Keiichi Okabe
Keiichi Okabe 岡部 啓一 | |
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| Also known as | BKO |
| Born | May 26, 1969 Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1994–present |
Keiichi Okabe (岡部 啓一, Okabe Keiichi, born May 26, 1969) is a Japanese composer and arranger, best known for composing music for Nier and its sequel Nier: Automata, along with the Tekken series. He started his career as a video game composer where he worked at Namco between 1994 and 2001, primarily composing for arcade games. Outside of video games he has composed for anime series such as Working!! and Yuki Yuna Is a Hero, along with tracks for J-pop artists such as Ryuichi Kawamura.[1] He established the music production studio Monaca in 2004, which composes for various types of media.
Biography
Okabe started taking electric organ lessons as a child, covering contemporary pop and film music. Although he did not learn from teachers, he would develop his musical skills through joining a band and recording music. He has cited Henry Mancini, Ennio Morricone, and Ryuichi Sakamoto as being some of his musical influences.[2] After graduating from Kobe Design University,[3] he joined Namco in 1994, with his first work being a handful of tracks for medal game Spiral Fall. He would also work on titles such as Air Combat 22, along with some arrangements for the PS1 version of Tekken 2. This would lead to him scoring Tekken 3 along with fellow Namco composer Nobuyoshi Sano. Both composers chose to make big beat music for the game as it both fitted the atmosphere of the game and had not been done in video games before.[4] Him and Sano would also work on Tekken Tag Tournament with other composers in 1999.
He left Namco in 2001 to become a freelancer, as he wanted more freedom to work on non-game projects. Three years later, he founded music production studio Monaca. Although it originally consisted of just Okabe, he would later be joined by ex-Namco composers such as Satoru Kōsaki, who also wanted to work on non-game projects.[5] To this day, the studio frequently compose for both video games and anime, as well as other types of media such as live action films.
In 2010, he served as the lead composer for Nier, being assisted by fellow Monaca composers Kakeru Ishihama and Keigo Hoashi, along with Cavia composer Takafumi Nishimura. To fit with the game's story, he composed a soundtrack that he describes as "mysterious, delicate, and ephemeral".[6] The team were given creative freedom, while working under Yoko Taro's direction, who attended the same university as Okabe and was a 3D graphics designer at Namco.[7][8] The composers worked with English-Japanese singer Emi Evans, who wrote and sung the lyrics present in the game's songs.[9]
Okabe, Ishihama and Hoashi would go on to compose for its 2017 sequel Nier: Automata, while being joined by Kuniyuki Takahashi. Its music was acclaimed; it won the award for "Best Score/Music" at The Game Awards 2017,[10] and was a runner-up for "Best Original Music" at IGN's Best of 2017 Awards.[11]
In 2019, he composed for battle royale game Cyber Hunter with fellow Monaca composer Ryuichi Takada, both working with violinist Yu Manabe.[12]
Works
Video games
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Spiral Fall | with Hiroto Sasaki and Takanori Otsuka |
| Ridge Racer | PS1 version with Yuri Misumi | |
| 1995 | Dangerous Bar | |
| Air Combat 22 | with Kazuhiro Nakamura and Hiroyuki Kawada | |
| 1996 | Namco Classic Collection Vol. 2 | arrangements with various others |
| Ace Driver: Victory Lap | with Hiroyuki Kawada and Yuri Misumi | |
| Dancing Eyes | "Space Alien Stage" and "Space Alien Motion" | |
| Alpine Surfer | "Blizzard" | |
| Tekken 2 | PS1 version; arrangements with various others | |
| Aqua Jet | ||
| 1997 | Tekken 3 | arcade version with Nobuyoshi Sano |
| Xevious 3D/G+ | PS1 version; "Area 2" and "Boss 2" | |
| Downhill Bikers | ||
| 1998 | Tekken 3 | PS1 version with various others |
| Jumping Groove | with various others | |
| 1999 | Tekken Tag Tournament | arcade version with Akitaka Tohyama, Yuu Miyake, Nobuyoshi Sano, and Rio Hamamoto |
| 2000 | Tekken Tag Tournament | PS2 version with various others |
| 2001 | Taiko no Tatsujin | "Love You ☆ Don Chan" |
| 2002 | Alpine Racer 3 | with various others |
| 3P Memories | "Awakening Dream" | |
| 2003 | Glass Rose | with Kenjirou Matsuo, Yuichi Nakamura, and Ken Inaoka |
| 2004 | Taiko no Tatsujin: Atsumare! Matsuri da!! Yondaime | with various others |
| 2005 | Tekken 5 | PS2 version with various others |
| Heavy Metal Thunder | sound effects | |
| Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection | with various others | |
| 2006 | Belle Isle | |
| Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2 | Opening BGM | |
| Fantasy Earth: Zero | sound effects | |
| Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth | sound effects | |
| Rappelz | with Satoru Kōsaki | |
| 2007 | Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions | sound effects |
| Taiko no Tatsujin 10 | "Angel Dream" | |
| Axebusters | "Theme of AXEBUSTERS" | |
| Beautiful Katamari | "Boyfriend a GOGO" | |
| Tekken 6 | arcade version with various others | |
| 2008 | Taiko no Tatsujin 11 | arrangement ("Kare Kano Kanon") |
| Secret Game -KILLER QUEEN- | arrangement ("Secret Game") | |
| Taiko no Tatsujin 12 | "Fantasy of the Wind" | |
| 2009 | Taiko no Tatsujin 12 Do-n! And Extra Edition | "Yuga Onoki" |
| Tekken 6 (PS3 version) | with various others | |
| Sekirei ~Gifts from the Future~ | "Yakusoku I'm With You" | |
| 2010 | Walk it Out! | "KURU KURU ABEBA!" and "Muteki Onnanoko" |
| Nier | with Kakeru Ishihama, Keigo Hoashi, and Takafumi Nishimura | |
| Scared Rider Xechs | "Pride" | |
| 2011 | Ridge Racer 3D | "Rolling Glider" |
| Taiko no Tatsujin: Portable DX | "Pastel Dream" | |
| Tekken Tag Tournament 2 | arcade version with various others | |
| Lord of Apocalypse | with Keigo Hoashi | |
| 2012 | Taiko no Tatsujin: Katsu-Don | "Chiri Yuku Ran no Tsudzuru Uta" |
| Demons' Score | with various others | |
| Tekken Tag Tournament 2 | PS3 version with various others | |
| Koi wa Kousoku ni Shibara Renai! | "Brand New World" and "A." | |
| 2013 | Fate/Extra CCC | "Boukun Majesty" |
| Drakengard 3 | with various others | |
| 2014 | Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS | arrangement ("Dark World / Dark World Dungeon") |
| Super Smash Bros. for Wii U | arrangement ("Ashley's Song (JP) Ver. 2") | |
| 2015 | Tekken 7 | arcade version; "Arctic Snowfall" |
| Yoiyo Mori no Hime | "Nemuru Mori no Hate" | |
| School of Ragnarok | ||
| WindSoul | ||
| maimai | "Ribabu" | |
| 2017 | Nier: Automata | with Keigo Hoashi, Kuniyuki Takahashi, and Kakeru Ishihama |
| Final Fantasy XV: Episode Gladiolus | "Ou no Tate ～Theme of EPISODE GLADIOLUS〜" and arrangement ("Big Bridge no Shitou ～EPISODE GLADIOLUS Ver～") | |
| SINoALICE | with Keigo Hoashi and Shotaro Seo | |
| Terra Battle: Mechatura Monogatari | with various others | |
| Aikatsu! Photo on Stage!! | "Chocolat Show Time" | |
| 2018 | Fate/Extella Link | with Ryuichi Takada, Keigo Hoashi, and Syotarou Seo |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | arrangement ("Ground BGM (Super Mario USA)" and "Flash Man Stage") | |
| Soulcalibur VI | "City Ruins - SOUL" | |
| 2019 | The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls | "Tani no Soko de Saku Hana wa" |
| Cyber Hunter | with Ryuichi Takada | |
| The Seven Deadly Sins: Battle of Light and Darkness | ||
| 2020 | The Wonderful 101: Remastered | arrangements with various others |
| TBA | Tekken X Street Fighter | with Akitaka Tohyama and Nobuyoshi Sano |
| NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... |
Anime
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Whistle! | "DOUBLE WIND" (with Junichi Soma) |
| 2006 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya | arrangement ("Yuuutsu no Yuuutsu") |
| 2008 | Penguin Musume | arrangement |
| Sekirei | "Kimi wo Omou Toki" | |
| Black Butler | 2 songs | |
| 2009 | Sora o Miageru Shōjo no Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai | with Satoru Kōsaki, Ryuichi Takada, Keigo Hoashi, and Kakeru Ishihama |
| Tenjōbito to Akutobito Saigo no Tatakai | with Satoru Kōsaki, Ryuichi Takada, Keigo Hoashi, and Kakeru Ishihama | |
| Bakemonogatari | music production | |
| 2010 | Working!! | with Kakeru Ishihama, Keigo Hoashi, and Satoru Kōsaki |
| Black Butler II | "You will rule the world" and "Kill★in the Heaven" | |
| Sekirei: Pure Engagement | with Hiroaki Sano and Satoru Kōsaki | |
| Highschool of the Dead | "Memories of days gone by", music production | |
| Cat Shit One: The Animated Series | music production | |
| Star Driver | with Satoru Kōsaki, Kakeru Ishihama, Ryuichi Takada, and Keigo Hoashi | |
| 2011 | Wandering Son | with Satoru Kōsaki and Keigo Hoashi |
| Working'!! | "Itsumo no you ni LOVE&PEACE!!" | |
| 2012 | Nisemonogatari | music production |
| Nyaruko: Crawling with Love | "Striver of Black Steel" | |
| Smile PreCure! | "Your Mirror" | |
| Aikatsu! | with various others | |
| Nekomonogatari | music production | |
| 2013 | My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU | music production |
| Servant x Service | "Hachimitsu Jikan" | |
| Aikatsu! (2nd season) | with various others | |
| 2014 | Nisekoi | with various others |
| Wake Up, Girls! | "Kotonoha Aoba" | |
| Nanana's Buried Treasure | with various others | |
| Captain Earth | with various others | |
| Dai-Shogun – Great Revolution | "TAMASHII RISES" | |
| Yuki Yuna is a Hero | with Keigo Hoashi, Kuniyuki Takahashi, and Kakeru Ishihama | |
| Garo: The Carved Seal of Flames | with various others | |
| Aikatsu! (3rd season) | with various others | |
| 2015 | My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO! | music production |
| Ultimate Otaku Teacher | "Meido no Hinkaku" | |
| Working!!! | with various others | |
| Garo: Crimson Moon | with various others | |
| Concrete Revolutio | with various others | |
| 2016 | Anne Happy | with various others |
| Aikatsu Stars! | "Heart ga Ski♡p" | |
| Garo: Divine Flame | with Ryuichi Takada, Hiroshi Kitadani, and Tomohiro Nakatsuchi | |
| 2017 | Wake Up, Girls! Shin Shou | "Shizuku no Kanmuri" |
| Anime-Gatari | with Keigo Hoashi, Kuniyuki Takahashi, and Takahiro Furukawa | |
| Yuki Yuna is a Hero: The Washio Sumi Chapter | with Keigo Hoashi, Kuniyuki Takahashi, and Syotarou Seo | |
| 2019 | Assassins Pride | with Keigo Hoashi, Kuniyuki Takahashi, and Hidekazu Tanaka |
Other
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Mayonaka no Panya-san | with Keigo Hoashi |
| 2015 | Kagaku Adventure Nishinoshima e ~ Engineer-Tachi no Atsuki Chousen | opening and ending |
| 2018 | Usuzumizakura -Garo- | |
| Braverthday / Nobuhiko Okamoto | "Tobu Tame ni"[13] | |
| 2020 | Garden / Saori Hayami | arrangement ("glimmer")[14] |
References
- ^ "MONACA | 有限会社モナカ". monaca.jp.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Meyerink, Stephen (June 2, 2014). "Keiichi Okabe Interview". RPGFan Feature.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "MONACA | 有限会社モナカ". monaca.jp.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Davies, Paul (August 15, 2001). "PlayStation News: Tekken 3 musicians choose Big Beat - ComputerAndVideoGames.com". ComputerandVideoGames.com. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
- ^ "アニメに欠かせないサウンドを手掛けるMONACAに聞く、気鋭のサウンドクリエイター集団の過去から現在まで【MONACAインタビュー前編】". WebNewtype. April 18, 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Okabe, Keiichi (March 7, 2018). "One Year Later, Composer Keiichi Okabe Looks Back at Nier:Automata".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Prell, Sam (April 12, 2018). "Ever heard of a "wet" soundtrack? Nier: Automata's composer says it helped set the game apart". GamesRadar+.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Interview with Composer Keiichi Okabe". Square Enix. Retrieved 2011-07-09. (registration required)
- ^ Napolitano, Jayson (2010-05-04). "Deep into NieR: Interview With Vocalist and Lyricist Emi Evans". Original Sound Version. Archived from the original on 2011-07-12. Retrieved 2011-07-09.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (December 8, 2017). "The Game Awards 2017 Winners Headlined By Zelda: Breath Of The Wild's Game Of The Year". GameSpot.
- ^ "Best of 2017 Awards: Best Original Music". IGN. December 20, 2017.
- ^ "Battle royale game <Cyber Hunter> Soft Launch in Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines begins today!". Cyber Hunter - An Open-World Battle Royale Game. March 22, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Braverthday【豪華盤】" (in Japanese). Lantis. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "GARDEN : Saori Hayami". www.hmv.co.jp. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
External links
- Profile at Monaca (in Japanese)
- Discography at VGMdb
- Keiichi Okabe at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
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