Keiichi Okabe (岡部 啓一, Okabe Keiichi, born May 26, 1969) is a Japanese composer and arranger, best known for composing music for the Tekken and Drakengard series. He started his career at Namco in 1994, where he primarily composed for arcade games. Outside of video games, he has composed for anime series such as Working!! and Yuki Yuna is a Hero, along with arranging tracks for J-pop artists. He established the music production studio Monaca in 2004, which composes for various types of media.
Keiichi Okabe | |
|---|---|
岡部 啓一 | |
.jpg) Okabe in October 2024 | |
| Born | May 26, 1969 Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan |
| Other names | BKO |
| Alma mater | Kobe Design University |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Employer | Namco (1994–2001) |
| Organization | Monaca |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
Early life
editOkabe 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.[1] He studied at Kobe Design University.[2]
Namco and early freelance work (1994–2004)
editAfter graduating from university, Okabe 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.[3] During the game's production, he became ill.[4] He and Sano would also work on Tekken Tag Tournament with other composers in 1999.
In the later years of his employment at Namco, Okabe did a handful of freelance composing and remixing gigs, such as composing background music for commercials and other video productions, as well as remixing pop songs with Junichi Soma.[5] He left Namco in 2001 to become a fully independent freelancer; while he feels that the game industry served as an outlet for him to create music, he wanted more freedom to work on non-game projects. In addition to further work on game projects and remixes, he also composed and arranged a number of songs for various artists, such as Ryuichi Kawamura. However, being freelance resulted in him losing a lot of social trust, such as being unable to change residence or sign up for a credit card.
Monaca (2004–present)
editAfter struggling as a freelancer, Okabe founded music production studio Monaca in 2004.[6] 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.[7] 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 and sound director Takafumi Nishimura. To fit with the game's story, he composed a soundtrack that he describes as "mysterious, delicate, and ephemeral".[8] 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.[9][10] The composers worked with English-Japanese singer Emi Evans, who wrote and sung the lyrics present in the game's songs.[11] As Taro wanted the game's musical direction to be well represented in the game, the team participated in the project as early as the planning stages, leading to Okabe composing three songs. Various musical directions were also explored later in the game's development.[12]
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,[13] and was a runner-up for "Best Original Music" at IGN's Best of 2017 Awards.[14]
In 2019, he composed for battle royale game Cyber Hunter with fellow Monaca composer Ryuichi Takada, both working with violinist Yu Manabe.[15]
Works
editVideo games
editSoundtrack composer Other credits only (e.g. performances, insert songs)
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Spiral Fall | Music with Hiroto Sasaki and Takanori Otsuka |
| Ridge Racer | PS1 version; music with Yuri Misumi | |
| 1995 | Dangerous Bar | Music |
| Air Combat 22 | Music with Kazuhiro Nakamura and Hiroyuki Kawada | |
| 1996 | Ace Driver: Victory Lap | Music with Hiroyuki Kawada and Yuri Misumi |
| Alpine Surfer | Music ("Blizzard") | |
| Namco Classic Collection Vol. 2 | Music ("Area 4 BGM - Mountains") | |
| Tekken 2 | PS1 version; arrangements with various others | |
| Dancing Eyes | Music ("Space Alien Stage" and "Space Alien Motion") | |
| Aqua Jet | Music | |
| 1997 | Tekken 3 | Arcade version; music with Nobuyoshi Sano |
| Xevious 3D/G+ | PS1 version; music ("Area 2" and "Boss 2") | |
| Downhill Bikers | Music with Hiroto Sasaki[16] | |
| 1998 | Tekken 3 | PS1 version; music with various others |
| Jumping Groove | Music with various others | |
| 1999 | Tekken Tag Tournament | Arcade version; music with various others |
| 2000 | PS2 version; music with various others | |
| 2001 | Taiko no Tatsujin | Music ("Love You ☆ Don Chan") |
| 2002 | Alpine Racer 3 | Music with various others |
| Cancelled | 3P Memories | Music ("Samenai Yume") |
| 2003 | Glass Rose | Cutscene music |
| 2004 | Xenosaga Freaks | Music with various others |
| Espgaluda | PlayStation 2 version; arrangements with various others | |
| Taiko no Tatsujin: Atsumare! Matsuri da!! Yondaime | Music with various others | |
| 2005 | Tekken 5 | PS2 version; cutscene music with various others |
| Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles | Cutscene music | |
| Heavy Metal Thunder | Cutscene music | |
| Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection | Music with various others | |
| 2006 | Rappelz | Music with various others |
| Fantasy Earth Zero | Sound effects | |
| BelleIsle | Music | |
| Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth | Arrangement ("Take a Flight -ver.LENNETH-"); cutscene sound effects | |
| Tekken: Dark Resurrection | Cutscene music with Satoru Kōsaki | |
| 2007 | Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions | Sound effects |
| Mizuiro Blood | Music with Yuri Misumi | |
| Taiko no Tatsujin 10 | Music ("Angel Dream") | |
| Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2 | Western version; music (opening theme) | |
| Axebusters | Music ("Theme of Axebusters") | |
| Beautiful Katamari | Music ("Boyfriend a Gogo") | |
| Tekken 6 | Arcade version; music with various others | |
| The Promise of Haruhi Suzumiya | Sound production assistance | |
| 2008 | Taiko no Tatsujin 11 | Arrangement ("Kare Kano Kanon") |
| Secret Game -KILLER QUEEN- | Arrangement ("Secret Game") | |
| Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume | Cutscene sound effects | |
| Taiko no Tatsujin 12 | Music ("Fantasy of the Wind") | |
| 2009 | Taiko no Tatsujin 12 Do-n! And Extra Edition | Music ("Yuga Onoki") |
| Katamari Forever | Cutscene music with various others | |
| Tekken 6 | Console versions; music with various others | |
| Sekirei ~Gifts from the Future~ | Music ("Yakusoku I'm With You") | |
| 2010 | Walk it Out! | Music ("KURU KURU ABEBA!" and "Muteki Onnanoko") |
| Nier | Music with Kakeru Ishihama, Keigo Hoashi, and Takafumi Nishimura | |
| Tantei Opera Milky Holmes | Music direction | |
| 2011 | Ridge Racer 3D | Music ("Rolling Glider") |
| Taiko no Tatsujin: Portable DX | Music ("Pastel Dream") | |
| Tekken Tag Tournament 2 | Arcade version; music with various others | |
| Lord of Apocalypse | Music with Keigo Hoashi | |
| 2012 | Taiko no Tatsujin: Katsu-Don | Music ("Chiri Yuku Ran no Tsudzuru Uta") |
| Demons' Score | Music ("The Overture of Battle") | |
| Tantei Opera Milky Holmes 2 | Music direction | |
| Tekken Tag Tournament 2 | Console versions; music with various others | |
| 2013 | Drakengard 3 | Music with various others |
| 2014 | Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U | Arrangements[a] |
| 2015 | Tekken 7 | Arcade version; music ("Arctic Snowfall") |
| Yoiyo Mori no Hime | Music ("Nemuru Mori no Hate") | |
| School of Ragnarok | ||
| WindSoul | ||
| maimai | Music ("Ribabu") | |
| 2017 | Nier: Automata | Music with Keigo Hoashi, Kuniyuki Takahashi, and Kakeru Ishihama |
| Final Fantasy XV: Episode Gladiolus | Music (main theme) | |
| SINoALICE | Music with Keigo Hoashi and Shotaro Seo | |
| Terra Battle: Mechatura Monogatari | Music with various others | |
| Aikatsu! Photo on Stage!! | Music ("Chocolat Show Time") | |
| 2018 | Fate/Extella Link | Music with Ryuichi Takada, Keigo Hoashi, and Syotarou Seo |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Arrangements[b] | |
| Soulcalibur VI | Music ("City Ruins – Soul") | |
| 2019 | The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage | Music ("Tani no Soko de Saku Hana wa")[17] |
| Cyber Hunter | Music with Ryuichi Takada | |
| The Seven Deadly Sins: Battle of Light and Darkness | Music | |
| Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers | Music (YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse contents)[18] | |
| 2020 | The Wonderful 101: Remastered | Arrangements with various others |
| 2021 | Nier Reincarnation[19] | Music |
| NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... | Arrangements with various others | |
| Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars | Music with Oliver Good and Shotaro Seo[20] | |
| 2022 | Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden | |
| Soul Hackers 2 | Music with various others | |
| Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden | Music direction[21] | |
| 2023 | Towa Tsugai | Music with Shotaro Seo[22] |
| 2024 | Foamstars | Music direction |
Anime
editSoundtrack composer Other credits only (e.g. performances, insert songs)
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Yuki Terai: Secrets | Mirror episode; music |
| 2002 | Whistle! | Opening theme "Double Wind" (with Junichi Soma) |
| 2006 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya | Arrangement ("Yuuutsu no Yuuutsu") |
| 2008 | Sekirei | Music ("Kimi wo Omou Toki") |
| 2009 | Sora o Miageru Shōjo no Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai | Music with various others |
| Tenjōbito to Akutobito Saigo no Tatakai | ||
| Bakemonogatari | Music production | |
| 2010 | Working!! | Music with Kakeru Ishihama, Keigo Hoashi, and Satoru Kōsaki |
| Sekirei: Pure Engagement | Music with Hiroaki Sano and Satoru Kōsaki | |
| Highschool of the Dead | Ending theme ("Memories of days gone by"); music production | |
| Cat Shit One: The Animated Series | Music production | |
| Star Driver | Music with various others | |
| 2011 | Wandering Son | Music with Satoru Kōsaki and Keigo Hoashi |
| Working'!! | Insert song ("Itsumo no you ni LOVE&PEACE!!") | |
| 2012 | Nisemonogatari | Music production |
| Nyaruko: Crawling with Love | Insert song ("Striver of Black Steel") | |
| Aikatsu! | Music with various others | |
| Nekomonogatari | Music production | |
| 2013 | My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU | |
| Servant x Service | Insert song ("Hachimitsu Jikan") | |
| Aikatsu! (2nd season) | Music with various others | |
| 2014 | Nisekoi | |
| Wake Up, Girls! | Insert song ("Kotonoha Aoba") | |
| Nanana's Buried Treasure | Music with various others | |
| Captain Earth | ||
| Dai-Shogun – Great Revolution | Opening theme ("Tamashii Rises") | |
| Yuki Yuna is a Hero | Music with Keigo Hoashi, Kuniyuki Takahashi, and Kakeru Ishihama | |
| Garo: The Carved Seal of Flames | Music with various others | |
| Aikatsu! (3rd season) | ||
| 2015 | My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO! | Music production |
| Ultimate Otaku Teacher | Insert song ("Meido no Hinkaku") | |
| Working!!! | Music with various others | |
| Garo: Crimson Moon | Music with various others | |
| Concrete Revolutio | ||
| 2016 | Anne Happy | |
| Aikatsu Stars! | Insert song ("Heart ga Ski♡p") | |
| Garo: Divine Flame | Music with Ryuichi Takada, Hiroshi Kitadani, and Tomohiro Nakatsuchi | |
| 2017 | Wake Up, Girls! Shin Shou | Insert song ("Shizuku no Kanmuri") |
| Anime-Gatari | Music with Keigo Hoashi, Kuniyuki Takahashi, and Takahiro Furukawa | |
| Yuki Yuna is a Hero: Washio Sumi Chapter | Music with Keigo Hoashi, Kuniyuki Takahashi, and Syotarou Seo | |
| 2019 | Assassins Pride | Music with Keigo Hoashi, Kuniyuki Takahashi, and Hidekazu Tanaka |
| 2020 | My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Climax | Music production |
| 2021 | Yuki Yuna is a Hero: The Great Mankai Chapter | Music with Keigo Hoashi and Kuniyuki Takahashi[23] |
| 2022 | Summer Time Rendering | Music with Ryuichi Takada and Keigo Hoashi[24] |
| 2023 | Nier: Automata Ver1.1a | Music with Keigo Hoashi and Kuniyuki Takahashi |
Other
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Kowloon de Aimashou | Arrangement ("Sugar Lady") with Ryuichi Kawamura |
| Ningen Shikkaku / Ryuichi Kawamura | Arrangements with Ryuichi Kawamura | |
| 2005 | Happiness / Maki Ohguro | Arrangement ("Kouishou") |
| 2013 | Mayonaka no Panya-san | Music with Keigo Hoashi |
| 2014 | Kakumeiteki Broadway Shugisha Doumei / Sumire Uesaka | Music ("Aishū Fake Honeymoon")[25] |
| 2015 | Kagaku Adventure Nishinoshima e ~ Engineer-Tachi no Atsuki Chousen | Opening and ending themes |
| 2018 | Usuzumizakura -Garo- | Music |
| Braverthday / Nobuhiko Okamoto | Music ("Tobu Tame ni")[26] | |
| 2020 | Garden / Saori Hayami | Arrangement ("Glimmer") with Saori Hayami[27] |
| 2022 | Chimudondon | Music with Ryuichi Takada and Keigo Hoashi[28] |
References
edit- ^ "Keiichi Okabe Interview: Drakengard 3, NieR, and More". RPGFan. 2014-06-02. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
- ^ "MONACA | 有限会社モナカ". monaca.jp. 15 December 2022.
- ^ Davies, Paul (August 15, 2001). "PlayStation News: Tekken 3 musicians choose Big Beat - ComputerAndVideoGames.com" (PDF). ComputerandVideoGames.com. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
- ^ "ゲームミュージック＆アニメ専門店 ga-core - ジーエー・コア -" (in Japanese). June 17, 2009. Archived from the original on August 26, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
- ^ Okabe, Keiichi. "bko-work". BKO2 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 23, 2003.
- ^ "#4 フリーランスの頃は大変だった！？会社設立のきっかけとは【岡部啓一】【SEM TALK】". YouTube. November 22, 2022.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Okabe, Keiichi (March 7, 2018). "One Year Later, Composer Keiichi Okabe Looks Back at Nier:Automata".
- ^ Prell, Sam (April 12, 2018). "Ever heard of a "wet" soundtrack? Nier: Automata's composer says it helped set the game apart". GamesRadar+.
- ^ "Interview with Composer Keiichi Okabe". Square Enix. Archived from the original on 2010-09-07. Retrieved 2021-10-16. (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 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2011-07-09.
- ^ "#2 ヨコオタロウさんとの関係性は？【岡部啓一】【SEM TALK】". YouTube. November 15, 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Keiichi Okabe [@MONACA_okabe] (December 31, 2021). "わー、激懐かしいですね！ この曲は多分さまんさん @hiroto_sasaki ですね。" (Tweet) (in Japanese) – via Twitter.
- ^ THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA MASTER 052-054 白菊ほたる・森久保乃々・佐藤心. Nippon Columbia (in Japanese). Retrieved August 22, 2022.
- ^ Plec, Adam (September 30, 2021). "A closer look into Final Fantasy XIV's Yorha: Dark Apocalypse content". PlayStation.Blog. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
- ^ 『ニーア』10周年＆新作発表！ ヨコオ氏など4人のキーパーソンにインタビュー. Dengeki Online (in Japanese). 2020-05-22. Archived from the original on 2020-05-29. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
- ^ Capel, Chris (6 February 2022). "Nier creator's Voice of Cards is getting a sequel – and it's out this month". PCGamesN. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ Romano, Sal (September 1, 2022). "Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden announced for PS4, Switch, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ Romano, Sal (October 24, 2022). "Square Enix announces "couple raising battle fantasy RPG" Towa Tsugai for iOS, Android". Gematsu. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ "3rd Yuki Yuna Is a Hero TV Anime Unveils Returning Cast, October Premiere". Anime News Network. April 30, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- ^ "Suspense Anime Summer Time Rendering Reveals Promo Video, Staff". Anime News Network. October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ 革命的ブロードウェイ主義者同盟. King Records (in Japanese). Retrieved August 22, 2022.
- ^ "Braverthday【豪華盤】" (in Japanese). Lantis. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- ^ "GARDEN : Saori Hayami". Hmv (in Japanese). Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- ^ @MONACA_jp (January 14, 2022). 【告知】 2022年度前期 連続テレビ小説 『ちむどんどん』 (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved August 22, 2022 – via Twitter.
External links
edit- Profile at Monaca (in Japanese)
- Discography at VGMdb
- Keiichi Okabe at Anime News Network's encyclopedia