1980-08-01, Warner Japan, EP: L-358W)
Albums
1980s (1984-09-05) (1985-03-05) (1985-09-05) (1985-12-25) (1986-04-21) (1986-08-05) (1986-12-16, debuted at #1 on the OriconOricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
charts) (1987-07-16)
- Pop Groover The Best (1987-12-19)
- CD-Rider (1988-08-24, debuted at #1 on the OriconOricon, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
charts) - Verge of Love (1988-12-17) (1989-02-21, the JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
version of the album above) - Fair Tension (1989-11-21)
1990s
- Knock on My Door (1990-08-21)
- 91 Oginome Collection (1990-12-16)
- Trust Me (1991-07-03)
- Best Collection '92 (1991-12-21) (1992-06-03)
- Nudist (1992-11-21)
- Best Hits Non Stop Clubmix (1992-12-16)
- De-Luxe (1993-07-21)
- Scandal (1994-12-16) (1995-06-28, 2-CD set)
- Chains (1997-12-17)
2000s (2005-03-24, 1-CD selection from the 1995 release)
- Cover Lover vol.2: Bossa de Disco (2005-10-19, collaborative indieIndependent record labelAn independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
release for which she performed as a guest) - Voice Nova (2006-02-22)
Sources:
TV series
- Ugo Ugo Rūga (a TV show for kids) (Planet-chan)
Sources: