Aoni Production

, also known as Aoni Pro or simply Aoni, is a Japanese talent agency representing a fair number of voice actors and other Japanese entertainers.
Aoni has cast a vast number of voice actors who have worked on Castlevania products.
==History==
Aoni Production was founded on April 1, 1969 by Susumu Kubo (born in Ehime Prefecture, graduated from Nihon University College of Art, Department of Drama), who was a member of the Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Association (Haikyo). Aoni was Japan's first entertainment agency specializing in voice actors. It is believed that the name 'Aoni' came from the fact that the original location of its head office was in Minami Aoyama 2-chome in Minato-ku, Tokyo, but it was also taken from 'Aonisai'. The company's logo was designed by Ryo Ishihara, a voice actor who has been a member since its founding.
Mr. Kubo was mainly engaged with productions by Toei Animation, so he wanted to establish a company centered on it. Until the mid-1990s, most of the voice actors who voiced Toei's animation works belonged to Aoni Production. The banner, "Cooperation: Aoni Production", was almost always displayed in the credits of the voice performers of Toei Animation works. However, since around 1996, Toei Management (formerly Toei Academy), an affiliated production company of Toei, also started casting for Toei Animation and, no longer working exclusively for them, Aoni started doing casts for other companies, such as Ashi Productions, Animation Staff Room, Office Academy, West Cape Corporation, Kokusai Eigasha, Nippon Sunrise, Studio Gallop, and Studio Comet. Additionally, many voice actors affiliated with Aoni Production have voiced games for companies like Koei, Tecmo, Nihon Falcom, Nintendo, and Flight Plan.
Aoni joined the Japan Entertainment Management Business Association, the Japan Merchandising Rights Association, etc.
Apart from its voice acting department, in recent years, Aoni has also expanded into other fields, such as narrations, announcements, and DJ productions.
In September 1976, Aoni was reorganized from a limited company to a stock company.
In the summer of 1979, 16 members separated and Aoni Pro split. The secession group, led by Kousei Tomita, established Production Baobab. Voice actors belonging to Baobab did not appear in programs cast by Aoni Pro for a long time.
In September 1982, Aoni opened Aoni Juku as an affiliated training school.
In 2007, Toshio Furuichi became president.
On February 6, 2018, Susumu Kubo, Aoni's founder and chairman since the company's foundation, died at 82 years old.
March 18, 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of Aoni's founding. Its headquarters moved to Aoyama St. Zion Building in Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo.
In April 1, 2020, Kenjiro Takeuchi became the company's president, while former president, Toshio Furuichi, remained as an advisor.
==List of voice actors who have worked on Castlevania products==
*Ao Takahashi (Mina Hakuba, Yoko Belnades)
*Atsuki Tani (Nikolai)
*Banjō Ginga (Cornell)
*Haruko Kitahama (Succubus, Medusa)
*Hidekatsu Shibata (Rinaldo Gandolfi)
*Hideo Ishikawa (Simon Belmont)
*Hikaru Midorikawa (Soma Cruz)
*Hiromi Murata (formerly) (Tera)
*Hiroshi Kamiya (Aeon, Joachim Armster)
*Hiroya Ishimaru (formerly) (Dracula)
*Hisao Egawa (Brauner)
*Houko Kuwashima (Shanoa, Carmilla)
*Jōji Yanami (Devil Familiar, N Demon Familiar)
*Kohei Fukuhara (Wind/Eric Lecarde)
*Mahito Ōba (Dracula)
*Mariko Suzuki (Stella Lecarde, Loretta Lecarde)
*Masaharu Satō (Death, Master Librarian, Ferryman)
*Masaya Onosaka (Grant Danasty)
*Mitsuaki Madono (Isaac)
*Moriya Endo (Isaac)
*Nobuhiko Kazama (Mathias Cronqvist)
*Nobutoshi Canna (Leon Belmont)
*Osamu Ryūtani (Julius Belmont)
*Ryōtarō Okiayu (Alucard/Genya Arikado, Trevor Belmont)
*Takahiro Yoshimizu (Hector)
*Tetsu Inada (Graham Jones, Julius Belmont, Hammer)
*Tetsuo Sakaguchi (Saint Germain)
*Tomoko Fujino (Julia Laforeze)
*Yasuhiko Tokuyama (Death, Vincent Dorin)
*Yasunori Masutani (Trevor Belmont)
*Yuka Shioyama (Celia Fortner)
*Yukimasa Kishino (Walter Bernhard)
*Yukitoshi Hori (Zead)
*Yumi Kakazu (Charlotte Aulin)
*Yōko Teppōzuka (Maria Renard)
*Yumi Tōma (formerly) (Sara Trantoul)
==See also==
*81 Produce - Another voice talent agency which has cast many actors for Castlevania products.
*Soli Consultants - Another voice talent agency which has cast many actors for Castlevania products.
==External links==
*Official website (Japanese)
*Anime News Network
*Wikipedia