Quoted By:
>Sakai Noriko was a big star. So it was only natural that OLM would come knocking on her door to have her be the next in line to narrate 2000's Pikachu special Pichu and Pikachu. Ms. Noriko also provided the short's ending theme Tomodachi Kinenbi (ともだち記念日) or "Friend Anniversary."
>Ms. Sakai gets arrested
>For a number of years after the release of Pichu and Pikachu things were going fine. Sakai Noriko continued to release singles, continued acting, and started her own fashion brands.
>Meanwhile, Pichu and Pikachu was shown on TV and released on VHS and DVD multiple times. It was released overseas where it was shown a countless number of times as well. Back in Japan, future Pikachu shorts continued the tradition of using well-known actresses and singers to provide the narration. So far, so good.
>And then Sakai Noriko went and got arrested in 2009 for drug possession. Wikipedia has a much more detailed breakdown than I have space to provide here, but the short version of the story is that her husband was arrested in August 2009 for using amphetamines in public. Sakai Noriko was asked to come to the police station for questioning but instead of showing up as promised she made a run for it. Ms. Sakai dropped her son off with a friend, bought large amounts of food and toiletries, and essentially went missing for a few days. Meanwhile, police searched her apartment (she and her husband were living separately at the time) and found amphetamine wrapped in foil along with an inhaler containing her DNA on it. An arrest warrant was issue for Ms. Sakai.
