Noriko Ohara

For the ballet dancer, see Noriko Ohara (ballet).

Noriko Ohara
小原 乃梨子
Born	Noriko Tobe (1935-10-02)October 2, 1935 Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
Died	July 12, 2024(2024-07-12) (aged 88)
Occupations	Actress voice actress narrator
Years active	1955–2024
Agent	81 Produce
Spouse	Shinichi Tobe
Children	Atsuo Tobe
Website	www.oharanoriko.com

Noriko Tobe (戸部 法子, Tobe Noriko, October 2, 1935 – July 12, 2024), neé Ohara, better known by her stage name Noriko Ohara (小原 乃梨子, Ohara Noriko), was a Japanese actress and narrator.^[1]

Career

She was previously represented by Aoni Production, then Production Baobab, but was later freelance.^[2]

She is best known for the roles of Nobita Nobi (Doraemon), all of the female lead villains in the Time Bokan series (including Doronjo in both the original Yatterman and its remake), Conan (Future Boy Conan), Peter (Heidi, Girl of the Alps), Penelope Pitstop (Wacky Races), Oyuki (Urusei Yatsura), and Claudia LaSalle (Super Dimension Fortress Macross).

In the first ever Seiyu Awards in 2007, she won the Achievement Award.^[3] In the 7th Seiyu Awards in 2013, she won the Synergy Award for maximizing the appeal of voice-acting in a work as a whole.^[4]

Personal life

Her son is Sunrise animator Atsuo Tobe (戸部敦夫, Tobe Atsuo).

Death and tributes

Ohara died after an unsuccessful treatment for an illness she had on July 12, 2024, at the age of 88.^[5][6]

Tributes to her from other Japanese voice actors and fans were shared the following days after her death was officially announced on July 23rd, 2024.^[7][8]

The ongoing Doraemon (2005) series paid tribute and honored her 26 year career as Nobita Nobi in the Doraemon (1979) series with a mini tribute^[9][10] at the end of the premiere of Episode 821, which aired on July 27th, 2024, four days after her death was announced and fifteen days after she had died.

Filmography

Television animation

• Attack No. 1 (1969) (Cathy)
• Sazae-san (1969) (Kōichi Ishida)
• Andersen Stories (1971) (Ferone the Ice Maiden)
• Doraemon (1973) (Tamako Nobi)
• Wansa-kun (1973) (Wansa)
• Alps no Shōjo Heidi (1974) (Peter)
• La Seine no Hoshi (1975) (Catherine)
• Time Bokan series (1975) (Maajo, Doronjo, Muujo, Ataasha, Mirenjo, Munmun, Yanyan, Ruuju)
• Chōdenji Machine Voltes V (1977) (Hiyoshi Gō)
• Yatterman (1977) (Doronjo)
• Nobody's Boy: Remi (1978) (Mattia)
• Future Boy Conan (1978) (Conan)
• Space Battleship Yamato II (1978) (Sabera, Jiro Shima)
• Space Pirate Captain Harlock (1978) (Mime)
• Starzinger (1978) (Beramis)
• Doraemon (1979) (Nobita Nobi, Nobisuke Nobi (child))
• Urusei Yatsura (1981) (Oyuki)
• Tokimeki Tonight (1982) (Shiira Eto)
• The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982) (Claudia LaSalle, Narrator)
• Crusher Joe (1983) (Ricky)
• Genesis Climber Mospeada (1983) (Refless)
• Soreike! Anpanman (1988) (Black Rose Queen, Snow Queen)
• Yatterman Night (2015) (Doronjo)

Theatrical animation

• The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun (1968) (Chiro the Squirrel)
• Do It! Yasuji's Pornorama (1971)
• Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur (1980) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: The Records of Nobita, Spaceblazer (1981) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: What Am I for Momotaro? (short film) (1981) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Nobita and the Haunts of Evil (1982) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil (1983) (Nobita Nobi)
• Urusei Yatsura: Only You (1983) (Oyuki)
• Doraemon: Nobita's Great Adventure into the Underworld (1984) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Nobita's Little Star Wars (1985) (Nobita Nobi)
• Urusei Yatsura 3: Remember My Love (1985) (Oyuki)
• Doraemon: Nobita and the Steel Troops (1986) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Nobita and the Knights on Dinosaurs (1987) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: The Record of Nobita's Parallel Visit to the West (1988) (Nobita Nobi
• Urusei Yatsura: The Final Chapter (1988) (Oyuki)
• Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (1989) (Nobita Nobi
• Doraemon: Nobita and the Animal Planet (1990) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Nobita's Dorabian Nights (1991) (Nobita Nobi
• Urusei Yatsura: Always My Darling (1991) (Oyuki)
• Doraemon: Nobita and the Kingdom of Clouds (1992) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Nobita and the Tin Labyrinth (1993) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Nobita's Three Visionary Swordsmen (Snemis) (1994) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Nobita's Diary of the Creation of the World (1995) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Nobita and the Galaxy Super-express (1996) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Nobita and the Spiral City (1997) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Nobita's Great Adventure in the South Seas (1998) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Doraemon Comes Back (short film) (1998) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Nobita Drifts in the Universe (1999) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Nobita's Night Before A Wedding (1999) (Nobita Nobi, Adult Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Nobita and the Legend of the Sun King (2000) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: A Grandmother's Recollections (short film) (2000) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Ganbare! Gian!! (short film) (2001) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Nobita and the Winged Braves (2001) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Nobita in the Robot Kingdom (2002) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: The Day When I Was Born (short film) (2002) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Nobita and the Windmasters (2003) (Nobita Nobi)
• Doraemon: Nobita in the Wan-Nyan Spacetime Odyssey (2004) (Nobita Nobi)

Original video animation

• Kaze to Ki no Uta: Sanctus (1987) (Serge Battour)
• Urusei Yatsura: Inaba the Dreammaker (1987) (Oyuki)
• Urusei Yatsura: Raging Sherbet (1988) (Oyuki)
• Crusher Joe: The Ice Prison (1989) (Ricky)
• Crusher Joe: The Ultimate Weapon: Ash (1989) (Ricky)
• Doraemon: Nobita to Mirai Note (1994) (Nobita Nobi)
• Urusei Yatsura: The Obstacle Course Swim Meet (2008) (Oyuki)

Television drama

• Doraemon Haha ni Naru: Ōyama Nobuyo Monogatari (2015) (Nobita Nobi, Narrator)

Video games

• Gunbird (Rouge)
• Gunbird 2 (Shark)
• Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (Doronjo)

Dubbing

Live-action

• Frankenstein's Army (Sacha (Luke Newberry))^[11]
• Frankenstein Created Woman (1970 TV Asahi edition) (Christina Kleve (Susan Denberg))^[12]
• Seven Golden Men (1982 TV Tokyo edition) (Giorgia (Rossana Podestà))^[13]

Animation

• Josie and the Pussycats (Valerie Brown)
• The Perils of Penelope Pitstop (Penelope Pitstop)
• The Rescuers (Miss Bianca)
• Wacky Races (Penelope Pitstop)

References

1. 小原 乃梨子のプロフィール. vip-times.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved November 17, 2019.
2. 小原乃梨子オフィシャルサイト. Ohara Noriko Official Website (in Japanese). Retrieved November 17, 2019.
3. Miller, Evan (March 5, 2007). "Results of Japan's First Ever Seiyuu Awards Announced". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
4. Nelkin, Sarah (February 18, 2013). "Some of the 7th Annual Seiyū Award Winners Announced". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
5. "声優・小原乃梨子さん死去 88歳 『ドラえもん』野比のび太役、『ヤッターマン』ドロンジョ役など". ORICON NEWS. July 23, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
6. "Voice Actress Noriko Ohara Dies at 88". Anime News Network. August 9, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
7. "The Anime/Manga World Offers Condolences After Voice Actor Noriko Ohara's Death". Anime News Network. August 9, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
8. "The Anime/Manga World Offers Condolences After Voice Actor Noriko Ohara's Death II". Anime News Network. August 9, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
9. https://x.com/isyumail/status/1817138471921909821 ^{[bare URL]}
10. "『ドラえもん』番組最後、のび太役務めた小原乃梨子さん追悼「小原さん、長い間本当にありがとうございました」". ORICON NEWS. July 27, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
11. "武器人間". Sony Pictures. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
12. "ホラー・マニアックス シリーズ - 驚きの強力ラインナップ、特別仕様で蘇る傑作ホラーコレクション!". Happinet. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
13. "黄金の七人［吹］木曜洋画劇場版". Star Channel. Retrieved November 30, 2021.

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Official agency profile (in Japanese)
• Noriko Ohara at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Noriko Ohara at IMDb
• Noriko Ohara at the Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese)