Yuki Kajiura
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| Yuki Kajiura | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Born | August 6, 1965 | |
| Origin |  Tokyo, Japan |
|
| Occupation(s) | Composer | |
| Instrument(s) | Keyboard/Piano | |
| Years active | 1992–present | |
| Label(s) | Victor Entertainment | |
| Associated acts |
See-Saw, FictionJunction YUUKA (FictionJunction) | |
| Website | FictionJunction.com | |
Yuki Kajiura (梶浦由記 Kajiura Yuki?), born August 6, 1965 in Tokyo, Japan, is a Japanese composer and music producer. She has provided the music for several popular anime series, such as .hack//SIGN, Noir, Aquarian Age, Madlax, My-HiME, My-Otome, Tsubasa Chronicle, and one of the Kimagure Orange Road movies (amongst others). She also assisted Toshihiko Sahashi with Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. Kajiura has also composed for the Xenosaga video game series, namely the cutscene music for Xenosaga II and the entire Xenosaga III game soundtrack. She currently resides in Tokyo.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Due to her father's work, Kajiura lived in West Germany since 1972 and until her middle school years. Her first music piece, which she had written at the age of 7, was a farewell song for her grandmother.[1] After graduating from college (back in Tokyo), she began working as a systems engineering programmer, but in 1992, she turned her career around to focus on her activities on music. She admits that it was her father who greatly influenced this decision, for he was a great opera and classical music admirer.[2]
In July of 1992, she made her debut in an all-female trio See-Saw, then consisting of Chiaki Ishikawa (lead vocals), herself (back-up vocals, keyboards), and Yukiko Nishioka. In the following two years, the group released six singles and two albums but in 1995 they temporarily broke up. Nishioka decided to become a writer while Kajiura carried on with her solo musician career, composing music for other artists as well as sound producing for TV, commercials, films, animation and games.
In 2001, she and Chiaki Ishikawa reunited as See-Saw. Around the same time she became involved with Koichi Mashimo's animation studio Bee Train and their first widely popular project, Noir. Despite the series' controversial status among the reviewers, all critics generally praised its OST[citation needed] as a breakthrough in the animation music scene for its risky but highly successful mix of synth, opera, and French-flaired sound.
Kajiura greatly enjoyed the degree of artistic freedom that Mashimo as the series' director offered her while collaborating on Noir, therefore their collaboration extended to many of his later projects, with the latest (as of 2006) being Tsubasa Chronicle. For example, Mashimo would never set any distinctive limitations or goals before her, allowing her to compose whatever she pleases. Afterwards, he would just take the samples he thought appropriate and insert it to whenever he wanted them to play.
In 2002, See-Saw participated in another Mashimo's project, .hack//SIGN, which became widely known for its TV and game combined development, and its soundtrack sold over 300,000 copies.[citation needed] During the production of the series, Kajiura met Emily Bindiger and impressed by her vocals, offered her to perform over 10 of the series' insert songs. She has also jokingly called Bindiger "her English teacher" on Anime Expo 2003.[3]
One of See-Saw's further major hits was the ending theme song for Mobile Suit Gundam SEED ("Anna ni Issho Datta no ni"), which sold over 200,000 copies causing a sensation in the animation world.[citation needed] Dream Field, See-Saw's first original album release in nine years, became a hit, as well, in 2003, selling over 100,000 copies.[citation needed] In the same year, Kajiura released her first solo album, Fiction, which she performed and promoted at Anime Expo 2003 in Anaheim, California.
One of Kajiura's solo projects include FictionJunction, which contrary to common belief is not an alias but the name of the project itself.[citation needed] The project involves collaboration with artists such as Yuuka Nanri, Asuka Kato, and Kaori Oda. FictionJunction YUUKA, with Nanri as the vocalist, is the most prolific of these collaborations. In 2004, the duo produced the opening and ending songs for Mashimo Koichi's MADLAX and in the next year, published their first collaborative album, Destination.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Animation soundtracks
Links below the official English title lead to the Japanese Wikipedia for articles which do not yet exist on the English Wikipedia.
| Animation Title | Year of Release |
|---|---|
| Shin Kimagure Orenji Rōdo Gekijōban | 1996 |
| Eat-Man | 1997 |
| Noir | 2001 |
| Aquarian Age | 2002 |
| .hack//SIGN | 2002 |
| .hack//Liminality | 2002 |
| Le Portrait de Petit Cossette | 2004 |
| Madlax | 2004 |
| My-HiME | 2004 |
| Tsubasa Chronicle | 2005 |
| Elemental Gelade | 2005 |
| My-Otome | 2006 |
| Fist of the North Star True Saviour Legend | 2007 |
| El Cazador de la Bruja | 2007 |
[edit] Game soundtracks
| Game Title | Game Platform | Year of Release | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double Cast ダブルキャスト (Daburukyasuto) |
PlayStation | 1998 | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Meguri-aishite めぐり愛して (Meguriaishite) |
PlayStation | 1999 | SME |
| Blood: The Last Vampire | PlayStation 2 | 2000 | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse (Movie scenes) | PlayStation 2 | 2004 | Namco |
| Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra | PlayStation 2 | 2006 | Namco |
[edit] Movie soundtracks
| Movie Title | Year of Release | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo-Kyodai | 1995 | Jun Ichikawa |
| RUBY FRUIT | 1995 | Takumi Kimiduka |
| Rainbow | 1999 | Naoto Kumazawa |
| Boogiepop and others | 2000 | Ryu Kaneda |
| MOON | 2000 | Takumi Kimiduka |
[edit] Musicals
| Musical Title | Year of Release |
|---|---|
| Sakura-Wars | 1998 |
| Fine | 1998 |
| FUNK-a-STEP | 1998 |
| FUNK-a-STEP II | 1999 |
| Christmas Juliette | 1999-2000 |
| High-School Revolution | 2000 |
| Christmas Juliette | 2000 |
| Shooting-Star Lullaby | 2001 |
| Love's Labour's Lost/SET | 2002 |
| Angel Gate | 2006 |
[edit] Solo albums
| Album Title | Year of Release |
|---|---|
| Fiction | 2003 |
[edit] Produced albums
(vocalist: Saeko Chiba)
| Album Title | Year of Release |
|---|---|
| melody | 2003 |
| everything | 2004 |
[edit] See-Saw albums
(vocalist: Chiaki Ishikawa)
| Album Title | Year of Release |
|---|---|
| I have a dream | 1993 |
| See-Saw | 1994 |
| Dream Field | 2003 |
| Early Best | 2003 |
[edit] Other involvements
| Genre | Project | Involvement | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anime | Mobile Suit Gundam Seed | Closing Theme & Insert Songs | 2002 |
| Anime | Chrno Crusade | Closing Theme Song (Sayonara Solitaire) | 2003 |
| Game | .hack//QUARANTINE | Song Yasashii Yoake(also used in .hack//SIGN) | 2003 |
| Anime | Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny | Closing Theme & Insert Songs | 2004 |
| Anime | .hack//Legend of the Twilight | Closing Theme | 2004 |
| Anime | Loveless | Theme Song | 2005 |
| Anime | Shounen Onmyouji | Opening Theme Song | 2006 |
| Anime | .hack//Roots | Opening Theme Song | 2006 |
| Anime | Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto | Opening Theme Song | 2006 |
[edit] Hired vocalists
- Aa (ああ) of savage genius
- Ami Koshimizu (小清水 亜美)
- Arai Akino
- Asuka Kato (加藤あすか) / FictionJunction ASUKA
- Aya Hisakawa (久川 綾)
- Chiaki Ishikawa (石川智晶) / See-Saw
- Deb Lyons
- Emily Bindiger
- Emily Curtis
- Eri Ito (伊東恵里)
- Fion
- Hanae Tomaru (戸丸華江)
- Houko Kuwashima (桑島法子)
- Kaori Hikita (引田香織)
- Kaori Nishikawa
- Kaori Nishina (仁科かおり/仁科薫理)
- Kaori Oda (織田かおり) / FictionJunction KAORI
- Kaoru Saito (斉藤かおる)
- Keiko Kubota (窪田啓子) / FictionJunction KEIKO
- Margaret Dorn
- Marina Inoue (井上 麻里奈)
- Mika Arisaka (有坂美香)
- Mika Kikuchi (菊地美香)
- Mami Ishizuka (石塚まみ)
- Minami Omi (南 央美)
- Nicolette Grogoroff
- Noriko Ogawa (小川範子)
- Reika Okina (翁 鈴佳)
- Rie Tanaka (田中理恵)
- Saeko Chiba (千葉紗子)
- TARAKO
- Tokyo Philharmonic Chorus (東京混声合唱団)
- Tomokazu Seki (関 智一)
- Tulivu-Donna Cumberbatch
- Yui Makino (牧野由依)
- Yukana (ゆかな)
- Yuri Kasahara (笠原ゆり)
- Yuriko Kaida (貝田 由里子)
- Yuuka Nanri (南里侑香) / FictionJunction YUUKA
- Yuko Miyamura (宮村優子)
[edit] Trademarks
- Genre mixes: It is not uncommon to hear operatic style with a pop beat to it. Kajiura's greatest inspiration, her father, was a classical fan; therefore her soundtracks have both pop and classic motifs.
- Piano: Elaborate self-performed piano solos.
- European themes: Some of her music has European style. Some of her songs are written in German, Spanish or Italian.
- Chants: It is not uncommon for Kajiura's songs to have a choir performing ominous chants (both either as a supporting role and as the main driving force of the song) and some have dubbed this style 'Kajiuran'.[4] The style of making up languages is similar to that of Yoko Kanno's work with Gabriela Robin. The Yamanii chants in the song nowhere that is featured in MADLAX is a good example of this.
- Bee Train: Frequently composes for Bee Train Productions, and works with Koichi Mashimo
- Violin Solos: Very elaborate violin solos are heard often in the middle of her songs
[edit] Trivia
- Kajiura does not have the pleasure of seeing the rough cut of the show she writes for.[citation needed] She is usually handed sketches of the characters, and what she and Koichi Mashimo have dubbed Music Menues, so she is often confused when she writes.
[edit] References
- ^ RocketBaby's interview with Yuki Kajiura
- ^ Yuki Kajiura's biography at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Report of Yuki Kajiura's concert at Anime Expo 2003
- ^ Labyrinthos.org's description of the Xenosaga II Movie Scene Soundtrack
[edit] External links
- Yuki Kajiura's Home Page (Japanese)
- See-Saw Home Page (Japanese)
- FictionJunction YUUKA Home Page (Japanese)
- Victor Entertainment (Yuki Kajiura) (Japanese)
- RocketBaby's Interview
- Yuki Kajiura at the Internet Movie Database
| FictionJunction YUUKA |
| Members: Yuki Kajiura | Yuuka Nanri |
| Discography |
|---|
| Singles: Hitomi no Kakera | inside your heart | Akatsuki no Kuruma | Honoh no Tobira | Silly-Go-Round | Kōya Ruten | romanesque |
| Albums: Destination | TBA |
| See also |
| FictionJunction | See-Saw | tiaraway |
