Noriko Ohara, the renowned Japanese voice actress famous for voicing Nobita Nobi in the beloved TV show ‘Doraemon,’ has passed away at the age of 88. Her agency, 81 Produce, announced yesterday that she actually died on July 12 after receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness.

所属事務所の81プロデュースより発表となりましたとおり、去る7月12日に小原乃梨子は永眠いたしました。https://t.co/iOo7ExdN3M

長年にわたり温かな応援をしてくださったファンの皆様、創造的な活動をご一緒してくださったスタッフ、キャストの皆様に御礼を申し上げます。
ありがとうございました。

— 小原乃梨子 出演情報 (@voice_nohara) July 23, 2024

A private funeral was held in accordance with her family’s wishes, attended only by close relatives.

‘Doraemon,’ a beloved show from the childhoods of many Filipino netizens, features a robot cat named Doraemon who befriends 10-year-old Nobita Nobi, a boy struggling in school. The show was a staple in Japan, with Ohara’s voice widely recognizable. The talented voice actress portrayed Nobita from the 1970s to the early 2000s.

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Noriko Ohara also starred in other popular anime, including ‘Future Boy Conan,’ ‘Yatterman,’ and ‘Heidi, Girl of the Alps.’ She dubbed numerous Western films and cartoons into Japanese, such as ‘Josie and the Pussycats’ and ‘The Rescuers.’ Her voice acting earned her multiple awards in Japan, including the Anime Grand Prix and the Seiyu Awards.

Ohara began voicing Nobita in 1979 when the show aired from Monday to Saturday in Japan. In a 2017 interview with Cinema Today, Ohara mentioned she often had to record seven to eight episodes at a time. “Working on ‘Doraemon’ was like being an athlete,” she said. “I had to build up my stamina.”

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Noriko Ohara began her career at a children’s theater company, where she worked on puppet shows and dramas. She later transitioned to dubbing foreign films and TV shows during the early days of dubbed media in Japan.

Beyond voice acting, Noriko Ohara performed poetry readings at universities, recorded fairy tales, and taught voice acting classes to university students.

Source: (1), (2)

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