(born February 10, 1960) is a Japanese

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income ...

who has written

J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1 ...

and

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

theme songs over her career.

Biography

Neko Oikawa was born in

Wakayama Wakayama may refer to: *Wakayama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan *Wakayama (city) Wakayama City Hall is the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 351,391 in 157066 househol ...

. She made her songwriting debut in 1985 with Kanako Wada's "Passing Through", which won the

Mitsubishi Minica The is a kei car produced by Mitsubishi Motors mainly for the Japanese domestic market from 1962 to 2011. It was first built by Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries, one of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' three regional automotive companies until they we ...

Mascot Song Contest. During her time with Fuji Pacific Music, Oikawa wrote songs for numerous

Japanese idol An is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in acting, dancing, and modeling. Idols are commercialized through merchandise and endorsements b ...

s; most notably the duo

Wink A wink is a facial expression made by briefly closing one eye. A wink is an informal mode of non-verbal communication usually signaling shared hidden knowledge or intent. However, it is ambiguous by itself and highly dependent upon additional ...

. In 1989, her song "

Samishii Nettaigyo is the fifth single by Japanese idol duo Wink. Written by Neko Oikawa and Masaya Ozeki, the single was released on July 5, 1989 by Polystar Records. Background and release "Samishii Nettaigyo" was first used by Panasonic for their S-Type headph ...

" for Wink won the Grand Prix at the

31st Japan Record Awards The 31st Annual Japan Record Awards took place at the Nippon Budokan in Chiyoda, Tokyo, December 31, 1989, starting at 7:00PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS. Award winners *Japan Record Award: **Wink for "Samishii Net ...

and the 22nd All Japan Wired Broadcasting Awards. In 1994, her song "Tokyo" for

Yashiki Takajin , often referred to as simply , (5 October 1949 – 3 January 2014) was a Japanese singer and television personality. Born in Nishinari-ku, Osaka, Japan, to a Zainichi-issei Korean father Gonzaburou ( ) and a Japanese mother Mitsuko Yashiki ( j ...

won the Yomiuri TV Best Award and Special Award at the All Japan Cable Broadcasting Awards. Oikawa's most well-known song outside Japan is "

A Cruel Angel's Thesis , also known as "A Cruel Angel's Thesis", is a J-pop song performed by Japanese singer Yoko Takahashi. Toshiyuki Ōmori and Hidetoshi Satō composed the song, while Neko Oikawa wrote the lyrics. It was written for the opening theme of the anime t ...

", recorded by

Yoko Takahashi is a Japanese singer, who is best known for her work throughout the 1990s, most particularly for her singles which were performed for and featured in anime, most notably the ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' franchise. Career Takahashi began her ...

for the 1995 anime series ''

Neon Genesis Evangelion , also known simply as ''Evangelion'' or ''Eva'', is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Gainax and animated by Tatsunoko, directed by Hideaki Anno and broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 1995 to March 1996. ''Evangelion' ...

''. The song has been ranked by Joysound as the most popular song on

karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...

. According to Oikawa, she receives between 1 and 1.5 yen for every time every time the song is played at a karaoke hall. Combined with the royalties from the ''Evangelion''

pachinko is a mechanical game originating in Japan that is used as an arcade game, and much more frequently for gambling. Pachinko fills a niche in Japanese gambling comparable to that of the slot machine in the West as a form of low-stakes, low-st ...

machines, Oikawa receives no less than 30 million annually from the song alone. In 2017, Oikawa set up the to encourage more writers to do nonfiction works.

Personal life

Oikawa had an affair with a Turkish man 18 years her junior in 2000 and traveled to

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

to marry him in 2005. In their 13 years of marriage, they had only been together one-third of the time. She started going in debt during the marriage to the point where it reached 70 million by the time she filed for divorce in 2018. Oikawa published her biography , which detailed the last days of her marriage.

Works

Oikawa's works include the following: ;

Shoko Aida is a female J-pop artist and actress. She was born in Higashimurayama, Tokyo, and debuted as a member of the J-Pop duo Wink. She began working as a solo artist on 1 April 1996, one month after Wink dissolved. She collaborated with Kaori Iida f ...

* "Tapestry" ;

Agnes Chan Agnes Meiling Kaneko Chan (; Japanese: 金子陳美齢, ''Kaneko Chan Meirin'') is a Hong-Kong-born Japanese singer, television personality, university professor, essayist and novelist. Since 1998, Chan has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador a ...

* "Propose" ;

Rina Chinen (born 9 February 1981) is a Japanese entertainer, former singer, and musical theater actress. She is affiliated with Rising Production. History Rina Chinen took lessons as a child from the Okinawa Actors School. By the time she reached junior h ...

* "Pride + Joy" ;

Shizuka Kudo , known by her maiden name , is a Japanese singer, actress and former idol, born in Hamura, Tokyo, Japan. She was a member of Onyanko Club between May 1986 and September 1987 and went on to have a successful solo career with 11 number-one hits. ...

* "Sora no Shōmen" ;

Anthony Lun Anthony Lun (born 12 April 1957) is a Hong Kong songwriter, arranger, musical director and singer who sings in Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese and English. Biography Anthony Lun is a graduate of La Salle College, Hong Kong, Santa Clara Unive ...

* "Ai ga Aru kara" ;

Alisa Mizuki is a Japanese actress, singer, and model. Mizuki is represented by the talent agency Vision Factory. Born in Nerima, Tokyo to Japanese-American parents, Mizuki began modelling for magazines and appearing in commercials at the age of four. On M ...

* "Yasashii Yoru ni Aimashō" ;

Akina Nakamori is a Japanese Singing, singer and Actor, actress. She is one of the most popular and best-selling artists in Japan. Akina achieved national recognition after winning the 1981 season of the talent show ''Star Tanjō!''. Her debut single "Slow M ...

* " Genshi, Onna wa Taiyō Datta" ;

Yōko Oginome , real name , is a former pop idol, actress and voice actress, who gained popularity in the mid-1980s. Her fans often call her Oginome-chan. She is represented by the talent management firm Rising Production. Career Oginome spent most of her e ...

* "Himawari" * "Sunao na Koi" * "Heaven" * "Shiawase wa Sunadokei no Yō ni" * "Always" ;

Noriko Sakai is a Japanese given name for females. Possible writings * 徳子, "benevolence child" * 法子, "method, law child" * 則子, "rule child" * 紀子, "chronicle child" * 教子, "teach child" * 範子, "pattern child" * 典子, "rule, precedent, c ...

* "Eve no Tamago" * "Namida Hitotsubu" ;

Shonentai was a three-member Japanese idol group under the talent agency Johnny & Associates. They debuted on December 12, 1985. The group lead an annual musical ''Playzone'' from 1986 to 2008 for about 957 performances with a total attendance of over 1 ...

* "Excuse" ;

Super Monkey's were a Japanese pop-singing and dancing group that spawned the careers of Namie Amuro and some members of the girl group MAX, the group was active between 1992 till 1995 and that disbanded on 1996. History Pre-debut The group was originall ...

* " Aishite Muscat" * "Wagamama wo Yurushite" ;

* "

" * "Tamashii no Refrain" ;

* "Tokyo" ;

;

Tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, War film, war, fantasy, or Horror film, horror media featuring such te ...

themes * "

Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger is Toei's twenty-sixth production of the ''Super Sentai'' metaseries. The catchphrase for the series is . Its footage was used in the American series, ''Power Rangers Ninja Storm'' (the end credits listed the show as titled ''Hurricane Ranger ...

" * "

Juken Sentai Gekiranger is Toei Company's thirty-first entry in the ''Super Sentai'' metaseries. Production began on September 29, 2006 with principal photography beginning on October 6, 2006. It premiered on February 18, 2007 on TV Asahi's 2007 ''Super Hero Time'' prog ...

" * "

Shuriken Sentai Ninninger is a Japanese television series, the 39th entry of Toei's long-running Super Sentai metaseries, following '' Ressha Sentai ToQger''. It is the third ninja-based Sentai, and the fourth to be based on Japanese mythology and culture (after Samura ...

" * "

Ultraman Max is a Japanese Tokusatsu series produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Co., Ltd. Released as the 19th ''Ultra Series'', it aired from July 2, 2005, until April 1, 2006. The show aimed to return to the fast-paced formula ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oikawa, Neko 1960 births Japanese lyricists People from Wakayama Prefecture Living people