Hi all!
I am saddened to report that voice actor Shusei Nakamura, who was the voice of the Narrator in Gatchaman II, passed away on July 30th. He was 79 years old.
Mr. Nakamura was born in Tokyo on March 9, 1935. He was raised in the Nagano prefecture after his family was evacuated there during the war. After graduating from Ueda High School, he attended Shinshu University.
He returned to Tokyo in 1956, intending to become a director for stage plays, but his own acting abilities soon led him to performing in plays instead. In 1959, he made his debut as a voice acting, dubbing guest characters in the Japanese language version of the TV series "Rawhide."
With the birth of TV anime in 1963, Mr. Nakamura soon found his baritone voice further in demand. He first came to prominence as the voice of Coach Hongo in the 1969 volleyball series "Attack No. 1," but his place in anime history is indelibly linked to two other roles. The first of these is for his work as Toru Rikiishi, the chief rival of boxer Joe Yabuki in the 1970 TV series "Tomorrow's Joe." The second came when he gave life to Daisuke Shima, the Chief Navigator of the Yamato in the 1974 TV series "Space Battleship Yamato" (Or, to use the names from the English dub better known here, Mark Venture of the Argo in "Star Blazers"). He would return to both roles several times in their various feature films and sequel series.
Mr. Nakamura came to the world of Gatchaman in 1978. When Hideo Kinoshita, the voice of the Narrator in the original "Gatchaman," was unavailable to reprise his role in "Gatchaman II," the open spot was ably filled by Mr. Nakamura. When "Gatchaman II" continued into "Gatchaman Fighter," Mr. Nakamura stepped down from the series and was replaced by Rokuro Naya.
Mr. Nakamura did make one final contribution to Gatchaman, returning to perform the role of Sharam, Marstora's cyborg soldier in episode #29 of "Gatchaman Fighter."
Mr. Nakamura remained busy with voice work throughout the 1980s and 1990s, appearing in such productions as "Vifam, " "Dancougar," and "Legend of the Galactic Heroes." His performances became fewer in the 2000s, and he officially retired in 2008. Despite this, he did return to the microphone occasionally, with some of his final performances being the role of Narrator in Hitachi commercials, and the Narrator for a documentary on the Rokudayama Park, which he produced for the Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association.
Because of his role in "Tomorrow's Joe," news of Mr. Nakamura's death has been carried in many sporting news outlets, not just the usual entertainment news services. Mr. Nakamura's family has already held the funeral services, but they are planning to hold a "farewell meeting" for fans and officials at a future date.
James
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