Akino Arai

Akino Arai (新居 昭乃, Arai Akino, born August 21, 1959, in Tokyo) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and lyricist for various anime theme songs and shows,[1] including Record of Lodoss War, Please Save My Earth, Macross Plus, Outlaw Star, Kaze no Stigma and Aria The Origination.

Akino Arai
新居 昭乃
Born (1959-08-21) August 21, 1959
Tokyo, Japan
GenresJ-pop, Anison
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, lyricist
InstrumentsVocals, piano
Years active1986–present
LabelsVictor Entertainment, FlyingDog
Associated actsMarsh-Mallow
Websitewww.jvcmusic.co.jp/akino/

Biography

Arai joined Victor Music Entertainment after graduating from university. She worked on collaborations with various artists there. Her first single, "Yakusoku" was released in 1986, and was used as an insert song for the anime Windaria.[2] She also released the album Natsukashii Mirai. In 1988 she left her agency. In 1992, she released the singles "Kaze to Tori to Sora ~reincarnation~" and "Kooru Sona" which were used as songs for the Record of Lodoss War anime and The Weathering Continent film, respectively.[3][4]

Her activity in anime continued with Please Save My Earth. In 1994, she sang "Voices" for the Macross Plus OVA,[5] where she also was the singing voice for Myung Fang Lone and Sharon Apple.[6] She would later release her first compilation album Sora no mori in 1997. She wrote and performed the two ending songs for the 1998 anime Outlaw Star and contributed songs for Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight.[5] In 1999, she released "Kanaete" for the Puppet Master Sakon anime. In 2001, she released "Hana no katachi" as a song for the Daichis - Earth Defense Family. "Kusei Toshi" was released for Tokyo Underground in 2002, and "Natsukashii umi" was an opener song for Kurau: Phantom Memory.[5]

In 2009, she performed the opening theme for the anime television series Spice and Wolf II, which aired in 2013.[7] In 2012, she provided music for Shibuya International's 10th anniversary short film called Birth.[8]

Arai has performed at many conventions, music festivals, and clubs. In 2005, she celebrated her 20th anniversary in her music career with the compilation album, Sora no Uta, and went on tour to France and Germany in 2006.[5] On March 24, 2013, she performed at Hong Kong Polytechnic University as her first live concert appearance in Asia outside Japan.[9]

Arai has worked with many different music artists. In 1989, she joined Tomoko Tane on some of her albums. She also worked with Yuri Shiratori and composed tracks for the latter's album. In 1998, she and Yayoi Yula released the album Goddess in the morning. She joined a band called Marsh-mallow which released an eponymous album in 2001. In 2011, she worked with a new music group, releasing RuRu Chapeau.[5]

Arai hosted a weekly hour-long radio show called Viridian House and has also named her website after that.[5]

Discography

Older albums and singles were released by Victor (VDR, VICL, VIDL) label, later re-released under FlyingDog (VTCL) on April 25, 2012.

Studio albums
Year Title[10] Catalogue
Number
(Japan)		 Oricon[11][12]
Peak
position		 Weeks
charted
1986 Natsukashii Mirai VDR-1284 97  
1997 Sora no Niwa VICL-60043
VTCL-60152		 71  
2000 Furu Platinum VICL-60549
VTCL-60153		 32  
2004 Eden
(エデン)		 VICL-61214
VTCL-60156		 35  
2009 Sora no Sphere
(ソラノスフィア)		 VIDL-30073
VTCL-60107		 30 4
2012 Red Planet VTCL-60301 39 3
2012 Blue Planet VTCL-60302 38 3
2016 Little Piano Plus (30th anniversary) VTCL-60430

Compilation albums
List of compilation albums, with selected chart positions
Year Title[10] Catalogue
Number
(Japan)		 Oricon[11][12]
Peak
position		 Weeks
charted
1997 Sora no Mori: Arai Akino Best Album VICL-60042
VTCL-60151		 – –
2002 RGB VICL-60869
VTCL-60155		 35  
2005 Sora no Uta
20th Anniversary Album		 VICL-61797
VIZL-57
VTCL-60157		 35 3

Concept album
List of concept albums, with selected chart positions
Year Title[10] Catalogue
Number
(Japan)		 Oricon[11][12]
Peak
position		 Weeks
charted
2001 Kouseki Radio
(鉱石ラジオ, Crystal Radio)		 VICL-60721
VTCL-60154		 45  

Live albums
List of live albums, with selected chart positions
Year Title[10] Catalogue
Number
(Japan)		 Oricon[11][12]
Peak
position		 Weeks
charted
2005 VHMusic      
2006 VHMusic2: the first euro tour      

Singles
List of singles, with selected chart positions
Year Title[10] Oricon[13][12] Album
Peak
position		 Weeks
charted
1986 "Yakusoku"
(約束,Promise)		 97   Natsukashii Mirai
1986 "Chizu wo Yuku Kumo"
( 地図をゆく雲, A cloud which passes through the map)		 68   Natsukashii Mirai
1991 "Kaze to Tori to Sora ~reincarnation~"
(風と鳥と空, Wind and birds and sky)
Record of Lodoss War OVA image song		 64   Sora no Mori
1992 "Kōru suna" (凍る砂, Frozen Sand)     Sora no Mori
1996 "Shounen no hane"
(少年の羽, Feather boy)
Dragon Quest Retsuden: Roto no Monshō theme song		      
1998 "Hiru no Tsuki"
(昼の月, Moon at Noon)
Outlaw Star first ending theme		 – – RGB
1998 "Tsuki no Ie"
(月の家, House of the Moon)
Outlaw Star second ending theme		 – – RGB
1999 "Kanaete"
(叶えて, Grant)
Ayatsuri Sakon ending theme		 39   RGB
2001 "Hana no katachi"
(花のかたち, Shape of flower)		 34   RGB
2002 "Kakusei Toshi"
(覚醒都市, Awakening City)
Tokyo Underground ending theme		 51   Sora no Uta
2004 "Natsukashii Umi"
(懐かしい宇宙, Nostalgic Sea)
Kurau Phantom Memory opening theme		 19   Sora no Uta
2006 "Kimi e Mukau Hikari"
(キミヘ ムカウ ヒカリ)
Zegapain opening theme		 31 5 Blue Planet
2008 "Kin no Nami, Sen no Nami"
(金の波 千の波)
ARIA the Origination closing theme		 26 7 Red Planet
2009 "Mitsu no Yoake"
(蜜の夜明け)
Spice and Wolf II opening theme		 41 4 Blue Planet
2013 "Unknown Vision"
Maoyū Maō Yūsha ending theme		 44 3  

Collaborations
List of collaboration albums, with selected chart positions
Year Title[10] Catalogue
Number
(Japan)		 Oricon[11][12]
Peak
position		 Weeks
charted
1998 Goddess in the Morning
(with Yayoi Yura)		 – –
2001 Marsh-mallow (with Yoko Ueno, Tamao Fujii, Megumi Maruo and Reichi) – –
2011 RuRu Chapeau
(with kiro, Hisaaki Hokari, and Takashi Iwato)		 VICL-63825    

References
  1. "新居昭乃のプロフィール". ORICON STYLE. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  2. "'Do You Remember Love?' Composer Kazuhiko Katoh Found Hanged (Updated)". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  3. "風の大陸 (Single)" [The Weathering Continent (Single)] (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  4. "凍る砂(風の大陸) (Single)" [Freezing Sand (The Weathering Continent) (Single)] (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  5. "Akino Arai – Biography". Sound of Faeries. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  6. "Macross Concerts Planned with Singers from 3 Series". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  7. "Akino Arai, Yohko Sing Maoyū Maō Yūsha Themes". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  8. "French 'Birth' Short Posted With Art by Final Fantasy's Amano". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  9. "Akino Arai – Live in Hong Kong". Sound of Faeries. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  10. "新居　昭乃｜ディスコグラフィー｜FlyingDog". jvcmusic.co.jp. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  11. "新居昭乃のアルバム作品" [Album works of Akino Arai]. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  12. "Akino Arai – Discography". Sound of Faeries. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  13. "新居昭乃のシングル作品" [Single releases of Akino Arai]. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved June 2, 2015.
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