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Nobuyo Ōyama | |
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大山 のぶ代 | |
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| Born | (1933-10-16)October 16, 1933 |
| Died | September 29, 2024(2024-09-29) (aged 90) Tokyo, Japan |
| Other names | Peko, Nobuemon[1] |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1956–2016 |
| Agent | Actors Seven |
| Known for | Voice ofDoraemon andMonokuma |
| Spouse | |
Nobuyo Yamashita (山下 羨代,Yamashita Nobuyo; néeŌyama, October 16, 1933 – September 29, 2024), known professionally asNobuyo Ōyama (大山 のぶ代,Ōyama Nobuyo), was aJapaneseactress,voice actress,screenwriter,singer,essayist, andtelevision personality[2] affiliated with Actors Seven. Her husband was the television personalityKeisuke Sagawa. She is best known for voicingthe title character in theDoraemon televisionanime series that ran from 1979 to 2005.[3][4][5][6]
She also voicedMonokuma, the main villain from theDanganronpa video game series from 2010 to 2016 for the first threevideo games, twoDanganronpastageshows, andDanganronpa: The Animation.
Ōyama was born as the thirteenth in a four-generation family of thirteen people on October 16, 1933.[7] Her great-grandparents were born in theEdo period ofJapan[8] and her mother was the daughter of a sake brewer in Furukawa City, Miyagi Prefecture (nowŌsaki, Miyagi City).[9]
She graduated from Rinkawa Elementary School, Hiroo Elementary School, Hiroo Junior High School[10] and Mita High School, Tokyo.[11][12]
Since an early age, she had a distinctive voice, and when she answered the phone at herkindergarten entrance ceremony, all of the students' parents all stood up and stared. However Ōyama herself was oblivious to reactions. She was such a talkative person that her mother would often tell her, "If you're quiet enough, I'll give you a snack."[13]
As she entered elementary school, she was initially an active girl who would run around the schoolyard raising her voice, but people around her would often tell her that she had a "boy's voice," and her teachers gave her strange looks when she checked in for her attendance, so she began to think her voice was strange.
Once she entered junior high school, a classmate pointed out how her voice was, and that is when she started to become aware of her unique voice.[14] She started to feel disgusted by her voice, and became a quieter person.
She was bullied by her school classmates because of her voice, with a game of "everyone will laugh when Ōyama makes a sound" becoming popular in class. She grew withdrawn, but her mother advised her, "Just because your voice is strange, if you keep hiding your weaknesses, you will only become weaker. You should join a club that allows you to use your voice."[15][16]
Ōyama became satisfied with her voice over time, and was able to overcome her complex. However, she never expected to become a voice actress. Her surrounding peers and homeroom teacher were initially opposed to her school activities, though after a month, they stopped saying their objections, and Ōyama was soon invited to join the school's drama club. Her stage debut was the role of the wicked stepmother in the school's play ofCinderella.
In high school, Ōyama joined the drama and swimming clubs, but soon dropped out when her mother ended up being hospitalized, and then died ofuterine cancer at the age of 42 while she was in her second high school year.[17] Now by herself, Ōyama decided to pursue a career in acting.
Following high school, Ōyama entered the Haiyuza Training School as a member of the seventh batch, but her father, who was against these plans, told her, "If you want to be an actor, get out!", so she ran away from home and started living alone. She quickly realized that she would be unable to survive solely on the money that was sent to her from her supportive older brother, so she tried various part-time jobs in order to earn money for living.[18] Her classmates there includedKumi Mizuno,Shigeru Tsuyuguchi,Hisashi Igawa, Manabu Yamamoto, Shigeyoshi Fujioka, andKunie Tanaka.
She made her debut in theNHKdramaKono Hitomi in 1956.[19] She began her acting career while in the training school, and after graduating in 1957, she joined the theater company Shinjinkai.[20]
When Ōyama started her career, she received praise as "a funny kid" and "a comedian with a background in modern theater," and appeared in many dramas and comedy shows. She began her voice acting career after a friend noticed her unique husky voice and told her that her voice suited young male roles. Her official voice acting debut was in the Japanese dub ofLassie, which aired in September 1957.[21]
In 1960, Ōyama voiced the character Boo in the Japanese puppet showBoo-Hoo-Woo,[22] which led to an increase in voice work.
In 1965, Ōyama made her debut as a lead voice actor in the television animeHustle Punch, where she voiced the character Hustle.[23] After that, she then starred in several animeproductions such asHarris no Kaze andInvincible Super Man Zambot 3.
She was affiliated with Tokyo Pro,[24] Gekidan Deku,[25] Takamatsu Riyuko Office,[26] andAoni Production.[27]
In late 1978, she was cast as the voice ofthe titular character in theDoraemon anime series, which premiered onTV Asahi one year later. It became her most popular role and her signature work.[28]
She also became active in a wide range of fields other than voice acting, such as working as aTV personality and publishing books as a cooking expert.
In 1980, sales ofDoraemon-related records performed by Ōyama, including the EPDoraemon Ondo, exceeded over one million copies, which earned her an awarded Gold Disc fromNippon Columbia.[29]
In July 2001, she was diagnosed withcolon cancer and was hospitalized for a long time, causing her to take time off from all work except for Doraemon, as she decided to continue recording episodes during her treatment after she took her physical condition into consideration.[30] However, the hospitalization led to her decision to retire from the role of Doraemon. At first, she continued at the persuasion of the anime's staff, but after long-term discussions, officially left the Doraemon franchise along with the other cast members in March 2005, after 26 years.
After leaving theDoraemon franchise, Ōyama focused on giving lectures and making television and radio appearances. She also continued her voice acting work, narrating shows such asGansou! Debuya.[31]
In May 2006, she published anautobiographical essay titled,I Was Doraemon. 26 Years of Tears and Laughter which focused on detailing her 26 years voicing Doraemon and was published byShogakukan.[32][33]
Six months later, she was awarded a special prize at the 11th Kobe Animation Awards for her achievements onDoraemon alongside herDoraemon co-starsNoriko Ohara,Michiko Nomura,Kaneta Kimotsuki, andKazuya Tatekabe.[34] The following year in March 2007, they received the 3rd Lifetime Achievement Award at theTokyo International Anime Fair 2007.
In April 2007, Ōyama becameprincipal of the Acoustic Arts College (which was located in Nishi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku,Tokyo). In addition to organizing thecurriculum, she also taught many day and night classes for thevoice actor andannouncer courses, providing direct instructions to students.
On April 24, 2008, while she was preparing for class in the principal's office at the Acoustic Arts College, Ōyama suffered acerebral infarction and was hospitalized, but with proper medication, she was discharged on August 17. Through home recuperation andrehabilitation, she ended uprecovering to where she was able to carry out daily activities without worry.[35]
In 2010, Ōyama portrayed theantagonistMonokuma in thePSPvideo gameDanganronpa: Academy of Hope and High School Student of Despair. She continued to voice Monokuma in theDanganronpafranchise, and in 2013, the series was made into an adulttelevisionanimeadaptation calledDanganronpa: The Animation, which was both her first TVanime appearance since theDoraemon anime series and her first appearance in alate-nighttelevisionanime.
In April 2011, Ōyama decided to step down from her position asprincipal of the Acoustic Arts College and became itshonorary president. Though she stepped back from most practical duties, she continued to give special lectures once every few months until 2013. Around this time, she started limiting her on work, citing poor health caused by a busy and intensework schedule.[36]
In the fall of 2012, Ōyama was diagnosed withAlzheimer's disease. Initially, her husbandKeisuke Sagawa was worried that it would "tarnish the image ofDoraemon and her", so the diagnosis was kept secret for a few years. However, after he received advice from fellow actorSandayū Dokumamushi, he reconsidered, and on May 13, 2015, Sagawa publicly announced Ōyama's diagnosis during a guest appearance onTBS Radio'sŌsawa Yūri no Yūyū Wide program.[37][38][39][40] At the time the announcement was made public, Ōyama said that she had already forgot that she and her husband discussed it.
Although she continued to work after the announcement, she stopped making public appearances and work was limited to recording messages. From 2014 to 2016, Ōyama appeared in the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations' webanimeI Love Meat! Zeushi-kun as Minota,[41][42] but this was her final anime voice acting appearance.
On June 12, 2015, Sagawa appeared onTetsuko Kuroyanagi's showTetsuko no Heya, of which he had made previous appearances on many times with Ōyama. Ōyama sent a voice message to Kuroyanagi.[43]During the broadcast, she realized that her illness was made public, and remarked, "Why did they make such a big deal out of this?" Afterwards, Sagawa told her, "It's not an exaggeration at all," and "In order to cheer her up, we need to make sure people know the truth, so we can do our best," to which Ōyama replied back, "Yeah, I'll do my best."[44]
Following Ōyama's wishes, she was cared for at home by Sagawa, the couple's manager Akiko Kobayashi, and a housekeeper for a while after the onset. However, Sagawa started to receive treatment for ureteral cancer, so she entered a nursing home in April 2016.[45] That month, Ōyama's role of Monokuma in theDanganronpa franchise was recast withTARAKO.[46][47] Ōyama officially announced her retirement in December.
Sagawa died on July 11, 2017, at the age of 80.[48] After Sagawa's death, Ōyama continued to live in the nursing home, and was looked after by Kobayashi.[49][50] While her dementia was progressing, she was in overall good health, and enjoyed interacting with other residents, taking on a leadership role in activities such as singing in choir.[51]
By the last year of her life, her advancing age had made it difficult for her speaking voice and she suffered numerous health problems.[52]
Ōyama died of senility in Tokyo on September 29, 2024, at the age of 90.[53] Actors Seven announced her death that October,[54] and many animators, voice actors, and fans paid tribute to her on social media.[55] Later in the month, a dedication to Ōyama was shown during the broadcasting ofDoraemon andSazae-san.[56][57][58]TheFujiko F. Fujio Museum[59] and Doraemon's current voice actressWasabi Mizuta[60] also wrote eulogies for her.
Ōyama is best known for voicing the leadcharacter in the anime seriesDoraemon from 1979 to 2005. Ōyama is known as the voice of Doraemon by many Doraemon fans.
On March 14, 2025, Ōyama and fellowDoraemon actressNoriko Ohara posthumously received the "Chairman's Special Award" at the 48thJapan Academy Film Prize.[61][62][63] That month, Dokumamushi made aguest appearance in an episode of the programTetsuko's Room as a representative of Ōyama's close friends, and discussed personal memories he had with Ōyama with the show's hostessTetsuko Kuroyanagi,[64][65][66] whom Ōyama co-starred with in theNHK costume puppet showFoo-Woo-Boo.[67]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965–1966 | Hustle Punch | Punch | first voice | [68] |
| 1969 | Sazae-san | Katsuo Isono | first voice | |
| 1970–1971 | Norakuro | Norakuro | ||
| 1971–1971 | Andersen Stories | Top | Ep. 20 | |
| 1972–1973 | Hazedon | Hazedon | ||
| 1977–1978 | Invincible Super Man Zambot 3 | Jin Kappei | ||
| 1979–2005 | Doraemon | Doraemon | ||
| 2013 | Danganronpa: The Animation | Monokuma | ||
| 2014 | Wooser's Hand-to-Mouth Life: Awakening Arc | Monokuma | Ep. 10 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–2004 | Doraemon video games | Doraemon | [68] | |
| 1997 | Doraemon: Nobita to Mittsu no Seireiseki | Doraemon | [68] | |
| 2010 | Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc | Monokuma | PSP | [68] |
| 2012 | Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair | Monokuma | PSP, alsoReload in 2013 | [68][69] |
| 2014 | Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls | Monokuma | PS Vita | [70] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Night on the Galactic Railroad | Giovanni ジョバンニ | Radio | [68] |
| 1998 | Hoshin Engi | Hakutsuru Doji 白鶴童子 | Radio | |
| 1999 | Hoshin Engi Part Two: The Court Army Strikes Back 封神演義 第二部～朝廷軍の逆襲～ | Hakutsuru Doji 白鶴童子 | Radio | |
| 2000 | Hoshin Engi Part Three: Dynastic Revolution 封神演義 第三部～易姓革命～ | Hakutsuru Doji 白鶴童子 | Radio |
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