Popular voice actress, singer, songwriter and essayist Maya Sakamoto today marks the 30th anniversary of her debut single, Escaflowne's opening "Yakusoku wa Iranai" in 1996. To celebrate her incredible career, a new website has been launched to celebrate, and you can even vote for which of her songs is your favourite!]
She has played iconic anime heroines across the last 30 years, including Hitomi Kanzaki in Escaflowne, Leila Malcal in Code Geass: Akito the Exiled, Jeanne D'Arc in Fate/Apocrypha, Shinobu Oshino in Monogatari, Merlin in Seven Deadly Sins, Lunamaria Hawke in Gundam SEED Destiny and Major Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell: Arise. Phew!
If you'd like to learn more about this multi-talented artist, check out the Maaya Sakamoto 30th Anniversary Website. There's even a poll where you can vote for your favourite Maaya Sakamoto song. Much of her catalogue is available on streaming services like Amazon, so now might be a good time to re-acquaint yourself.
Check out this amazing live performance featuring Yoko Kanno - the audience participation is fantastic!
