Ichirou Mizuki
Encyclopedia
, better known by his stage name
, is a Japanese vocalist, lyrist, composer
, voice actor
and actor
best known for his work on theme songs for anime
and tokusatsu
. For over 40 years, he has recorded over 1200 songs for Japanese film
, television
, video
and video games. He is referred to by fans and fellow performers alike as the of the anison, or anime music genre. He has produced the singing duo Apple Pie since 1990 and created the supergroup
JAM Project
in 2000.
label and released his first single called "Kimi ni sasageru Boku no Uta", composed by Kanae Wada. In 1971, Mizuki recorded the song which was used as the opening theme for Genshi Shōnen Ryū. This began his foray into recording well over 1200 songs for various soundtracks as well as original singles and albums. Other early songs sung by Mizuki include the themes to Chojin Barom 1
, Mazinger Z
, Babel II
, Robot Detective, Kamen Rider X
, Great Mazinger
, Ganbare!! Robocon, Kamen Rider Stronger
, Tekkaman
, Steel Jeeg
, Akumaizer 3
, Chōdenji Robo Combattler V, and Space Pirate Captain Harlock
. His extensive discography in the 1970s led to his dubbing as and the , with whom Mitsuko Horie
is the "Queen" and Hironobu Kageyama
is the "Prince". Mizuki is also part of the judging panel at the Animax Anison Grand Prix
, with Horie and Yumi Matsuzawa
.
Mizuki performed theme songs throughout the 1980s and 1990s, for shows such as Beast King GoLion, Getter Robo Go
, and Jikuu Senshi Spielban
, his work not as extensive until 2000. On July 17, 2000, with fellow anison vocalists Hironobu Kageyama
(Dragon Ball Z), Masaaki Endoh
(The King of Braves GaoGaiGar
), Eizo Sakamoto
(vocalist of ANTHEM
and Animetal
), and Rica Matsumoto
(Pokémon
), he formed the "supergroup" JAM Project
. He later reduced his membership in the group to "part-time", allowing for the entry of Hiroshi Kitadani
(One Piece
), Masami Okui
(Revolutionary Girl Utena
), and Yoshiki Fukuyama
(Macross 7
as Basara Nekki
's in Fire Bomber
).
He would return to recording in 2007 with his performances on the soundtrack of Juken Sentai Gekiranger
, singing its ending theme "Tao", an image song "Chikai", and on another image song "Burning up! ~Jōnetsu o Uketsui de~" performed as a duet with Takayoshi Tanimoto
who sang the series' opening theme. He also sang on JAM Project's single "STORMBRINGER", the opening theme for Kotetsushin Jeeg
, a sequel to Steel Jeeg. In 2008, he released his 40th anniversary Ichirou Mizuki: Newest Best album, the 5-CD box set including 216 songs from his discography, and the TV Size Best album. Other recent releases by Mizuki include two singles for Chōjin Neiger
, a local hero
from Akita Prefecture
.
His most recent work is a single for the OVA adaptation of Katte ni Kaizō
, with its theme song "Katte ni Kaizō Shite mo Ii ze", and an insert song, called "Nuiguruma", featuring Kenji Ohtsuki
.
, Rat Hector in Koraru no Tanken, and the villain Keisar Ephes in the video game Super Robot Wars Alpha 3
. His live-action roles include Dr. Ben in Jikuu Senshi Spielban
and (most notably) Voicelugger Gold in Voicelugger
, a Tokusatsu show based on the last concept written by Shotaro Ishinomori
before his death. He voiced the title character Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo
in the first PlayStation 2
game of the series, as well as singing the theme song. In 2010, he had a role in an episode of arc of Kamen Rider W along with fellow musicians Aya Kamiki
and TAKUYA
.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
, is a Japanese vocalist, lyrist, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, voice actor
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...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
best known for his work on theme songs for 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....
and tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
. For over 40 years, he has recorded over 1200 songs for Japanese film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
and video games. He is referred to by fans and fellow performers alike as the of the anison, or anime music genre. He has produced the singing duo Apple Pie since 1990 and created the supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
JAM Project
JAM Project
JAM Project is an anime music genre "supergroup" based in Japan, originally founded on July 19, 2000 by famous 1970s theme song artist Ichirou Mizuki...
in 2000.
Career
In July 1968, Mizuki signed onto the Columbia Music EntertainmentColumbia Music Entertainment
is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as . It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK Columbia trademarks in 1931. The company changed its name to Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd. in 1946. It used the Nippon Columbia name until...
label and released his first single called "Kimi ni sasageru Boku no Uta", composed by Kanae Wada. In 1971, Mizuki recorded the song which was used as the opening theme for Genshi Shōnen Ryū. This began his foray into recording well over 1200 songs for various soundtracks as well as original singles and albums. Other early songs sung by Mizuki include the themes to Chojin Barom 1
Barom One
is a Japanese manga series written by Takao Saito. Original story was serialized for about a year from 1970 in .In 1972, TV tokusatsu series were created titled Chojin Barom 1 by Toei, and broadcast by Yomiuri TV in every Sunday 19:30-20:00pm from April 2 to November 26...
, Mazinger Z
Mazinger Z
, known briefly as Tranzor Z in United States, is a Super Robot manga and anime series created by Go Nagai. The first manga version was serialized in Shueisha Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 1972 to August 1973, and it later continued in Kodansha TV Magazine from October 1973 to September 1974. In...
, Babel II
Babel II
is a 1971 manga series by Mitsuteru Yokoyama.Yokoyama's manga has been animated three times: in 1973 as a television series, in 1992 as an original video animation series, and in 2001 as a 13 episode television series....
, Robot Detective, Kamen Rider X
Kamen Rider X
, translated as Masked Rider X, is a Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series. It was broadcast in 1974 on NET . It is the third entry in the Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu shows...
, Great Mazinger
Great Mazinger
is a manga comic book and anime television series by manga artist Go Nagai, made as a direct continuation of the successful Mazinger Z series...
, Ganbare!! Robocon, Kamen Rider Stronger
Kamen Rider Stronger
is a Japanese tokusatsu television series. The fifth program to be created as part of the Kamen Rider Series, the series was broadcast on TBS and MBS from April 5, 1975 to December 27, 1975, lasting 39 episodes, and aired every Saturday at 7:00 p.m...
, Tekkaman
Tekkaman: The Space Knight
is an anime produced by Tatsunoko Productions in 1975. A short-lived English adaptation aired in the US in 1984.Two decades later, it was followed by the much more popular Tekkaman Blade, which was dubbed in the U.S. by Saban as Teknoman....
, Steel Jeeg
Steel Jeeg
, more commonly known as Kotetsu Jeeg or Koutetsu Jeeg, is a super robot anime and manga series created by manga artists Go Nagai and Tatsuya Yasuda. The TV anime was produced by Toei Doga. It was first broadcast on Japanese TV in 1975. The series lasted for 46 episodes...
, Akumaizer 3
Akumaizer 3
is a Japanese science fiction tokusatsu television series, created by Shotaro Ishinomori and produced by Toei Company. The series premiered on Tuesday October 7, 1975 at 7:30, and ran for 38 episodes in that timeslot on NET, now known as TV Asahi. The series remains obscure outside of Japan, but...
, Chōdenji Robo Combattler V, and Space Pirate Captain Harlock
Space Pirate Captain Harlock
is a manga series written and illustrated by Leiji Matsumoto, serialized Akita Shoten's Play Comic from 1977 to 1979. The series was adapted into an animated television series in 1978 directed by Rintaro and produced by Toei Animation....
. His extensive discography in the 1970s led to his dubbing as and the , with whom Mitsuko Horie
Mitsuko Horie
is a Japanese seiyū and singer. She was born on March 8, 1957 in Yamato, Kanagawa, Japan. She has voiced several characters throughout her career, such as Sailor Galaxia in Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars and Remi in the Nippon Animation World Masterpiece Theater series Remi, Nobody's Girl...
is the "Queen" and Hironobu Kageyama
Hironobu Kageyama
is a Japanese musical artist prominent in the soundtracks for anime, video game, and tokusatsu productions. He is sometimes called Kami by his fans. Kageyama got his big break at age 16, as lead singer of the pop group Lazy. By the early '80s, the band split and Kageyama went solo...
is the "Prince". Mizuki is also part of the judging panel at the Animax Anison Grand Prix
Animax Anison Grand Prix
The is a Japanese anime song music competition, organized by Animax, in association with Jupiter Telecommunications.-Outline:The annual competition is first held across a series of preliminaries in several Japanese cities, with the chosen finalists performing at a final round, which will be...
, with Horie and Yumi Matsuzawa
Yumi Matsuzawa
is a Japanese singer from Saitama, Saitama Prefecture. She is best known for her debut release "YOU GET TO BURNING", the opening theme for Martian Successor Nadesico, as well as the movie version's theme song "Dearest"....
.
Mizuki performed theme songs throughout the 1980s and 1990s, for shows such as Beast King GoLion, Getter Robo Go
Getter Robo Go
or Getter Robo Go, also known as Venger Robo or Venger Robot Go outside of Japan, is a Japanese mecha anime and manga series created by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa....
, and Jikuu Senshi Spielban
Jikuu Senshi Spielban
is a Japanese tokusatsu television series, part of the Metal Hero Series created by Toei Co. Ltd. from April 7, 1986 to March 9, 1987. Spielban's action footage was used for the battle scenes in VR Troopers....
, his work not as extensive until 2000. On July 17, 2000, with fellow anison vocalists Hironobu Kageyama
Hironobu Kageyama
is a Japanese musical artist prominent in the soundtracks for anime, video game, and tokusatsu productions. He is sometimes called Kami by his fans. Kageyama got his big break at age 16, as lead singer of the pop group Lazy. By the early '80s, the band split and Kageyama went solo...
(Dragon Ball Z), Masaaki Endoh
Masaaki Endoh
is a Japanese singer/songwriter who is prominent in the area of soundtracks for anime and tokusatsu productions. He is one of the founders of the anison supergroup JAM Project and has been a regular member ever since its inception in 2000. The group recently celebrated their 10th Anniversary with a...
(The King of Braves GaoGaiGar
The King of Braves GaoGaiGar
is an anime television series series begun in 1997, created by Sunrise's internal "Studio 7" under the direction of Yoshitomo Yonetani, and was the eighth and final in the Yūsha metaseries funded by Takara and produced by Sunrise.- Plot :...
), Eizo Sakamoto
Eizo Sakamoto
is a Japanese heavy metal musician who was born in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture. He is most famous for being the lead vocalist of 1980s band Anthem. In the 1990s he started up the band Animetal which performed heavy metal covers of anime and tokusatsu opening and closing themes. He also was...
(vocalist of ANTHEM
Anthem (band)
is a Japanese heavy metal band that was formed during the early 1980s in Tokyo. They are among the handful of heavy metal bands founded in Japan during that time and are considered to be one of the most successful and influential, alongside Loudness and Earthshaker.-Early years :Anthem was founded...
and Animetal
Animetal
was a Japanese novelty heavy metal band who specialized in metal covers of theme songs from classic and modern Japanese anime and tokusatsu television series....
), and Rica Matsumoto
Rica Matsumoto
is a Japanese voice actress and J-pop singer who was born in Yokohama, Japan. Her name is also sometimes romanized as Rika Matsumoto. She was one of the original members of the popular vocal group JAM Project. After the way of the stage, she embarked on voice acting and a singing career...
(Pokémon
Pokémon (anime)
, abbreviated from , is a children's TV anime series, which has since been adapted for the North and South American, Australian and European television markets...
), he formed the "supergroup" JAM Project
JAM Project
JAM Project is an anime music genre "supergroup" based in Japan, originally founded on July 19, 2000 by famous 1970s theme song artist Ichirou Mizuki...
. He later reduced his membership in the group to "part-time", allowing for the entry of Hiroshi Kitadani
Hiroshi Kitadani
is a Japanese vocalist who is prominent as an anison, or a musician who primarily performs theme songs and other songs in anime. He also works behind the scenes of many songs. He currently works with JAM Project, but has also been a part of Lapis Lazuli and Stagger and does solo work...
(One Piece
One Piece
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 64th volume released as...
), Masami Okui
Masami Okui
is a Rock/Pop/Anison singer who was born in Itami, Hyōgo, Japan. She began her professional musical career at age 21 as a concert backup singer.From almost the very beginning of her career, Masami has sung themes for anime TV and movies...
(Revolutionary Girl Utena
Revolutionary Girl Utena
is a manga by Chiho Saito and anime directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara. The manga serial began in the June 1996 issue of Ciao and the anime was first broadcast in 1997. The anime and manga were created simultaneously, but, despite some similarities, they progressed in different directions. A movie, was...
), and Yoshiki Fukuyama
Yoshiki Fukuyama
, born September 14, 1963, is a Japanese guitarist, singer and songwriter. He originally became known on an international level for his work in the anime Macross 7 where he was the singing voice and guitar of the show's main character, Basara Nekki...
(Macross 7
Macross 7
is an anime television series. It is a sequel to the show The Super Dimension Fortress Macross that takes place many years after the events of the first series following a cast of mostly new characters. The show ran from October 16, 1994 to September 24, 1995 at 11:00 AM, and 49 episodes were aired...
as Basara Nekki
Basara Nekki
' is a fictional character in the Macross universe, the lead singer and guitarist of the band Fire Bomber. He first appears in Macross 7, and also appears in the movie Macross 7: The Galaxy is Calling Me and the OVAs Macross 7 Encore and Macross Dynamite 7. He is voiced by Nobutoshi Kanna...
's in Fire Bomber
Fire Bomber
Fire Bomber is a fictional rock band from the anime series Macross 7...
).
He would return to recording in 2007 with his performances on the soundtrack of Juken Sentai Gekiranger
Juken Sentai Gekiranger
is Toei Company's thirty-first entry in the Super Sentai franchise. Production began on September 29, 2006 with principal photography beginning on October 6, 2006. It premiered on TV Asahi on February 18, 2007, and concluded its airing on February 10, 2008...
, singing its ending theme "Tao", an image song "Chikai", and on another image song "Burning up! ~Jōnetsu o Uketsui de~" performed as a duet with Takayoshi Tanimoto
Takayoshi Tanimoto
, born , is a Japanese vocalist known for his talents as an anison. Some of his works include "One Vision," which is the Matrix Evolution theme for Digimon Tamers, he also does the main theme for DarkKnightmon and Kiriha in part 2 of Digimon Xros Wars, two of the three opening songs for the anime...
who sang the series' opening theme. He also sang on JAM Project's single "STORMBRINGER", the opening theme for Kotetsushin Jeeg
Kotetsushin Jeeg
is a Japanese animated television series and retcon to the 1975 Super Robot series Steel Jeeg, created by Go Nagai. It is directed by Jun Kawagoe . The show began airing on the satellite network WOWOW on April 5, 2007 at 11:30 p.m...
, a sequel to Steel Jeeg. In 2008, he released his 40th anniversary Ichirou Mizuki: Newest Best album, the 5-CD box set including 216 songs from his discography, and the TV Size Best album. Other recent releases by Mizuki include two singles for Chōjin Neiger
Chōjin Neiger
is a local hero from Nikaho, Akita Prefecture, a fictional superhero who represents the region and is depicted as a tokusatsu hero. Developed by a local sports gym's manager and former UWF professional wrestler , Chōjin Neiger debuted in June 2005 and has gained a following throughout all of Japan...
, a local hero
Local hero (Japan)
A is a Japanese fictional character who is created to represent their region and perform in special martial arts stage shows. Created either by local groups or the local government, a local hero is modeled after the superheroes of Japanese tokusatsu...
from Akita Prefecture
Akita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....
.
His most recent work is a single for the OVA adaptation of Katte ni Kaizō
Katte ni Kaizo
is a shōnen manga by Kōji Kumeta. The manga ran for 26 volumes in Shōnen Sunday from 1998 to 2004. The art style went through a huge change as the story went on, by the end of the story the art style was the same as the type used in Kumeta's next series, Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei...
, with its theme song "Katte ni Kaizō Shite mo Ii ze", and an insert song, called "Nuiguruma", featuring Kenji Ohtsuki
Kenji Ohtsuki
is a Japanese rock musician and Seiun Award-winning writer. His musical career began in the late 1970s. He is the vocalist of Kinniku Shōjo Tai, Tokusatsu, Underground Searchlie and Karate Bakabon. He is a somewhat popular figure in the otaku subculture...
.
Television
In addition to his vocalist career, Mizuki has been cast in several roles as both a voice actor and a live-action actor. As a voice actor, he played the roles of Yoldo in the first episode of the OVA DangaiohDangaioh
is an anime OVA series produced by Anime International Company studios and released in Japan in 1987. Dangaioh featured character designs by creator Toshiki Hirano, mechanical designs by Shoji Kawamori, and animation direction by Masami Ōbari.-Plot:...
, Rat Hector in Koraru no Tanken, and the villain Keisar Ephes in the video game Super Robot Wars Alpha 3
Super Robot Wars Alpha 3
for the PlayStation 2 is the last game in the Alpha series. The 3rd Super Robot Wars Alpha, or simply, Alpha 3, contains one of the largest casts to ever be placed together within a Super Robot Wars game...
. His live-action roles include Dr. Ben in Jikuu Senshi Spielban
Jikuu Senshi Spielban
is a Japanese tokusatsu television series, part of the Metal Hero Series created by Toei Co. Ltd. from April 7, 1986 to March 9, 1987. Spielban's action footage was used for the battle scenes in VR Troopers....
and (most notably) Voicelugger Gold in Voicelugger
Voicelugger
is a Japanese tokusatsu that aired from January 12 to March 30, 1999. It was the last production by Shotaro Ishinomori, released posthumously, who intended for the series to be serious, while it was originally written to be a parody of older tokusatsu programs...
, a Tokusatsu show based on the last concept written by Shotaro Ishinomori
Shotaro Ishinomori
was a Japanese manga artist who became an influential figure in manga, anime, and tokusatsu, creating several immensely popular long-running series such as Cyborg 009 and Himitsu Sentai Goranger, what would go on to become part of the Super Sentai series, and the Kamen Rider Series...
before his death. He voiced the title character Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo
Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshio Sawai, published by Shueisha, and serialized in the Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine...
in the first PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
game of the series, as well as singing the theme song. In 2010, he had a role in an episode of arc of Kamen Rider W along with fellow musicians Aya Kamiki
Aya Kamiki
is a Japanese singer-songwriter. Her style ranges from pop, rock to rhythm and blues. She currently resides in Osaka, and is currently signed with Tokyo-based AVEX recording label. She speaks moderate Chinese, and because of this, she has a notable fanbase in China.-Biography:Kamiki learned to play...
and TAKUYA
Takuya
Takuya is a very common male Japanese given name. People named Takuya include:*Takuya Asanuma , Japanese guitarist and former member of Judy and Mary who performs as "TAKUYA"...
.
Books
- Hitoshi Hasebe: "Anison - Kashu Ichirou Mizuki Sanjuu Shuunen Kinen Nekketsu Shashinshuu" (兄尊(アニソン)―歌手水木一郎三十周年記念熱血写真集) (1999, Oakla Publishing) ISBN 4-8727-8461-8
- Ichirou Mizuki & Project Ichirou: "Aniki Damashii ~Anime Song no Teiou / Mizuki Ichirou no Sho~" (アニキ魂~アニメソングの帝王・水木一郎の書~) (2000, Aspect) ISBN 4-7572-0719-0
External links
- Ichirou Mizuki Official Website
- Ichirou Mizuki at Anison Database
- Ichirou Mizuki at Henshin Hall of Fame