Popular japanese anime composer3/24/2024 ![]() Like all aspects of Japanese pop culture, her music is fluent, highly melodic, and swathed in coming-of-age romance and adventure - in marked contrast to the more auspicious `respectable classical’ Japanese composers who verge towards experimentalism and the avant garde. And her sheer output and technical prowess dwarf that of many of the more familiar names in the West. There are surely few high profile female composers in the world at large, but Ōshima is not only prolific, web sources cite her as one of the most productive living screen composers of any gender in any country. Some months ago, I wrote a little about Joe Hisaishi, perhaps Japan’s most internationally celebrated contemporary composer ( Ryuichi Sakamoto notwithstanding), alongside his seminal and magical works, I have a highly unique set by Ōshima on my frequent playlist - and yet she remains tragically unknown here in the West. 大島ミチル, Ōshima Michiru, born March 16, 1961, is a multi-award winning composer of film, television, computer games, and concert works, popular in Asia, but less known in the West. Yet, no film music enthusiast’s knowledge of the genre is complete without having heard this talented and prolific Japanese composer. In 2007, Hisaishi had another notable success when he scored Yōjirō Takita’s musical drama Departures, which became the first Japanese film to win the American Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.Try searching Google for Michiru Ōshima and you won’t find too much to whet your appetite in English. The track ‘Summer’, a playful piano medley from Kitano’s coming-of-age drama Kikujiro (1999), meanwhile, is one of the most famous musical pieces in Hisaishi’s entire career. The film won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival that year, and features a score that relies heavily on piano melodies, percussive rhythms and ‘80s synthesizers. One particular highlight is his work on Kitano’s crime drama Hana-Bi (1997), which follows a violent police detective who is forced to retire after a tragic accident on the job. Hisaishi’s work on Takeshi Kitano’s nihilistic yakuza dramas of the ‘90s is also of particular interest, as his familiar, melodic musical style is presented in a completely different context to the child-friendly works of Studio Ghibli. One Summer’s Day – Joe Hisaishi & New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra The international success of Spirited Away (2001), which became the highest-grossing film of all time at the Japanese box office, features what can be considered his most well-known, and definitive film score. Studio Ghibli rose to prominence in the ensuing years, and Hisaishi developed his atmospheric, classical style on films like My Neighbour Totoro (1988) and Princess Mononoke (1997). ![]() Recounting production meetings with the director, Hisaishi describes the inspiration behind the music: “ I tried to connect with this feeling of hope… music that is slower, that allows the audience to experience what’s in the space between movements.” ![]() Here, he demonstrates an enchanting orchestral style, utilising soaring strings and flourishes of percussion to create a dramatic emotional resonance. In 1984 Hisaishi collaborated with Hayao Miyazaki for the first time, on the animated film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
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