Takanori Arisawa
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
composer
and arranger
best known for composing the Sailor Moon anime series. He wrote music for the series, including its video games. Born in Tokyo
, Arisawa began to learn piano at the age of 20. After graduating from Senzoku Gakuen College, Arisawa started his career in 1980 by composing "Shinjuku Transfer". He worked for the Tokyo Broadcasting System
and wrote several TV dramas. From the 1990s until his death, Arisawa began composing for anime series exclusively. His work on Sailor Moon was initially based on pop music
, but gradually began to change to those found in classical music
. Sailor Moon was successful and Arisawa won several awards for his work. After Sailor Moon, Arisawa composed music for several shows, including the Digimon series, until his death from bladder cancer in 2005.
and pop
arrangement with arranger Norio Maeda.
In 1980, Arisawa's song "Shinjuku Transfer" was recorded by the chorus group SOAP for Epic/Sony Records. He released a full album the following year, "Hamot Pier," and received the New Composer Incentive Award at the 1981 Tokyo Music Festival
. The group broke up in 1982, but "Hamot Pier" was re-released in 1993.
During the 1980s Arisawa worked as a composer and arranger for Tokyo Broadcasting System
and wrote music for television commercials, including Coca-Cola
advertisements. He also composed for various TV dramas, and released a single, "Takeoff of Love", for Japan Airlines
' 30th anniversary celebration. He later served as Music Director for the NHK
series Let's Learn English!.
As the Music Director for Sailor Moon
, Arisawa's first award was the 1993 Golden Disk Grand Prize from Columbia Records
. He continued to compose for the entire anime series, plus several video games and some of the stage musicals
. In 1998, 2000, and 2001 he won the JASRAC International Award for most international royalties, owing largely to the popularity of Sailor Moon music in other nations.
Arisawa expressed an admiration of Hollywood-style music, drawing his initial inspiration for the tone of the Sailor Moon soundtrack from the Charlie's Angels
TV series. He frequently made use of symbolism when writing themes for specific characters or groups, borrowing thematic elements from diverse genre
s and from other countries. As the series progressed, his music gravitated from a pop
feeling toward more classical
arrangements to represent the protagonist having passed through painful experiences and grown as a person.
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...
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...
and arranger
Arranger
In investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
best known for composing the Sailor Moon anime series. He wrote music for the series, including its video games. Born in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Arisawa began to learn piano at the age of 20. After graduating from Senzoku Gakuen College, Arisawa started his career in 1980 by composing "Shinjuku Transfer". He worked for the Tokyo Broadcasting System
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
and wrote several TV dramas. From the 1990s until his death, Arisawa began composing for anime series exclusively. His work on Sailor Moon was initially based on pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, but gradually began to change to those found in classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
. Sailor Moon was successful and Arisawa won several awards for his work. After Sailor Moon, Arisawa composed music for several shows, including the Digimon series, until his death from bladder cancer in 2005.
Biography
Arisawa was mostly self-taught, having been interested in music from childhood. He started to learn piano when he was 20 years old, and entered Senzoku Gakuen College when he was 22, eventually graduating with degrees in Composing and Orchestral Music. He studied jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
arrangement with arranger Norio Maeda.
In 1980, Arisawa's song "Shinjuku Transfer" was recorded by the chorus group SOAP for Epic/Sony Records. He released a full album the following year, "Hamot Pier," and received the New Composer Incentive Award at the 1981 Tokyo Music Festival
Tokyo Music Festival
The Tokyo Music Festival was an international music contest that ran from 1972 to 1991. It was organised by the Tokyo Music Festival Association...
. The group broke up in 1982, but "Hamot Pier" was re-released in 1993.
During the 1980s Arisawa worked as a composer and arranger for Tokyo Broadcasting System
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
and wrote music for television commercials, including Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
advertisements. He also composed for various TV dramas, and released a single, "Takeoff of Love", for Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines
is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport...
' 30th anniversary celebration. He later served as Music Director for the NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
series Let's Learn English!.
As the Music Director for Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
, Arisawa's first award was the 1993 Golden Disk Grand Prize from Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. He continued to compose for the entire anime series, plus several video games and some of the stage musicals
Sailor Moon musicals
The , commonly referred to as , are a series of live theatre productions based on Naoko Takeuchi's metaseries Sailor Moon. The series consists of 29 musicals which have had more than 800 performances since the show opened in Summer 1993...
. In 1998, 2000, and 2001 he won the JASRAC International Award for most international royalties, owing largely to the popularity of Sailor Moon music in other nations.
Arisawa expressed an admiration of Hollywood-style music, drawing his initial inspiration for the tone of the Sailor Moon soundtrack from the Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
TV series. He frequently made use of symbolism when writing themes for specific characters or groups, borrowing thematic elements from diverse genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
s and from other countries. As the series progressed, his music gravitated from a pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
feeling toward more classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
arrangements to represent the protagonist having passed through painful experiences and grown as a person.
Works
Anime, games, and TV shows for which Arisawa composed music:- Ask Dr. Rin!Ask Dr. Rin!is an eight volume manga series by Kiyoko Arai about a young girl named Meilin Kanzaki who is endowed with Feng shui powers which allow her to read people's fortunes and give advice on how to receive good luck. She does this on a website under the pseudonym of "Dr. Rin." She loves her friend Asuka...
- BikkurimanBikkurimanis a Japanese anime series.The original Bikkuriman series, created by Toei Animation, aired from October 11, 1987 to April 2, 1989. Sequels include a second Bikkuriman series and Super Bikkuriman.-History:...
and Super BikkurimanSuper Bikkurimanis a fighting video game that is based on the third season of the popular "Bikkuriman" anime franchise. The game was released exclusively for the Super Famicom system. It includes eight characters from the anime, and has been criticized for being too much like Street Fighter. Another complaint is... - DigimonDigimon, short for , is a Japanese media franchise encompassing digital toys, anime, manga and video games. The franchise's eponymous creatures are monsters of various forms living in a "Digital World", a parallel universe that originated from Earth's various communication networks.-Conception and...
series (Seasons 1-4) - Don-Don Domel to RonWowser (TV series)is an anime based on the Belgian comic strip Cubitus. It consisted of 52 two-part episodes, and originally aired from April 5, 1988 to March 27, 1989.-Plot:Wowser is a big white dog who lives with his owner, the Professor...
- Galaxy Fraulein YunaGalaxy Fraulein Yunais a series of video games, anime, and other media from Japan. The Japanese title literally translates to "Galaxy Lady Legend Yuna".The main character of the series is Kagurazaka Yuna, a somewhat ditzy 16-year old girl. After winning a "Galactic Bishōjo Contest", she becomes "The Savior of Light",...
- Goldfish Warning!Goldfish Warning!is a shōjo manga by which ran in Nakayoshi. A 54-episode anime series produced by Toei Animation aired on TV Asahi from January 12, 1991 through February 29, 1992. Each episode of the anime contained 2 11-minute stories, often unconnected with each other...
- Kamen no Ninja Akakage
- King's Brunch (opening theme)
- Moeru!! Robokon
- Sailor MoonSailor MoonSailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
series - Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
(Japanese version) - Tales of EterniaTales of Eterniais a Japanese PlayStation action role-playing video game released by Namco on November 30, 2000, selling 873,000 copies and later ported to the PlayStation Portable on March 3, 2005, selling 398,000 copies. Tales of Eternia's characteristic genre name is...
- Yume no Crayon OukokuYume no Crayon Oukokuis a Japanese children's literature by Reizo Fukunaga and serialized in Nakayoshi from January 1998 to December 1998. It was adapted into a seventy-episode anime television series by Toei Animation in 1997. It has been dubbed into French and Italian...