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Comment: It was really a dream to me: AcidZero,a simple mortal,interviewing the legend of Game Music! Woa!It all started when I seached all the Web looking for a Yuzo's fan page of something..and then I've found the Ancient-corp page. It was in japanese,but I was looking for photos and navigating in the page,when I found a link to the e-mail."Great", I thought,"I'll ask the webmaster to put Mp3s of Yuzo's music".So I did...
Days later,I was getting my e-mail when I saw the name...Yuzo Koshiro!!!Man...if I were older,I'd die of heart attack! I replied,asking for an interview,via e-mail. He kindly accepted. Thanks Yuzo!!
1 - How did you start in game composing? Before that, did you study music in some school or it was just a hobby?---------------------------------------------When I graduated from high-school , during summer-time, I found that Nihon-Falcom recruited a few staffs who're working for the music department, then I applied for that.
2 - Who created Ancient?* (You couldn’t control certain
game aspects, working for Sega? )My mother created my company,because it was good for contract both Sega and
my company.
3 - Some people who worked in the Streets of Rage series went to
I want to become a "real" music composer in the world,if I can do that...
Ancient. Coincidence, or did you have a good relationship with them before?When we started that project, new staffs who're working for program, planning, and graphics were required.
Did you know Motohiro Kawashima before Streets of Rage 2?
No, I knew him since before we started that project, I was working with him since then.
And Hitoshi Ariga?
Yes. He was,too.
4 - I saw in a magazine a long time ago that you refused contract with
Nintendo , saying that work for Sega is much better. That’s true?Not exactly. Did you see that? really? I didn't remember I said that.
Is Ancient a Sega partner? (all your games are for Sega).
Almost...(^^;;)
Any possibility that you may work for some other enterprise just as a freelancer? (maybe Enix, in Actraiser 3?)
Maybe several years ago I could. But now I think it's not easy to that way.
Yuzo in his studio
5 -Y’s book I & II (Along with Mieko Ishikawa and Hideya Nagata) was your first work?Not exactly. My first job at Falcom was 'Xanado II'.
The Tavern (syonin) music is yours?
Hmmm.... I did not remember,sorry.
How many musics you did at all for that game?
(Tomoyoshi Miyazaki and Masaya Hashimoto worked on it too. Curiosity: where they are working now? AfterActraiser 2, I lost track of them!)Which project? I guess you say about my job at Falcom or their staffs,right?
At there I composed musics for Falcom's project about more than 100 instruments.(pieces)
After that day Masaya and Tomoyoshi created their company called 'QUINTET'.
you could see http://www.quintet.co.jp, There're many information in Japanese, Mainly video game production is organized with 5 parts ,like Programmer,Planner Graphic designer,Sound composer,and Producer. So they named his company that way.
6 - Do you always wanted to be a musician or you had a dream to be someday a director, for example?
Now that you have freedom at Ancient, will you concentrate in directing games and let the composing to Motohiro and others (doing musics just for hobby), or you really want to be a musician and sometimes play director?Maybe that's true,but I want to become a 'real' music composer in the world,if I can do that...
7 - What’s the music (and score) you want to be remembered for? (comment:I know you have a long carreer ahead, but it’s just for I know which music and music score you’re more proud of)
Recently I like 'Legend of Thor' (Beyond Oasys) .
8 - Do you always try to get a feedback of your work in the world (reading American and European game mags) or you’re just interested in the japanese reaction? The ocidental press didn’t like the score for Streets of Rage 3 because you went in a different direction in terms of rhythm and mood. What is your comment about the SOR3 score?And how was the feedback in Japan?
Of course I also check out any press and have care for their feedbacks, Almost I knew that the ocidental press dont' likeSOR3,but I suppose I'm not worried about that.
Maybe I think it's popular in Japan,as the Evolution Techno-sound we composed.
9 - How is the process of doing music, for you? You develop the music in parts, or you get the inspiration of the entire music? Did you ever wake-up with a new idea for a music?
Not that I can think of at the moment....but It's many ways I have,actually.
If I have no idea at my production-studio,when I can't think of anyway,I go to outdoors and run, or I also go to the tanning jim and tan my body for refreshment,(^^;;)
10 - Did you become part of the Sega Band (SST) or something like that?
No,actually I'm employee of my company,also.
How you got your name in the title screen of the Secret of Shinobi and Streets of Rage?
I applied to Sega,Because I want to establish that the gamemusic-composer become a good part of production.
Did you ever done a music score for a movie or TV show? If so, which one?
No. I didn't compose such programs.
11 - We both know that composing music is not a easy task when you have a time to do a certain number of musics. Do you ever had to complete a score with another music that wasn’t planned to be in a certain game, just to finish the work?
You mean it's talking about 'bad-games'? Sometimes I've required to work for such.
12 - Do you reserve a certain hour of the day, everyday, just for play the keyboard a while? Are (were) you influenced by a particular music group? And, finally, what game are you playing most? (don’t say it’s an Ancient's game :P ) hehehe.
I'm very busy lately,so I don't have free time a little to play such as videogames. I was influenced by a lot of composers. Especialy it's classic-music composer like Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Mahler, Bruckner,etc.
* Ancient is Yuzo's game company,created after his success and formed by the core of the Streets of Rage game team.
© copyright AcidPage .This interview can't be reproduced without authorization mine or Yuzo's. (but can be translated to other languages,as japanese.Just put a link to the original.) ;^)
©photos from Masami's page
