Shiro Hamaguchi
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
anime composer
, arranger
and orchestrator
. He is best known for composing music to the anime franchises One Piece
and Oh My Goddess!
and arranging/orchestrating music in the Final Fantasy
series. He frequently collaborates with fellow composers Kohei Tanaka
and Akifumi Tada on anime scores.
, Japan, Shiro Hamaguchi graduated with a music degree from Tokyo University of the Arts, where he befriended fellow video game musician Masashi Hamauzu
. After graduation, he was hired as a department project manager at Victor Entertainment
from 1994 to 1996. In 1996, he joined the anime
and video game music production company Imagine, where he worked alongside famed composers Hayato Matsuo
, Kohei Tanaka
, and Kow Otani. His debut role was the anime series Violinist of Hameln
(1996), where he arranged
Tanaka's works. His music impressed Final Fantasy
composer Nobuo Uematsu
, who chose Hamaguchi as the arranger for the Final Fantasy VII Reunion Tracks album. He provided orchestral renditions of "Aeris's Theme", "Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII", and "One-Winged Angel", which have become iconic through their use in various Final Fantasy concerts
. Subsequently, he created music for the anime series Ehrgeiz (unrelated to the video game) and AWOL - Absent WithOut Leave.
in 1999 with Tanaka, later returning to compose four of its movies. He also worked as an arranger for the Sakura Wars
series. The success of his Final Fantasy VII
arrangements led Uematsu to hire him to orchestrate
four pieces for the 1999 title Final Fantasy VIII
, including the opening theme "Liberi Fatali" and the award-winning theme song "Eyes on Me". These pieces and nine new arrangements appeared in the highly successful orchestral album Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec Final Fantasy VIII. The following year, he arranged a selection of tracks from the game's soundtrack for the series' first Piano Collections album in five years. The success of "Eyes on Me" prompted Kenji Ito
to use Hamaguchi as the arranger for his theme song in Chocobo Racing
.
In 2000, Hamaguchu composed the Megumi no Daigo
film and the Dinozaurs
anime series, the latter with Imagine colleague Akifumi Tada. He provided orchestrations to Final Fantasy IX
s full motion video
music, featured in Final Fantasy IX Original Soundtrack PLUS, and an arrangement of the theme song "Melodies of Life"; he also created another Piano Collections album to the game. Hamaguchi collaborated with Uematsu to create music for the animated film Ah! My Goddess: The Movie
and the 2001 anime series Final Fantasy: Unlimited
, which also featured compositions by Tada.
For Final Fantasy X
, he orchestrated the ending theme and the two versions of the theme song "Suteki da ne". He also produced the arrangements for the 2002 concert 20020220 Music from Final Fantasy, the first Final Fantasy concert since 1989. It mixed his older arrangements with new ones such as "Vamo' Alla Flamenco", "Theme of Love", "Tina", "Dear Friends", "Final Fantasy", and an eight minute medley of music from Final Fantasy I
, II
, and III
. The concert and its CD release were successful and set precedent for many future concerts. Also in 2002, Hamaguchi scored the anime series Kiddy Grade
. His contribution to Final Fantasy XI
(2003) was arranging the opening theme. He also orchestrated three themes for Unlimited Saga
on behalf of his university friend Hamauzu.
At the end of 2003, Hamaguchi produced the highly anticipated Piano Collections Final Fantasy VII. He also made new arrangements of "Opening ~ Bombing Mission", "To Zanarkand", "Ronfaure", "You're Not Alone", and "Opera 'Maria and Draco'" for the concert series Tour de Japon: Music from Final Fantasy in 2004. The concert also featured his arrangement of "Cloud Smiles" from the 2005 film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children; the remaining contributions to the film by Hamaguchi were old orchestral and piano arrangements. A handful of Hamaguchi's orchestral arrangements were added to Tour de Japon's American successor Dear Friends - Music from Final Fantasy, which made its debut in May 2004 in Los Angeles. His arrangements have also been performed at the events More Friends: Music from Final Fantasy, Voices - Music from Final Fantasy, and Play! A Video Game Symphony
.
In 2005, Hamaguchi scored the anime series Oh! My Goddess and contributed arrangements to the third Symphonic Game Music Concert. The same year, Hamaguchi decided to enroll at the Berklee College of Music
in a one year jazz composition course to further his opportunities as an anime composer. He has since scored One Piece Movie: The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta
, Big Windup!, Ah! My Goddess: Fighting Wings, and Rosario + Vampire
. He orchestrated the late composer Ingo Nugel
and his brother Henning Nugel's arrangements from The Settlers II 10th Anniversary
for performance at the fifth Symphonic Game Music Concert in August 2007. In September 2010, he arranged a suite containing the music from Starwing
and Lylat Wars
for the Symphonic Legends concert in Cologne.
As of 2011, he's currently composing the official music score for the anime Jewelpet
and it's sequels, Jewelpet Twinkle
and Jewelpet Sunshine
.
Arrangement
Arrangement
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...
anime composer
Anime composer
An anime composer is a composer who mainly composes music for anime productions.There have been many anime composers over the years, and while anime soundtracks are big business in Japan, there have been few notable, long-term composers of anime music before the 2000s.-Notable figures:One notable...
, arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
and orchestrator
Orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
. He is best known for composing music to the anime franchises One Piece
One Piece
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 64th volume released as...
and Oh My Goddess!
Oh My Goddess!
, also known as Ah! My Goddess!, is a Japanese seinen manga series written and illustrated by Kōsuke Fujishima. It premiered in the November 1988 issue of Afternoon where it is still being serialized. Every few months, the most recent chapters are published in tankōbon volumes by Kodansha...
and arranging/orchestrating music in the Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
series. He frequently collaborates with fellow composers Kohei Tanaka
Kohei Tanaka (composer)
is a Japanese composer, arranger and singer. He is affiliated with the music production company Imagine. He has created numerous musical scores for famous anime TV series, OVAs, movies, computer games and tokusatsu series. Tanaka was born in Ebisubashi, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture on February 14,...
and Akifumi Tada on anime scores.
Early life and career
Born in FukuokaFukuoka
Fukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
, Japan, Shiro Hamaguchi graduated with a music degree from Tokyo University of the Arts, where he befriended fellow video game musician Masashi Hamauzu
Masashi Hamauzu
is a Japanese video game composer who was employed at Square Enix from 1996 to 2010. He is best known for his work on the Final Fantasy and SaGa series. Born into a musical family in Germany, Hamauzu was raised in Japan...
. After graduation, he was hired as a department project manager at Victor Entertainment
Victor Entertainment
is a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It was formerly known as...
from 1994 to 1996. In 1996, he joined 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....
and video game music production company Imagine, where he worked alongside famed composers Hayato Matsuo
Hayato Matsuo
is a Japanese video game and anime composer, arranger and orchestrator. He has worked on titles such as Front Mission 3, Final Fantasy XII, the Shenmue series, and Magic Knight Rayearth. Inspired by his mother, a piano teacher, he graduated from the music composition department of Tokyo University...
, Kohei Tanaka
Kohei Tanaka (composer)
is a Japanese composer, arranger and singer. He is affiliated with the music production company Imagine. He has created numerous musical scores for famous anime TV series, OVAs, movies, computer games and tokusatsu series. Tanaka was born in Ebisubashi, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture on February 14,...
, and Kow Otani. His debut role was the anime series Violinist of Hameln
Violinist of Hameln
is a fantasy adventure manga created by Michiaki Watanabe. Its premise is that a group of adventurers are traveling north to the Northern Capital to prevent a catastrophe. In this world, music has magical qualities. The manga and the anime are very different. The manga tends toward a lighter, more...
(1996), where he arranged
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
Tanaka's works. His music impressed Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
composer Nobuo Uematsu
Nobuo Uematsu
is a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring the majority of titles in the Final Fantasy series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community...
, who chose Hamaguchi as the arranger for the Final Fantasy VII Reunion Tracks album. He provided orchestral renditions of "Aeris's Theme", "Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII", and "One-Winged Angel", which have become iconic through their use in various Final Fantasy concerts
Final Fantasy concerts
Final Fantasy is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and owned by Square Enix that includes video games, motion pictures, and other merchandise. The series began in 1987 as an eponymous console role-playing game developed by Square, spawning a video game series that became the central...
. Subsequently, he created music for the anime series Ehrgeiz (unrelated to the video game) and AWOL - Absent WithOut Leave.
Further career
Hamaguchi scored the hit pirate-based anime One PieceOne Piece
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 64th volume released as...
in 1999 with Tanaka, later returning to compose four of its movies. He also worked as an arranger for the Sakura Wars
Sakura Wars
is a Japanese media franchise created by Ouji Hiroi, and is developed and owned by Sega and licensed by Red Entertainment and Sega. The franchise centers on a series of dramatic fantasy and science-fantasy tactical role-playing adventure video games, which consist of tactical wargame and dating sim...
series. The success of his Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII
is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
arrangements led Uematsu to hire him to orchestrate
Orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
four pieces for the 1999 title Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy VIII
is a role-playing video game released for the PlayStation in 1999 and for Windows-based personal computers in 2000. It was developed and published by Square as the Final Fantasy series' eighth title, removing magic point-based spell-casting and the first title to consistently use realistically...
, including the opening theme "Liberi Fatali" and the award-winning theme song "Eyes on Me". These pieces and nine new arrangements appeared in the highly successful orchestral album Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec Final Fantasy VIII. The following year, he arranged a selection of tracks from the game's soundtrack for the series' first Piano Collections album in five years. The success of "Eyes on Me" prompted Kenji Ito
Kenji Ito
, also known by the nickname , is a Japanese video game composer and musician. He is best known for his work on the Mana and SaGa series, though he has worked on over 30 video games throughout his career as well as composed or arranged music for over 15 other albums, concerts, and plays...
to use Hamaguchi as the arranger for his theme song in Chocobo Racing
Chocobo Racing
Chocobo Racing, known in Japan as is a racing game for the PlayStation game console. The game was developed by Square Co., creators of the Final Fantasy series of video games. The game was first released in Japan in March 1999...
.
In 2000, Hamaguchu composed the Megumi no Daigo
Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M
is a shōnen manga by Masahito Soda. The manga has been released in its entirety by Viz Media in the United States. In 1996, it received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen.-Plot:...
film and the Dinozaurs
Dinozaurs
DinoZaurs: The Series, also known as Prehistoric Warriors and in Japan, is the name of a Japanese anime which is a combination of traditional animation and computer animation.-OVA:...
anime series, the latter with Imagine colleague Akifumi Tada. He provided orchestrations to Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy IX
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth title in the Final Fantasy series. The game introduced new features to the series like the 'Active Time Event', 'Mognet' and a unique equipment and skill system.Final Fantasy IXs...
s full motion video
Full motion video
Full motion video based games are video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV-quality movie or animation rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models to display action in the game. In the early 1990s a diverse set of games utilized this format...
music, featured in Final Fantasy IX Original Soundtrack PLUS, and an arrangement of the theme song "Melodies of Life"; he also created another Piano Collections album to the game. Hamaguchi collaborated with Uematsu to create music for the animated film Ah! My Goddess: The Movie
Ah! My Goddess: The Movie
is a 2000 Japanese animated film directed by Hiroaki Gōda, written by Michiko Yokote and Yoshihiko Tomizawa, animated by Anime International Company and co-produced by Kodansha, Dentsu, Sega Enterprises, Pony Canyon, Nippon Shupan Hanbai, AIC, MOVIC and Shochiku, based on the manga of the same name...
and the 2001 anime series Final Fantasy: Unlimited
Final Fantasy: Unlimited
was an anime television series based on Square Enix's popular Final Fantasy role-playing game franchise.Final Fantasy: Unlimited incorporates both 2D animation and 3D graphics, and takes elements from the Final Fantasy games with quite a few easter eggs, some obvious, others obscure...
, which also featured compositions by Tada.
For Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square as the tenth title in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in 2001 for Sony's PlayStation 2, and will be re-released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2012...
, he orchestrated the ending theme and the two versions of the theme song "Suteki da ne". He also produced the arrangements for the 2002 concert 20020220 Music from Final Fantasy, the first Final Fantasy concert since 1989. It mixed his older arrangements with new ones such as "Vamo' Alla Flamenco", "Theme of Love", "Tina", "Dear Friends", "Final Fantasy", and an eight minute medley of music from Final Fantasy I
Final Fantasy (video game)
is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, developed and first published in Japan by Square in 1987. It is the first game in Square's Final Fantasy series...
, II
Final Fantasy II
is a fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1988 for the Family Computer as the second installment of the Final Fantasy series. The game has received numerous enhanced remakes for the WonderSwan Color, the Sony PlayStation, Japanese mobile phones, the Game Boy...
, and III
Final Fantasy III
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square in for the Family Computer as the third installment in the Final Fantasy series. It is the first numbered Final Fantasy game to feature the job-change system....
. The concert and its CD release were successful and set precedent for many future concerts. Also in 2002, Hamaguchi scored the anime series Kiddy Grade
Kiddy Grade
is a 24 episode science fiction anime series produced in 2002 and created by gímik and Gonzo Digimation and directed by Keiji Gotoh. The series is licensed and distributed in North America by FUNimation Entertainment. The series currently airs on the FUNimation Channel in both its "syndicated...
. His contribution to Final Fantasy XI
Final Fantasy XI
, also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a MMORPG developed and published by Square as part of the Final Fantasy series. It was released in Japan on Sony's PlayStation 2 on May 16, 2002, and was released for Microsoft's Windows-based personal computers in November 2002...
(2003) was arranging the opening theme. He also orchestrated three themes for Unlimited Saga
Unlimited Saga
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation 2 as the ninth game in their SaGa series. Originally released in Japan in December 2002, the game was later made available for North American players in June 2003 and in Europe the following October...
on behalf of his university friend Hamauzu.
At the end of 2003, Hamaguchi produced the highly anticipated Piano Collections Final Fantasy VII. He also made new arrangements of "Opening ~ Bombing Mission", "To Zanarkand", "Ronfaure", "You're Not Alone", and "Opera 'Maria and Draco'" for the concert series Tour de Japon: Music from Final Fantasy in 2004. The concert also featured his arrangement of "Cloud Smiles" from the 2005 film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children; the remaining contributions to the film by Hamaguchi were old orchestral and piano arrangements. A handful of Hamaguchi's orchestral arrangements were added to Tour de Japon's American successor Dear Friends - Music from Final Fantasy, which made its debut in May 2004 in Los Angeles. His arrangements have also been performed at the events More Friends: Music from Final Fantasy, Voices - Music from Final Fantasy, and Play! A Video Game Symphony
Play! A Video Game Symphony
PLAY! A Video Game Symphony is a concert series that features music from video games performed by a live orchestra. The concerts from 2006 to 2010 were conducted by Arnie Roth...
.
In 2005, Hamaguchi scored the anime series Oh! My Goddess and contributed arrangements to the third Symphonic Game Music Concert. The same year, Hamaguchi decided to enroll at the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in a one year jazz composition course to further his opportunities as an anime composer. He has since scored One Piece Movie: The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta
One Piece Movie: The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta
is a 2007 Japanese anime film released by Toei Company. The film is the eighth feature based on the One Piece media franchise, adapting a story arc from the original manga by Eiichiro Oda, wherein the Straw Hat Pirates led by Monkey D...
, Big Windup!, Ah! My Goddess: Fighting Wings, and Rosario + Vampire
Rosario + Vampire
, often shortened to , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akihisa Ikeda. The story revolves around Tsukune Aono, a boy who accidentally gets enrolled in a school inhabited by monsters and demons. He quickly befriends Moka Akashiya, a vampire who soon develops an obsession with...
. He orchestrated the late composer Ingo Nugel
Ingo Nugel
Ingo Nugel was a video game composer who together with his brother Henning founded Nugel Bros. Music. Together they wrote and produced music for games, short films and advertisements....
and his brother Henning Nugel's arrangements from The Settlers II 10th Anniversary
The Settlers II 10th Anniversary
The Settlers II 10th Anniversary Edition is a remake of the classic real-time strategy game The Settlers II. It was announced in July 2006. The Settlers II 10th Anniversary Edition features up-to-date 3D graphics and new gameplay additions...
for performance at the fifth Symphonic Game Music Concert in August 2007. In September 2010, he arranged a suite containing the music from Starwing
Star Fox (video game)
, released as Starwing in Europe and Australia due to a game of the same name and subsequent trademark issues in those regions, is the first game in the Star Fox series of video games. It was released in the spring of 1993 for the SFC/SNES...
and Lylat Wars
Star Fox 64
, known in Australia and Europe as Lylat Wars, is a scrolling shooter video game for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It is a reboot of the original Star Fox, and the only game in the Star Fox series to be released on the Nintendo 64....
for the Symphonic Legends concert in Cologne.
As of 2011, he's currently composing the official music score for the anime Jewelpet
Jewelpet (anime)
is a magical girl anime series based on the Jewelpet franchise jointly created by Sanrio and Sega. The series was produced by Studio Comet and aired from April 5, 2009 to March 26, 2010 on TV Osaka and TV Tokyo, replacing Onegai My Melody Kirara★ in its initial timeslot...
and it's sequels, Jewelpet Twinkle
Jewelpet (anime)
is a magical girl anime series based on the Jewelpet franchise jointly created by Sanrio and Sega. The series was produced by Studio Comet and aired from April 5, 2009 to March 26, 2010 on TV Osaka and TV Tokyo, replacing Onegai My Melody Kirara★ in its initial timeslot...
and Jewelpet Sunshine
Jewelpet (anime)
is a magical girl anime series based on the Jewelpet franchise jointly created by Sanrio and Sega. The series was produced by Studio Comet and aired from April 5, 2009 to March 26, 2010 on TV Osaka and TV Tokyo, replacing Onegai My Melody Kirara★ in its initial timeslot...
.
Anime
CompositionArrangement
- Violinist of Hamelin (1996)
- Sakura Wars 2 (1999) – with Akifumi Tada, Masami Kishimura, Shinji MiyazakiShinji Miyazakiis a Japanese composer and arranger. He was born in Kobe, and lived in a variety of areas on the island of Shikoku for much of his childhood. He developed a taste for pop music, which eventually led him to study musical arrangement and piano instruction at a music conservatory...
, and Takayuki Negishi - Sakura WarsSakura Warsis a Japanese media franchise created by Ouji Hiroi, and is developed and owned by Sega and licensed by Red Entertainment and Sega. The franchise centers on a series of dramatic fantasy and science-fantasy tactical role-playing adventure video games, which consist of tactical wargame and dating sim...
(2000) - Sakura Taisen: New York NY.99 (2007) – with Takayuki Kishimoto
Film
CompositionArrangement
- Final Fantasy VII Advent Children (2005) – with Keiji Kawamori, Kenichiro FukuiKenichiro Fukuiis a Japanese video game composer and musician. Before working at Square Enix, he was employed at Konami. He is an arranger and a keyboardist in the band The Black Mages, formed in 2003. Additionally, Fukui arranged Angela Aki's "Kiss Me Good-Bye" from Final Fantasy XII. In October 2007, he left...
, and Tsuyoshi SekitoTsuyoshi Sekitois a Japanese video game composer, arranger, and musician who has been employed at Square Enix since 1995. As a composer, he is best known for scoring the video games Brave Fencer Musashi and The Last Remnant...