A memorial service for voice actress Nobuyo Oyama (90 years old at the time of her death), who was known for her role as Doraemon in the popular anime series " Doraemon " and passed away last September, was held in Tokyo on September 29th, with voice actress Masako Nozawa paying tribute to Oyama.
Nozawa reminisced, "It's been over 60 years since I met Peko (Oyama's nickname). We both came from theater companies and had been working as voice actors since the early days of voice acting. We had the commonality of having a lot of roles for boys because of our voice quality, so I remember like it was yesterday when we felt a sense of affinity. We didn't have many opportunities to appear on the same show, but when we met in the studio, she would greet me with that friendly smile and say, 'Mako!' and we both love to talk, so we would get excited talking about food."
"Peko's voice was truly one of a kind, and it made everyone smile. I feel really sad and disappointed that I can no longer hear it live. I think a lot of my friends from back then are over there, and I wonder if they've been able to meet up and talk about acting. Knowing Peko, I'm sure she's been cooking for everyone and having a great time. I'm going to keep working hard over here for a while longer, so please keep an eye on everyone over here. Peko will continue to live on in the character, so I won't say goodbye. Thank you for all your hard work over there."
The memorial service was organized by Sandayu Dokumamushi and Tetsuko Kuroyanagi and was held on September 29th, the first anniversary of Oyama's death. Other attendees included voice actors who co-starred with Oyama in "Doraemon," such as Michiko Nomura, Mari Shimizu, and Michio Usama, as well as current Doraemon Doraemon actors Wasabi Mizuta, Yukiyo Toake, and Kuniko Yamada.
Oyama was born on October 16, 1933. He played the role of Doraemon in the TV Asahi anime series for approximately 26 years, from 1979 to 2005. He was also active as an actor and essayist. He passed away on September 29, 2024.
