Michiru Yamane

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Template:Nihongo is a Japanese video game composer and pianist. Yamane's musical style draws on baroque, classical and rock traditions, with both Johann Sebastian Bach and Yellow Magic Orchestra as prominent influences. She is best known for her two decades of work at the gaming company Konami, with her compositions for the Castlevania series among her most recognized work.

Yamane grew an interest in music at an early age, practicing on the electric organ and piano. She studied composition in college and began working as a composer for Konami in 1988. As a member of the Konami Kukeiha Club, she collaborated with other musicians on many Konami video games. Her breakthrough work came with the Castlevania games Bloodlines (1994) and Symphony of the Night (1997).

Early life and education

Yamane was born in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan, on September 23, 1963.<ref name=concertbio>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She began learning electric organ around the age of four, on her family's Yamaha Electone.<ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} (Page 2)</ref> She also soon began learning piano.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=gamasutra>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Yamane enjoyed playing popular rock music on the organ, but grew a fascination with classical music with her piano studies.<ref name=":1" /> She began composing around eight years old,<ref name=":0" /> and realized by her teenage years that she wanted to write songs for movies or commercials, or be a jazz pianist.<ref name=":2" /> She attended a music high school that specialized in advanced piano courses,<ref name="gamasutra" /> and focused her studies around harmonic rhythm, counterpoint, and music theory.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite book</ref> Around this time, she also began playing video games at various local arcades.<ref name=":1" /> She decided not to compete at performance with virtuoso players, so decided to attend the Aichi Prefectural University of the Arts and focus on their composition courses they offered.<ref name="gamasutra" /><ref name=concertbio/> In college, she learned how to write music for large orchestras, and did her thesis on German composer Johann Sebastian Bach.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="gamasutra" /> She also continued gaming on a friend's Famicom at the time.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Spelmusik">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Career

Konami

Yamane started working for Konami in 1988, shortly before her fourth year at college.<ref name="gamasutra" /><ref name="Spelmusik" /> She held a teaching license at the time, and was teaching part-time, though she felt the job did not suit her.<ref name="gamasutra" /> She applied to Konami after finding an open position through her college recruitment office, and was hired.<ref name="gamasutra" /> She had never considered specifically becoming a game composer, although she liked games and music.<ref name="Spelmusik" />

At Konami, Yamane was a member of the Konami Kukeiha Club, the company's sound team.<ref name=":0" /> She was nervous she would be required to do frequency modulation programming, but she was only a composer at first.<ref name=":1" /> She would later be introduced to computer music sequencing programs in graduate school.<ref name=":0" /> Yamane's first work at the company were the main themes for King's Valley II and Risa no Yōsei Densetsu (1988).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=king>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":3" /><ref name="Spelmusik" /> She also became involved with the Track and Field games, composing short victory jingles.<ref name=":0" /> Following that, she worked on several Game Boy, Famicom, MSX, and arcade games.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="gamasutra" /><ref name=":3" /> Many of the first projects she collaborated on were shoot 'em ups, including the Nemesis series and Detana!! TwinBee. She compared the synchronicity of sound in shooters to that of Disney animated films.<ref name=":0" /> Yamane felt these games were a good introduction to the "Konami sound" and helped build her foundation.<ref name=":0" /> At first, she found it limiting working with only three simultaneous sound channels on the Famicom, given her orchestra composition background, but she grew to enjoy working around the limit over time.<ref name=":0" /> She drew motivation from Bach's "Inventions and Sinfonias", which also only used two or three simultaneous notes.<ref name=":0" />

Yamane's first job as a lead composer was with Ganbare Goemon 2 (1989).<ref name="gamasutra" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> With this game, she learned how to edit programmable sound generator samples from senior sound programmers.<ref name=":0" /> Although she is credited in Contra: Hard Corps, Yamane does not have any memory of composing music for it. She believes it is possible she contributed a few pieces as the sound team was busy with multiple projects at the time.<ref name=":0" /> She also worked on Rocket Knight Adventures (1993) and its two sequels; writing music for Sparkster and creating sound effects for Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2.<ref name="gamasutra" /><ref name=":0" /> Akira Yamaoka joined Konami around this time, and worked with Yamane on the latter.<ref name=":0" />

Castlevania

{{#invoke:Listen|main}} Yamane is primarily known for her work on the Castlevania series.<ref name=":0" /> After moving to Konami's Tokyo office from Kobe, her boss thought she would be a good fit for the Castlevania game in development, Castlevania: Bloodlines (1994).<ref name=":1" /> Since the series was already popular and known for good music, she felt pressure to perform well. She was asked to write music based on pre-existing themes introduced in earlier games.<ref name="Spelmusik" /> Yamane felt there was a link with the game's vampiric themes and the classical music she had grown up with. She worked to integrate her classical style with the rock themes previously introduced in the series.<ref name=":0" /> When working on Mega Drive games, Yamane was required to program the music into the game, on top of composition.<ref name="gamasutra" /> GamesRadar+ called Bloodlines her first "breakthrough" game soundtrack.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

File:10.5.17KojiIgarashiPortraitByLuigiNovi1.jpg

Yamane worked closely with Koji Igarashi, producer for the Castlevania series.

The next game in the series, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997), was developed for the PlayStation.<ref name=":0" /> The art director, Osamu Kasai, requested Yamane to join the team.<ref name=":3" /> Because it used CD-ROMs, the system was capable of much higher quality music and sound.<ref name=":3" /> Yamane felt more expressive freedom as she was no longer limited to FM chips and could use real sounds.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Spelmusik" /> For Symphony of the Night, she drew heavy inspiration from concept artwork by Ayami Kojima.<ref name=":0" /> She used an Akai sampler connected to a computer running Logic Pro and Pro Tools to record music.<ref name="Spelmusik" /> The soundtrack was the first time she attempted placing rock music in a game.<ref name="Spelmusik" /> It remains one of her most popular soundtracks.<ref name=":0" /> In addition to the soundtrack, she also produced all the sound effects due to a shortage of staff.<ref name=":3" />

Yamane continued to remain deeply involved with Koji Igarashi and the Castlevania development team after Symphony of the Night, reviewing artwork and scenario writings for further games.<ref name=":1" /> She worked on Lament of Innocence (2003) and Curse of Darkness (2005), which made for challenging compositions.<ref name=":0" /> She also composed for the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS games, which had note limitations like older home consoles.<ref name=":0" /> She broadened her listening habits to gain more inspiration and prevent her music from becoming repetitive.<ref name=":1" /> On Portrait of Ruin (2006), she collaborated with Yuzo Koshiro.<ref name=":0" /> The last Castlevania score she wrote was for Order of Ecclesia (2008), which she worked on with Yasuhiro Ichihashi.<ref name=":0" /> She says that her favorite scores were for Aria of Sorrow (2003), Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia.<ref name=":0" />

While working on the Castlevania series, Yamane also composed for other games. She contributed to Suikoden III (2002) and Suikoden IV (2004), following in the tracks of Miki Higashino's work on the first two games.<ref name=":0" /> After Sota Fujimori joined Konami in 1998, Yamane worked with him on Gungage (1999) and Elder Gate (2000), mixing her classic symphonic style with his modern electronic music.<ref name=":0" /> She also worked on the Winning Eleven series and The Sword of Etheria (2005).<ref name=":0" />

Freelance

After writing music for over 40 games at Konami,<ref name="concertbio" /> Yamane left the company in 2008 to become a freelance composer.<ref name=":0" /> She came to this decision after getting a pet cat, and growing a desire to slow down her career and move to working from home. She desired to have more freedom to do projects she wanted, and manage her own time.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Spelmusik" /> Since becoming a freelance composer, Yamane has continued to compose for video games, as well as films, commercials, television, and anime.<ref name="yamaneoff">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> She has considered making a solo album.<ref name="Spelmusik" /><ref name=":2" /> Games that she has composed for include Otomedius Excellent (2011)<ref name=":5" /> and Skullgirls (2012).<ref name="yamaneoff" /> Although no longer working directly for Konami, she has continued working with the company on Castlevania music.<ref name="Spelmusik" /> She has also composed for Koji Igarashi's Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.<ref name="sili">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Yamane occasionally performs in live concerts.<ref name="yamaneoff" /><ref name=":2" /> Her first live performance was a song from Symphony of the Night at the Symphonic Game Music Concert in Leipzig in 2006.<ref name="Spelmusik" /> She wrote music for a Castlevania arrangement box set,<ref name=":0" /> and played live at Castlevania: The Concert in Stockholm in 2010.<ref name="Spelmusik" /> In 2015, she played with other Japanese composers at the Game Sound Maniax concert in China.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Musical style and influences

Game Developer magazine called Yamane's music "old, gothic, Victorian style".<ref name="gamasutra" /> Yamane feels she grew an interest in dark classical through her Bach studies in college.<ref name="gamasutra" /> She has also drawn inspiration from other composers including Mozart, Beethoven, Ravel, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, and Chopin.<ref name=":0" /> In high school, Yamane listened to Kraftwerk, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), with the latter being considered a major influence on many Japanese game composers.<ref name=":1" /> She has also drawn inspiration, and enjoys listening to Dream Theater.<ref name="gamasutra" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> She has expressed inspiration from many genres including techno pop, progressive rock, film scores, folk, jazz, rock, bossa nova, and contemporary classical music.<ref name=":0" /> She enjoys film scores by composers such as Jerry Goldsmith, and enjoyed American pop in her youth from artists like Barry Manilow, Burt Bacharach, Eric Carmen, The Doobie Brothers, and The Eagles.<ref name=":2" />

Yamane has expressed enjoying music from other game composers, particularly Nobuo Uematsu, Hitoshi Sakimoto, Yoko Kanno, and Motoi Sakuraba.<ref name="Spelmusik" /><ref name=":3" /> She also explained that Tomb Raider and its sequel influenced the way she thought about sound design.<ref name="gamasutra" />

Works

Yamane contributed music to over 40 games at Konami.<ref name="concertbio" /> As a member of the Konami Kukeiha Club, Yamane frequently collaborated with other composers, arrangers, and sound programmers.<ref name=":0" />

Year	Game	Co-worker(s)
1988	King's Valley II<ref name=king/>	Music with Kazuhiko Uehara, Masahiro Ikariko, Kinuyo Yamashita, Motoaki Furukawa
1989	Ganbare Goemon 2<ref name=":7">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Music
	Nemesis 3: The Eve of Destruction<ref name=":0"/>	Music with Kazuhiko Uehara, Motoaki Furukawa, Yukie Morimoto, Masahiro Ikariko
1990	Nemesis<ref name=":0"/>	Music with Tomoya Tomita
	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan<ref name=":4">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	Music
1991	Detana!! TwinBee<ref name="VandalGM">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Music with Hidenori Maezawa and Masae Nakashima
	Vendetta	Music
1992	Asterix	Music with Mutsuhiko Izumi, Mariko Egawa, Junya Nakano, Ayako Nishigaki
1993	Pop'n TwinBee	Music with Kazuhiko Uehara, Masahiro Ikariko, Hideto Inoue et al.
	Rocket Knight Adventures<ref name="gamasutra" />	Music with Masanori Oouchi, Aki Hata, Masanori Adachi, Hiroshi Kobayashi
1994	Sparkster<ref name=":0" />	Music with Masahiro Ikariko, Minako Matsuhira, Akira Yamaoka
	Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2<ref name=":0" />	Music with Akira Yamaoka
	Castlevania: Bloodlines<ref name=":4" />	Music
1997	Castlevania: Symphony of the Night<ref name=":6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Music
1999	Gungage<ref name=":6" />	Music with Sota Fujimori
2000	Elder Gate<ref name=":0" />	Music
2001	Pro Evolution Soccer<ref name=":0" />	Music with Norikazu Miura
2002	Pro Evolution Soccer 2<ref name=":4" />	Music with Sota Fujimori
	Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance	Music with Soshiro Hokkai
	Suikoden III<ref name=":8">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Music with Takashi Yoshida and Masahiko Kimura
2003	Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow<ref name="GameSpotImpressions">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Music with Takashi Yoshida and Soshiro Hokkai
	Castlevania: Lament of Innocence<ref name=":6" />	Music
2004	Suikoden IV<ref name=":8" />	Music with Masahiko Kimura and Norikazu Miura
2005	The Sword of Etheria<ref name=":7" />	Music
	Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow	Music with Masahiko Kimura
	Castlevania: Curse of Darkness<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	Music with Yuka Watanabe
2006	Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Music with Yuzo Koshiro
	Elebits	Music with Naoyuki Sato
2008	Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Music with Yasuhiro Ichihashi
2010	Mushihime-sama Bug Panic<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	Music with several others
2011	Otomedius Excellent<ref name=":5">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	Music with several others
2012	Skullgirls<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Music with Brenton Kossak and Blaine McGurty
2016	NightCry<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Music with Nobuko Toda
2018	Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Music with several others
	Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Music with Yuzo Koshiro, Motoi Sakuraba, Keiki Kobayashi, Takeshi Yanagawa
2019	Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night<ref name=sili/>	Music with Keisuke Ito and Ryusuke Fujioka
	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Music
2023	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Music with Miguel Hasson and Norihiko Hibino

External links

• Template:Official website
• YouTube account

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