Voice Actor Noriko Ohara Passes Away at 88

Image via NHK Voice actor Noriko Ohara, best known for voicing Nobita Nobi in the long running Doraemon anime from 1979 to 2004, has passed away at 88. In the announcement on talent agency 81 Produce’s website , Ohara had an ongoing medical condition that wasn’t responding to treatment, and passed away on July 12. A funeral attended by close family members was already held. Ohara, whose real name is Noriko Tobe, was born in Tokyo on October 2, 1935. From a young age, Ohara was exposed to Japanese and Western art by way of both of her parents, as she described in a children's magazine interview in 2011 . Noriko Ohara’s profile photo (via 81 Produce ) As a child, Ohara appeared in NHK children’s programs and on the stage, taking a break during high school, where she was part of the drama club, and returning to the entertainment industry after finishing school, as described in an interview with Seigura in 2013 . She appeared on TV and stage in the early days of commercial broadcasting, as well as conducting voice-over work for American and French films broadcast in Japan. Ohara was affiliated with various agencies during her career, joining 81 Produce in 2018.  Ohara's first lead anime role was in the titular Marine Boy series in 1969, with other breakout roles including Peter in Heidi, Girl of the Alps (1974) and Conan in Future Boy Conan (1978). She would then voice her most notable role of Nobita Nobi in Doraemon from 1979 to 2005. Megumi Ohara (no relation) has voiced the role of Nobita since. During her career, Ohara would also voice Doronjo in Yatterman , Ricky in Crusher Joe , many villains in the Time Boken series, Claudia LaSalle in The Super Dimension Fortress Macross and many more. Her accomplishments earned her the  Achievement Award at the first Seiyu Awards , a Synergy Award at the seventh Seiyu Awards , a Special Award at the 11th Animation Kobe and a Merit Award at the 2006 Tokyo Anime Awards along with the rest of the original Doraemon cast. Her son, Atsuo Tobe, is also known for their work as an animator on modern Doraemon films, character designs for Kingdom and animation direction on multiple Gundam series. In memorial, the official accounts for Heidi, Girl of the Alps posted an illustration of Ohara. The post recalls the recent recording session for commercials featuring characters from the series with Ohara thanking them for “letting [her] meet Peter again!" Sources: NHK , Oricon , New York Times , 81 Produce

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