Nozomi Ōhashi

Nozomi Ōhashi
Nozomi Ōhashi in January 2009
Born (1999-05-09) May 9, 1999 (age 25)
Tokyo, Japan
Other namesNon-chan
Occupation(s)Child actress, singer
Years active2002–2012
Notable workShiroi Haru
The Quiz Show
Ponyo
Detective Conan: The Lost Ship in the Sky
WebsiteOfficial profile

Nozomi Ōhashi (大橋 のぞみ, Ōhashi Nozomi, born May 9, 1999) is a Japanese former child actress and singer attached to the Central Kodomo Gekidan talent agency.[1] She is noted for her role in the 2008 Studio Ghibli film Ponyo.[2] Nozomi has also starred in various Japanese television series.[3]

Ōhashi retired from acting in 2012.[4]

Career

Ohashi made her acting debut at the age of three,[5] and debuted as a singer with the song "Gake no Ue no Ponyo", which she sang together with the duo group Fujioka Fujimaki in 2007.[2] "Gake no Ue no Ponyo" is the theme song of the 2008 Studio Ghibli anime film Ponyo.[6]

When this single was first released on December 15, 2007, it debuted at 115 on the Oricon charts.[7] After the release of Ponyo, however, the single reached the number 3 position on the charts.[7] It remained on the Oricon Top 10 charts for ten consecutive weeks, a record for an artist under the age of 10.[8] This record was only broken by the single "Maru Maru Mori Mori!" in 2011.[8] For singing "Gake no Ue no Ponyo", Ohashi was invited to participate in the 59th edition of Kōhaku Uta Gassen, becoming the youngest participant in the history of this program.[9] In addition to singing the theme song for Ponyo, Ohashi also voiced the character of Karen in this film.[3]

In the 2009 Fuji TV drama Shiroi Haru, Ohashi starred as Sachi Murakami, one of the main characters in this television series.[10] She also played the lead role in a one-off television special drama Happy Birthday.[11] This drama aired on November 21, 2009 on the Fuji TV network.[11]

In 2011, Ohashi released her second single entitled "Panda no Yume".[12] The title track of this single was approved as the "Panda Welcoming Song" for Ueno Zoo by the zoo's publicity committee.[12] It was then used as a publicity song for the new panda exhibit that had opened at the zoo on April 1, 2011.[12] The single was later released in Japan on July 27, 2011.[12] In addition to releasing her single, Ohashi also starred in the television series Don Quixote.[3] She played the role of Airi Nakano in this NTV drama.[3]

Ohashi played a minor role in the film Shiawase no Pan, which was released in Japanese cinemas on January 28, 2012.[13]

On March 1, 2012, it was announced that Ōhashi would be retiring from show business to concentrate on her studies after entering junior high school.[4][14] Ōhashi's last day in show business was on March 31, 2012.[4] It was also announced that the film that Nozomi was supposed to star in, Daisuki na Kutsu o Haitara, had been cancelled due to production problems.[14]

She starred in the television program Jinsei ga Kawaru 1-Funkan no Fukaihanashi on March 19, 2012.[15] During this program, she sang the songs "Gake no Ue no Ponyo" and "Kyo no Hi wa Sayonara", both of which were featured in her album Non-chan Kumo ni Noru.[15] This was her last public appearance before her retirement from show business.[15]

Personal life

Nozomi Ōhashi is the youngest child in her family.[16] She has two sisters who are respectively 7 and 4 years her elder.[16] Her favorite actress is Mirai Shida.[17]

Television dramas

Film

Commercials

Discography

Singles

Albums

  • Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea Image Album "Ponyo's Lullaby"
  • Non-chan Kumo ni Noru (24 December 2008, Yamaha Music Communications)

References

  1. ^ "Nozomi Ohashi official profile". central-g (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
  2. ^ a b 大橋のぞみのヒストリー. Oricon (in Japanese). 6 March 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
  3. ^ a b c d 大橋のぞみ. Stingray (in Japanese). allcinema. Retrieved 2012-03-20..
  4. ^ a b c "Official Announcement on central-g website" (PDF). central-g (in Japanese). 2012-03-01. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2012-03-19.
  5. ^ 芸能芸能 実は誰よりも賢かった？ 「テレビ業界への再就職を見据えて……」？ 大橋のぞみ、子役引退の裏事情. cyzowoman (in Japanese). 9 March 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-24..
  6. ^ 崖の上のポニョ(2008). Stingray (in Japanese). allcinema. Retrieved 2012-03-20..
  7. ^ a b ポニョ主題歌、ジブリ曲で歴代最高3位＆「ツトム君」以来約32年ぶり快挙. Oricon, Inc. (in Japanese). 2008-07-29. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
  8. ^ a b "【オリコン】「マルモリ」、ポニョ超え記録の12週連続TOP10". Oricon, Inc. (in Japanese). 2011-08-16. Retrieved 2012-03-19.
  9. ^ 紅白最年少出場の大橋のぞみ、いつもは午後10時就寝も「最後まで頑張る！」. Oricon, Inc. (in Japanese). 2008-11-26. Retrieved 2012-03-19.
  10. ^ "白い春(2009)". allcinema. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
  11. ^ a b "ハッピーバースデー(2009)". allcinema. Retrieved 2012-03-20..
  12. ^ a b c d 大橋のぞみ、上野動物園初公認"パンダ歓迎ソング"歌う. Oricon, Inc. (in Japanese). 2011-06-27. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  13. ^ "しあわせのパン(2011)". allcinema. Retrieved 2012-03-20..
  14. ^ a b "Child star Ohashi Nozomi to retire from show business". Sports Hochi. Tokyograph. 5 March 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012. Translated from original article by Sports Hochi.
  15. ^ a b c "大橋のぞみが最後のメッセージ「中学生になったら将来の夢を決めたい」。". Narinari.com. 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2012-03-20..
  16. ^ a b "Her speech made in the program "Tetsuko no Heya"". Japan. 2009-02-18. TV Asahi. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  17. ^ Sankei Sports (in Japanese). Japan. Sankei Sports. 12 February 2009. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)