Kuroneko
File:Kuronekoposter.jpg Mexican poster for Kuroneko
Directed by	Kaneto Shindo
Produced by	Nichiei Shinsha
Written by	Kaneto Shindo
Starring	Kichiemon Nakamura Nobuko Otowa Kiwako Taichi Kei Sato Hideo Kanze
Music by	Hikaru Hayashi
Cinematography	Kiyomi Kuroda
Editing by	Hisao Enoki
Studio	Kindai Eiga Kyokai
Release date(s)	Feb 24, 1968
Running time	95 min.
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

Kuroneko (藪の中の黒猫, Yabu no Naka no Kuroneko^?) is a 1968 Japanese horror film, directed by Kaneto Shindo. The English title means "Black Cat". (The Japanese title means "Black cat in a [bamboo] grove".) It is a black-and-white film.

Plot[link]

In the Sengoku period, a woman (Nobuko Otowa) and her daughter-in-law Shige (Kiwako Taichi) who live in a house in a bamboo grove are raped and murdered by soldiers, and their house is burned down. A black cat appears, licking at the bodies.

The women return as ghosts with the appearance of fine ladies, who wait at a gate called Rashomon. They find samurai and bring them to an illusory mansion in the bamboo grove where the burnt-out house was. They seduce and then kill the samurai like cats, tearing their throats with teeth.

A young man, Gintoki, (Nakamura Kichiemon II) fortuitously kills an enemy leader. He brings the decapitated head to show the governor, Raiko (Kei Sato). Gintoki is made a samurai in acknowledgement. When he goes looking for his mother and bride, he finds their house burned down and the women missing.

Raiko tells Gintoki to find and destroy the ghosts who are killing the samurai. Gintoki encounters the two women and realizes that they are his mother and wife. They have made a pact with the underworld to return and kill samurai in revenge for their deaths. Because Gintoki has become a samurai, by their pact they must kill him, but the bride breaks her pledge to spend seven nights of love with Gintoki. Then, because she has broken the pact, she is condemned to the underworld. Gintoki tells Raiko that he has destroyed one of the ghosts.

Gintoki encounters the other ghost again at Rashomon trying to seduce samurai. After seeing her reflection as a ghost in a pool of water, he attacks her with his sword, cutting off her arm, which takes on the appearance of a cat's arm. She returns to retrieve the arm and then disappears by flying through a roof. Finally Gintoki is left flailing his sword around in the illusory mansion. The mansion disappears, and Gintoki is seen lying face up in the snow with his sword in hand.

Reception[link]

It was placed in competition at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival,^[1] but the festival was cancelled due to the events of May 1968 in France.

Cast[link]

• Kichiemon Nakamura: Gintoki
• Nobuko Otowa: Yone (Mother)
• Kiwako Taichi: Shige (Daughter-in-Law)
• Kei Sato: Raiko
• Taiji Tonoyama: A Farmer
• Rokko Toura: A Samurai
• Hideo Kanze: Mikado
• Hideaki Esumi:
• Masashi Oki:

References[link]

External links[link]

• "藪の中の黒猫 (Yabu no Naka no Kuroneko)" (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1968/cr000450.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-18. 
• Criterion Collection Essay by Maitland McDonagh
• Kuroneko at the Internet Movie Database
• Kuroneko at AllRovi
• Review of Kuroneko DVD from 2010 at New York Times

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Kana Hanazawa 花澤香菜
Born	(1989-02-25) February 25, 1989 (age 23) Tokyo
Occupation	Voice actress
Website
http://osawa-inc.co.jp/infos/index/00160

Kana Hanazawa (花澤香菜, Hanazawa Kana^?, born February 25, 1989) a voice actress represented by Office Osawa talent agency.^[1] She is notable for voice acting leading roles for a number of anime television shows and other anime-related media in Japan.

Anime voice roles[link]

Leading roles in bold

2003

• Last Exile (Holly Mad-thane)

2006

• Dai Mahō Tōge (Potaru)^[1]
• Zegapain (Ryoko Kaminagi)^[1]

2007

• Getsumento Heiki Mina (Nakoru Hazemi)^[1]
• Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (Satomi)
• Mushi-Uta (Shiika Anmoto)^[1]
• Potemayo (Potemayo)^[1]
• Sketchbook ~full color's~ (Sora Kajiwara)

2008

• Blassreiter (Elea)
• Gunslinger Girl -Il Teatrino- (Angelica)
• Kannagi (Zange, Hakua Suzushiro)
• Kyōran Kazoku Nikki (Yūka Midarezaki)
• Sekirei (Kusano)
• Someday's Dreamers: Summer Skies (Sora Suzuki)
• Strike Witches (Amaki Suwa)
• To Love-Ru (Mikan Yuuki)

2009

• Asu no Yoichi! (Kagome Ikaruga)
• Basquash! (Coco JD)
• Bakemonogatari (Nadeko Sengoku)
• Cencoroll (Yuki)
• Kobato (Kobato Hanato)
• Darker Than Black: Ryūsei no Gemini (Suou Pavlichenko)
• Pandora Hearts (Sharon Reinsworth)
• To Love-Ru OVA (Mikan Yuki)
• The Tower of Druaga (Henaro)

2010

• Angel Beats! (Angel/Kanade Tachibana)
• Asobi ni Iku yo! (Aoi Futaba)
• B Gata H Kei (Mayu Miyano)
• Black Rock Shooter (Mato Kuroi / Black Rock Shooter)
• Durarara!! (Anri Sonohara)
• Hen Zemi (Nanako Matsutaka)
• Kuragehime (Tsukimi Kurashita)
• Ladies versus Butlers! (Ayse Khadim)
• Maid Sama! (Sakura Hanazono)
• Motto To Love-Ru (Mikan Yuuki)
• Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai (Kuroneko/Ruri Gokou)
• Otome Yōkai Zakuro (Susukihotaru)
• Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin (Kozue Naruse)
• Seikon no Qwaser (Fumika Mitarai)
• Sekirei: Pure Engagement (Kusano)
• Strike Witches 2 (Amaki Suwa)
• Toaru Kagaku no Railgun (Erī Haruue)
• The World God Only Knows (Shiori Shiomiya)
• .hack//Quantum (Sakuya / Aida Asumi)

2011

• Ao no Exorcist (Moriyama Shiemi)
• Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai (Kobato Hasegawa)
• Deadman Wonderland (Shiro)
• Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko (Hanazawa-san)
• Dog Days (Noir Vinocacao)
• Fractale (Nessa)
• Freezing (Lana Linchen)
• Guilty Crown (Ayase Shinomiya, young Yahiro)
• IS (Infinite Stratos) (Charlotte Dunois)
• Last Exile -Fam, The Silver Wing- (Alvis E. Hamilton)
• Kamisama Dolls (Mahiru Hyūga)
• Mayo Chiki! (Kureha Sakamachi)
• Mobile Suit Gundam AGE (Romary Stone)
• Morita-san wa Mukuchi (Mayu Morita)
• Moshidora - (Yuki Miyata)
• Ro-Kyu-Bu! (Tomoka Minato)
• Steins;Gate (Mayuri Shīna)

2012

• Aquarion Evol (Zessica Wong)
• Black Rock Shooter (Mato Kuroi / Black Rock Shooter)
• Dog Days' (Noir Vinocacao)
• Fate/Prototype OVA (Ayaka Sajyou)
• Hagure Yūsha no Estetica (Kuzuha Doumoto)
• Inu x Boku SS (Karuta Roromiya)
• Mōretsu Pirates (Chiaki Kurihara)
• Nisemonogatari (Nadeko Sengoku)
• Saki: Achiga-hen (Kuro Matsumi)
• Sengoku Collection (Ieyasu Tokugawa)
• Sket Dance (Saaya Agata)
• Zetman (Konoha Amagi)

Drama CD[link]

• Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai (Kuroneko)
• Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai (Kobato Hasegawa)
• D-Fragments (Ruka Shibasaki)

Theater animation[link]

• Book Girl (Tōko Amano)
• Blood-C:The Last Dark (Hiro Tsukiyama)
• King of Thorn (Kasumi Ishiki)
• Break Blade (Cleo)

Video game voice roles[link]

• Steins;Gate (Mayuri Shīna)
• Tales of Graces (Sophie) ^[2]
• Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3 (Sophie)
• Tokimeki Memorial 4 (Rhythmy Kyono)
• Idolm@ster Dearly Stars (Eri Mizutani)
• Daemon Bride (Nina Sumeragi)
• Rune Factory Oceans (Iris)
• To Love-Ru -Trouble- Waku Waku! Rinkangakkō-hen (Mikan Yuuki)
• Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai Portable (Kuroneko)
• Gloria Union (Ruru)
• Rewrite (Kagari)
• Nora to Toki no Kōbō: Kiri no Mori no Majo (Sirkka Bjorn)
• Final Fantasy Type-0 (Deuce)
• Chaos Rings (Mana)
• Cosmic Break (Melfi)
• Persona 4: The Golden (Marie)
• Tokyo Babel (Ragel)
• Heroes Phantasia (Suou Pavlichenko)
• Sol Trigger (Ema) ^[3]
• Toki to Towa (Toki) ^[4]
• Aria The Origination ~Aoi Hoshi no Il Cielo~ (Agnes Dumas)
• Hyperdimension Neptunia V: Game Over (Pururut/Iris Heart)

Directing[link]

• Hoshiimo Paradise: Kanbutsu wo koeta ai (Radio Drama)
• Hoshiimo Paradise 2: Bannou Negio wo kyushutsu seyo! (Drama CD)

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Nakagami, Yoshikatsu et al. "Voice Actress Spotlight". Newtype USA 6 (11) 144–145. November 2007. ISSN 1541-4817.
2. ^ From game's official website http://tog.namco-ch.net/
3. ^ "First Sol trigger details". Gematsu. 2012-3-6. http://gematsu.com/2012/03/first-sol-trigger-details. 
4. ^ "Toki to Towa detailed in Famitsu". Gematsu. 2012-1-18. http://gematsu.com/2012/01/toki-to-towa-detailed-in-famitsu. 

External links[link]

• Kana Hanazawa at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia

This biographical article about a Japanese voice actor or actress is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Kanon Wakeshima
Kanon Wakeshima performing at Japan Expo 2009
Background information
Born	(1988-06-28) June 28, 1988 (age 23)
Origin	Tokyo
Genres	Neoclassical dark wave, dark ambient, baroque rock
Occupations	Singer, musician, cellist
Instruments	Vocals, cello
Years active	2008–present
Labels	DefStar Records, Maru Music
Website	www.kanonweb.jp

Kanon Wakeshima (分島 花音, Wakeshima Kanon^?, born June 28, 1988)^{[dubious – discuss]} is a Japanese singer and cellist.^[1] Produced by musician and fashion designer Mana, Wakeshima debuted under the DefStar Records label on May 28, 2008 with the single "Still Doll", the ending theme for the anime adaptation of the manga series Vampire Knight. She also provided the voice for a maid that appears in the eighth episode of the series. Wakeshima's second single "Suna no Oshiro", released on November 12, 2008, was used as the ending theme for the series' second season (subtitled Guilty).^[2]

She was nominated for a Best Newcomer award for 2008 in the fourth annual Shōjo Beat Music Awards, nominees of which are determined by surveying "record companies, music journalists, music experts, and music fans".^[1]

Biography[link]

Before her birth, Wakeshima's music-loving parents wished that she would be a musician. At the age of three, she began learning cello, marking her entry into the world of music. In junior high school she formed her own ensemble group. At the age of fifteen, she transited from her former classical ensembles into playing in the baroque section. Appearing in a variety of recitals and concerts throughout her school years, she began writing her own music and combining singing with her cello playing at the age of sixteen. As she transited from junior high school to high school, she began writing her own music and singing. She gave her first vocal performances during a high school festival.^[3]

Wakeshima auditioned at Sony Music Entertainment as a singer, originally not intending to include her cello playing with her demo tape, but later changed her mind after experimenting with performing with the piano. She became a finalist at the audition, contracting with the Sony subsidiary DefStar Records and debuting on May 28, 2008 with her first single, "Still Doll.^[4] The single was chosen as the ending theme for the first season of the anime adaptation of Vampire Knight.^[2][5][6]

She uses cellos, one for performing, one for music videos and one for recording. Wakeshima has given each cello a name. The white cello is known as "Mikazuki-san", which means "crescent moon" and this is the cello she normally uses during live performances. The red cello is known as "Nanachie-san", which means "wisdom" used in most music videos. According to Wakeshima, Nanachie-san is very hard to play but she manages. Her third cello is a brown cello called "Yaeharu-san", which means "multi-layered spring". Yaeharu-san is very special to Wakeshima as she has had it since middle school, and it is the one she practices on and records with. Currently, she has a new silver cello named "Momotose."^[7]

She has recently formed a duo with An Cafe's bassist Kanon, called Kanon×Kanon. The duo sang the second theme song for the anime adaptation of Shiki, called "Calendula Requiem".

Kanon×Kanon recently made a song "Koi no Doutei" in their newest single, which was later made the OP (opening song) for the new anime "30-sai no Hoken Taiiku" that came out the spring of 2011.

Overseas Performances[link]

Kanon has done numerous performances overseas, including being invited to Japan Expo 2009 in Paris, France and Otakon 2009 in Baltimore, MD. Kanon has also done short concerts in San Francisco and Los Angeles. She was also invited to AM²^[8] 2011, an anime convention in Anaheim, where she had both, a solo and a KanonXKanon concert. Following AM2 Kanon also appeared at Hyper Japan 2011 in London in July and in Ani-Com and Games Hong Kong 2011.

Kanon is also scheduled to perform in various cities in Europe at the end of 2011 as Kanon×Kanon^[9]

The Europe Tour venues and dates are as follows:

04.11.11 Moscow Concert Hall- Moscow / Russia

05.11.11 Zal Ozhidania Club - St.Petersburg / Russia

07.11.11 Tavastia - Helsinki / Finland

09.11.11 Club 202 - Budapest / Hungary

11.11.11 Columbia Club - Berlin / Germany

12.11.11 Zeche - Bochum / Germany

14.11.11 De Helling - Utrecht / Netherlands

15.11.11 Le Marche Gare - Lyon / France

16.11.11 Divan du Monde - Paris / France

18.11.11 O2 Academy Islington - London / GB^[10]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Shinshoku Dolce (侵食ドルチェ^?, "Sweetness Violation", 2009)^[2]
• Lolitawork Libretto (少女仕掛けのリブレット～LOLITAWORK LIBRETTO～, Shōjo Jikake no Riburetto ~LOLITAWORK LIBRETTO~^?, "A Libretto on What Makes a Girl Work", 2010)^[2]

Singles[link]

• "Still Doll" (2008)^[2] Oricon Singles chart peak rank 33^[11]
• "Suna no Oshiro" (砂のお城^?, "Sand Castle", 2008)^[2] Oricon Singles chart peak rank 39^[12]
• "Tōmei no Kagi" (透明の鍵^?, "Transparent Key", 2009) (digital download, theme song of the online game Avalon no Kagi)^[13]

As KanonxKanon[link]

• "Calendula Requiem" (カレンデュラ レクイエム, 2010)^[14]
• "Koi no Doutei" (2011)^[15]

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} North, Dale (February 2009). "Fourth Annual Shojo Beat Music Awards". Shojo Beat (Viz Media) 5 (2): 315–216. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "ディスコグラフィ" (in Japanese). Sony Music Online. http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Arch/DF/kanonwakeshima/m_disco.html. Retrieved 2009-01-05. 
3. ^ Sugie, Yuki. "Artist Profile: Kanon Wakeshima". Sony Music. http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/kanonwakeshima/profile/eng.html. Retrieved 2009-01-05. 
4. ^ Takahashi, Szkoropad (translator). "Kanon Wakeshima Special Feature". CD Japan/Neowing. http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/jpop/essentials/kanon_wakeshima.html. Retrieved 2009-01-06. 
5. ^ "音楽情報サイト" (in Japanese). Hot Express Music Magazine. 2008-03-25. http://www.hotexpress.co.jp/news/080325_kanon/. Retrieved 2009-01-05. 
6. ^ "J!-ENT INTERVIEW: Kanon Wakeshima by J!-ENT's Dennis A. Amith". http://www.nt2099.com/J-ENT/INTERVIEWS/kanon-wakeshima/kanonwakeshima.pdf. Retrieved 2009-08-11. 
7. ^ Wakeshima, Kanon. "The Lolita Revolution". The Lolita Revolution. http://ameblo.jp/wakeshima. Retrieved 9 September 2011. 
8. ^ "AM2 Convention". AM2 Convention. AM2Con. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AM%C2%B2. Retrieved 8 July 2011. 
9. ^ Wakeshima, Kanon. "Kanon Wakeshima". http://www.kanonweb.jp/main.html. Retrieved 2 September 2011. 
10. ^ Kanon, Kanon. "kanonxkanon Information". http://www.kanonkanon.net/info/index.html. Retrieved 25 October 2011. 
11. ^ "Still Doll, Kanon Wakeshima" (in Japanese). Oricon. http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/release/d/762114/1/. Retrieved 2009-01-20. 
12. ^ "Suna No Oshiro, Kanon Wakeshima" (in Japanese). Oricon. http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/release/d/786316/1/. Retrieved 2009-01-20. 
13. ^ "フランス・アメリカを熱狂させたチェロ・シンガー、分島花音が新曲発表" (in Japanese). Livedoor News. Livedoor. 2009-09-17. http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/4353599/. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
14. ^ "kanonxkanon" (in Japanese). Sony Music Online. http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Arch/DF/kanon_kanon/index.html. Retrieved 2010-09-06. 
15. ^ "koi no dotei". http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=DFCL-1774. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kanon Wakeshima

• Official Website (Japanese)
• Kanon Wakeshima at Maru Music
• Kanon Wakeshima Interview at Anime Dream
• Kanon Wakeshima Interview for Purple SKY
• Getting ready for the first UK performance from gothic Lolita icon Kanon Wakeshima