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  #31  
Old Aug 20, 2011, 10:07 AM
MEATWART MEATWART is offline
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Originally Posted by Blitz Lunar View Post
Myself and surasshu were talking about him around a week ago in relation to this. It does seem like he has straight up fallen off the planet... it's very peculiar.

Which other composers did you contact? My first thought is Shinji Hosoe as he is kind of an oracle and knows everyone. Also Hayato Matsuo would probably know more as well but he isn't the easiest to contact either. Takenouchi would be a fascinating person to interview, for sure. Shining Force II has brilliant music.
To be honest, I don't remember all the names (some of them I contacted 5+ years ago.) I only got one or two replies; all negative. I know for a fact that composer Noriyuki Iwadare (of Lunar and Grandia fame) knows Takenouchi personally, since Iwadare once blogged about attending Takenouchi's wedding. Iwadare also praised Takenouchi's music style (such as his unusual time signatures) in that same post. I sent two emails to Iwadare (several months apart) but got no responses. I imagine Iwadare is bombarded with emails though, so my messages probably got ignored.

My best guess about Takenouchi is that he's probably doing some behind the scenes work such as writing music for commercials or producing music, where he is no longer in the public eye, hence the difficulty in finding him.

Edit: I don't remember if I contacted Shinji Hosoe (again, I tried contacting other composers 5-6 years ago) but after checking out his website, it seems he would be a reasonable person to ask about Takenouchi. Hosoe has a blog and is on twitter, so contacting him will probably be pretty easy. Once I get a hold of my Japanese-translation guy, I may try contacting Hosoe.

Last edited by MEATWART; Aug 20, 2011 at 10:16 AM.
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  #32  
Old Aug 21, 2011, 02:03 PM
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I thought maybe he had disappeared into studio work of some kind too, but even considering that, you'd think there'd be some kind of trace of activity these days nonetheless. if he was actually still freelancing i would expect to see more of an internet presense - that's good for business :J

well anyway, i guess Hosoe would be the best bet. fingers crossed.
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  #33  
Old Aug 25, 2011, 05:11 PM
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I'd also love to know what Takenouchi's been up to.
Same for Taro Kudo and, as mentioned earlier, Soshiro Hokkai.
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  #34  
Old Aug 25, 2011, 05:24 PM
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Kudo didn't disappear per se; he's still around working on games, just not composing. He left Konami and joined Love-de-Lic with Masanori Adachi and Hirofumi Taniguchi, and their game Moon has his last known compositions as far as I know. After LdL closed, he and Adachi went on to Vanpool (along with another ex-Konami composer, Tomoko Sano), and he's still there today. He's the representative director of Vanpool actually, didn't know that until I checked just now.

His roles these days are usually direction and game design.
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  #35  
Old Aug 26, 2011, 10:00 PM
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I've also got some news to report, and are rather tragic for Ar tonelico and Atelier music fans: Takashige Inagaki, known for having greatly contributed to the music of both series, passed away on November 2009 from a brain tumor, according to the comments published here by Wacha. As they say in the Ar tonelico world, yasra dius manaf (Precious life, rest in peace).
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  #36  
Old Aug 26, 2011, 10:07 PM
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This pegs it at 15 Nov 2009:
http://studio-denden.com/hokazono/2010/11/live.html
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  #37  
Old Aug 27, 2011, 04:41 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CHz View Post
Kudo didn't disappear per se; he's still around working on games, just not composing. He left Konami and joined Love-de-Lic with Masanori Adachi and Hirofumi Taniguchi, and their game Moon has his last known compositions as far as I know. After LdL closed, he and Adachi went on to Vanpool (along with another ex-Konami composer, Tomoko Sano), and he's still there today. He's the representative director of Vanpool actually, didn't know that until I checked just now.

His roles these days are usually direction and game design.
There's an interview here that I always wanted to see translated. It explains a lot, and I even believe it mentions him working at Konami. It would be great to see that part translated at the least. But yeah, Axelay has an amazing soundtrack. One of my top favs. Can't believe he stopped composing.
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Last edited by strugglepoo; Aug 27, 2011 at 04:55 PM.
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  #38  
Old Sep 16, 2011, 12:04 PM
VncentValntine VncentValntine is offline
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Whatever happened to Hajime Hirasawa...

Last known (and only) soundtrack: Star Fox Original Soundtrack =(

I loved that OST so much, I wish I could have heard more from this man.


okay, so I already know what happened to him... but stil...

He's CEO of Faith Inc.
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  #39  
Old Sep 16, 2011, 12:18 PM
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Hirasawa also did the soundtrack to a Famicom Disk System game called Time Twist; the soundtrack can be found on this.
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  #40  
Old Sep 16, 2011, 12:40 PM
Cedille Cedille is offline
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Originally Posted by Jormungand View Post
Yasunori Shiono[/b] (Lufia I & II, Energy Breaker)
Last known game work: CIMA: The Enemy (2003)
Not sure what exactly happened after his departure from Neverland, but Shiono now helps his father's soba noodle restaurant and quit composing music for a while.
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  #41  
Old Sep 16, 2011, 01:08 PM
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Sadly, there are also no latest activities from Suikoden fame Miki Higashino (I love the series' music). She contributed a few arrangements on Otomedius this year, but that's all...
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  #42  
Old Sep 28, 2011, 11:02 AM
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I don't know if anyone has mentioned this person yet, but I think that it's sad that we have not heard anything new from Hiroshi Kondo. He was the lead composer for the Dark Savior and Climax Landers games. I personally loved Dark Savior a lot, wish I could find the OST's to it. Such a great game, one I feel didn't get played by enough people. I loved everything about it from the characters to the world to the music. Garian's Theme, "Lonesome Soldier", being absolutely epic and full of 90's goodness that only the Playstation and Saturn era's can deliver.

For those that know the game, some still debate if there was an extra Parallel in the Japanese version that was cut out of both US/EU editions. Crazy stuff. The last game that he composed for was Climax Landers, Time Stalkers in the US/EU, for the Dreamcast in 1999. Where the heck is this guy? And Why haven't I heard anything new from him after all these years? Makes me quite sad when I think about it, I know that I would let him compose more!

Last edited by thedreamtraveler; Oct 12, 2011 at 09:45 AM.
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  #43  
Old May 30, 2012, 11:26 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by strugglepoo View Post
Hideki Naganuma, where art thou?
He's active on Facebook.

Also, I tried to contact Shinji about Motoaki, but he didn't respond. Would be such a shame to learn that he passed away years ago or something terrible like that. : (
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  #44  
Old May 31, 2012, 12:41 AM
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Quote:
Also, I tried to contact Shinji about Motoaki, but he didn't respond. Would be such a shame to learn that he passed away years ago or something terrible like that.
Agh. Maybe he didn't get a chance to reply yet? I hope he will eventually. It's a real mystery. I can't imagine him completely dropping out of his music career, that seems really strange. It's possible he passed away, I'm prepared for that being a possibility. He could have been incarcerated too... I don't want to speculate too much, but really hope we can find out some day.
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  #45  
Old May 31, 2012, 02:20 AM
Cedille Cedille is offline
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I tried a brief google search on Motoaki Takenouchi, and he seemed to attend some musical events as a lecture in 2008 and 2011 though. I guess he now works in the noh industry?

http://www.nihu.jp/events/nichibun/
http://www.nichibun.ac.jp/event/archive/dentopro.html
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2011 event
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  #46  
Old May 31, 2012, 03:34 AM
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I bet he's gone freelance, with enough contacts in real-life to support him without the need to utilize any web-based resources to get his work done. The most we can do is try and focus our efforts to message Iwadare, Matsuo, and Hosoe on the matter. It might help for a group like SEMO to help out, mainly because we have connections and they're substantial enough for the time being.

Either way: I doubt he's dead if he's still being listed in areas. This is a really-cool find, Cedille, as it gives me, Blitz, and others hope of contacting the man for an interview someday.
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  #47  
Old May 31, 2012, 07:15 AM
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I saw Shinji has been active since I left the comment, so I doubt he will respond. Oh well..

Matsuo would seemingly be the best to ask, but he isn't active on the internet like the others. I guess Iwadare would be the next to ask. I'll leave him a message later. Or maybe somebody else should? I don't know any Japanese and maybe my terrible translation of it puts them off or something. "/
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  #48  
Old May 31, 2012, 08:03 AM
Ramza Ramza is offline
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Very thankful for this thread!

I'm perpetually interested in what may be going on with Noriko Matsueda. The best info on what happened comes from SEMO, specifically:

Quote:
Despite the hostile response to the album, it was a financial success, especially given its low budget, and Matsueda won fame as the composer of most of its setting themes. Matsueda subsequently worked on 2004's acclaimed Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission and her three arrangements of the Final Fantasy X-2 Piano Collection. Written with the intention of leaving a legacy, Matsueda decided to leave the gaming industry immediately afterwards to the distress of her friends Shimomura and Eguchi. Her intensive job brought sleeplessness, loss of appetite, sharp weight decreases, and rough skin and Matsueda found this increasingly affected her with age; the reception towards Final Fantasy X-2 was the last straw. She currently resides in Japan living a relatively quiet life, but continues to listen to and play music as a hobby and actively follows her former colleague's careers. While the circumstances of her departure were unfortunate, she will always remain a cult figure among game music fans for her symphonic, jazz, and electronic contributions to several excellent scores.
(URL for full bio here http://www.squareenixmusic.com/compo...iography.shtml )

That was last updated in 2007.

I'm waiting for the day that Matsueda says "to hell with it, I can be a freelance composer" and she appears on some random Japanese game soundtrack. Sort of like Michiko Naruke's surprising return. Anyone wanna take bets on if/when that happens?

Ramza
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  #49  
Old May 31, 2012, 02:45 PM
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Does anyone know who in the name of heaven is Shiro Kohmoto (whose sole credit is the music of Resident Evil: Survivor)?
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  #50  
Old Jun 1, 2012, 01:30 AM
Cedille Cedille is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramza View Post
(URL for full bio here http://www.squareenixmusic.com/compo...iography.shtml )

That was last updated in 2007.
SEMO last year updated some of their biographies, and here is the latest of hers, but we don't know much about her aside of having a child between Eguchi.
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  #51  
Old Jun 1, 2012, 07:12 PM
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Originally Posted by Ramza View Post
Very thankful for this thread!
I'm waiting for the day that Matsueda says "to hell with it, I can be a freelance composer" and she appears on some random Japanese game soundtrack. Sort of like Michiko Naruke's surprising return. Anyone wanna take bets on if/when that happens?
If only! I long for another album Front Mission 2 style (the best OST in the series imho), very mysterious, with these out-of-this-world tracks.

I also really wonder what Junya Nakano is doing now. Any info on his whereabouts would be welcome!
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  #52  
Old Jun 8, 2012, 03:54 PM
MEATWART MEATWART is offline
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NEWS ABOUT MOTOAKI TAKENOUCHI

I posted on the first page (a while ago) about Motoaki Takenouchi. After several years of searching, with the help of a buddy who speaks and writes Japanese : I BELIEVE I HAVE THE (AN) EMAIL ADDRESS OF MOTOAKI TAKENOUCHI. This was provided to me by another Japanese composer who has worked with him.

I literally shake typing at this since I have spent years trying to track him down and I cannot believe I finally have a chance to send him something. I did want to come here to get suggestions on what to write. My first email will be thanking him for reading my mail, I will tell him how much I love his music etc... and then I will ask him if I can ask him more questions.

Please give me any suggestions you may have. This may be one of our only chances to at least initiate contact with him. I will wait a few days before giving my email to my friend to translate. Of course, after I'm done communicating with him, I will freely share everything -- ASSUMING HE RESPONDS.

Thanks guys.
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  #53  
Old Jun 8, 2012, 04:15 PM
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Son of a gun!

Well: I'd ask you to keep the message simple, cordial, and as mature as possible. Coming off as an obsessed fanboy isn't what you want to go for here (though I doubt that would happen, but it pays to be careful). The outline you've got is just fineā€”he's going to be in for a real surprise no matter what, and I'd send the e-mail several times to make sure he can see past the rest of his inbox and notice it. Try to mention his footprint in the Western game music community, too. He has a number of vocal fans around these parts, at the least.

All I can say is: I hope he's still using that address!
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  #54  
Old Jun 9, 2012, 02:11 AM
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Wow.

Maybe SEMO would be able to contact him for a more formal interview. But if you want to contact him, yeah I think just ask about recent projects (what he's been doing since 2000 basically), and sure a small amount of praise is usually appreciated.
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  #55  
Old Jun 9, 2012, 11:33 AM
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Awesome! Let's hope that he still uses the email and responds!

And who was the composer that helped you?
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  #56  
Old Jun 9, 2012, 09:40 PM
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SEMO would be happy to interview him, provided he would be interested.
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  #57  
Old Jun 10, 2012, 06:19 AM
MEATWART MEATWART is offline
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Quote:
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SEMO would be happy to interview him, provided he would be interested.
Didn't know about SEMO until a few days ago. How exactly could we get this process started? Any way we could submit/recommend questions? I want to avoid a Sonic 3 - type situation where the composers were so bombarded with questions that they stopped responding. It wasn't until some magazine interviewed Brad Buxer in 2009 that he finally admitted MJs involvement.
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  #58  
Old Jun 10, 2012, 01:43 PM
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Well if this all works out, the community here should pitch in questions and send the best ones. That is IF this email is a legit, working way to contact Motoaki.
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  #59  
Old Jun 10, 2012, 03:59 PM
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We'd be as considerate as possible with Takenouchi if contact is made, rest assured. I'm not sure about how Chris would want to handle questions for him, but it's not a bad idea.
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  #60  
Old Jun 11, 2012, 03:22 AM
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First, we need to confirm it's him. Then, we should ask him if he is interested in an interview. Given he's been out of the industry for a long time, I'm not sure what to expect. Miki Higashino was a pleasure to correspond with and was very eager to do a retrospective. But others have been much more difficult.
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