RIP Tomo Sakurai (1971-2025)
It is with great sadness I report the death if Tomo Sakurai, who has succumbed to cancer at age 53. The news was broken on her social feeds. Sakurai's career began in the year 1987 with the idol group Lemon Angel, who debuted an anime that same year. She starred in numerous anime throughout her life, with a big one among younger generations being the Japanese voice of Sinnoh champion Cynthia in the Pokémon franchise. She even reprised the role a number of times; after a voice acting hiatus from 2016 to 2019. Other roles included the title role of Licca-Chan, Hinowa in Gintama and Kaede in Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again. She even had a handful of video game credits to her name, including Rimururu in Samurai Showdown III and Emma Granger in Super Dimension Fortress Macross. I wish the best for Sakurai's colleagues and those close to her at this difficult time. May she rest in peace.
