The world lost a veteran anime voice actor with the May 15 announcement of Wakana Yamazaki’s death. She is best known for his roles as Ran Mōri in the Detective Conan franchise, Meiko Akizuki in Marmalade Boy, Ruri-Hume in Mononoke, Koan in Sailor Moon R, and Nene in Samurai Warriors, among others. Her work as a voice actor has touched the lives and hearts of creators and fans alike. Now, those creators and fans are paying their respects:
Mariko Kouda, voice of Marmalade Boy lead Miki Koishikawa, wrote a long eulogy for Yamazaki on her blog. Kouda began by addressing Yamazaki as her Marmalade Boy character Meiko Akizuki:
Meiko, you’re joking, right?
Tell me it’s a joke.
Nacchan’s going to cry,
Meiko,
Please tell me you’re joking.
Smile at me like you always do with your hair flowing in the breeze.
Let’s laugh
And eat delicious food together
And talk a bunch more.
Tell me it’s not true.
Wakana-san,
We’ve always been together,
Ever since we debuted.
You can’t just suddenly disappear.
You were just taking a short break, right?
You can’t just suddenly disappear.
It was thanks to you, Wakana-san,
That I fell in love with hedgehogs.
It was thanks to, Wakana-san, I became interested in Mongolia.
Ever since we first met you’ve had the same smile,
And you were a gentle and radiant person.
Wakana-san,
Please call me Miki, call me Mari-chan
With your voice.
Wakana-san
Wakana-san
Wakana-san.
Now that you’re free from your illness,
It’s like your smile
Is projected across the sky …
Wakana-san,
Thank you always, always, always
For your kindness and similes.
Wakana-san,
I love you so much.
I love you Meiko.
Did we miss any eulogies to Wakana Yamazaki? Feel free to let us know in our forums or by email.