Unsung Heroes: Q & A and BGM Composers - Part 2 June 30
I look at the comments posted in my debut column and it amazed me how much effect Kajiura Yuki has on people. The demand for Kajiura’s work to be placed in the top ranking has been petitioned to the point that maybe I should re-review my choices. Maybe I made a mistake or just maybe…just maybe, I might have gone over the line. I should give into the public opinion and just do what they consider is right.
Or not. 
However, that does not mean I should do whatever I please. The readers of RC have brought up some issues that intrigued me. I feel that I am obligated to answer it. Before I list my ‘Starting Lineup’, I would like to take this moment for a little Q & A session.
Q: Is this ranking based on bias?
A: Isn’t everything we decide based on preference? Isn’t preference basically a sophisticated word for bias? Of course, it’s going to be bias. Nonetheless, you can minimize it as much as possible by offering quality reasons as to why you feel this way. The word, bias, would not exist if we all liked the same things, which is humanly impossible.
Q: Are you commending the composer with the pieces he/she has created that are listed next to their names?
A: Unless it is mentioned in the paragraph below, then no. Generally, I am talking about their whole body of work.
Q: Will we see Kajiura Yuki in “The Starting Lineup”?
A: Scroll down to the bottom for an answer.
Onward to the next group of composers…
(Notice: After conducting more research for this and upcoming posts, I realized that I restricted myself too much with the whole ‘Excluding composers in joint collaboration’. If I excluded them, I would be literally excluding almost everybody. Therefore, I am abolishing that rule in order to expand my choices and help you readers enjoy reading future postings as well.)
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Nakagawa Kotaro (Scryed, Gun X Sword, Code Geass)
His fondness for the guitar and trumpet is portrayed beautifully. Although Nakagawa’s tracks have a western feeling, he manages to add a twist in order to call it his own. If you listen very carefully, this composer loves to focus on exploiting the feeling of cockiness, stubbornness and restlessness. It makes me wonder how far he can go with his potential. |
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Mitsumune Shinkichi (Tiny Snow Fairy Sugar, Asatte no Houkou, Zero no Tsukaima)
Mitsumune reminds you of a pairing between bread & butter, peanut butter & jelly, macaroni & cheese, or even iPod & MP3. How does he fit in with this? Fairy tale. He is so synchronized with that genre that it almost makes you feel that he was solely born to compose for it. People will question if he can expand his work to other themes. Only time will tell. For now, let’s just enjoy the contribution he made that can reach both kids and adults. |
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Sahashi Toshihiko (Full metal Panic(s), Hunter X Hunter, Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny, Black Blood Brothers)
As a composer who shows his passion for the orchestra , Sahashi is very formal. Is that a bad thing? Not really. In the technological age (present) , people have trouble understanding the value of an orchestra especially with teens and young adults. The music of Gundam SEED(s) and Full Metal Panic(s) has caught their attention. What’s the brilliance of his work? Sahashi is a rare talent who can make something ordinary into extraordinary without having to change a thing. You can say that he’s the ‘Azuma Kazuma’ of music. |
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Masuda Toshio (Jubei-Chan 1 & 2, Ai Yori Aoshi, Mahoromatic, Otogi-Jushi Akazukin, Naruto)
Okay, before people come after me with pitchforks and torches, I want to get this out of the way. I don’t want to hear any comments about how you can dismiss him just because he worked on Naruto. I know there are lots…and I mean…LOTS of people who hate Naruto. Despite that, just deal with it and suck it up. It is not his fault that the anime failed due to crappy fillers. If you want to blame someone, blame the writers NOT the composer. Scrolling through the tracks of his previous works, he has a typical pattern known as balance. In his musical score, Masuda likes to set the scale in emotions equally. Too much sadness can really bring you down while too much happiness can make you naïve. The only problem I have with him is that his transition to these emotions (sad to happy) is not always at its best. Although, it is nice to see someone taking on a unique challenge. |
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Kajiura Yuki (Noir, Madlax, El Cazador, Tsubasa, Erementar Gerad)
Surprise, Surprise. Guess who finally showed up. It’s your goddess, Kajiura Yuki. I guess you’re all wondering why I think she belongs here instead of ‘The All Stars’. Prepare yourself. The phrase ‘one-style’ to describe Kajiura Yuki is absolutely positively preposterous. Those who say she has ‘one-style’ are ignorant. Have you forgotten about Kajiura’s work on Erementar Gerad? Sure, fans can argue how the anime blew but the OST was not at fault. It was magnificent. That accomplishment shredded the ‘one-style’ label anti-Kajiura fanatics have slapped on her. So if you readers were expecting that, sorry to disappoint you but I’m not deaf. The main reason as to why I believe she belongs here is because I respect her vocal compositions more than her BGM. She has contributed to so many outstanding vocals (i.e. Shounen Onmyouji OP, Chrno Crusade ED, Gundam SEED(s) inserts). Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t she have her own solo project called FictionJunction (YUUKA, ASUKA, KAORI, KEIKO and WAKANA)? Some of my favorite songs are ‘Everlasting Song (Erementar Gerad insert)’ by FictionJunction ASUKA and ‘Akatsuki no Kuruma (Gundam SEED insert)’ by FictionJunction YUUKA. ‘Hitomi no Kakera (MADLAX OP)’ was not so shabby either. If that’s not enough, have supporters neglected her partnership with Ishikawa Chiaki to form the group known as See-Saw? This duo has contributed to big titles which includes Gundam SEED(s) and .hack//(s). Is she a great BGM composer? Yes. Do I think it’s better than her vocal arrangements? Sadly, no. I’m not taking anything away from her. There are people that surpass her when it comes to BGM, whom are listed in ‘The All Stars’. |
Whew, that was a load off. I hope the comments posted here will now be less frequent about Kajiura Yuki (highly doubtful, but a man can dream). That being said, people will now ask ‘Where in the world is Joe Hisaishi in your list?’ That will be answered in another day.
On the 3rd posting, the Bench Players. 
(Notice: Check back often. I do respond to comments.)
kacpy at 1:28 pm on June 30th, 2007
Well.. pity Kanno has probably more vocal pieces than Kajiura…
PS. Your spam filter sucks.
GStrike- at 1:32 pm on June 30th, 2007
woah…
kuromitsu at 1:42 pm on June 30th, 2007
I’m disappointed to see that neither Mizoguchi Hajime nor Imahori Tsuneo made it to your list, although it’s somewhat justified in that their main profile is not anime music. Still, Mizoguchi’s work on Juuousei, Texhnolyze and Escaflowne (the movie) was absolutely wonderful, and Imahori made some of the most interesting and original music for Trigun and Gungrave. (I used to listen to the soundtracks of the latter two shows at work, and people would often come and ask me what band I’m listening to and where they could buy their CDs. It’s ironic that the music of Imahori’s former band is usually too experimental even for me…)
acapella at 1:50 pm on June 30th, 2007
first post here after long time readin RC….
but since i really do love anime ost, and sometimes make me watch anime based on the composer first…. and to be truth i’m on the part of them who feel like protesting by not seeing Kajiura in ur previous list, but glad Kanno make it in
actually i always think what makes one composer good, is having a soul on their piece, or maybe characteristic on all their works…
some piece that’ll make us “ah! isn’t this by XX” when we heard them
i think Kanno and Kajiura is one of many composer who hav those soul inside them *and we know on how ppl’s voice for “why no Kajiura” in ur previous post, kinda proves it*
all and all, it’s ur RC, and ur the one writing, ur own little fav composer chart list, not ours, and won’t change ours fav composer too hehehe
though i’m glad fot this post, at least i can learn about other composer a bit
BROOKLYN otaku at 1:51 pm on June 30th, 2007
O.K o.K i didnt chime in on part one “cuz honestly i dont see what the deal is” maybe i’m missing something ,hence= dude from brooklyn.. the topic is “composer’s” by my definition or at least the one in my head. a composer “creates” or “arranges” musical peice’s. now i cant read asian languages so i could not tell if these “composers” are the creators of the music played at the various openings, or if they are simply responsible for selecting the piece and timing it with the animation.. but from what i gather it seems to me that usually variouse groups ,artists, j-pop bands, are the ones that execute the music, “sometimes selected from their albums” are you telling me that these composers hire out these artists and make them play songs that they composed??? cuz if thats the case, they take anime 100x more serious than we do over here in the states. the idea of an american production studio contracting a professional artist to make a theme song for a cartoon is luducris over here… but i digress.. im just curiose as to what is meant by “composer”
Stripey at 2:01 pm on June 30th, 2007
Glad to see Masuda Toshio and Mitsumune Shinkichi finally getting some love. Shinkichi’s Rozen Maiden 2 and Toshio’s Ai Yori Aoshi ~enishi~ are 2 of my favourite OSTs in anime. Interested to see where you’d classify Hikaru Nanase.
41nano at 2:03 pm on June 30th, 2007
I think the best work of Masuda Toshio is from Mushishi, maybe you should at least mention it.
Anyway nice post
Blue at 2:09 pm on June 30th, 2007
“I look at the comments posted in my debut column and it amazed me how much effect Kajiura Yuki has on people. The demand for Kajiura’s work to be placed in the top ranking has been petitioned to the point that maybe I should re-review my choices. Maybe I made a mistake or just maybe…just maybe, I might have gone over the line. I should give into the public opinion and just do what they consider is right.”
Thing is, you’re not doing this for “the people” . You’re doing it for you, otherwise you wouldn’t place Kajiura in the “Starting setup” just because YOU like her vocal arrangements more than BGM.
Then again, argueing about this isn’t really important. I mean, it’s not like we “can” argue about your choices. You’re not trying to make an “unbiased” list, but one based on your tastes. So all we can do is read and agree/lawl/not agree.
So just keep up with your job. At least it’s an “interesting” read.
PS: Delete the other one. Long live for html tags and not allowing ’s
kacpy at 2:11 pm on June 30th, 2007
indeed @ poster above. We’ve had our fun at the “overlooked” part, but now it’s like… “oh so he likes this and that, apparently, mmmkay.”
mutio at 2:41 pm on June 30th, 2007
I especialy remember Yuki Kajiura cause of Noir. That was the first anime I watched with my mother lol.
shuffee at 2:56 pm on June 30th, 2007
woohooo i LOVE Nakagawa Kotaro :D!!! the gun x sword ost is by far one of my favourite ost’s (honey & clover’s ost is my most loved), and though the code geass ost was rather hit or miss for me, it did have some lovely tracks.
jaalin at 2:59 pm on June 30th, 2007
of course there are going to be disagreements when it comes to ranking something that ultimately comes down to preference. mozart or beethoven? van gogh or picasso? advil or tylenol? i doubt any of us have the knowledge or expertise to be critiquing these composers on a technical level, anyway. who knows, nodame’s “moja moja part 12″ could be a better piece of music than anything chopin ever wrote.
what’s important is that kyouya made his point and provided as much evidence as any of us could - there’s an objective interpretation of each composer’s style and substance, several well-known works, even a freakin’ screenshot. don’t agree with his ranking? then tell us what you think it should be, and give us your own reasoning!
do keep in mind, though, most of the people who visit this site will have no idea who any of these composers are. therefore, in accordance with the majority of our readers, kyouya is indeed writing for “the people” and not just “you people” - the very nature of having a column like this should make viewers more aware of all these background elements that go into a successful anime.
and as long as somebody learned something new from reading this, what else matters?
Kyouya at 3:34 pm on June 30th, 2007
Blue
I was being playful. Of course, I write it for myself :). I am just having fun teasing the readers which is why I wrote ‘Or not’ :P.
kuromitsu
The rankings are not done. There are more to come. I suggest you look forward to my next post. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Stripey,
Read my debut post. Hikaru Nanase is in ‘The All Stars’
Fuyumi at 3:54 pm on June 30th, 2007
I mentioned in regards to the first installment that you should consider J.A. Seazer, and said he did a ton of work for Utena. I mistakenly wrote that that was the only anime he worked on, although he actually did the music (background, insert, opening, and ending) for the movie Midori (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=4601).
I also thought I’d suggest considering Shiro Sagisu. He doesn’t seem very well-known, but he did the musical scores for Kimagure Orange Road (TV, OVA, movie), His and Her Circumstances, Nadia (TV and movie), Bleach (TV, OVA’s, and movie), and Evangelion (TV, and both movies). So, at the very least, he has done enough work to be considered - and I dare say his work in the aforementioned animes was all excellent, and quite varied.
bailey at 4:18 pm on June 30th, 2007
I’m really enjoying this new section–I have no knowledge of BGM composers so these posts have been very informative to me. I usually just watch an anime and may think, “this music sounds cool/nice,” but I don’t really look into who composed it or anything. From now on I think I’ll pay a lot more attention to the music so that I can form a better appreciation of it. Thanks for these interesting posts, it’s always nice to learn something new.
randomdude at 5:53 pm on June 30th, 2007
Didn’t Kajiura Yuki do Mai Otome and My-HiME?, but yea i like her work too
i have to get her ost’s from the anime’s she’s done cuz i like the bgm
Anonymooo at 7:42 pm on June 30th, 2007
I agree with kuromitsu in his surprise that Imahori Tsuneo isn’t on the list–his instantly-recognizable use of guitar is something that defines the series he works on. I can understand, though, as I can only think of two series off the top of my head where it really comes to the forefront.
Inana at 7:59 pm on June 30th, 2007
WHAT? Did you forget Hans Zimmer? Blood+ wasn’t airing long ago; I don’t see yoko Kanno or Hajime mizoguchi either. Did you just exclude the animes you don’t watch or is it because older series are not included in your rankings you didn’t mentioned them? Ah and btw you said “discuss” these stuff, what’s the point if we ask you questions and you never answer them? Did you forget about your poor readers? Y_________Y
ShiNN at 8:06 pm on June 30th, 2007
I rather think you forgot your brain somewhere, Inana. This is the second article that Kyouya did. Yoko Kanno already got mentioned in the previous one among his “All-Stars” preference.
mewmew at 8:22 pm on June 30th, 2007
agreement with jaalin. as long as the defense and reason is made, why complain? no single person will be willing to go through all the bgm composers that ever existed, then listen to every single one of their works, then create a non-biased way to rank them (impossible).
@Inana-if you can do all of the above yourself, then your complaint is justified. but it isn’t.
good job kyouya! that is all i have to say.