Chinatsu
"Chika" Sakamoto started as a voice actor in 1981, before most
convention-going anime fans were born. In that time, she's accumulated
an astounding collection of roles in Japanese animation and dubs of
American cartoon shows. Sakamoto was Angelica Pickles in the Japanese
version of Rugrats and was in the dubs of Disney's Goof Troop and 101
Dalmatians. She's had roles in Digimon and Pokemon, was May in My
Neighbor Totoro, Mrs. Ichinose in Maison Ikkoku, and was in titles
ranging from Megazone 23 Part II and Street Fighter EX to Mama is a
Fourth Grader and Kimagure Orange Road. But her best-known role for
English-speaking fans is Nuriko in Fushigi Yuugi. "Among all the
Fushigi Yuugi characters, I could tell that Nuriko had a free lifestyle
and a free will, and I could tell Yu Watase's love for the character,
and that the animators love him and breathed life into him," Sakamoto
said at an interview session. "It was great to be cast in the role that
was beloved by all of the production people." Sakamoto had her own
display of love for Animazement fans when she gave an enthusiastic
concert of anime songs, getting fans to sing along as she performed a
tune about eating ice cream. The energetic Chika, who is the 300th
personality of the week, voices the Nuriko character created by artist
Yu Watase, who was first to be named personality of the week in October
of 1998.
Chika Sakamoto - Anime Convention
Personality of the Week - July 11, 2004
