Shinji Orito
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
musical composer
originally from Hyōgo
, Japan
working for the software company Key
. Before forming Key, Orito worked for another software company named Leaf
where he contributed to four games. After leaving Leaf, Orito transferred to another company named Tactics
where he had a hand in the creation of three games for that company: Dōsei
, Moon.
, and One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e
. After forming Key, Orito has put much work into such famous titles as Kanon
, Air and Clannad. Orito has been influenced by the famous Japanese composers Joe Hisaishi
and Yuzo Koshiro
.
, and Orito quit soon after. Orito originally found new work at the video game developer TGL composing
music, but was invited by a friend from high school named Naoya Shimokawa (now the president of Aquaplus
) to come work for the video game developer Leaf
, which Orito accepted. Starting in 1995, Orito composed music for three of Leaf's game: DR2 Night Janki, Filsnown: Hikari to Koku, and Shizuku
(precursor of To Heart). While Leaf's next game Hatsune no Naisho!! was under production, Orito quit Leaf. Orito got a part-time job
working for a post office while providing outsourced musical composition for the video game developer Tactics
under Nexton
for the game Dōsei
; afterwards, Orito was hired into Tactics where he helped compose music for two more games: Moon.
, and One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e
.
In 1999, Orito and much of the staff who made both Moon. and One, including Jun Maeda
, Itaru Hinoue
, Naoki Hisaya
, and OdiakeS
, left Tactics to work under the video game publishing company Visual Art's
where they formed the company Key
. At Key, Orito has composed music for all of Key's titles, though he only contributed to a single track on the original soundtrack for Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume. Music that Orito composes for Key titles is published on Key's record label
Key Sounds Label
. The first album on the label, Humanity...
, was produced by Orito for his temporary band Work-S. Orito was also the director for the remix album
OTSU Club Music Compilation Vol.1, also on Key Sounds Label, and is a member of OTSU, standing for the Organized Trance Sequential Unit. During his time at Key, Orito has provided outsourced musical composition for three games by three separate companies also under Visual Art's. The first was for the game Sense Off by Otherwise, followed by the game Shoya Kinjō by Giant Panda, and finally the game Realize by Playm. In 2001, Orito composed the opening and ending themes for the anime
series Please Teacher!
. In 2006, Orito composed the song "Precious" on Mami Kawada
's debut album Seed
. Starting in December 2007, Orito is one of three personalities (the others being Itaru Hinoue
and another woman named Chiro working for Pekoe, another visual novel studio under Visual Art's) on an Internet radio
show sponsored by Key in regards to Key called Key Net Radio. Listeners can submit thoughts about the show and any requests they may have for the show, along with submitting questions to the host trio. Orito worked on Key's ninth game Rewrite
with the composition of the game's music.
Shinji Orito's musical roots come from him producing dōjin
music as a hobby. He used to visit a music BBS
named Unison-BBS; Orito named his dōjin circle Unison Label after the website, which has since disappeared from the Internet. Many people were involved with the circle, which focused on a musical style similar to that of featured in bishōjo game
s. This group was in operation between 1994 and 2000, well into Orito's professional career. During the time he worked with Tactics and later Otherwise, Orito was also a member of a professional group of composers known as the Unison Sound Team; under this group, Orito was known as either or .
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
musical composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
originally from Hyōgo
Hyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
working for the software company Key
Key (company)
Key is a Japanese visual novel studio which formed on July 21, 1998 as a brand under the publisher Visual Art's and is located in Kita, Osaka, Japan. Key released their debut visual novel Kanon in June 1999, which combined an elaborate storyline, an up-to-date anime-style drawing style, and a...
. Before forming Key, Orito worked for another software company named Leaf
Leaf (company)
Leaf is a Japanese visual novel studio under the publisher Aquaplus, and has offices in Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, and Tokyo. It and its competitor Key are the most popular and successful dedicated visual novel studios operating today. It was launched out of obscurity by its early release ToHeart...
where he contributed to four games. After leaving Leaf, Orito transferred to another company named Tactics
Tactics (company)
Tactics is a Japanese visual novel studio which specializes in the development of dating sim and eroge style games. Tactics is actually a branch of the joint company Nexton. Their debut release was a game entitled Dōsei in mid-1997, followed by Moon. in the same year, and One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e in...
where he had a hand in the creation of three games for that company: Dōsei
Dosei
is a Japanese adult social simulation game developed by Tactics, a brand of the joint company Nexton, and first released on May 23, 1997, the same day as the famous To Heart by Leaf...
, Moon.
Moon.
Moon. is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Tactics, a brand of the joint company Nexton, and first released on November 21, 1997 playable on a Windows 95 PC as a CD-ROM; the game was re-released five more times between 1998 and 2003. The game was described by the development team as a...
, and One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e
One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e
is a Japanese adult visual novel, developed by Tactics, a brand of the joint company Nexton, and released on May 26, 1998 playable on the PC for Windows 95. Much of the staff that created the game later became the founding members of the visual novel company Key. The game was later ported to the...
. After forming Key, Orito has put much work into such famous titles as Kanon
Kanon
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key and originally released as an adult game on June 4, 1999, playable on a Microsoft Windows PC. An all ages version for the PC was released in January 2000, and was later ported to the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable...
, Air and Clannad. Orito has been influenced by the famous Japanese composers Joe Hisaishi
Joe Hisaishi
, known professionally as , is a composer and director known for over 100 film scores and solo albums dating back to 1981.While possessing a stylistically distinct sound, Hisaishi's music has been known to explore and incorporate different genres, including minimalist, experimental electronic,...
and Yuzo Koshiro
Yuzo Koshiro
is a Japanese video game music composer and audio programmer. He is regarded as one of the most influential innovators in chiptune music and video game sound design...
.
Career
After graduating from high school, Orito went to work at a bank, but due to a recession in the economy, the bank eventually fell to restructuringRestructuring
Restructuring is the corporate management term for the act of reorganizing the legal, ownership, operational, or other structures of a company for the purpose of making it more profitable, or better organized for its present needs...
, and Orito quit soon after. Orito originally found new work at the video game developer TGL composing
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
music, but was invited by a friend from high school named Naoya Shimokawa (now the president of Aquaplus
Leaf (company)
Leaf is a Japanese visual novel studio under the publisher Aquaplus, and has offices in Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, and Tokyo. It and its competitor Key are the most popular and successful dedicated visual novel studios operating today. It was launched out of obscurity by its early release ToHeart...
) to come work for the video game developer Leaf
Leaf (company)
Leaf is a Japanese visual novel studio under the publisher Aquaplus, and has offices in Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, and Tokyo. It and its competitor Key are the most popular and successful dedicated visual novel studios operating today. It was launched out of obscurity by its early release ToHeart...
, which Orito accepted. Starting in 1995, Orito composed music for three of Leaf's game: DR2 Night Janki, Filsnown: Hikari to Koku, and Shizuku
Shizuku
is an eroge visual novel by Leaf originally released for DOS on January 26, 1996. It has since received releases for Windows. The sequel is ToHeart, because in To Heart ~remember my memories~, Yuusuke and a deceased Mizuho appears.-Characters:-External links:...
(precursor of To Heart). While Leaf's next game Hatsune no Naisho!! was under production, Orito quit Leaf. Orito got a part-time job
Part time
A part-time job is a form of employment that carries fewer hours per week than a full-time job. Workers are considered to be part time if they commonly work fewer than 30 or 35 hours per week...
working for a post office while providing outsourced musical composition for the video game developer Tactics
Tactics (company)
Tactics is a Japanese visual novel studio which specializes in the development of dating sim and eroge style games. Tactics is actually a branch of the joint company Nexton. Their debut release was a game entitled Dōsei in mid-1997, followed by Moon. in the same year, and One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e in...
under Nexton
Nexton
is a Japanese software company specializing in the publishing and distribution of visual novel video games for a nine game developers that Nexton is partners with. The company is located in Osaka Prefecture, Osaka, Japan...
for the game Dōsei
Dosei
is a Japanese adult social simulation game developed by Tactics, a brand of the joint company Nexton, and first released on May 23, 1997, the same day as the famous To Heart by Leaf...
; afterwards, Orito was hired into Tactics where he helped compose music for two more games: Moon.
Moon.
Moon. is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Tactics, a brand of the joint company Nexton, and first released on November 21, 1997 playable on a Windows 95 PC as a CD-ROM; the game was re-released five more times between 1998 and 2003. The game was described by the development team as a...
, and One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e
One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e
is a Japanese adult visual novel, developed by Tactics, a brand of the joint company Nexton, and released on May 26, 1998 playable on the PC for Windows 95. Much of the staff that created the game later became the founding members of the visual novel company Key. The game was later ported to the...
.
In 1999, Orito and much of the staff who made both Moon. and One, including Jun Maeda
Jun Maeda
is a Japanese writer working for the software company Key; he has majorly contributed as a scenario writer, lyricist, and musical composer for the visual novels the company produces. His birth name in kanji was written as , though there is no change in pronunciation...
, Itaru Hinoue
Itaru Hinoue
is a female Japanese artist from Osaka, Japan, and is one of the founding members of the software company Key. Hinoue's choice of her pseudonym stems from the manga C by Shō Kitagawa; the protagonist in the manga was named...
, Naoki Hisaya
Naoki Hisaya
, born , is a Japanese screenwriter who has worked for Tactics, Key and Siesta, but as of 2006, he is a freelance writer. He is well known for being the main writer of the popular visual novel Kanon while working under Key. Additional works include Moon., One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e, and Moon Childe....
, and OdiakeS
OdiakeS
OdiakeS is a Japanese composer from Tokyo, Japan who has worked for a variety of visual novel companies. His first work was on the game One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e under Tactics. When the staff of One left Tactics to create the company Key, OdiakeS became a member of Key and had a hand in the musical...
, left Tactics to work under the video game publishing company Visual Art's
Visual Art's
, formally , is a Japanese publishing company specializing in the publishing and distribution of visual novels for a large list of game developers. Visual Art's has developed the game engines their brands currently use, including the current engine, called Siglus, and older engines RealLive and...
where they formed the company Key
Key (company)
Key is a Japanese visual novel studio which formed on July 21, 1998 as a brand under the publisher Visual Art's and is located in Kita, Osaka, Japan. Key released their debut visual novel Kanon in June 1999, which combined an elaborate storyline, an up-to-date anime-style drawing style, and a...
. At Key, Orito has composed music for all of Key's titles, though he only contributed to a single track on the original soundtrack for Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume. Music that Orito composes for Key titles is published on Key's record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Key Sounds Label
Key Sounds Label
Key Sounds Label is a Japanese independent record label formed in 2001 as a brand of the publishing company Visual Art's. Key Sounds Label was formed to catalog and release music related to visual novels produced by the brand Key, also under Visual Art's, known for developing such titles as Kanon...
. The first album on the label, Humanity...
Humanity...
-External links:*...
, was produced by Orito for his temporary band Work-S. Orito was also the director for the remix album
Remix album
A remix album is an album consisting mostly of remixes or re-recorded versions of a music artists' earlier released material.One of the earliest remix albums was 1971's Aerial Pandemonium Ballet by Harry Nilsson, which was released by Nilsson after the successes of Everybody's Talkin and The Point!...
OTSU Club Music Compilation Vol.1, also on Key Sounds Label, and is a member of OTSU, standing for the Organized Trance Sequential Unit. During his time at Key, Orito has provided outsourced musical composition for three games by three separate companies also under Visual Art's. The first was for the game Sense Off by Otherwise, followed by the game Shoya Kinjō by Giant Panda, and finally the game Realize by Playm. In 2001, Orito composed the opening and ending themes for the anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series Please Teacher!
Please Teacher!
, is a Japanese anime series, directed by Yasunori Ide and written by Yōsuke Kuroda, and produced by Bandai Visual, which was adapted into a manga and light novel, centering around a group of friends and the odd things that happen to them after they get a new teacher.The Please Teacher! anime...
. In 2006, Orito composed the song "Precious" on Mami Kawada
Mami Kawada
is a J-pop singer who is currently signed to Geneon Entertainment Inc. She is also a member of the I've Sound who performs soundtracks for some eroge. Mami was usually paired up with co-I've member Kotoko when making soundtracks for anime...
's debut album Seed
Seed (Mami Kawada album)
Seed is Mami Kawada's debut album which was released on March 29, 2006. This album is under Geneon and was produced by I've Sound. This album also includes her first two singles "Radiance / Chi ni Kaeru: On the Earth", and "Hishoku no Sora" and the collaboration single "Face of Fact " with KOTOKO...
. Starting in December 2007, Orito is one of three personalities (the others being Itaru Hinoue
Itaru Hinoue
is a female Japanese artist from Osaka, Japan, and is one of the founding members of the software company Key. Hinoue's choice of her pseudonym stems from the manga C by Shō Kitagawa; the protagonist in the manga was named...
and another woman named Chiro working for Pekoe, another visual novel studio under Visual Art's) on an Internet radio
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
show sponsored by Key in regards to Key called Key Net Radio. Listeners can submit thoughts about the show and any requests they may have for the show, along with submitting questions to the host trio. Orito worked on Key's ninth game Rewrite
Rewrite (visual novel)
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key that was released on June 24, 2011 as a DVD playable on a Microsoft Windows PC and is rated for all ages. Rewrite is Key's ninth game, along with other titles such as Kanon, Air, and Clannad...
with the composition of the game's music.
Shinji Orito's musical roots come from him producing dōjin
Dojin
, often romanized as doujin, is a general Japanese term for a group of people or friends who share an interest, activity, hobbies, or achievement...
music as a hobby. He used to visit a music BBS
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
named Unison-BBS; Orito named his dōjin circle Unison Label after the website, which has since disappeared from the Internet. Many people were involved with the circle, which focused on a musical style similar to that of featured in bishōjo game
Bishojo game
A , or , is "a type of Japanese video game centered on interactions with attractive anime-style girls". These games are a sub-genre of dating sims targeted towards a male audience....
s. This group was in operation between 1994 and 2000, well into Orito's professional career. During the time he worked with Tactics and later Otherwise, Orito was also a member of a professional group of composers known as the Unison Sound Team; under this group, Orito was known as either or .