Misplaced Pages

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. Find sources: "Shoko Nakagawa" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This biography of a living person relies on a single source. You can help by adding reliable sources to this article. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately. (December 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Shoko Nakagawa
中川 翔子
2021
Born	Shiyōko Nakagawa (1985-05-05) May 5, 1985 (age 39) Nakano, Tokyo, Japan
Other names	Shokotan (しょこたん)
Occupations	Media personality actress voice actress singer model cartoonist
Years active	1990–present
Agent	Watanabe Entertainment
Spouse	unknown ​(m. 2023)​
Father	Katsuhiko Nakagawa
Musical career
Genres	J-pop rock Anison
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Sony Records
Musical artist
Website	www.shokotan.jp

Shoko Nakagawa (中川 翔子, Nakagawa Shōko, born May 5, 1985) is a Japanese media personality, singer, actress, voice actress, illustrator, YouTuber, and cosplayer. Also known by her nickname Shokotan (しょこたん), she is best known as the presenter of Pokémon Sunday, and as the performer of the opening theme from the anime Gurren Lagann.

Biography

Born and raised in Tokyo metropolitan area to her father, Katsuhiko Nakagawa, actor and musician, and her mother Keiko Nakagawa, a great-granddaughter of Kazutaka Ito, who is known for introducing and promoting the salmon and trout hatchery business. Her father died of leukemia on September 17, 1994 when she was 9. Nakagawa found escape from bullies by connecting with Pokémon when she was in 5th grade. "When I was a kid, I didn't have friends, but I did have Pokémon."

In the 2006 book Shokotan Manual (しょこ☆まにゅ, Shoko Manyu), she wrote that her legal name was Shiyōko (しようこ) rather than Shōko (しょうこ), which she had been using for most of her life. At the time of her birth, she and her mother had to remain in the hospital, and her maternal aunt was left with registering her in the koseki. Her mother's intended name of "Shōko" (薔子) was declined due to 薔 not being included in the list of jōyō kanji or jinmeiyō kanji that are approved for use in Japanese names. The aunt wrote Shōko (しょうこ) in hiragana instead, but because she wrote very quickly, the small yo appeared larger than intended and the name was recorded as Shiyōko (しようこ).

She made her entertainment debut in 2001, winning the Grand Prix award at the Popolo Girl Audition and representing Jackie Chan talent agency. Later, on the "Yume-Ga-Oka Residence" programme on SKY PerfecTV!, she was given Jackie Chan's photobook by Midorikawa Shobō, who were guests on the show. She commented "I thought he was an enemy of Bruce Lee's", apparently referring to Enter the Dragon.

In 2002, she was chosen as Miss Shōnen Magazine.

Her official blog, Shokotan * Blog, opened in 2004, and by April 2006 it had received a total of 100 million hits. On February 2, 2008, the daily Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun reported that her blog had been accessed 1 billion times.

In 2004, she made a guest appearance in the 38th episode of Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger, after having previously appeared as a child in Chikyuu Sentai Fiveman. She later appeared with Katsumura on Men B.

She appeared in a brief section of "Kangaeru Hito" ("People who think") on the Fuji TV network in 2004 as an illustrator, after which she appeared regularly on the later version of the programme which started with minor changes in early 2005, "Kangaeru Hitokoma" ("Thinking about one frame "). On the Fuji TV show Kangaeru Hitokoma, on which she is an occasional guest, she drew in the style of Kazuo Umezu.

For one year starting in May 2005, Nakagawa appeared as a regular on the TBS programme "Ōsama no Brunch". In July 2006, she released her debut single "Brilliant Dream". It entered the Oricon chart at number 29, with initial sales of 6313 copies. Nakagawa performed at Anime Expo 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Some of her work was shown on May 11, edition of Downtown Deluxe on Nippon TV network, Nakagawa was a member of the judging panel in the "Jump Damashii" section of the Shūeisha publication Weekly Shōnen Jump, starting from Jump number 13 of 2006.

On May 30, 2006, airing of Kasupe!, in the section entitled Fuji Ginkō Geinōjin Satei-Gakari (フジ銀行 芸能人査定係), "Fuji Bank Celebrity Evaluator", it was discovered that she liked the manga Kachō Shima Kōsaku, eliciting a comment from the host, Sayaka Aoki, that she had pretty "grown-up tastes".

In 2009, she opened a store called "mmts" with the theme of her hobby in Nakano Broadway.

In 2009–2010, she appeared in a series of commercials for Norton AntiVirus.

In March 2014, Nakagawa's book of autobiographical essays, Neko no Ashiato ("Cats' Pawprints"), was published by Magazine House.

In March 2015, the book was adapted as an anime series titled Omakase Mamitasu ("Leave It to Mamitasu") on NHK, which featured characters based on Nakagawa's cat and her late father and grandfather.

In 2018, Nakagawa returned to Anime Expo to perform as part of Anisong World Matsuri.

In 2019, Nakagawa performed the song "Kaze to Issho ni" (風といっしょに) with Sachiko Kobayashi, which was used as the theme song to the theatrical film Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution; it is a cover of a song originally performed by Kobayashi, which was used as the theme song to the 1998 film Pokémon: The First Movie.

In 2020 following the temporary loss of work due to COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point, and she started distributing videos on YouTube, separate from the channel that distributes music videos set up by the office. Since then, her blog has hardly been updated.

In 2021, she posted her swimsuit video on YouTube, and she became very popular with over 10 million views in two months.

On April 28, 2023, Nakagawa announced her marriage to a non-celebrity.

In October 2023, Nakagawa released the single "65535", the title song of which was used as the opening theme to the anime series 16bit Sensation: Another Layer. The following day, she announced that she legally changed her name to be the same as her stage name.

Filmography

TV

• AX MUSIC-TV 00 (2003–2004)
• Pokémon Sunday (ポケモン☆サンデー, Pokemon☆Sandē) (2006–2010)
• Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger (特捜戦隊デカレンジャー, Tokusō Sentai Dekarenjā) (2004) as Falupian Yaako (guest appearance) Episode 38
• Isshukan no Koi (一週間の恋) (2006)
• Hou no Niwa (法の庭) (2007)
• Honto ni Atta Kowai Hanashi (ほんとにあった怖い話) (2007)
• Shūmatsu no Cinderella Sekai! Dangan Traveler (週末のシンデレラ 世界!弾丸トラベラー, Shūmatsu-no-shinderera Sekai! DanganToraberā) (2007–2012)
• Waraiga Ichiban (笑いがいちばん, Waraiga Ichiban) (2007–2010)
• Anmitsu Hime (あんみつ姫) (2008)
• Anmitsu Hime 2 (あんみつ姫2) (2009)
• Pokémon Smash! (ポケモンスマッシュ！, Pokemon Sumasshu!) (2010–2013)
• Pokémon Get TV (ポケモンゲット☆TV, Pokemon Getto Terebi) (2013–2015)
• Gunshi Kanbei (軍師官兵衛) (2014) as Okita
• Mare (まれ) (2015)
• Meet Up at the Pokémon House? (ポケモンの家あつまる?, Pokémon no Uchi Atsumaru?) (2015–present)
• Yuusha Yoshihiko to Michibikareshi 7-nin (勇者ヨシヒコと導かれし七人) (2016)
• Anata no Koto wa sore hodo (あなたのことはそれほど) (2017)
• Tokyo Vampire Hotel (東京ヴァンパイアホテル) (2017)

Films

• Kabuto-O Beetle (2005)
• Umezu Kazuo: Kyofu Gekijo – Zesshoku (2005)
• Koala Kacho / Executive Koala (2005)
• The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
• X-Cross (2007)
• Gothic Lolita Battle Bear (2013)

Stageplays

• Maybe Happy Ending (2020)

Anime

Pokémon films

• Nakagawa also has voiced characters in every Pokémon movie since 2007 (except Pokémon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened and Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution):

Video games

• Dragon Quest Heroes (2015) – Alena
• Dragon Quest Heroes II (2016) – Alena
• Toukiden 2 (2016) – Gwen
• Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary (2017) – Alena
• Kingdom Hearts III (2019) – Rapunzel

Japanese dub

Live-action

• Moon Geun-young
  • Innocent Steps – Jang Chae-min
  • My Little Bride – Bo-eun
• Silent Hill (2006) – Alessa Gillespie (voice-over for Jodelle Ferland)
• Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) – Tessa Yeager (voice-over for Nicola Peltz)
• Ra.One (2015) – Desi/Dawsal (voice-over for Priyanka Chopra)
• Venom (2018) – Anne Weying (voice-over for Michelle Williams)
• Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) – Anne Weying (voice-over for Michelle Williams)

Animation

• Tangled The Series (2017–2020) – Rapunzel
• Tangled (2010) – Rapunzel
• Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) – Rapunzel
• Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2023) – Goldilocks

Discography

This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately. Find sources: "Shoko Nakagawa" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Shoko Nakagawa is signed to Sony Japan.

Singles

Collaboration Singles

Cover albums

Mini albums

Best albums

Albums

Other songs

• "Moeyo Giza Mimi Pichū!" (Ending for Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl)
• "Dori Dori" (Ending for Pokémon the Series: XY)
• "Kaze to isshu ni" (Ending for Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution)
• "Taipu: Wairudo" (Ending for Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon)

Printed media

Photobooks

Blogs

References

1. Simonitch, Steven (August 15, 2012). "Shokotan sports exotic molted insect skin headwear". Japan Today. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
2. "Without Pokémon, We Wouldn't Have Japan's Nerd Heroine". Kotaku. August 8, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
3. "中川翔子、亡き父・勝彦さんのイケメン伝説を明かす「街を歩くとみんな振り返って"目がハート"に」 - スポニチ Sponichi Annex 芸能". スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). Retrieved February 3, 2024.
4. "She Didn't Have Friends. She Had Pocket Monsters". Kotaku. July 18, 2011. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
5. Shoko Manyu しょこ☆まにゅ [Shokotan Manual] (in Japanese). Japan: Gakken. December 1, 2006. ISBN 978-4054031999.
6. ^ Galbraith, Patrick W. (2009). The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insider's Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan. Kodansha International. p. 206. ISBN 978-4-7700-3101-3.
7. "ノートン2009は「ギザ貪欲すなぁ」中川翔子が新製品をPR". internet.watch.impress.co.jp. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
8. "中川翔子、過酷な撮影に「ほんとに苦しかった...」 – 「ノートン 2010」新CM". マイナビニュース (in Japanese). September 1, 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
9. "Shokotan's Autobiographical Cat & Family Essays Get TV Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
10. "Shoko Nakagawa – Interview (2019)". J-Generation. January 2, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
11. "Interview: Shoko Nakagawa". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
12. "Shokotan, Enka Singer Sachiko Kobayashi Sing Pokémon's Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution Film Theme". Anime News Network. April 6, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
13. "【中川翔子さん】「自分にできることはないかな」をいつも心の片隅に それが、助け合いの第一歩". 東京ボランティアレガシーネットワーク (in Japanese). Retrieved July 29, 2023.
14. Morrissy, Kim (April 28, 2023). "Singer, Voice Actress Shoko Nakagawa Announces Marriage". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
15. Tai, Anita (October 2, 2023). "16bit Sensation: Another Layer Anime's Lead Aoi Koga Sings Ending Theme". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
16. https://twitter.com/shoko55mmts/status/1727317058592141600
17. "CAST｜ミュージカル『メイビー、ハッピーエンディング』". www.tohostage.com. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
18. Nelkin, Sarah (March 3, 2015). "Idol Shoko Nakagawa to Voice Diana in Sailor Moon Crystal". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
19. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (March 2, 2016). "Sailor Moon Crystal Season III Videos Preview Animation, Theme Songs". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
20. しぶとい中川翔子 (July 3, 2020). "Shoko Nakagawa confirms her return to voice Diana in Sailor Moon Eternal films!" (Tweet) (in Japanese) – via Twitter.
21. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (December 8, 2022). "Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre Anime Unveils More Cast, All 20 Stories". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
22. ^ "Shoko Nagakawa (visual voices guide) - BTVA - Behind The Voice Actors". behindthevoiceactors.com. Retrieved September 9, 2019. Check mark indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
23. "討鬼伝2 – コーエーテクモゲームス". gamecity.ne.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved September 9, 2019.
24. "アリーナ | キャラクター | いただきストリート ドラゴンクエスト＆ファイナルファンタジー 30th ANNIVERSARY | SQUARE ENIX". jp.square-enix.com (in Japanese). Retrieved September 9, 2019.
25. "サイレントヒル". Star Channel. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
26. "トランスフォーマー／ロストエイジ". Fukikaeru. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
27. "諏訪部順一と中村獅童が"最恐"タッグ「ヴェノム」吹替版、中川翔子も参加". Natalie. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
28. "続投決定！『ヴェノム2』日本語吹き替えキャストがコメント発表". Cinema Today. July 6, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
29. "シュガー・ラッシュ：オンライン". Fukikaeru. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
30. "「長ぐつをはいたネコ」伝説ネコは山本耕史、土屋アンナ・中川翔子・小関裕太らも出演". natalie.mu. January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
31. "Shokotan, Dempagumi.inc to Perform Punch Line Anime's Theme Song". May 18, 2023.

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Watanabe Entertainment profile (in Japanese)
• Official website of Shoko Nakagawa's label (in Japanese)
• Shoko Nakagawa's brand (in Japanese)
• Shoko Nakagawa's blog (in Japanese)
• Shoko Nakagawa's pet cat blog (in Japanese)
• Shoko Nakagawa on Twitter
• Shoko Nakagawa on Instagram
• Shoko Nakagawa OFFICIAL YouTube CHANNEL on YouTube (in Japanese, mainly music videos)
• Shoko Nakagawa's "wo" on YouTube (in Japanese, game play, food repo, makeup, etc.)

• 1985 births
• Living people
• Actresses from Tokyo
• Japanese bloggers
• Japanese women television personalities
• Japanese women pop singers
• Japanese women rock singers
• Japanese idols
• Japanese gravure models
• Japanese film actresses
• Japanese lyricists
• Japanese television actresses
• Japanese video game actresses
• Japanese voice actresses
• Mandarin-language singers of Japan
• People from Nakano, Tokyo
• Cosplayers
• Sony Music Entertainment Japan artists
• Singers from Tokyo
• Anime singers
• Pokémon
• Japanese women bloggers
• Watanabe Entertainment
• 20th-century Japanese actresses
• 21st-century Japanese actresses
• 21st-century Japanese singers
• 21st-century Japanese women singers