Houko Kuwashima

Houko Kuwashima (桑島 法子) is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is capable of playing a variety of roles, ranging from young boys to feminine women. She is affiliated with Aoni Production. Her first major role was as Yurika Misumaru in Martian Successor Nadesico and she has had lead or major roles in a number of others.

She has voiced characters in several video games. On film, she has had voice roles as the title character in Princess Arete and in Space Battleship Yamato 2199, Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa and Doraemon: Nobita in the Robot Kingdom.

She has performed songs for anime, such as "Tokihanate!" (解き放て), which was used as the opening theme to Blue Gender.

Biography
Although a shy child, she was interested in acting as an escape from her real self, especially when she saw the musical and television dramas at the Shiki Theatre Company.

While in elementary school, Kuwashima watched Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind while dreaming of becoming a voice actress. She wrote in a graduation collection, "I want to make the child's voices in the anime project of Hayao Miyazaki." She learned that there was no drama club or stage plays at the cultural festival at junior high school. At Iwate Prefectural Kurosawajiri North High School, she attended a correspondence course at Katsuta Voice Academy.The voice was recorded to cassette tape and corrected by the voice actor Hisashi Katsuta who was a director. However, attendance at the time of advancement was insufficient, and from the third year it was transferred to Iwate Prefectural Forest Mausoleum High School.

After graduating, she moved to Tokyo. She entered Aoiso in 1994. In auditions after graduation, about 20 out of 71 people passed the examination and joined Aoni Production. She made her debut in the 1995 anime series Sailor Moon S and voiced Necrokaizer in the OVA series adaptation Technōs/SNK's Neo Geo fighting game Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer. In 1996, in the anime series Martian Successor Nadesico, she had the role of the heroine Yurika Misumaru and gained popularity. She played Shiro Bonn in Bomberman B-Daman Bakugaiden and Maron Kusakabe in Phantom Thief Jeanne. In 1999, she sang the songs "Tokihanate!" and "Ai ga Oshiete Kureta", which were used as the opening and ending themes respectively to the anime series Blue Gender. She was appointed a cultural ambassador of Iwate Prefecture.

Video games
<!-- NEED NOTABILITY ja:ドキドキプリティリーグ || Shibata Hatsumi / Inamura Sanae / Nagano Hiroko 柴田はつみ／稲村早苗／永野博子 || PS1 / PS2 || メタルエンジェル3 || Izumi Tsukasa / Candy Field 和泉つかさ／キャンディ・フィールド || PS1 / PS2 || ja:悠久幻想曲 || Sheryl Christian シェリル・クリスティア || SS, PS1/PS2 || Sequence Palladium || Shannon Faces シャノン・ファンセス || PC (general) || ja:ときめきメモリアル ドラマシリーズ Vol.2 彩のラブソング || Misaki Suzune 美咲鈴音 || PS1 / PS2 || 東京23区制服WARS || Ami Yuuki 結城亜美 || PS1 / PS2 || 闘神伝カードクエスト || Shizuku Fuji / Master シズク・フジ／マスター || PS1 / PS2 || BLUE BREAKER BURST～微笑みを貴方と～ || Hamu ハミュン || PS1 / PS2 || ja:ゆうわくオフィス恋愛課 || Kaori Houko 宝生かおり || PS1 / PS2 || 雷弩機兵ガイブレイブII || Mips ミップス || PS1 / PS2 || バトル昆虫伝 || Suzuko Kisaragi 如月鈴子 || PS1 / PS2 || 快刀乱麻 雅 || Sawa Koishikawa 小石川紗奈 || PS1 / PS2 || 学園戦隊ソルブラスト || Phoeng Phosphorus 鳳火燐 || PS1 / PS2 || ときめきメモリアル ドラマシリーズ Vol.3 旅立ちの詩 || Misaki Suzune 美咲鈴音 || PS1 / PS2 || ja:Lの季節 -A piece of memories- || Uno Tuna 鵜野杜椎奈 || PS1 / PS2 高校2年生17歳. 図書委員. 消極的だが…？ || ja:いつか、重なりあう未来へ || Famille enforce ファミーユ・エンフォース || PS1 / PS2 || ja:夏色剣術小町 || Aoi Kamakaki 神垣葵 || PS1 / PS2 || EVE ZERO -arc of the matter- || Tora Novartis トア・ノバルティス || PC (general) || 悠久組曲 All Star Project || Sheryl Christian シェリル・クリスティア || PS1 / PS2 || EVE ZERO || Tora Novartis トア・ノバルティス || PS1 / PS2 || バルドバレット イクリブリアム || Carna Abitobol カーナ・アビトボル || PS1 / PS2 || Lの季節2 -invisible memories- || Uno Tuna 鵜野杜椎奈 || PS1 / PS2 読みは「うのもり・しいな」 || レッスルエンジェルス サバイバー2 || Makoto Kondo / Megumi Muto 近藤真琴／武藤めぐみ || PS1 / PS2 || 闘真伝 || Sanae Tsukahara 塚原早苗 || Wii || Angelic Crest || Taurine トウリン || PC (general) || ガンダムメモリーズ ～戦いの記憶～ || Stella Luche ステラ・ルーシェ || PSP || 探偵紳士 || Mint = sword ミント＝御剣 || DC || フレンズ～青春の輝き || Wakayashi Ayu 若林鮎 || PS1 / PS2 EDも歌っている || --->
 * 1997-03-28 || Doki Doki Pretty League
 * 1997-06-13 || Metal Angel 3
 * 1997-07-18 || Eternal Fantasia games
 * 1998-02-13 || Sequence Palladium
 * 1998-03-26 || Tokimeki Memorial Drama Series Vol.2 Aya's Love Song
 * 1998-03-26 || Tokyo 23 ward uniform WARS
 * 1998-04-02 || The fighting spirit card quest
 * 1998-07-23 || BLUE BREAKER BURST ~ Smile with you ~
 * 1998-07-30 || Yuwaku Office Love Affairs Section
 * 1998-10-29 || Thunder Machine Soldier Guy Brave II
 * 1999-01-21 || Battle insect transmission
 * 1999-01-21 || Kana swords 麻 麻 Ya
 * 1999-02-04 || Gakuen Sentai Sol Blast
 * 1999-04-01 || Tokimeki Memorial Drama Series Vol.3 Departure Poems
 * 1999-08-05 || L season - A piece of memories -
 * 1999-08-26 || Someday, to the overlapping future
 * 2000-03-16 || Summer color swordsmen Komachi
 * 2000-06-23 || EVE ZERO - arc of the matter -
 * 2000-08-24 || Eternal Suite All Star Project
 * 2001-03-22 || EVE ZERO
 * 2007-10-25 || Baldr Barrett Revellion
 * 2008-07-03 || L 's season 2 - invisible memories -
 * 2008-11-06 || Wrestle Angels Survivor 2
 * 2009-12-10 || Battlefield
 * 2010-05-27 || Angelic Crest
 * 2011-06-23 || Gundam Memories - Memory of Battle ~
 * || Detective gentleman
 * || Friends ~ The glow of youth