, also known as simply Anza (stylized as ANZA), is a Japanese singer and theater actress best known as vocalist of the heavy metal band

Head Phones President Head Phones President (stylized as HEAD PHONES PRESIDENT) is a Japanese metal band formed in Tokyo in 1999. Their sound has been described as alternative metal, progressive metal, avant-garde metal, and nu metal. They have played various musi ...

and for playing

Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...

in thirteen separate musical productions.

Biography

Personal life

Anza was born in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, South Africa, to a

White South African White South Africans generally refers to South Africans of European descent. In linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, they are generally divided into the Afrikaans-speaking descendants of the Dutch East India Company's original settlers, ...

mother and a Japanese father. When they moved to

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

, Japan in her childhood, Anza was not fluent in the Japanese language and was bullied because of her foreign appearance. She has a younger sister named Chiho Oyama who played

Sailor Jupiter , better known as , is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. Makoto is her sailor form's alternative human identity as part of the Sailor Soldiers, female supernatural fighters who protect the Solar ...

in ''

'' musicals.

Career

Anza began modeling in junior high school and was invited to shoot a commercial in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

. At fifteen, she made her acting debut on

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestri ...

's ''Chūgakusei Nikki''. She made her music debut in 1992 as a member of the pop

idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a neutral term for a man-made object that is worshipped or venerated for the deity, spirit or demon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a point of focus for devotion or medit ...

group

Sakurakko Club was a Japanese pop idol group in the early 1990s. ''Sakurakko Club'' was also the name of the television show on which they appeared alongside such groups as SMAP and Tokio. Members * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

and released a number of singles with them. She and Ayako Morino, also of Sakurakko Club fame, were in a spin-off duo called Momo. They released two singles in 1993 and 1994. With Anza joining the

Sailor Moon musicals The , commonly referred to as , are a series of live theatre productions based on the ''Sailor Moon'' manga by Naoko Takeuchi. The series consists of 31 musicals which have had more than 800 performances since the show opened in the summer of ...

in 1993, she appeared regularly on the CD releases for the musicals, both in solo and group songs. From her five-year period as Sailor Moon, she can be heard on the "La Soldier" single (released prior to the very first musical), the first five ''Memorial Album of the Musical'' releases, as well as three of the eight

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

s which have been released since the musicals' conception. In 1994, Moon Lips, a group of actresses from the musicals including Anza, provided vocals for the ''Sailor Moon'' anime's theme song "

Moonlight Densetsu is a song that served as an opening theme for the anime series, ''Sailor Moon (anime), Sailor Moon''. The song's original version was released in Japan on March 21, 1992, on a split single (music), single by Manish (band), Dali and Misae Takam ...

". It was used for the show's third and fourth seasons, known as ''Sailor Moon S'' and ''Sailor Moon Super S'', respectively. Shortly following her graduation from the ''Sailor Moon'' musicals in 1998, she released a solo single entitled "Dream" under the

Sony Music Entertainment Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...

record label. "Dream" was also featured as the ending theme song for the TV show ''Famitsu Wave''. In April 1999, she released "Tobira wo Akete" (under

Victor Entertainment , also known as in Japan, is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Ent ...

), a single which was used as a theme song for the anime ''

Cardcaptor Sakura , abbreviated as ''CCS'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the manga group Clamp. Serialized monthly in the ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from May 1996 to June 2000, it was also published in 12 ''tankōbon'' ...

''. In September 1999, Anza provided vocals for "Ai wo Shizumeteru", the ending theme song to the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

game ''

Psychic Force 2 is a 1998 arcade fighting game developed by Taito as the sequel to their 1995 title, ''Psychic Force''. The game was first released in arcades in 1998 and was then ported a year later to the Dreamcast, becoming one of the console's earliest title ...

''. Another of her songs, "Mienai Chizu", was used as an insert song in episode 68 of ''

''.

In 1999, Anza went in a completely different direction with her music. She formed

with brothers Hiro and Mar, who previously helped her on her solo work. They are a heavy metal band, with occasional harsh, screamed vocals interspersed with soft melodic singing. Anza is often introduced as being on "vocals and visuals". They have referred to their music as "'negative', due to their emotional lyrics that stem from traumatic experiences, utbelieve their music expresses their struggles in a hopeful manner." A lot of the lyrics come from Anza; the song "Alienblood" represents her own troubles growing up in Japan as mixed race. In 2003, Toho recorded four of its ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'' musicals live, and they released four double-disc albums (available only by special order directly from Toho). Anza appears on the light blue album with Kazutaka Ishii as

Jean Valjean Jean Valjean () is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. The story depicts the character's struggle to lead a normal life and redeem himself after serving a 19-year-long prison sentence for stealing bread to feed his ...

. In 2006, Anza was signed onto the

Universal Music Japan , often referred to as just Universal Music Japan or UMJ, is a Japanese subsidiary of the Universal Music Group founded in 1990. It is the largest subsidiary for a foreign company in the country regarding music distribution. The company is resp ...

and released her debut single with them: "Kanata e". It was used as the second ending theme song for the anime ''

Glass no Kantai , subtitled ''La Légende du Vent de l'Univers'' (lit. ''the Legend of the Wind of the Universe''), is an anime television series, co-animated by Satelight and Gonzo and produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment, Asahi Broadcasting Corporation ( ...

''.Universal Japan profile
Retrieved November 9, 2007 In late 2008, she joined the rock band Vitamin-Q along with

Masami Tsuchiya is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician, coming to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead vocalist and guitarist in the group Ippu-Do. His subsequent output includes solo work and collaborations. Tsuchiya's career in music started with ...

Kazuhiko Katō , nicknamed , was a Japanese record producer, songwriter and singer. He sometimes used the spelling of "Kazuhiko Katoh". History As a member of the Folk Crusaders, Katō launched his recording career in the mid-1960s. "Kaettekita Yopparai (I O ...

Gota Yashiki is a Japanese musician, both an independent acid jazz artist and drum/bass player, as a member of the band Simply Red. Biography He was born in Kyoto, Japan, on 26 February 1962, where at a young age he learned how to play traditional Japan ...

and Rei Ohara. However, after Katō's suicide on October 17, 2009, the group ceased activity. In 2011, Anza started a webshop in collaboration with Riho, "Raz -Rabbit" is a shop of clothes and accessories. On May 1, 2011, Anza performed a solo show in support of

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...

victims. At the show, nominated "Anza's Box", she sang songs from musicals

SeraMyu The , commonly referred to as , are a series of live theatre productions based on the ''Sailor Moon'' manga by Naoko Takeuchi. The series consists of 31 musicals which have had more than 800 performances since the show opened in the summer of ...

, Gift,

, beyond musics from solo career and participation of Iwana Misako (from SeraMyu), Manabu Oda (from musical Gift) and her band Head Phones President. On December 24, 2011, Anza performed on "Live & Cafe Bar Rocky", in Tokyo, the solo show "Anza Xmas Live". The show had participation of Tomo (key), Hiro (guitar), Norio Yoshida (bass), Sakaguchi Masaru (percussion) and Maddie as a special guest. In addition to the songs from the previous show, she sang

Christmas songs Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject ma ...

dressed in

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

costume. In late 2012, Anza was featured on the song "Unmei no Megami" from the group ''Dragon Guardian'', at the album ''The Best of Dragon Guardian Saga''. Since 2013, Anza has performed as a DJ sporadically, alone or with her bandmate Narumi. On May 24, 2014, Anza celebrated her 22 years of career in the show "Anza Solo Live" with participation of musicians Kato Tomoko, HIRO and Sakaguchi Masaru, in addition to special guests Okuyama Momoko, Iwana Misako (formerly Kotani Misako), Oda Manabu, Haruka (Rouse Garden) and Fujiwara Yuki. On sale at the concert had a small "ANZA BOOK" celebrating her 22-year career's day and a new T-shirt designed by Anza's collaboration brand RAZ. The music of Head Phones President was the genesis of the

rock musical A rock musical is a musical theatre work with rock music. The genre of rock musical may overlap somewhat with album musicals, concept albums and song cycles, as they sometimes tell a story through the rock music, and some album musicals and concept ...

''Stand in the World'' written and directed by Shohei Hayashi, which ran at the Tokyo Arts Center from June 11–13, 2016. The band performed during the show which stars Erika Yamakawa, Manabu Oda and Hikari Ono. For the 15th anniversary of the PGS SPECIAL STORE, RAZ was in a physical store in Ikebukuro from November 10 to 28, 2016. On December 2, 2016, Anza performed the show "Anza Solo Live" on "New eight", in Kamata, Tokyo. The show had participation of Iwana Misako, in addition to the musicians Key_TOMO and Gt_HIRO. On May 4, 2017, Anza performed the show "ANZA Birthday Live" in the same place, with the same guests, with additional participation of Oda Manabu. On February 26, 2017, Anza made a guest appearance on JENOFES at Ikebukuro Live Inn Rosa, Tokyo JAPAN. On March 25, 2017, Anza started the column "Good times for a change ☆" at BEEAST web rock magazine. Anza solo 20th anniversary, RAZ 7th anniversary SPECIAL LIVE "ANZA WORLD" was on July 13, 2018 at Sengawa Fix Hall with guests Iwana Misako and NANA(REASTERISK); musicians TOMO and HIRO; Apparel RAZ; dj NARUMI and models Chiro, AREA, iPo, Nagano Erina, Misato Koromo, Otaki Tetsutaro and Ayami Rika.

Stage career

Anza has performed in a number of stage productions, the majority of which being

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

. Her first major production was as the leading role of

in the Sailor Moon musicals, commonly known as Sera Myu. She is one of the longest-running cast members to ever perform in the Sailor Moon musicals and is the longest-running Sailor Moon to date. She held the role for five years performing in thirteen separate productions between 1993 and 1998.Sera Myu website
Retrieved November 9, 2007 Nearing the end of her stretch as Sailor Moon, she also performed in a musical called ''2050-nen no Aoi Shima'' between 1997 and 1998. Chiruchiru was the name of her character. In 2000, she broke off from the musical scene in a Japanese stage production of ''

Mr. Holland's Opus ''Mr. Holland's Opus'' is a 1995 American drama film directed by Stephen Herek, produced by Ted Field, Robert W. Cort, and Michael Nolin, and written by Patrick Sheane Duncan. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss in the title role of Glenn Holland, ...

''. Similarly, in 2002, she was in a Japanese stage production of '' When Harry Met Sally...''. In 2003, Anza returned to doing musicals by taking on the role of Eponine in several

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer an ...

productions of ''

'' through till 2006. In 2004, Anza appeared as Ellen in one production of ''

Miss Saigon ''Miss Saigon'' is a stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera ''Madame Butterfly'', and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed rom ...

'' (also produced by Toho) as well as a Japanese adaptation of

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

's '' Three Sisters'' in the role of Irina. She also appeared in Vamps' 2009 music video for their cover of

Shampoo Shampoo () is a hair care product, typically in the form of a viscous liquid, that is used for cleaning hair. Less commonly, shampoo is available in solid bar format. Shampoo is used by applying it to wet hair, massaging the product into the ...

's "Trouble".

Discography

;Solo * * "Dream" (April 18, 1998) * – 2nd opening theme song to the ''

'' anime * – ending theme song to the ''

'' anime * – ending theme song to the '' Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal: The Movie Part 2'' anime ;With Sakurakko Club Sakura-gumi * * * * * ;With Momo * Just Combination (1993) * Summer Candle -Momo in New Caledonia ( VHS, 1993) ** Pocket Bell Night wa 5643# (1994) ;With

* ''Memorial Album of the Musical “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”: An Alternate Legend: The Dark Kingdom Revival Story'' * ''Memorial Album of the Musical 2 “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon S”: Usagi — The Path to Become the Soldier of Love'' * ''Memorial Album of the Musical 3 “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon SuperS”: Dream Warriors — Love — Into Eternity...'' * ''Memorial Album of the Musical 4 “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon Sailor Stars”'' * ''Memorial Album of the Musical 5 “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon” Eternal Legend'' * ''Memorial Album of the Musical “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”: ~ Best Sound Track ~'' * ''Memorial Album of the Musical “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”: Theme Songs 1993~1999'' * ''Memorial Album of the Musical “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”: Best Songs Collection —Best Songs Chosen by Fans—'' * ''Memorial Album of the Musical “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”: Love Ballad Edition'' * ''Memorial Album of the Musical “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”: Dark Side Edition: Best Songs'' ;With Head Phones President See '' Head Phones President discography'' ;With Vitamin-Q * ''Vitamin-Q Featuring Anza'' (December 12, 2008) ;Other * "Mienai Chizu" - song insert at episode 68 of ''

'' * "Ai wo Shizumeteru" - the ending theme song of the

game ''

'', 1999 * - Dragon Guardian, at album ''The Best of Dragon Guardian Saga"

Musicals

Anza performed as Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon in the following musicals: * 1993 - Summer Special Musical Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon - Gaiden Dark Kingdom Fukkatsu Hen * 1994 - Winter Special Musical Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon - Gaiden Dark Kingdom Fukkatsu Hen-(Kaiteiban) * 1994 - Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon - Super Spring Festival * 1994 - Summer Special Musical Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S - Usagi: Ai no Senshi e no Michi * 1995 - Winter Special Musical Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S - Henshin – Super Senshi e no Michi- * 1995 - Spring Spring Special Musical Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S - Henshin - Super Senshi e no Michi (Kaiteiban) * 1995 - Summer Special Musical Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon SuperS - Yume Senshi - Ai - Eien ni... * 1996 - Spring Special Musical Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon SuperS - (Kaiteiban) Yume Senshi - Ai - Eien ni... Saturn Fukkatsu Hen * 1996 - Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon SuperS - Special Musical Show * 1996 - Summer Special Musical Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon - Sailor Stars * 1997 - Winter Special Musical Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon - Sailor Stars (Kaiteiban) * 1997 - Summer Special Musical Bishoujo Senshi - Eien Densetsu * 1998 - Winter Special Musical Bishoujo Senshi - Eien Densetsu (Kaiteiban) - The Final First Stage ;As herself/guest * 1998 - ''Golden Week Fan Kansha Event'' * 1999 - ''Boys Be ... Alive'' * 2000 - ''500kai Kouen Kinen - 500th Performance Special~'' * 2002 Spring 10th Anniversary Festival * Dai 2 Bu - Memorial Talk & Live Show * 777kai Kouen Kinen - 777th Performance of Sera Myu ;Other musicals * 1997–1998 - Chiruchiru in ''2050 no Aoi Tori'' * 2000 - Rowena Morgan in ''

'' * 2002 - Emily Diner in '' When Harry Met Sally...'' * 2003–2006 - Eponine in ''

''. * 2004 - Ellen in ''

''. * 2004 - Irina Sergeyevna Prozorova in '' Three Sisters''. * 2006, 2009, 2013 - Ayaka in ''Gift''. * 2007 - Sint-Margherita in ''Ai, Toki wo Koete Sekigahara Ibun'' * 2008 - Julia in ''Rag and Jewelry''. * 2008 - Homma Ayako in ''Only You Really Musical''. * 2008 - Tsukino Yayoi in ''Ninshin Sasete'' * 2008 - Julia (Sawamoto Yuriko) in ''Boro to Houseki'' * 2008 - Honma Ayako in ''Kiss Yori mo Setsunaku'' * 2009 - Madeleine in ''

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg ''The Umbrellas of Cherbourg'' (french: Les Parapluies de Cherbourg) is a 1964 musical romantic drama film written and directed by Jacques Demy, with music and lyrics by Michel Legrand. Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo star as two young l ...

'' * 2009 - Amneris in ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December ...

'' * 2016 - Hikaru in ''STAND IN THE WORLD - THE ROCK MUSICAL SHOW''

Filmography

992 Year 992 ( CMXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Worldwide * Winter – A superflare from the sun causes an Aurora Borealis, with visibility as fa ...

Susume! Chikyū bōei shōjo-tai (Earth Defense Corps Girl! Promoted) - herself *

Chuugakusei Nikki (Junior High School Diary) - herself *

998 Year 998 ( CMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – Otto III retakes Rome and restores power in the papal city. Crescenti ...

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner - Kamiya Tōichirō *

009 009 may refer to: * OO9, gauge model railways * O09, FAA identifier for Round Valley Airport * 0O9, FAA identifier for Ward Field, see List of airports in California * British secret agent 009, see 00 Agent * BA 009, see British Airways Flight 9 * ...

Trouble Trouble may refer to: Film and television * ''Trouble'' (1922 film), an American silent comedy-drama film directed by Albert Austin * ''Trouble'' (1933 film), a British comedy film * ''Trouble'' (1977 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Trouble'' ...

- music video for Vamps

Photobooks

* ''Anza Complete'' (1997)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anza 1976 births Living people Actors from Nagasaki Prefecture Anime musicians English-language singers from Japan Former Stardust Promotion artists Japanese child actresses Japanese child singers Japanese women heavy metal singers Japanese women pop singers Japanese women rock singers Japanese idols Japanese stage actresses Musicians from Nagasaki Prefecture Nu metal singers South African emigrants to Japan 20th-century Japanese actresses 21st-century Japanese actresses 20th-century Japanese women singers 20th-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers 21st-century Japanese singers Actresses from Cape Town