Minako Kotobuki (寿 美菜子, Kotobuki Minako; born September 17, 1991) is a Japanese actress and singer. She played Tsumugi Kotobuki in the anime series K-On! about a high school girl band. The show launched her music career as she performed the opening and ending themes, and joined three other voice actresses as the music group Sphere.
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Acting career
At the age of three years, Kotobuki, along with her parents, was caught up in the Great Hanshin earthquake. Not long after having seen a 1997 Japanese film entitled Chikyuu ga Ugoita Hi ("The Day the Earth Moved"), all of these events inspired Kotobuki to pursue her career as a voice actress.
Kotobuki played Tsumugi Kotobuki in K-On!, Karina Lyle/Blue Rose in Tiger & Bunny, Mizuki Kanzaki in Aikatsu!, Rikka Hishikawa/Cure Diamond in DokiDoki! PreCure, Mitsuko Kongō in A Certain Magical Index and A Certain Scientific Railgun, Yūko Nishi in A Channel, Lana and Cia from Hyrule Warriors, Natsumi Aizawa in Natsuiro Kiseki, Touko Nanami in Bloom Into You, Asuka Tanaka in Hibike! Euphonium and Yoriko Fukase in A Whisker Away.
Music career
Kotobuki performed the opening and ending themes of the 2009 anime series K-On!, alongside Aki Toyosaki, Yōko Hikasa, Satomi Satō and Ayana Taketatsu. She performed the opening theme for Hatsukoi Limited series, with Aki Toyosaki, Ayahi Takagaki and Haruka Tomatsu. The four are affiliated with Music Ray'n, an artist management and publishing group of Sony Music Entertainment. They are currently known as the musical group Sphere and released their first single, "Future Stream", on April 22, 2009.
Coupled with the release of her first album My Stride, Kotobuki had her first solo Japan-wide concert tour entitled Our Stride in 2012 spanning across four dates and venues starting from November 18 in Kobe's International House Kokusai Hall and ending on December 9 in Ōmiya's Sonic City Hall.
Kotobuki is said to be "the fastest learner on how to dance" among her peers as far as her being a member of Sphere goes so much that she even guides the other three members of Sphere on dancing. Even in singing, Kotobuki is said to learn just as fast, "a pro in harmonization" according to her fellow castmate in K-On!, Satomi Satō, and "someone who has good sense in pitch" according to one of K-On's staff members in charge of music.
During her stint in both seasons for K-On!, she and her fellow cast members were involved in two live events, and just like the character she portrayed in K-On!, she was in charge of playing the keyboard in both occasions. She also played the keyboard on some of her own songs during her Our Stride solo concert tour and on Sphere's first 2013 live event, Music Rainbow 02. She also participated in the anime series Aikatsu! and was the voice actress of Kanzaki Mizuki.
Personal life
On July 24, 2023, Kotobuki announced her marriage to a man outside of the entertainment industry.
Filmography
Live-action film
2005
Hibi – Young Kumiko Kamiyama
2006
Ghost of Yesterday – Fumiko
Koufuku no Switch – Young Hitomi
Hinami – Mina, Satsuki
2008
Bluebird – Michiru
-x- (Minus Kakeru Minus) – Rin Fujimoto
2013
Schoolgirl Complex: Broadcasting Club Edition – Ikumi Motonishi (School teacher)
2014
Kiki's Delivery Service – Jiji
Onodera no Otōto, Onodera no Ane – Asako Saitō
2019
Brave Father Online: Our Story of Final Fantasy XIV – Aru-chan (voice)
Anime series
2006
Red Garden – Student C, Grace A
2007
Kamichama Karin – Kirika (age 5)
2008
Kyōran Kazoku Nikki – Hijiri Yamaguchi
Birdy the Mighty: Decode – Kanae Kitamura
2009
First Love Limited – Rika Dobashi
K-On! – Tsumugi Kotobuki
Umi Monogatari: Anata ga Ite Kureta Koto – Kanon Miyamori
A Certain Scientific Railgun – Mitsuko Kongou
Modern Magic Made Simple – Kaho Sakazaki
Hell Girl: Triangle – Kaname Shimura
Sora no Manimani – Emiri, Youko Matoba, Hachiman, Sayaka Akiyama
Birdy the Mighty: Decode 02 – Kanae Kitamura, Mirun
Heaven's Lost Property – Tsukino Hououin
Guin Saga – Alumina
2010
Cat Planet Cuties – Chaika
Chu-Bra!! – Yako Jingūji
Hyakka Ryōran – Sen Tokugawa
K-On!! – Tsumugi Kotobuki
Anime films
2009
Redline – Hime
2011
K-On! The Movie – Tsumugi Kotobuki
Towa no Quon – Cyborg Delta AKA Hizuru Asuka
Heaven's Lost Property the Movie: The Angeloid of Clockwork – Tsukino Hououin
2012
Pokémon the Movie: Black—Victini and Reshiram and White—Victini and Zekrom – Yorterrie
Fuse Teppō Musume no Torimonochō – Hamaji
Berserk Golden Age Arc I: The Egg of the King – Rickert
Berserk Golden Age Arc II: The Battle for Doldrey – Rickert
After School Midnighters – Mutsuko
Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning – Karina Lyle/Blue Rose
2013
A Certain Magical Index: The Movie – The Miracle of Endymion – Mitsuko Kongou
Berserk Golden Age Arc III: Descent – Rickert
Dokidoki! PreCure the Movie: Mana's Getting Married!!? The Dress of Hope Tied to the Future – Rikka Hishikawa/Cure Diamond
Pretty Cure All Stars New Stage 2: Kokoro no Tomodachi – Rikka Hishikawa/Cure Diamond
2014
Video games
2004
Mega Man – Cinnamon
2009
Final Fantasy XIII (PS3) – Serah Farron
2010
K-On! Houkago Live!! (PSP) – Tsumugi Kotobuki
Suzunone Seven! ~Rebirth Knot~ (PS2) – Mayo Shouno
2011
Final Fantasy Type-0 (PSP) – Kasumi Tobuki
Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3) – Serah Farron
Ro-Kyu-Bu! (PSP) – Natsuhi Takenaka
A Certain Magical Index (PSP) – Mitsuko Kongou
2012
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (3DS) – Hitomi Tono, Nemissa
YomeColle (Smartphone game) – Chifusa Manyū
Girl Friend Beta (Smartphone game) – Saya Kagurazaka
Mobile Suit Gundam AGE: Universe Accel / Cosmic Drive (PSP) – Fram Nara
2013
Tiger & Bunny: Heroes' Day (PSP) – Karina Lyle/Blue Rose
Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere Portable (PSP) – Gin Tachibana
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (PS3) – Serah Farron
Tokusatsu
2016
Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger – Nalia
Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger the Movie: The Exciting Circus Panic! – Nalia
2017
Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger vs. Ninninger the Movie: Super Sentai's Message from the Future – Nalia
Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger Returns: Give Me Your Life! Earth Champion Tournament – Nalia
Theater
2014
Tanin no Me – Belinda
Eclipse – Hanezu, Young Seimei
Overseas dubbing
Big Little Lies – Jane Chapman (Shailene Woodley)
Byzantium – Eleanor Webb (Saoirse Ronan)
Carrie – Nikki and Lizzi (Karissa and Katie Strain)
The Edge of Seventeen – Nadine Franklin (Hailee Steinfeld)
Gossip Girl – Ivy Dickens / Charlie Rhodes (Kaylee DeFer)
Hick – Luli McMullen (Chloë Grace Moretz)
I.T. – Kaitlyn Regan (Stefanie Scott)
Les Misérables – Cosette (Ellie Bamber)
Mindscape – Anna Greene (Taissa Farmiga)
The Pillars of the Earth – Elizabeth (Skye Lourie)
Priest – Lucy (Lily Collins)
Safe – Mei (Catherine Chan)
Stuber – Nicole Manning (Natalie Morales)
Sucker Punch – Babydoll (Emily Browning)
We Are Lady Parts – Amina (Anjana Vasan)
The Winchesters – Latika "Lata" Desai (Nida Khurshid)
Helluva Boss – Beelzebub
How to Train Your Dragon – Astrid Hofferson
Kpop Demon Hunters – Rumi
Smurfs: The Lost Village – Smurfstorm
Discography
Albums
My Stride (2012)
Tick (2014)
Emotion (2018)
Singles
"Shiny+" (September 15, 2010)
"Startline" (November 24, 2010)
"Dear My..." (September 14, 2011)
"Kokoro Sky" (April 11, 2012)
"Prism" (June 19, 2013)
"Pretty Fever" (November 20, 2013)
"Believe x" (Believe Cross) (April 16, 2014)
"Black Hole" (April 8, 2015)
"Candy Color Pop" (September 16, 2015)
"Bye Bye Blue" (March 2, 2016)
"Million Litmus" (December 7, 2016)
"Save My World" (January 19, 2019)
