Kumi Miyasato
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese pop
singer and voice actor
who was popular in her native Japan
in the mid-to-late 1980s.
, in the first two parts of the hit Original Animated Video series, Megazone 23
. Her character was a computer-simulated pop idol. Megazone 23 Part 1 was the very second OAV in anime history and the very first to make a profit. It is said that this is largely due to Kumi's vocal performance (both spoken and sung), which is often called by its fans the highlight of the series. She has been said to rival Mari Iijima
of The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
fame.
Megazone 23 was originally conceived as a standard 26-episode television
series. The plot was condensed into two, direct-to-video, 80-minute movies, due to the sponsor pulling out. It is unknown whether Kumi Miyasato would have been cast as Eve or not had the television series been created.
There was also a Part 3 of Megazone 23, but it was a disjointed story that bore little resemblance to what had come before. Eve was the only returning character, but Kumi Miyasato - whether of her own choosing or not is unknown - did not reprise the role.
Likewise, Kumi did not reprise her role as Eve in the 2007 video game, Megazone 23: Aoi Garland
.
Kumi recorded five songs for Megazone 23. They are, in order of appearance:
Part 1:
Senaka Goshi ni Sentimental
(Sentimental Behind Our Backs or Sentimental Behind My Back, often incorrectly translated as Sentimental Over the Shoulder)
Tomorrow Blues
Kaze no Lullabye
(The Wind's Lullabye or Lullabye of the Wind, also spelled Kaze no Lullaby and Kaze no RARABAI)
Part 2:
Himitsu Kudasai
(Please Tell Me the Secret)
Lonely Sunset
To date, the first two parts of Megazone 23 are, apparently, Kumi's only acting credits.
Hitomi de Whispering~I Only Have Eyes For You (1985)
Allergy (1986)
For You/Kumi Miyasato Best Collection (1986)
Unfinished (1987)
Kumie's Room/Kumi Miyasato Best One (1987)
All of Kumi's solo albums are long out of print.
In addition, a CD single of Senaka Goshi ni Sentimental was packaged with the Japanese DVD release of Megazone 23.
In the United States
, the sole Kumi Miyasato release is Senaka Goshi ni Sentimental as a track on The Best of Anime compilation CD from Rhino Entertainment
.
There are 2 unconfirmed stories as to why she stopped performing: By the end of the 1980s, her popularity had diminished considerably, and her contract with Victor Records was not renewed or she got married and retired from singing.
J-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
singer and 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...
who was popular in her native Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in the mid-to-late 1980s.
Filmography
Kumi Miyasato provided the voice of the pivotal character, Eve TokimatsuriEve Tokimatsuri
is a recurring character in the Megazone 23 animated series. She was designed by animator Haruhiko Mikimoto.-Backstory:The original Eve Tokimatsuri was born in the 24th Century on Earth. She was the personal assistant of the polymath Professor Ferdinand F. Heinkel. Prof. Heinkel and Eve were...
, in the first two parts of the hit Original Animated Video series, Megazone 23
Megazone 23
is a four-part original video animation created by AIC, written by Hiroyuki Hoshiyama, and directed by Noboru Ishiguro, Ichiro Itano, Kenichi Yatagai and Shinji Aramaki. The series was originally titled but the title was changed just before release....
. Her character was a computer-simulated pop idol. Megazone 23 Part 1 was the very second OAV in anime history and the very first to make a profit. It is said that this is largely due to Kumi's vocal performance (both spoken and sung), which is often called by its fans the highlight of the series. She has been said to rival Mari Iijima
Mari Iijima
is a Japanese singer-songwriter who has released over 20 original albums to date. She writes and produces most of her own music, is a multi-instrumentalist, and is an accomplished piano player. After being signed to JVC Victor in 1982, Mari first became known for her voice-acting role as Lynn...
of The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
is an anime television series. According to story creator Shoji Kawamori, it depicts "a love triangle against the backdrop of great battles" during the first Human-alien war....
fame.
Megazone 23 was originally conceived as a standard 26-episode television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series. The plot was condensed into two, direct-to-video, 80-minute movies, due to the sponsor pulling out. It is unknown whether Kumi Miyasato would have been cast as Eve or not had the television series been created.
There was also a Part 3 of Megazone 23, but it was a disjointed story that bore little resemblance to what had come before. Eve was the only returning character, but Kumi Miyasato - whether of her own choosing or not is unknown - did not reprise the role.
Likewise, Kumi did not reprise her role as Eve in the 2007 video game, Megazone 23: Aoi Garland
Megazone 23: Aoi Garland
is a Japanese Video Game based on the anime series Megazone 23. It was released for the PlayStation 3 on September 13, 2007 in Japan. The game is available in two different packages "Original" and "Over Seas Edition"...
.
Kumi recorded five songs for Megazone 23. They are, in order of appearance:
Part 1:
Senaka Goshi ni Sentimental
(Sentimental Behind Our Backs or Sentimental Behind My Back, often incorrectly translated as Sentimental Over the Shoulder)
Tomorrow Blues
Kaze no Lullabye
(The Wind's Lullabye or Lullabye of the Wind, also spelled Kaze no Lullaby and Kaze no RARABAI)
Part 2:
Himitsu Kudasai
(Please Tell Me the Secret)
Lonely Sunset
To date, the first two parts of Megazone 23 are, apparently, Kumi's only acting credits.
Discography
In addition to soundtrack and drama albums from Megazone 23 that were released (and reissused) in Japan, Kumi Miyasato released three original studio albums and two greatest hits albums in Japan:Hitomi de Whispering~I Only Have Eyes For You (1985)
Allergy (1986)
For You/Kumi Miyasato Best Collection (1986)
Unfinished (1987)
Kumie's Room/Kumi Miyasato Best One (1987)
All of Kumi's solo albums are long out of print.
In addition, a CD single of Senaka Goshi ni Sentimental was packaged with the Japanese DVD release of Megazone 23.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the sole Kumi Miyasato release is Senaka Goshi ni Sentimental as a track on The Best of Anime compilation CD from Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes...
.
Biography
Not much is known about Kumi Miyasato. She landed the role of Eve in Megazone 23 at the young age of 16 and was signed to Victor Records and released a total of five albums. She made various event and radio appearances and was covered in magazines. Everything else is a mystery (including whether she is still alive or not).There are 2 unconfirmed stories as to why she stopped performing: By the end of the 1980s, her popularity had diminished considerably, and her contract with Victor Records was not renewed or she got married and retired from singing.