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NEWS: Megumi Hayashibara Steps Down as Voice of Hello Kitty After 33 Years




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XCalliope



Joined: 29 Jun 2023
Posts: 110
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2023 9:23 am Reply with quote
Congratulations.
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-Matthew-



Joined: 12 Mar 2022
Posts: 1528
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2023 11:10 am Reply with quote
Sad news as she was the symbol of Kitty all these years.
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lemurs



Joined: 01 Aug 2012
Posts: 106
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2023 11:54 am Reply with quote
Goodbye Kitty
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malvarez1



Joined: 17 Nov 2008
Posts: 2094
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2023 1:30 pm Reply with quote
I hope this isn’t the beginning of her retiring from her other roles (Ai Haibara in Conan, for example).
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XCalliope



Joined: 29 Jun 2023
Posts: 110
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2023 2:19 pm Reply with quote
malvarez1 wrote:
I hope this isn’t the beginning of her retiring from her other roles (Ai Haibara in Conan, for example).

It most likely is.

She is legendary, and iconic, but she can't be young forever.
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Shay Guy



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 2293
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2023 3:04 pm Reply with quote
Before Rei Ayanami, before Lina Inverse, before Ai Amano… practically the only major roles she had then were Girl-Ranma and Christina Mackenzie. She's had this character almost my entire life.

XCalliope wrote:
malvarez1 wrote:
I hope this isn’t the beginning of her retiring from her other roles (Ai Haibara in Conan, for example).

It most likely is.

She is legendary, and iconic, but she can't be young forever.


And Team Rocket isn't in Pokemon Horizons, is it?

On the other hand, Midori Kato's turning 84 this month, and she's still voicing the same character she's been doing for half a century.
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KitKat1721



Joined: 03 Feb 2015
Posts: 974
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2023 3:07 pm Reply with quote
Well TIL Hello Kitty was voiced by Megumi Hayashibara...

Congrats to her for such a long tenure!
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SaiyamanMS



Joined: 05 Oct 2006
Posts: 302
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2023 3:34 pm Reply with quote
Shay Guy wrote:
And Team Rocket isn't in Pokemon Horizons, is it?


They aren’t, but she’s still a regular cast member on the show as Liko’s Sprigatito.
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XCalliope



Joined: 29 Jun 2023
Posts: 110
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2023 3:36 pm Reply with quote
Shay Guy wrote:

And Team Rocket isn't in Pokemon Horizons, is it?
I don't think Team Rocket will appear in current Pokemon series for a while, just like Ash, but Hayashibara does voice Liko's Sprigatito who is basically the main Pokemon.

She sounds cute as Sprigatito, but there's a difference between voicing a Pokemon, and young girls at her age.

A while ago I heard her reprising her role as Lina in some crossover, and while she still sounded like Lina, it was obvious that that was older woman trying to sound much younger - similar to Kotono Mitsuishi in Sailor Moon Crystal.

She can still sound believable as Ai Haibara, Rei Ayanami, and Anna Kyoyama when she speaks calmly, reserved, and kinda cold sounding.

Faye Valentine also, I guess.

Otherwise, best roles, IMO, nowadays for her are boys, Pokemon, and mature women.

That said, it all depends, regardless of age - for instance, Minami Takayama is 59 now, but she is voicing Fu Hua, one of the major characters in Honkai Impact 3rd, and for certain reasons she is perfect for that character.

...

Other than that, I have a feeling that Hayashibara could one day succeed Nozawa as Goku.
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 13642
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2023 8:03 pm Reply with quote
She had a great run. I wish her and her successor the best of luck!
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VicViper_Mk2



Joined: 11 Apr 2016
Posts: 42
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2023 9:15 pm Reply with quote
XCalliope wrote:
malvarez1 wrote:
I hope this isn’t the beginning of her retiring from her other roles (Ai Haibara in Conan, for example).

It most likely is.

She is legendary, and iconic, but she can't be young forever.


True, 56 isn't exactly young anymore, but compared to Masako Nozawa who's almost 90, she is still very much in tip top shape. She can still do her '90s voice, maybe just not as naturally as she used to do and requires a bit of effort on her part to replicate it, should still be a piece of cake for her

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worry about how she's kept her vocals well maintained after all these years. People have been known to damage their vocal cords with far less strain, and given the huge amount of work she used it on in 30+ years it's a small miracle she's kept her vocal cord relatively healthy. It's almost like wear and tear doesn't apply to her, or fatigue for that matter, as she's one the industry's hardest working member
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KENZICHI



Joined: 16 Oct 2010
Posts: 1118
PostPosted: Thu Nov 02, 2023 7:41 am Reply with quote
I had NO idea she was Hello Kitty!
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Southkaio



Joined: 11 Jul 2012
Posts: 384
PostPosted: Thu Nov 02, 2023 2:17 pm Reply with quote
How about Ayaka Saitō as the new voice of Hello Kitty?
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