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Yuki Kajiura

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Yuki Kajiura
Yuki Kajiura at Anime Expo 2012
Yuki Kajiura at Anime Expo 2012
Background information
Born (1965-08-06) August 6, 1965 (age 58)
OriginTokyo, Japan
GenresBaroque pop, Contemporary classical music, World music, Anison
Occupation(s)Composer, musician
Instrument(s)Keyboard/piano
Years active1992–present
LabelsVictor Entertainment
Space Craft Produce
Websitewww.fictionjunction.com

Yuki Kajiura (梶浦 由記, Kajiura Yuki, born August 6, 1965 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese composer and music producer. She has provided the music for several popular anime series, such as the final Kimagure Orange Road movie, Noir, .hack//Sign, Aquarian Age, Madlax, My-HiME, My-Otome, .hack//Roots, Pandora Hearts, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero, Sword Art Online, Tsubasa Chronicle and the Kara no Kyoukai movies (amongst others). She also assisted Toshihiko Sahashi with Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. Kajiura has also composed for video games, including the cutscene music for Xenosaga II and the entire Xenosaga III game soundtrack. Most recently, she composed the music for NHK's April 2014 morning drama (asadora) "Hanako to Anne".

Biography

Due to her father's work, Kajiura lived in West Germany from 1972 until her middle school years. Her first music piece, which she had written at the age of 7, was a farewell song for her grandmother. After graduating from college (back in Tokyo), she began working as a systems engineering programmer, but in 1992, she turned her career around to focus on her activities on music. She admits that it was her father who greatly influenced this decision, for he was a great opera and classical music admirer.

In July 1992, she made her debut in an all-female trio See-Saw, then consisting of Chiaki Ishikawa (lead vocals), herself (back-up vocals, keyboards), and Yukiko Nishioka. In the following two years, the group released six singles and two albums but in 1995 they temporarily broke up. Nishioka decided to become a writer while Kajiura carried on with her solo musician career, composing music for other artists as well as sound producing for TV, commercials, films, anime and games.

In 2001, she and Chiaki Ishikawa reunited as See-Saw. Around the same time she became involved with Kōichi Mashimo's anime studio Bee Train and their first popular project, Noir.

Kajiura greatly enjoyed the degree of artistic freedom that Mashimo as the series' director offered her while collaborating on Noir, therefore their collaboration extended to many of his later projects, with the latest (as of 2007) being El Cazador de la Bruja. For example, Mashimo would never set any distinctive limitations or goals before her, allowing her to compose whatever she pleases. Afterwards, he would just take the samples he thought appropriate and insert it to whenever he wanted them to play.

In 2002, See-Saw participated in another Mashimo's project, .hack//Sign During the production of the series, Kajiura met Emily Bindiger and impressed by her vocals, offered her to perform over 10 of the series' insert songs. She has also jokingly called Bindiger "her English teacher" at Anime Expo 2003.[1]

One of Kajiura's solo projects include FictionJunction, which contrary to common belief is not an alias but the name of the project itself. [citation needed] The project involves collaboration with artists such as Yuuka Nanri, Asuka Kato, and Kaori Oda. FictionJunction Yuuka, with Nanri as the vocalist, is the most prolific of these collaborations. In 2004, the duo produced the opening and ending songs for Kōichi Mashimo's Madlax and in the next year, published their first collaborative album, Destination.

In October 2007, it was announced that Yuki Kajiura would be attending the performances of the Eminence Orchestra's concert, 'A Night In Fantasia 2007 - Symphonic Anime Edition', as a special guest.[2]

Her latest project, Kalafina, is composed of Keiko Kubota (FictionJunction Keiko), Wakana Ootaki (FictionJunction Wakana) and two other vocalists named Hikaru and Maya. They performed the ending themes of the Kara no Kyoukai movies.

In 2009, Fiction Junction returned to perform the opening theme song to Pandora Hearts, Parallel Hearts, with the majority of the show's music composed by Yuki Kajiura.

In 2011, Puella Magi Madoka Magica was scored by Kajiura, while Kalafina, a group founded by her, performed the ending theme.

In 2013, a new concert at Tokyo International Forum, "Hall A" has been scheduled.

Discography

Anime soundtracks

Anime title Year of release Director
Kimagure Orange Road: Summer's Beginning 1996 Osamu Kobayashi
Eat-Man 1997 Kōichi Mashimo
Noir 2001 Kōichi Mashimo
Aquarian Age 2002 Yoshimitsu Ohashi
.hack//Sign 2002 Kōichi Mashimo
.hack//Liminality 2002 Kōichi Mashimo
Le Portrait de Petit Cossette 2004 Akiyuki Shinbo
Madlax 2004 Kōichi Mashimo
My-HiME 2004 Masakazu Obara
My-Otome 2005 Masakazu Obara
Tsubasa Chronicle 2005 Kōichi Mashimo
Hiroshi Morioka
Elemental Gelade 2005 Shigeru Ueda
.hack//Roots 2006 Kōichi Mashimo
My-Otome Zwei 2006 Masakazu Obara
Fist of the North Star: The Legends of the True Savior 2007 Toyoo Ashida
El Cazador de la Bruja 2007 Kōichi Mashimo
Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations 2007–2008 Shunsuke Tada
Tsubasa Shunraiki 2009 Shunsuke Tada
Pandora Hearts 2009 Takao Kato
Puella Magi Madoka Magica 2011 Akiyuki Shinbo
Fate/Zero 2011-2012 Ei Aoki
Sword Art Online 2012 Tomohiko Ito

Game soundtracks

Game title Game platform Year of release Company
Double Cast
ダブルキャスト (Daburukyasuto)		 PlayStation 1998 Sony Computer Entertainment
Meguri-aishite
めぐり愛して (Meguriaishite)		 PlayStation 1999 SME
Blood: The Last Vampire PlayStation 2 2000 Sony Computer Entertainment
Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse (Movie scenes) PlayStation 2 2004 Namco
Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra PlayStation 2 2006 Namco

Movie soundtracks

Movie title Year of release Director
Tokyo-Kyodai 1995 Jun Ichikawa
Ruby Fruit 1995 Takumi Kimiduka
Rainbow 1999 Naoto Kumazawa
Boogiepop and others 2000 Ryu Kaneda
Moon 2000 Takumi Kimiduka
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle Movie: Princess in Birdcage Kingdom 2005 Itsuro Kawasaki
Kara no Kyoukai movies 2007–2009, 2013 Ei Aoki, Takuya Nonaka, Mitsuru Oburai &

Tomonori Sudou

Achilles and the Tortoise 2008 Takeshi Kitano
Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part I: Beginnings 2012 Akiyuki Shinbo
Yukihiro Miyamoto
Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part II: Eternal 2012 Akiyuki Shinbo
Yukihiro Miyamoto
Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion 2013 Akiyuki Shinbo
Yukihiro Miyamoto

Musicals

Title Year of release
Sakura-Wars 1998
Fine 1998
Funk-a-Step 1998
Funk-a-Step II 1999
Christmas Juliette 1999–2000
High-School Revolution 2000
Christmas Juliette 2000
Shooting-Star Lullaby 2001
Love's Labour's Lost/Set 2002
Angel Gate 2006

Solo albums

Title Year of release
Fiction 2003
Fiction II 2011

Produced albums

Title Artist Year of release
I have a dream See-Saw 1993
See-Saw See-Saw 1994
Early Best See-Saw 2003
Dream Field See-Saw 2003
melody Saeko Chiba 2003
everything Saeko Chiba 2004
Destination FictionJunction Yuuka 2004
Circus FictionJunction Yuuka 2007
Re/oblivious Kalafina 2008
Everlasting Songs FictionJunction 2009
Seventh Heaven Kalafina 2009
Red Moon Kalafina 2010
After Eden Kalafina 2011
Consolation Kalafina 2013
Elemental FictionJunction 2014

Compilation albums

Title Year of release
The Works for Soundtrack 2011

Other involvements

Genre Project Involvement Year
Anime Jura Tripper Ending theme 1995
Anime Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Closing theme & insert songs 2002
Anime Chrono Crusade Closing theme song (Sayonara Solitaire) 2003
Game .hack//Quarantine Song "Yasashii Yoake" (also used in .hack//Sign) 2003
Anime The World of Narue Closing theme 2003
Anime Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Closing theme & insert songs 2004
Anime .hack//Legend of the Twilight Closing theme 2004
Anime Loveless Theme song 2005
Anime Shōnen Onmyōji Opening theme song 2006
Anime .hack//Roots Opening theme song 2006
Anime Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto Opening theme song 2006
Anime My-Otome Zwei Ending theme songs 2-3 2007
Anime Baccano! Ending Theme song 2007
Anime Amatsuki Ending Theme song 2008
TV Drama Negima (Live Action) Ending Theme song 2008
Anime Kuroshitsuji Ending Theme Song 2008
Documentary Unknown Episodes of History - Historia Soundtrack[3] 2009
Anime So Ra No Wo To Opening Theme song 2010
Anime Ōkami Kakushi Theme song 2010
Anime Eve no Jikan Ending Theme Song 2010
Game Nobunaga's Ambition Theme song 2010
Anime Kuroshitsuji II Insert theme song 2010
TV Drama 15 Sai no Shiganhei Music 2010
Game .hack//Link Previously written songs contributed: Edge, (from .hack//Liminality Volume 1: In the Case of Mai Minase) Obsession from .hack//Sign and Silly-Go-Round. (from .hack//Roots) 2010
Documentary Unknown Episodes of History - Historia 2 Soundtrack 2011
Anime Sacred Seven Opening theme song 2011
Game Senritsu no Stratus Opening theme song 2011
TV Drama Hanako to Anne Music 2014

References

  1. ^ "Yuki Kajiura Concert". Anime Source. Anime-Source.Com. 25 September 2003. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  2. ^ "AU: Eminence Orchestra Returns to Sydney!". IGN Music. IGN Entertainment, Inc. 10 October 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  3. ^ "Yuki Kajiura". Casting Profile (in Japanese). NHK, Japanese Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 4 June 2012.

External links

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