Shoko Nakagawa (中川 翔子 aka Shokotan)

Shoko Nakagawa is a giant among Japanese bloggers. Her blog, which she updates several dozen times a day with tiny cell pics and crazy ASCII language, has received over a billion visits since it started up in 2004. Eventually it had to be modified to exclude commenting due to its high volume of spammers. A major key to her success is the fact that she's an anime and manga otaku, something that resonates among many of her loyal fans.

In addition to her fandom, she is also a voice actress and singer. She's provided opening and closing themes for several anime shows, releasing a handful of singles and mini-albums. Most recently she released the full length album Big Bang! that complied her previous work with many new tracks. The overall feel of her music is much more rock oriented than other typical idol singers. Sure, she's got a few ballads and para-para ready songs, but she often takes a more hard-edged path. These small risks make her feel much more like a real musician than some record label's window dressing.

Shokotan projects an air of a bemused girl smiling at all of the chaos around her. She rides the overwhelming wave of attention and affection with a rare sense of humility. Sure, she's a superstar, but that doesn't mean she needs to act like a pampered snob. Instead, she's just another otaku perusing her dream.

Soraio Days (Gurren Lagann OP)

Buy Shokotan releases here!



Official Site
Blog

Major Releases
Shoko-tan Cover ~Falling in Love with Anime Songs~ (2007)
Shoko-tan Cover Cover ~Falling in Love with Anime Songs~ (2007)
Big Bang! (2008)

Snow Tears (Hakaba Kitaro ED)


Strawberry Melody


Romantic Ageru Yo


Brilliant Dream