Emi Shinohara, a Japanese voice actress best known for her roles in Sailor Moon and Naruto, passed away at the age of 61.
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Japanese studio, 81 Produce, announced earlier this week, that Shinohara died on Sunday, Sept. 8. The agency revealed that the voice actress had been undergoing treatment for an undisclosed condition.
Emi Shinohara, whose legal name is Emiko Watanabe, started acting at a young age. She voiced B-ko Daitokuji in Project A-ko, a sci-fi anime movie. After earning some attention for the role, she landed gigs at Arts Vision. She then went to 81 Studio.
Eventually, Emi Shinohara scored the role of Makoto Kino (Sailor Jupiter) in Sailor Moon. The actress also voiced other background characters in the widely-popular anime.
Shinohara was later replaced on Sailor Moon by Mew Azama. Other roles she’s known for are Charlotte Elbourne in Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Kushina Uzumaki in Naruto: Shippuden. She also played Presea in Magic Knight Rayearth.
The actress’ final anime film role was playing Sachiko in the 2020 Netflix anime movie, A Whisker Away. Most recently, she appeared in one episode of Laid-Back Camp.
‘Sailor Moon’ is Now Available in the U.S. Through Netflix
Emi Shinohara’s voice acting legacy lives on as those in the U.S. are able to watch all things Sailor Moon through streaming giant Netflix.
In June 2021, Netflix released Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie Part 1 & Part 2. Ema Hirayama, Manager, Content Acquisition at Netflix, spoke out about bringing the iconic anime to the platform.
“Like so many others around the world, I trace my love for anime back to watching ‘Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon’ when I was a toddler,” she stated. “Pictures of me in Usagi’s Bun Head have become a family treasure.”
“It’s no surprise that these characters and tales about love and justice still touch the hearts of so many fans around the world. It’s a dream come true for all of us at Netflix to have Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie join our expansive anime slate and to share this incredible story with fans around the world.”
Fumio Osano, Editor-in-Chief of Comic IP Development Team (Kodansha) also spoke about the Sailor Moon movie release.
“We have long been hoping to bring the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie to people around the world,” Osano said. “Since the initial release in Japan in January and February, 2021.”
“Today, we are excited to bring these movies to our fans through Netflix. Amidst these challenging times, it is our greatest pleasure for viewers to feel courage and hope by watching this story about love and justice.”
The streaming giant recently announced the release of the latest Sailor Moon movie. Sailor Moon Cosmos: The Movie is now available on the platform.