Long interview with Yasuhiro Misawa, composer! (The 25th "Inside Man" of Anime and Game)

The 25th edition of "People in Anime and Games" features composer Yasuhiro Misawa, a former employee of game production company Koei. Originally from the game production company Koei, Mr. Misawa has been active as a composer of dramatic accompaniment for anime and live-action dramas since becoming independent. Anime fans can enjoy "Minamike," "Mitsudomoe," "YuruYuri," "Love Labo," "Sabagebutsu! and "Umaru-chan," as well as "Gav. Umaru-chan," and "Gavril Dropout. Mr. Misawa is often introduced as a composer of so-called "everyday comedies," but he has also composed music for "Gakuen Yutopia Manabi-Straight! In 2018, Mr. Misawa provided music for Kei Oikawa's "Hina Matsuri" that perfectly matched each scene. In this article, Mr. Misawa talks at length about his influences, his passion for composing dramatic accompaniment, the work that marked a turning point in his career, and his goals for the future.

Play accompaniment differs in terms of interest at each stage of production

Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule. As is customary at the beginning, when do you find it most rewarding to compose dramatic accompaniments for animated films?

Yasuhiro Misawa (Misawa): There are many differences during the production stage, but when we are discussing, if there is a point where we agree on what kind of music we want for this scene, it means that we share the same sensibility, and I think that makes everyone happy. Even if there is a difference, it is interesting to be exposed to something that you have not thought of before and to have a new way of looking at it, as if you were saying, "I see, there is this way of thinking and understanding! It would be interesting to see if I could see things in a new way.

Once I start writing a song, I get more and more immersed in that world, so it is fun to be able to concentrate on something and be immersed in it. Sometimes I write something, but it doesn't seem quite right.　Sometimes, the writing doesn't go as expected, and I repeat trial and error, saying, "Oh, no, no, no, no, no!　That's how it is! I'm happy to see that after repeated trial and error, "Oh, no, no, no! There are moments when I can't find a satisfactory solution, or when I feel like "I don't care which way it goes," but if I keep thinking about it, I am sure to find a good solution. But if you keep thinking about it, you will always find a good solution. And in the end, it all ends up in a good way, so you can look back and say, "A lot of things happened, but it was fun.

Since the music is for a play, the completion of the music is not the end of the work, but it is meaningless unless the audience enjoys the work itself. Therefore, I don't think it is necessarily necessary for many people to say, "The music was good. I think that the music for a play is based on the appeal of the work and the director's idea of "conveying this interesting aspect of the work. Therefore, the objective is to convey the charm of the work and make the audience enjoy it, and I would be very happy if I could do that. Of course, if the work needs "music that is considered good music," and if the audience feels that way as a result, that would be wonderful.

Classical music, movies, and animation/games......As a boy, you absorbed a wide variety of music

What are some of the works that have influenced you?

Misawa: When I was a child, my father used to watch movies on TV at night. I would watch them with him, and I was somehow influenced by the music of people like James Horner and John Williams, who I thought were very good. For example, there is a very impressive scene in the famous movie "Jurassic Park," and I still remember how good the music felt when I went to the dinosaur island and saw the wide landscape (note: the music is by John Williams).

I also like classical music with functional and structural beauty, such as Beethoven's music, because I had many opportunities to be exposed to it through my classical piano studies. There was a TV show I liked to watch in high school called "Iron Chef," and the music on the show was really cool. I later learned that the music was from the movie "Backdraft," but it was the cooking competition program that made me fall in love with Hans Zimmer (laughs). (laughs) Speaking of Hans Zimmer, I also really liked "The Rock" and was influenced by it.

How about anime and video games?

Misawa: In terms of games, of course there are Dracula and Final Fantasy, but I would venture to say "Doraemon" (1986) on the Famicom (NES). I still remember many of the phrases from the anime theme song, and I thought it was a great use of the motif in the game, which I really liked as a child.

The anime was "Laputa: Castle in the Sky" (1986). The story is full of shocking new motifs, but there is a sense of unity throughout the work, and they all work well together in the right scenes. This animation may have been the first time that my mind properly understood that the music was written to match the images. I also came to love the work itself. I have a cousin who loves anime, and he gave me a recording script of it as a laserdisc bonus, I think.　He gave me a recording of the script. I read the scripts and memorized the lines and all the music that played along with them. I even got the score from a friend and played it on the piano.

How much music do you listen to a month?

Misawa: I don't listen to music when I'm working on something or planning a project. When I'm thinking about the world I've created and how I want it to look, I listen to something completely different and think, "Oh, this would be good, too," and then I get lost in all sorts of confusion. Even when I go to the convenience store, I cover my ears and say, "I'm not listening to anything! I'm not going to listen to anything!

(Laughs.) When I'm not listening to music, I have Netflix and Hulu now, so I often enjoy new music along with video. When I watch, I sometimes watch for more than 10 hours a day. I am the type of person who concentrates, but you might say I have that much free time (laughs). For example, I really like "Game of Thrones" so much that I've gone through the latest episode twice (laughs). The music has a traditional theatrical accompaniment, and each force has its own theme, and when force A and force B are combined, the two motifs mix well together. The phrases that play at that moment have meaning. It may be an old technique, but I really like it.

In the past, I used to buy used soundtracks and listen to them all the time, but I would get confused because I would just imagine the images and not know what was actually going on. So, listening to the music along with the video is much easier to understand, and it's also good to be able to turn the music back a little while watching to see where the music is coming from and what the intention is.

I think I use services like Spotify as much as anyone else. It's really useful, especially when I'm on the move. Depending on my mood, I listen to both old and new music.

Respect for Hans Zimmer, who continues to pursue new methods

Who do you respect?

Misawa: I think Hans Zimmer is wonderful in the sense that he established a new method and that it has been accepted by the world. Composers before him, for example, did not have such heavy percussions and such a full-frontal approach. And now, if you are even slightly interested in film music, you might say, "Hans Zimmer's style?　Yeah, it's like that, isn't it? And now, if you are interested in film music even a little, you can say, "Hans Zimmer's style? I think this is really great.

What's even more amazing is that it's not the end of the story because you've established it, but your recent works have a much different taste from that, and I think you are moving toward a newer approach. Maybe it is becoming simpler in terms of musical score.

The production and editing of the video is also changing rapidly with the times, isn't it? I think it is wonderful that they are trying out new approaches to music that are in line with the visuals of the time, and that they are achieving a high level of perfection.

Rhythm-oriented songwriting

Misawa: Is there a particular genre of music that you are good at?

Misawa: I don't have a particular genre. ...... I start with the idea that "there is a film like this, and the director wants to do it this way," and then I think, "if that is the case, what kind of approach can I take? If that's the case, what kind of approach can I take?

However, if you ask me if I am good at everyday comedies, I would say that I am (laughs). (Laughs.) As I work on a piece, building the world, and finishing the music, I am either satisfied or dissatisfied with the finished product, and I find myself saying, "Let's try this next time! I am always ready to take on new challenges.

The "intermission" of "Gakuen Yutopia Manabi-Straight! (2007), the hand-clapping is very impressive, and I felt that you were particular about the rhythm in the other songs as well.

Misawa: The client requested "intermission" to be a hand-clap type of song, and I was particular about the rhythm while keeping the same impression. I am particular about rhythm, clearly. When I think of music, I think of it in terms of atmosphere and groove, rather than in terms of melody or chord progression. I think that naturally, the emphasis is placed on elements such as rhythm and groove.

─ Do the points of composition differ between anime and games?

Misawa: It depends on the genre of the game, but game music is more popular and requires easier-to-understand music.

Also, in general games, music may be stopped for dramatic effect, but it is not common to have no music playing. I think that is the difference.