11. The Emergence of Singing Voice Actors/Actresses: The Crossover Point of the Music Industry and the Animation Industry


1. AKB48, “恋するフォーチュンクッキー”

1. AKB48, “Koi-suru Fortune Cookie” (Fortune Cookie in Love)

 From: Video provided by AKB48 in October 2013.

AKB48 members: vocals in unison, dancing; unidentified orchestra: backing orchestra.


Originally formed in 2005 by Yasushi Akimoto, AKB48, an enormously popular idol-girl group, consists of changing members whose ages range from adolescents to mid-twenties. The lyrics of this song were written by Yasushi Akimoto, the music by Shintarō Itō, and the arrangement by Seiji Mutō.

2. 椎名 へきる, “246”

2. Hekiru Shiina, “246”

YouTube video, “246.avi Sailor Moon feat Shiina Hekiru 246″.

Hekiru Shiina: vocals; unidentified orchestra: backing orchestra.


Hekiru Shiina (spelled in English also as Hequil Sheena) began her career as a voice actress in 1991 and her career as a singer in 1994. This song, “246”, written by Kōji Ueno, refers to Route 246 about which the singer reminisces as the road on which she enjoyed a ride with her lover.

3. 水樹 奈々, “Phantom Minds”

3. Nana Mizuki, “Phantom Minds”

From: “Phantom Minds” / “Don’t Be Long” & Song Communication. KICM-1299, 2010, CD single.

Nana Mizuki: vocals; Gen Ittetsu: strings; Hirokazu Ogura: guitars; Jun Suyama: all other instruments.


“Phatom Minds” is the twenty-first single by Nana Mizuki and the theme song for an anime film, Magical Girl Lyrical Manoha the Movie 1st. The lyrics are written by herself and the music by Eriko Yoshiki. It topped the Oricon charts for the second time on January 12, 2010.

4. 放課後ティータイム, “カレーのちライス”

4. Hōkago Teatime, “Curry-nochi Rice” (Curry and Then Rice)

From: Hōkago Teatime, B002B9TSK6, 2009, CD.


Yui Hirasawa: vocals; Yui Hirasawa: electric guitar; Mio Akiyama: bass; Ritsu Tainaka: drums; Tsumugi Kotobuki: keyboards; Azusa Nakano: second-electric guitar.




This is a song sung in a big-hit TV anime titled Keion!, which features a band formed by high-school students. Quite a few scenes in which the characters perform their own compositions are inserted. In the CD, a collection of songs from this anime, performers are credited under the names of the characters. Emi Inaba wrote the lyrics, and Hiroyuki Maezawa composed and arranged the music.