Yui Makino

Biography

Yui Makino (牧野 由依, Makino Yui; born 19 January 1986) is a Japanese actress, voice actress, singer, and pianist. She is best known for her work in the anime Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle where she voices Sakura and some of the theme songs for the Aria anime series. She is associated with Amuse, Inc. One of her earliest voice acting performances was the character "Sister" in a short-anime movie Bavel no Hon when she was 10. She married singer Yutaro Miura in 2020.

Musical history

Makino took up piano at the age of four. The film director Shunji Iwai discovered her talent for playing the piano when she was seven years old and from the age of 8 to 17. She played piano solos for three of his films: Love Letter, All About Lily Chou-Chou and Hana and Alice. She graduated from Tokyo College of Music as a piano major with the top score in her senior year.
She made her debut as a singer in 2005 with "Omna Magni," produced by Yoko Kanno. It was used as the ending theme song for the anime Sousei no Aquarion. In the April of the same year, she also debuted as a voice actress, starring as heroine Sakura in Tsubasa Chronicle and recording several songs for its soundtrack.
She released "Amrita", the ending song for the Tsubasa Chronicle film, as well as "Undine", the opening theme for the TV Tokyo anime Aria the Animation, coupled with its inserted song "Symphony". It achieved No. 25 on the Oricon chart.
In 2006, Makino released two songs from another TV Tokyo anime, Aria the Natural, the theme song "Euphoria" and an insert song, "Amefuribana." They were released on one product and achieved No. 18 on the Oricon chart. In addition, she released her debut album, Tenkyū no Ongaku on 6 December 2006.
In 2007, she was invited to represent Japan at the Japan-China cultural exchange event. She also released two singles for the programmes Sketchbook ~full color's~ and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.
On 23 January 2008, Makino released her seventh single, "Spirale," as the opening theme of Aria the Origination. Coupled with the anime's insert song, "Yokogao," the single reached No. 20 on the Oricon chart. She also performed her first solo concert at the Fuchuno Mori Geijutsu Gekijo Wien Hall in Tokyo, where she sang and played the piano accompaniment for each song. She released her eponymous second album, Makino Yui in March 2008. It reached No. 22 on the Oricon chart. She graduated from Tokyo College of Music as a piano major in the same month.
She held her Holography concert at SHIBUYA-AX in 2011.
In March 2013, Makino was hired to sing and be the "Hungry Zombie Francesca" voice in a national campaign to promote the Hokkaido region throughout Japan.

Overseas guest appearances

2007: Japan Ambassador, Beijing (Japan-China Cultural Exchange)
July 2009: Performance at Japan Expo, France
September 2009: Guest of Honor, New York Anime Festival, USA
26 December 2009: Guest Artiste, Musical Concert in EOY at Drama Centre @ National Library, Singapore
16 January 2010: Guest Artiste, at Korea
19 June 2010: Concert, in Rome, Italy
21 June 2010: Ongaku no Hi in France, as guest
September 2011: Concert in Hong Kong
October 2011: Concert in Guangzhou
November 2011: Anime Festival at Shanghai
December 2012: Performance at J-FEST 2012, Russia
December 2013: ACT Expo in Macau
March 2015: TOUCH Spring Festival in Vietnam
May 2015: Otafest in Canada
July 2016: CharaExpo in Singapore
August 2016: Otakon 2016, in USA

Anime television series

Tsubasa Chronicle (2005) as Sakura
Aria The Natural (2006) as Akane in episode 26
Welcome to the NHK! (2006) as Misaki Nakahara
Spider Riders: Oracle of Heroes (2006) as Girl in episode 7
Coron-chan (2006) as Byobā
Zegapain (2006) as Jen May-Yu
Tsubasa Chronicle (2006) (second season) as Sakura
Kaze no Stigma (2007) as Lapis Suirei/Cui Ling
Bokurano (2007) as Aiko Tokosumi
Sketchbook (2007) as Hazuki Torikai
Asu no Yoichi! (2009) as Tsubasa Tsubame
Sora Kake Girl (2009) as Honoka Kawai
Taishō Yakyū Musume (2009) as Kyouko Sakurami
Needless (2009) as Mio
Nodame Cantabile: Finale (2010) as Namuri Rima (Episode 4)
Angel Beats! (2010) as Yusa
C (2011) as Hanabi Ikuta
Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai. (2011) as Aki
Un-Go (2011) as Umezawa Yumeno
Tokurei Sochi Dantai Stella Jo-Gakuin Kōtō-ka C3-Bu (2013) as Yura Yamato
Chaika - The Coffin Princess (2014) as Layla
Francesca: Girls Be Ambitious (2014) as Francesca
Space Dandy (2014) as Freckles (ep.17)
Gundam Build Fighters Try (2014) as Fumina Hoshino
The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls (2015) as Mayu Sakuma
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches (2015) as Meiko Ōtsuka
Wish Upon the Pleiades (2015) as Hikaru
Ushio and Tora (2015) as Reiko Hanyuu
The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls 2nd Season (2015) as Mayu Sakuma
PriPara (2015) as Aroma Kurosu (eps.39–140)
Hundred (2016) as Erica Candle
Sekkō Boys (2016) as Mira Hanayashiki
Shōnen Maid (2016) as Miyako Ōtori
Sagrada Reset (2017) as Yōka Murase
Love & Lies (2017) as Ririna Sanada
King's Game The Animation (2017) as Kana Ueda
Aikatsu on Parade! (2019) as Saya Kiseki
Farewell, My Dear Cramer (2021) as Chika Kirishima
Tokyo 24th Ward (2022) as Mari Sakuragi
Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout (2022) as Ugraine
Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube (2025) as Shizuka Kikuchi

OVA and ONA

Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations as Sakura
Hōkago no Pleiades as Hikaru
Hoshi no Umi no Amuri as Amuri
Tsubasa Shunraiki as Sakura
xxxHOLiC Shunmuki as Sakura
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches OVA as Meiko Ōtsuka

Anime films

The Princess in the Birdcage Kingdom as Sakura
Top wo Nerae 2! & Top wo Nerae! Gattai Gekijō-ban!! as Akaitakami
PriPara Mi~nna no Akogare Let's Go PriPari (2016) as Aroma Kurosu

Video games

Arc Rise Fantasia as Ryfia
Which Witch? as Yuugi Saki
Tsubasa Chronicle as Sakura
Pachinko Sora wo Kakeru Shōjo!! as Honoka Kawai
The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls as Mayu Sakuma
Azur Lane as MNF La Galissonnière and MNF Marseillaise
Alchemy Stars as Siobhan
Wuthering Waves as Zhezhi
Persona 5: The Phantom X as Ayaka Sakai

Drama CDs

Welcome to the NHK! as Misaki Nakahara
Wagamama Sentai Bloom Heart as Tougaiji Yuri a.k.a. White Lily
Zegapain as Jen May-Yu
Tsubasa Chronicle as Sakura

Radio

Yui to Mika no Puri Suite!-Tsubasa Chronicle radio, hosted by Yui Makino and Mika Kikuchi as host
Sketchbook Radio-Sketchbook radio, hosted by Kana Hanazawa, Asuka Nakase and Yui Makino as host
Puri Suite RETURNS!-Tsubasa Chronicle (second season) radio, hosted by Miyu Irino, Yui Makino, Mika Kikuchi, Tetsu Inada and Daisuke Namikawa as host
Sore Kake Radio & TV-Sora Kake Girl radio, hosted by MAKO as a guest in several episodes
ArcRise LADY RADIO HOUR-Arc Rise Fantasia radio, hosted by Yui Makino and Emiri Katō as host.
Which Witch? Sora no Gakko Host Club?-Which Witch? radio, hosted by Asumi Kana and Aki Toyosaki as guest and host, replacing Aki in two episodes.
Makino Yui no Daimondorobicchi-Makino's own radio.
Makino Yui no Fuwa Fuwa Radio-Makino's own radio, for Fuwa Fuwa single promo.

Other

Anime soundtracks
Omna Magni
Notes: This song was used as an ending theme song in Genesis of Aquarion.
Sousei no Aquarion
Notes: This song was used as the intro theme song in Genesis of Aquarion.
Yume no Tsubasa (ユメノツバサ)
Notes: She sang this song with a fellow voice actor, Miyu Irino, who voices Syaoran. The song was used as an ending theme song in the 3rd Drama CD of Tsubasa Chronicle.
Tsuki no Shijima (つきのしじま)
Notes: This song was used as an insert song in episode 50 in Tsubasa Chronicle.
Dark Side ni Tsuitekite
Notes: This song was used as an insert song in Welcome to the N.H.K.
Synchronicity
Notes: This song is the opening theme song for Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations
Tenshi no Hashigo ~crepuscular rays~
Notes: This song is the ending theme for Arc Rise Fantasia
Imaginal Song
Notes: This song is one of Ryphia's songs with her vocalizing in Arc Rise Fantasia.
Jouka no Hikari (Light of Purification)
Notes: This song is one of Ryphia's songs with her vocalizing in Arc Rise Fantasia
Ryfia no Negai (Ryfia's Wish)
Notes: This song is one of Ryphia's songs with her vocalizing in Arc Rise Fantasia
Ten no Namida (Heaven's Tears)
Notes: This song is one of Ryphia's songs with her vocalizing in Arc Rise Fantasia
Anime character songs
Towa no Omoi
Notes: Found on the first Tsubasa Chronicle Drama & Character Album.
Yacchaouyo!
Notes: This song was released on the first character song album for the OVA Amuri in Star Ocean.
Umidorika -Amuri Ver.-
Notes: This song was released on the first character song album for the OVA Amuri in Star Ocean.
Moroi Mirai Kirai (I Hate Fragile Future)
Notes: This song was released on the third character song album of Sora wo Kakeru Shōjo.
Wakakusa iro no Kleiner Vogel (Light Green-colored Little Bird)
Notes: This song was released on the second character song album of Which Witch?