Kawakami Tomoko passed away

[Talon87]

Kawakami Tomoko (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=526) was a Japanese voice actress. Her many roles included Kurata Sayuri (Kanon, Kanon 2006), Shindou Hikaru (Hikaru no Go), Hinata Fuyuki (Keroro Gunsou), Sugar (A Tiny Snow Fairy Sugar), and Kamio Misuzu in AIR.

Kawakami was battling with ovarian cancer and had been hospitalized since 2008. She was 41 years old when she passed away on Thursday, June 9.

Source: Utena Voice Actress Tomoko Kawakami Passes Away (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-06-10/utena-voice-actress-tomoko-kawakami-passes-away)

[Mcsweeney]

AHAHA~ GIRL NOOOO ;_;. Also, MISUZU-CHIN ;_;

It's easy to make the connection between Sayuri and Misuzu, but I didn't know she was also Hikaru. It's to be expected that she sounds different when doing a boy character though.

Goku has a girly voice in the Japanese version of Dragonball Z. That's because in the original Dragon Ball, he had a female voice actress, which everybody knows is a common thing to do for young boy characters. When they made DBZ though, where he becomes a man, it was obviously unacceptable to change Goku's voice actor, so the chick stayed.

[Doppleganger]

It's tragic she was so young when it was discovered she had cancer [38]. I know full well how devastating cancer can be - up until this past May, ovarian cancer was just something my mother raved about after seeing Dr. Oz, and we hadn't even heard of endometrial cancer. Next thing I know, I find myself sleeping on the couch for two months.

It's always sad when a prolific CV dies, since the more prolific they are, the more they've impacted the industry (or held it up, in a sense) and the greater the loss when they're gone. Kawakami was no Tessho Genda or Norio Wakamoto, but she never had the opportunity to be them because her career was cut short. But she had several memorable roles, and it's very sad we've lost such a talent.

I mean, Sayuri AND Hikaru? And weren't we just discussing both Kanon and HnG recently, too? Reminds me of how Randy Savage died not long after that "Epic Rap Battles of History" video came out, one never knows.

[Talon87]

Yeah, I'm pretty saddened by the loss of Sayuri. My favorite Kanon girl. That adorable laugh. ;_;

But like Doppel says, what's particularly sad about this story is that she wasn't 62 or 78 or 93. She was 38 at diagnosis, 41 when she passed away. That's just way too young. Not fair. Not fair at all. Feel terrible for her husband, children, and others who have survived her who knew her and loved her.

[Mcsweeney]

Nayuki was great, and I wanted her to get together with Yuuichi because I like cousincest. If I had to choose a girl based purely on being MAI WAIFU though, Sayuri all day. Her cute as hell voice certainly is a big part of that.