Fan Get In The Robot As Singer/Voice Actress Megumi Ogata More Than Doubles Crowd-Funding Goal!

She was Kurama in YuYu Hakusho, she was Sailor Uranus in Sailor Moon. She was Yugi Mutou in Yu-Gi-Oh! Oh, and she was Shinji Ikari in an obscure anime called Neon Geneis Evangelion. And, in 2017, 51-year old voice actress/singer Megumi Ogata is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her career! In part, she's doing this with a crowd-funded Animeg. 25th album.

While she was staggering the Japanese and international efforts, the Japanese Campfire campaign, launched at the end of last week, hit its 100,000yen goal in 90 minutes and and today crossed 200%

Check out the English page at https://miraimode.com/projects/animeg25th

【To overseas fans!】
How are you?
Do you remember…?
The news that I talked for you about before?

Today, the time has come!
⇒NEXT　#animeg25th

— 緒方恵美@6/6BDLive (@Megumi_Ogata) May 12, 2017

Today, I will start Crowdfunding in JAPAN!

1st, if I let the project succeed in Japan, …next! It's YOUR CUE！

Don't miss it♡ #animeg25th

— 緒方恵美@6/6BDLive (@Megumi_Ogata) May 12, 2017

Megumi Ogata 25th Debut Anniversary Project

Please wait…
I'll be right with overseas fans!

Please pray for success in Japan. #animeg25th

— 緒方恵美@6/6BDLive (@Megumi_Ogata) May 12, 2017

【御礼】支援総額2000万円を突破！
200％です…夢のようです…。
ありがとうございます…！ #animeg25th

【緒方恵美、声優デビュー25周年記念企画】国内＆海外、同時に正規CDを届けたい https://t.co/DLzCaEuear @campfirejpより

— 緒方恵美@6/6BDLive (@Megumi_Ogata) May 16, 2017

From the English page

Hello! My name is Megumi Ogata.
I’m a Japanese singer as well as a voice actress for animations.
My 25th voice actress debut anniversary will come in a few months on October 10!

Why am I producing an album through crowdfunding, you ask?
I have two main reasons.

1. To provide genuine content to Japanese fans and also fans around the world at the very same time
2. To raise awareness in Japan and overseas about the current status of our industry

As you may already know, the CDs and DVDs that we produce in Japan are difficult to obtain outside of Japan. I don’t mean the pirated and illegally distributed versions. The genuine copies of our CDs and DVDs are difficult to obtain. As authentic routes of distribution are scarce, fans are generally required to import them privately and pay hefty shipping fees.

We in the industry want to share our music and other creations with fans, no matter where they reside. Fans overseas often ask us about gaining access to more of our content, too.

I spent a long, long time pondering over this issue. What can I do to overcome this invisible wall separating the fans and myself? There has to be something that even I can do, right?

The conclusion I came to was to utilize the power of crowdfunding.

I consulted other members in the industry about my thoughts. Many fans in Japan also helped me brainstorm and search for possibilities.
“We want to share the pleasure of receiving something on the day it’s released with fans living outside of Japan”.
“We would like to celebrate music and creativity with fans around the world”.

To transform those thoughts into reality, I decided to propose this special project.
My wish is for this project to serve as a platform that upcoming generations of Japanese voice actors and actresses, musicians, and other members of the entertainment industry can use to connect with fans around the world. Not just in sharing music through CDs, but also through other simple yet innovative formats.

I also wish my project could help fans residing outside of Japan to gain access to a wide variety of Japanese content.
Nothing would make me happier than having those wishes come true.

Megumi Ogata
Born on June 6. Known as Ogata, Aniki, Otoko-Hachidan

Ogata debuted as a voice actress in the role of Kurama in Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files and quickly gained popularity among fans. She is known for her ability to voice a broad range of characters and also for her natural performances. Young boys and girls, older men and women, serious and comical genres, Ogata can easily handle them all.

She possesses a vocal range extending beyond three octaves, delivering rich and full notes regardless of how high or how low they are. Ogata is also active as a singer who performs with a powerful and soulful voice. In recent years, she has released numerous motivational rock albums that offer listeners the passion and the gentle push forward they need. She continues to hold live performances not only in Japan but also in other countries as well.
Ogata’s newest album “real/dummy” (High Edition) was ranked first during the first week of its release on the Hi-Res charts.

Notable roles:
Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files (as Kurama)
Sailor Moon (as Haruka Tenou/Sailor Uranus)
Neon Genesis Evangelion (as Shinji Ikari)
Angel Beats! (as Ayato Naoi)
Danganronpa: The Animation (as Makoto Naegi & Nagito Komaeda) and much more.

About the Album

Animeg. 25th

An anime song cover album featuring selections from titles Megumi Ogata performed in and other relevant tracks.

Tentative tracklist

• “Taiyou Ga Mata Kagayaku Toki” - from Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files
• “Moon Revenge” - from Sailor Moon R: The Movie
• “Platinum” - from Cardcaptor Sakura
• “Komm, süsser Tod” - from THE END OF EVANGELION
• “Driver’s High” - from Great Teacher Onizuka
• “Fukanzen Nenshou” - from Kamisama Dolls
• “My Soul, Your Beats!” - from Angel Beats!
• “???” - from ???
• “Kamisama no Itazura” - from Tamayura: Hitotose
• “Bye Bye Yesterday” - from Assassination Classroom Second Season

Additional Notes 
・Tracks will be skillfully arranged by a music arranger who is active at the forefront of the Japanese music industry.
・Tracks with lyrics written for a specific character will be performed in a voice that closely resembles that character (some exceptions apply).
・Tracks already covered in “Animeg.” (Megumi Ogata’s 15th debut anniversary anime song cover album) and in other projects will not be included in this album.

Tracks covered in “Animeg.”
“A Cruel Angel's Thesis”
“Kyou mo Dokoka de Devilman”
“Yamato Yori Ai wo Komete”
“Moonlight Densetsu”
“GET WILD”
“Omoide ga Ippai”
“Yuzurenai Negai”
“Unbalance na Kiss wo Shite”
“Miyu Yachiyo”
“Ao no Requiem” and more.
(The track “GET WILD” in “Animeg.” was also featured in the album “GET WILD song mafia”)

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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.