Incredibly talented yet, at the same time, incredibly underrated, Sho Nogami is a talent that should be on everyone’s radars.
Sho Nogami
KANJI: 野上翔
BORN: September 4, 1988
OCCUPATION: seiyuu, singer
HEIGHT: ???
Seiyuu
Sho Nogami was born on September 4, 1988, in Oita in Japan. He’s represented by VIMS.
Before coming across voice acting as an occupation, Nogami was a member of track and field in his high school.
However, an injury made him put that passion of his aside before summer vacation. On that same summer vacation, and after playing a game – with the credits rolling – he noticed a name next to the character he liked. That’s when he became aware and curious about voice actors.
That small realization made him think of voice acting as a career option for him and, from that point on, he started to give his all in order to join the industry and make his debut.
After graduating from high school, Nogami enrolled at Yoyogi Animation Academy in Fukuoka and later on at Japan Narration Actor Institute before joining VIMS.
2014 – 2016
The rough debut
Sho Nogami didn’t have the smoothest debut. The 3 first years in his career were filled with minor characters and little opportunity to showcase his talents.
Nogami made his debut as a voice actor with a minor role in the anime Isshuukan Friends. Still in the same year, he got several minor roles within the same anime, Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V.
In 2015, Nogami was cast in Arslan Senki, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, and a year later he got minor roles in Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan, Sakamoto Desu ga?, Nejimaki Seirei Senki: Tenkyou no Alderamin, between other anime series.
Other anime series in which he’s voiced characters include:
- Aoharu x Kikanjuu,
- Kyoukai no Rinne,
- Comet Lucifer,
- Shokugeki no Souma,
- Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou,
- Lance N’ Masques,
- Active Raid: Kidou Kyoushuushitsu Dai Hachi Gakari 2nd,
- Kamiwaza Wanda,
- Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut,
- Handa-kun,
- Prince of Stride: Alternative
2017 –
Music anime putting the spotlight on his talents
2017 was a strong year for Sho Nogami. Music anime or anime adaptations of popular 2D music projects were on a high, with several premiering in the Autumn 2017 season.
And Nogami was in 2 of those adaptations: The IDOLM@STER SideM and Tsukipro the Animation.
Sho Nogami reprised his role as Shiki Iseya, in the popular anime adaptation of The IDOLM@STER SideM.
This was the first role that put Nogami in the spotlight in anime. He voiced the passionate, and charismatic vocal for the pop-rock band High x Joker.
Upon meeting and seeing HighxJoker perform at his first-year entrance ceremony in high school, he felt inspired to do something with his youth, and thus, he went on to beg Hayato (High x Joker’s leader and guitarist) to let him join the band.
Seeing his passion, the band welcomed him into their ranks.
The popular mixed-media franchise TSUKIPRO got its anime adaptation Tsukipro The Animation in 2017. Nogami reprised his role from the drama CDs and smartphone game as Ichiru Kuga.
Ichiru Kuga is the youngest of the Kuga twins and a member of the idol unit QUELL. He’s straightforward, incredibly competitive, and emotional.
Tsukipro The Animation premiered in 2017 riding on a big hype, or wasn’t this project one of the most interesting and with one of the best lineups among 2D idol franchises.
The animation was well received by fans although it felt that the episodic formula left out too much story, turning off newcomers that suddenly found themselves lost in the few plot going on in this music / slice-of-life series.
Nogami continued his streak of reprising characters that are passionate and intense, vastly improving his voice acting from the drama CDs to the series.
At the same time that people were coming across Nogami’s voice acting, he was also showcasing his singing skills and impressing a lot of people with his high notes.
In 2018, Nogami reprised his role as Shiki Iseya in The iDOLM@STER SideM: Wake Atte Mini!, short anime with chibi art in the IDOLM@STER SideM universe.
He was then cast in the romance anime Bloom into you as the laidback and friendly Suguru Dojima, a 1st-year student in the same school as the series’ protagonists.
2019 was a quieter year, with a drop in the number of roles Nogami was cast in – counting minor, supporting, and leading roles.
He was cast as the hot-headed and carefree Leo Conrad in the mecha anime Zoids Wild Zero. This was Nogami’s comeback to voicing main characters in anime.
The remainder of the year included several minor and supporting roles with little air time.
In 2020, the popular mixed-media franchise A3! was greenlit for an anime adaptation.
Sho Nogami reprised his role as the energetic Ken Sakoda, a Yakuza underling working under Sakyo Furuichi (Autumn Troupe). He often comes over to help Mankai.
2021 welcomed a couple of supporting roles and 1 leading role for Sho Nogami.
He was cast as Jin Karasue, a member of Artemis in Project Scard: Scar on the Praeter.
The series’ main cast was comprised of all members of 8P – group that Sho Nagami is a part of.
Other anime series in which he’s voiced characters include:
- Beyblade Burst,
- Marginal#4: Kiss kara Tsukuru Big Bang,
- ClassicaLoid,
- Starmyu,
- Mahoujin Guruguru,
- Digimon Universe: Appli Monsters,
- Himouto! Umaru-chan R,
- Youkai Apartment no Yuuga na Nichijou,
- Toaru Majutsu no Index III,
- Hoshiai no Sora,
- Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san 2,
- Ahiru no Sora,
- Enen no Shouboutai: Ni no Shou,
- Healin’ Good♡Precure,
- Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken 2nd Season,
- 2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu; and
- Horimiya
Radio
As a radio host, Sho Nogami is witty and pretty energetic.
Regardless if he’s co-hosting or guesting on shows or if there’s a veteran or a junior working alongside him, he’ll always make cheeky remarks and tease everyone in order to break the ice and make everyone more comfortable.
Chaos may be a part of Nogami’s radio shows, something that, with his playful personality, leads up to hilarious radio episodes.
Some of the best-known radio shows he has hosted/co-hosted include:
IDOLMASTER SideM Radio 315Night! (2016)
In 2016, Sho Nogami guested alongside fellow High x Joker member Shoya Chiba on IDOLMASTER SideM Radio 315Night!, radio show hosted by DRAMATIC STARS’ members Shugo Nakamura, Yuma Uchida and Taku Yashiro.
As per usual with this radio show, it was entertaining and filled with a great, warm vibe, fun corners, and a lot of crazy shenanigans.
Showhuku Showrai (2017 -)
In 2017, Sho Nogami and fellow seiyuu Shoya Chiba teamed up for a radio show. Showhuku Showrai is currently Nogami’s longest-running radio show.
MAN TWO MONTH RADIO (2017)
He was invited to be the host of MAN TWO MONTH RADIO, show in which seiyuu can handle their own radio show for two months before switching with the next seiyuu.
MAN TWO MONTH RADIO 野上翔のひとりしゃべり うすしお味 (MAN TWO MONTH Radio Nogami Sho no Hitori Shaberi Usushi o aji). This radio show was mainly about food but it had its corners on “dark high-school history” as well as free talk sections.
Kumagami Coffee Store-Premium Blend- (2017-)
Since 2017, Sho Nogami has been co-hosting Kumagami Coffee Store-Premium Blend- alongside fellow seiyuu and SideM member, Kentaro Kumagai.
Other radio shows he’s hosted/co-hosted/guested on include:
- Kizuna Striker! Radio Striker Kizuna Activity Katsudou Houkoku-bu
- 8P Radio (2018 -)
- Animage 40th Anniversary Program “MEMORIES” (2018 – 2019)
Games
Fans can find Sho Nogami voicing characters in a wide variety of game genres.
Over the years, he’s been more active in otome/music games but he’s also got work in action, platformers, and RPGs.
Here are some of the most notable roles in games:
Shiki Iseya in THE IDOLM@STER SideM (2015 -) and SideM LIVE ON ST@GE! (2017 -)
In 2015, Sho Nogami joined the cast of the popular idol franchise, THE IDOLM@STER SideM.
The game, of the same name, was released in 2017 and mixed elements of music, story (incredibly toned down), and idol nurturing/farming.
Shiki Iseya is HighXJoker‘s energetic and passionate vocal, ready to shine on stage with his exciting performances.
Ibuki in Paradigm Paradox (2021)
Alongside the other members of 8P, Sho Nogami was cast in the otome game Paradigm Paradox.
He voices Ibuki, a mysterious, calm, and collected individual and one of the romanceable characters in the game.
Other games he’s voiced characters include:
- Azure Striker Gunvolt (2014)
- Celestial Craft Fleet (2014)
- Quiz RPG: The World of Mystic Wiz (2015)
- 100 Sleeping Princes & the Kingdom of Dreams (2015)
- Code: Realize 〜 Shukufuku no Mirai 〜 (2016)
- TsukiPara (2016)
- Black Survival (2017)
- A3!
- Tales of Asteria (2017)
- Captain Tsubasa ~ Tatakae Dream Team ~ (2017)
- GALTIA V Edition (2018)
- Ayakashi Koimaru (2018)
Reading plays
Although not consistently, Sho Nogami is a seiyuu that is active when it comes to reading plays.
Some of those include:
- LIVE DRAMA「DOUBLE DARE STORIES」
- Story Teller(Terror)
- Genji Monogatari-Oku Yukashiki Koi no Hate-
- Reading Shakespeare “Romeo and Juliet”
- Les Miserables
- Bungou, soshite satsujinki
Drama CDs
When it comes to drama CDs, Sho Nogami doesn’t have many credits.
Most of those are found in the TSUKIPRO drama CDs on the SQ side (SolidS and QUELL) since 2016 or tie-up drama CDs for anime series such as THE IDOLM@STER SideM.
Occasionally, fans can find Nogami voicing characters in BL CDs such as:
- Ken couple ~ reversible relation ~
- Oni ga shitau wa tatarigami
- Okami-kun wa kowakunai
- Tokorode ima wa nan-banmedeshou ka.;
- between many more.
Music
Sho Nogami is no stranger to music projects. Since 2015, he’s been active in several 2D music projects and kicked off activities as part of a seiyuu unit – Kashicomi – later on.
For those that may not be familiar with his voice and technique, Nogami is criminally underrated. Owner of a robust tenor voice – with a bit of baritone range – he can belt with a lot of ease. Within a group, he is known for harmonizing in a beautiful, seamless way.
He packs a punch when performing solo, and depending on the music genre, he can elevate his performances beyond what you can imagine.
If you are going to listen to him sing, expect high notes with a raspy twist to them, consistency, and quality across a wide variety of music genres.
Below are some of the most successful and or interesting music projects he is a part of.
HighXJoker (2015 -)
In 2015, Nogami joined the cast of THE IDOLM@STER‘s male version, IDOLM@STER SideM.
He was cast as Shiki Iseya, charismatic vocalist for HighXJoker. Yusuke Shirai, Shoya Chiba, Takuma Nagatsuka, and Hiroshi Watanabe complete the lineup for this unit.
The band’s lively and upbeat pop-rock sound is addictive. Since its debut, HighxJoker has released multiple singles, collaborations, and cross-unit CDs.
Nogami‘s vocals give life to this band, making them one of the most exciting outfits in the SideM franchise.
Up until now, the quintet has released two singles, THE IDOLM@STER Sidem ST@RTING LINE-04 High×Joker (2015) and THE IDOLM@STER SideM ANIMATION PROJECT 06 “Sunset★Colors” (2018).
Aside from these singles, HighXJoker has participated in several cross-unit and solo song projects within the franchise.
The quintet has participated so far in several IDOLMASTER SideM stages:
- 1st STAGE 〜ST@RTING!〜 (2016),
- 2nd STAGE 〜ORIGIN@L STARS〜 (2017),
- 3rd STAGE 〜GLORIOUS ST@GE!〜 (2018),
- 4th LIVE STAGE 〜TRE@SURE GATE〜 (2019),
- 6thLIVE TOUR ~NEXT DESTIN@TION!~ (2021)
- THE IDOLM@STER SideM 6thLIVE TOUR ~NEXT DESTIN@TION!~ (2022).
8P (2016 -)
The mixed media project, 8P kicked off in 2016, leading to a creation of a radio show, a variety series that has spanned several DVDs and even music, when the group decided to start releasing their own music.
8P consist on Tasuku Hatanaka, Sho Nogami, Taku Yashiro, Junya Enoki, Arthur Lounsbery, Atsushi Kousaka, Takeaki Masuyama and Shoya Chiba.
In 2018 the group released the album, CV, featuring subunit songs.
In 2019, 8P kicked off a solo series, with each member composing and or writing lyrics for a song of theirs. Sho Nogami performed the song Setsunai kedo Gradation for his solo entry.
Later in the same year, 8P released the full-length album, Happy Glitter, featuring the solo tracks as well as a new group song.
In 2020, 8P kicked off their duet series. Each CD included drama tracks and 1 song performed by 2 of the members of the group.
Sho Nogami teamed up with Arthur Lounsbery to perform the song “What is human?” in 8P Unit Song Drama CD Vol.3.
A year later, 8P was back in full force, bringing not only their 2nd full-length album “CV:2” but also a new single “Course of my fate“.
8P performed the opening and ending songs for the otome game “Paradigm Paradox”, otome game by Otomate and available on Nintendo Switch in which all eight members of 8P voice characters.
QUELL (2016 -)
Nogami is a member of QUELL, unit part of Tsukino Production‘s fictional talent agency.
QUELL are known for their pure and delicate sound, giving off a feeling of being underwater.
Unique and showing a versatility that most units within the SQ and ALIVE franchises didn’t have, the unit debuted in 2016, impressing everyone with stunning vocals and a fresh sound.
The unit has more than a couple of singles under its belt, including solo songs (X Lied series).
QUELL in 2016 (From left to right: Koutaro Nishiyama, Sho Nogami, Shugo Nakamura, and Shunsuke Takeuchi)
As a group, QUELL is known for their powerful vocals – from thunderous bass vocals from Takeuchi to stunning high notes from Nakamura and Nogami and mid-tones, round notes by Nishiyama -, plus unique instrumentals.
Rock, pop, dance, electronica, minimalistic electronica, and ballads, QUELL have managed to put their finger in almost every music genre and 90% of those attempts were successful.
In a live setting, Nogami is always ready for his high notes to shine but he goes as far as being on top of his game when the time comes for QUELL’s well-known harmonizations.
He brings a lot of energy to the group which is something worth mentioning within a group of rather serious members that while delivering their performances with a lot of quality, slightly put aside the “fun” part in their performances.
At all times, Nogami seems to be enjoying himself and his performances, something that makes him stand out.
He is – alongside Shugo Nakamura – the resident high tenor, however with a raspy twist. His high notes can go rather high to a point in which they are borderline unpleasing to the ear.
Still, he’s worked on improving his control in order for those to not take center stage, and instead, his smooth high notes paint a beautiful soundscape for the listener.
Falsetto and high notes are his strongest suit as a singer with QUELL.
As part of the Kachofugetsu series, Sho Nogami got to perform solo as Ichiru Kuga, delivering a stunning performance in “Nemuru Okarasu“.
With the group, his performances tend to be leveled but he almost stole the show with his performance in Angel’s Ladder, song released in 2018.
Still in 2018, he participated in duos performances within the RE:START series on SQ QUELL RE:START series vol.2 Issei&Ichiru and SQ QUELL RE:START series vol.5 Eichi&Ichiru.
On SQ QUELL RE:START series vol.2 Issei&Ichiru, he teamed up with Shugo Nakamura, creating a dynamic duo of highly skill belters with a lot of control.
They performed the warm acoustic tune “Blue Fire Crater” and showcased their vocal prowess with a performance that covered both ends of the spectrum with their versatile mid-tones, delivered sweet harmonizations, tackled high notes, and added vibrato to their performances.
It was a complete demonstration of their quality that had us begging for more.
In SQ QUELL RE:START series vol.5 Eichi&Ichiru, Nogami teamed up with Koutaro Nishiyama to perform “Fata Morgana”, a song unlike anything the group has released up until then.
The song flows in a peaceful, soothing fashion even if the EDM elements hint that this song could have been an even more powerful dance hit than it is.
The vocal approach is completely different, focusing on a mix of singing, rapping, and whispering that Sho Nogami and Koutaro Nishiyama excelled in.
In 2020, QUELL participated in the CARDS series, releasing two CDs “CLUB” and “HEART“. In both, the unit absolutely aced the concepts by delivering stunning songs.
Later in the same year, Sho Nogami participated in the Neo X Lied CD series with a powerful performance in “Arata na COLOR” alongside Soma Saito.
The duo’s bout on the vocals is noticeable how Tsubasa and Ichiru are almost like in a fight for control in this song, trying to overcome each other – something that fits perfectly with the “rivals” theme for this track -, quickly shifting parts between each other, leading to a more dynamic performance than your usual “splitting verses into 4, intercalated parts”.
Saito made sure the core of the song is powerful and robust and Sho Nogami showcased the range and flair of both by taking things further with his high notes and ad-libs.
In 2021, the group released “YOUR FREEDOM“, song featured as one of the opening themes for TSUKIPRO the animation 2.
Kashicomi (2018 -)
In 2018, Showhuku Showrai’s radio hosts, Sho Nogami and Shoya Chiba, decided to join forces and debut as a duo.
Since then, the duo released Chance! (2018), Am (2019), us (2019) and Dusk (2020). They have a muscled rock sound that is, more often than not, aggressive.
Both Nogami and Chiba are tenors with wide ranges – Nogami is a high tenor and Chiba a low tenor – and have a lot of passion for music, especially rock and that shows in their music.
The duo made their debut with the single “Chance! / Breakout“, introducing fans to their exciting brand of rock.
A year later, the duo made their comeback, this time around with their 1st mini-album “Am“.
This mini-album expanded upon their already robust pop-rock sound and brought as well interesting surprises to the table.
Still in the same year, the duo released their 2nd single “us“.
This time around the duo showcased their emotional side with the rock ballad “Ame ga yamu made” and blew everyone away with their aggressive and fast-paced rock sound in “us“.
The dynamic between Chiba’s rough vocals and Nogami’s incisive mid-tones packing a punch was a winner, with the duo surpassing their quality with this release.
In 2020, the duo announced their comeback with their 2nd mini-album “Dusk“.
“DUSK” is a highlight reel of a mini-album.
Every song you choose to listen in this CD is a sure-fire winner. Rock is king for Kashicomi, taking the spotlight for 4 out of the 5 songs in this CD.
Jazz makes its appearance in “Arigato” and the duo throws it out of the park, delivering a performance that makes me wish they were actually exploring that type of music from now on.
In 2021, the duo announced the release of their 3rd single “fight, fire with fire/ Kimi ni Utau Refrain“.
Bremüsik (2019 -)
In 2019, Sho Nogami joined the cast of Otogi no Uta: Chronicle, an original 2D music + drama CD project created by San-X in collaboration with Nippon Columbia (in charge of the music distribution).
At the core of this project are fairy tales and Japanese folklore stories with a different twist.
All bands explore a different story however to achieve their happy end, they have to battle with other bands (or team up with others).
The project counts with 7 bands/solo artists in its roster: Momotroop, BLASSKAIZ, Mushoku no Sora to Warau Ito, Bremüsik, Alice×Toxic, Setsudan Club, and Issun-Boushi.
He joined Bremüsik, voicing one of the band members. The group includes as well Jun Kasama, Kouhei Amasaki (on vocals), and Hiroshi Watanabe.
Bremüsik is in charge of creating folk music, having released 5 songs and participated in a shuffle unit song.
Variety
Crafty and patient, Sho Nogami is always an interesting addition to variety shows.
Over the years, he’s been active on Marine Entertainment’s variety events from the “Real Treasure” to “Jinro Battle” and “Steal Treasure Run!”.
Some of his most iconic participations in variety shows include:
Jinro Battle (2017 – 2019)
Sho Nogami was a consistent presence at Marine Entertainment’s Cop and Robbers’ style variety, Jinro Battle. He has participated in various recorded and live editions.
He participated in Jinro VS Mahotsukai (2017), Jinro VS Kaito (2018), Jinro VS Spy (2018), Jinro VS Kaizoku (2019), and Jinro Battle – lies and the truth 2019 AUGUST (2019).
Real treasure hunt in Yokohama (2017)
In 2017, Daiki Hamano participated in Marine Entertainment’s well-known Treasure Hunt variety show.
Alongside fellow male seiyuu, Daiki Hamano, Nogami did their best to avoid being robbed by the Uchida-Yoshitaka team, strayed far from the “on a date” team – Osaka and Uemura -, and kept themselves behind the tracksuit team – Sato and Akabane – yet far from the “airheaded” team – Hanae and Yashiro – in Yokohama.
Despite working well together, the duo faced some setbacks that, ultimately, robbed them of what could have been a sure win.
MARINE SUPERNOVA 2018 and 2019
As part of Kashicomi, Sho Nogami has participated in Marine Entertainment’s annual variety + live performances event, MARINE SUPERNOVA.
Seiyuu Bowling Grandprix 2 (2018)
In 2018, Shun Horie participated in the 2nd edition of the bowling variety DVD series, Seiyuu Bowling Grandprix.
He was featured alongside Sho Nogami and Takuma Nagatsuka.
Steal Treasure Run!! (2019)
Marine Entertainment’s treasure hunt variety returned in 2019 under a new format, with a different lineup and dynamic.
Shoya Chiba participated in Steal Treasure Run!! along fellow Marine Supernova members: Kouhei Amasaki, Taichi Ichikawa, Takeru Kikuchi, Tatsuya Tokutake, Takuma Nagatsuka, Sho Nogami, Daiki Hamano and Taku Yashiro.
Facts
Incredibly sassy
Funny, quick-witted quips are Sho Nogami’s strongest suit. He’s got a natural comedic timing and is always ready with a strong comeback should anyone try to make fun of him.
Favorite voice actors
Nogami is really vocal about the fellow seiyuu and veterans that inspired him.
He’s mentioned that Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiro Shimono, Takahiro Fujiwara, Junya Enoki, and TEAM NACS (a theatre troupe) are his favorites when it comes to voice acting skills.
Advanced Kanji certification
Sho Nogami has a certification that, even for native Japanese is rare. He’s got a certification in Kanji Kentei Level 3.
Kanji Kentei is a test that examines the candidate’s kanji skill. There are 12 levels (levels 10 through 3, pre-2, 2, pre-1, and 1) with level 10 being the easiest and level 1 the most difficult.
The test examines not only one’s ability to read and write kanji, but also one’s ability to understand their meanings, to use them correctly in sentences, and to identify their correct stroke order.
Nogami has level 3 certification.
With this, THTFHQ wraps up another Seiyuu Digest. In the meantime, don’t forget to check past Seiyuu Digests (some of those recently updated) – HERE.