Mariko Shiga

was a Japanese idol star and voice actress born in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan. She is mostly known for her lead role as the voice of Yumi Hanazono, the main character of the 1980s anime Pastel Yumi, the Magic Idol. Shiga attended and graduated from Funabashi Municipal High School, before enrolling overseas in the University of California, Riverside in 1989.

While on a trip to Arizona in November of that same year, Shiga was killed in a car accident near Flagstaff, when she was thrown from the vehicle due to the car rolling, as it swerved to avoid hitting a deer that jumped out in front of the car she was riding in. She died thirty-one days before her 20th birthday.

Biography

Idol and voice actress career Shiga had a starring role as one of the children answering questions in the NHK quiz show Donna Mondai Q TV from 1984 to 1985. She performed the song Yume no Naka no Rondo, which was used as the theme song for the July 1985 OVA Magical Princess Minky Momo: La Ronde in My Dream. In 1986, Shiga played the role of Yumi Hanazono, the main character in Magical Idol Pastel Yumi. Her single, Freesia no Shōnen, was used as a theme song for the same series, and this helped her gain in popularity. After playing the role of Yumi and performing the theme song for the series, she officially made her debut as an idol singer under Warner Pioneer.

The actual debut song as a singer is the song "Dream Rondo -Rondo-" released in 1985 by Victor Music Industry (now JVC Kenwood Victor Entertainment). This song was used as the theme song for the OVA Magical Princess Kanojo no Minkyomomo Yume no Naka no Rondo released in July 1985.

After that, in Magical Idol Pastel Yumi (1986), she voiced the main character Yumi Hanazono, and was in charge of the theme song "Freesia no Shounen". For this reason, "Yume no Naka no Rondo -Rondo-" is now considered a pre-debut song.

Shiga's only song to be listed on the Oricon Top 100 Weekly Rankings is Freesia, which ranked as high as #48 during the week of March 31, 1987.

During the promotion of her second single, she appeared as a guest on the radio program "Kenji and Yasuko's Omoshiro Land" (Nippon Cultural Broadcasting). She stated that she had a calm voice for a female idol at the time.

Retirement from the entertainment industry In April 1988, when Shiga entered university, she faced the problem of balancing her studies and activities in the entertainment industry, and retired from the entertainment industry. In August 1989, she went to study abroad at the University of California, Riverside, in order to learn languages and jazz, which was her favorite music genre.

At the 10th anniversary event of the founding of Studio Pierrot held in July of the same year, she temporarily returned and acted as a moderator. This is due to the fact that the production studio of Pastel Yumi, which was the voice actor for the main character, was "Studio Pierrot", and the relationship was deep.

Death On November 23, 1989 (24th Japan time), while Shiga was on a short trip with four friends after studying abroad, a deer jumped out in front of the car they were riding in on a freeway near Flagstaff, Arizona; in order to avoid hitting the deer, the driver suddenly turned the steering wheel while driving at a high speed, causing a traffic accident in which the car overturned. (LP) L-12579, Cassette LKF-8129, released 1986-06-25 (CD) 32XL-157, released 1986-07-25 (CD) WPC6-8202, released 1996-04-25 Natsu yori Tōku made Suki Canvas Twilight Brooch Girl Friend Wonder in My Heart Shiokaze Station Taiyō ni Naritai Ame ni Nurete Ponytail Hishochi no Yakusoku Hikōki Kumo

mariko+3 (Warner Pioneer) (CD) 25L2-76 All songs by Fusako Amachi except 3-4, which are by Mariko Shiga. Gomen Gomen no Uta Sasuke to Tomodachi Fumikiri de Yūhi no Uta Kumo no Mokumoku Halley Suisei Tabetemitai na Akai Pīman Kamisamatte Nannano Boku no Tōsan Yūyake ga Mieru kara Supermarket Blues

Oshiete Idol Warner Music-hen Sono Ki ni Sasete (CD) Warner Pioneer, PCD-1368/WQCL-78 Sentimental Mini Romance (Atsumi Kurasawa) Bye-bye Boy ni Shite Ageru (Naomi Hosokawa) Futari wa Magic (Asuka Suita) Koi no Magnitude (Yoshimi Yokosuka) Sono Ki ni Sasete (Rie Hatada) My Boy (Kumiko Takeda) Chotto Henshin (Yasuko Obara) Honey Moon (A-cha) Ōenshiteru kara ne (Miki Fujitani) Cinderella Liberty mo Hecchara (Youki Kudoh) Sukeban Deka III Theme Song Medley (Yui Asaka) Honmoku Rainy Blues (Kyōko Katō) Koibito-tachi no Nagai Yoru (Yuki Hoshino) Rainy Day Hello (Mariko Shiga) Jamaican Affair (Yuki Okazaki) Yūgure Bon Voyage (Mikako Hashimoto) Hana no yō ni (Miyuki Sugiura)

Emotion 20th Anniversary Theme Collection - OVA & Movie (CD) Victor Entertainment, VICL-60938 Disc 1 Dallos no Theme (Horn Spectrum, from Dallos) Yume no Naka no Rondo (Mariko Shiga, from Magical Princess Minky Momo: La Ronde in My Dream) Active Heart (Noriko Sakai, from Gunbuster) Try Again... (Noriko Sakai, from Gunbuster) The Winner (Miki Matsubara, from Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory) Magic (Jacob Wheeler, from Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory) Just Fallin' Love: Ikustu mo no Setsunai Yoru no Naka de (Ayako Udagawa, from Dominion) Kaze no Tsubasa (Hitomi Mieno, from Haou Taikei Ryuu Knight: Adeu's Legend) Point 1 (Yumiko Takahashi, from Haou Taikei Ryuu Knight: Adeu's Legend) Toketeiku Yume no Hate ni (Yayoi Gotō, from Iria: Zeiram the Animation) 100mph no Yūki (Sakiko Tamagawa and Akiko Hiramatsu, from You're Under Arrest) Arittake no Jōnetsu de (Sakiko Tamagawa and Akiko Hiramatsu, from You're Under Arrest) After, in the Dark: Torch Song (Mai Yamane and Gabriela Robin, from Macross Plus) Inori no Asa (Miwako Saitō, from Shamanic Princess) Omoide no Mori (Miwako Saitō, from Shamanic Princess) Future Shock (cherry, from Birdy the Mighty)

Disc 2 Ai, Oboete Imasu ka (long version) (Mari Iijima, from The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?) Tenshi no Enogu (Mari Iijima, from The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?) Akira no Theme (Geinoh Yamashirogumi, from Akira) Voices (Akino Arai, from Macross Plus (movie edition)) Heart & Soul (Emilia with Basara Nekki, from Macross 7: The Galaxy Is Calling Me!) In Yer Memory (Takkyū Ishino, from Memories) Calling (Nitro, from You're Under Arrest: The Movie) Tōi Kono Machi de (Naomi Kaitani, from Cardcaptor Sakura) Ashita e no Melody (Chaka, from Cardcaptor Sakura) Yubiwa (single version) (Maaya Sakamoto, from The Vision of Escaflowne) Grace - Jinroh Main Theme - Omega (Hajime Mizoguchi, from Jin-Roh) Ask DNA (The Seatbelts, from Cowboy Bebop: Heaven's Door)

Soundtracks Magical Princess Minky Momo: Yume no Naka no Rondo Ongakuhen (LP) Victor Entertainment, JBX-25066 (CD) Victor Entertainment, VDR-1073 Magical Princess Minky Momo: Fenarinarsa Song Festival (CD) Victor Entertainment, VDR-1085 Dendō Twin Series Magical Princess Minky Momo TV-ban OVA-ban (CD) Victor Entertainment, VICL-60419/20 Magical Idol Pastel Yumi Ongakuhen Vol.1 (LP) Warner Pioneer, K-10037 (CD) Warner Pioneer, 30XL-149 Magical Idol Pastel Yumi Ongakuhen Sōshūhen (LP) Warner Pioneer, K-10038 (CD) Warner Pioneer, 30XL-164 Natsukashi no Music Clip 42 Magical Idol Pastel Yumi (CD) Toshiba EMI, TOCT-10402

Awards In 2001, Shiga was posthumously awarded the "Natsukashi no Ongaku Daishō" at the 17th Annual OGUmen Awards for her song Rainy Day Hello.