Tetsuya Shibata

Game Music

A Unique Note for a Unique Story: Earth Seeker Scored by Unique Note

June 30, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

Well, maybe it’s old news by now given that the game was released last week in Japan, but we’ve been informed that our friends over at Unique Note were responsible for the game’s soundtrack. In case you don’t remember, Unique Note is a studio formed by composers Tetsuya Shibata and Yoshino Aoki, and as you can imagine, you’ll be hearing some of Aoki’s lovely voice throughout the score as well.

We were given a taste of the game’s main theme which comes as a lengthy and epic orchestral piece. The latter half features Aoki’s voice, and I have to say, being mainly familiar with her vocal work from Breath of Fire III, what she’s done in Earth Seeker is impressive both in terms of range and production values. I was particularly impressed by Shibata’s string work, and it turns out he used LASS for the project, which Kunal just reviewed last weekend. There’s no word yet regarding a soundtrack release, or even a Western release for the game (there are petitions going around for this game alongside The Last Story, Pandora’s Tower, and Xenoblade), but I’m hoping that some of the game’s music gets released in Japan if the main theme is any indication.

Are you interested in Unique Note’s score for Earth Seeker? Are you hoping that the game gets an English-language release and that a soundtrack is produced in Japan?
Featured, Game Music

GDC 2010: A Unique Interview With Unique Note

April 1, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

You should know all about Unique Note by now. We featured President Tetsuya Shibata and Vice-President Yoshino Aoki last year after they left Capcom to strike it out on their own, and we were able to catch up with them at GDC to find out what they’ve been up to and ask some other unconventional questions in more of an informal chat than an interview.

Ever wonder if it’s acceptable for women to go out drinking with the guys in Japan? Or wonder how Yoshino Aoki, the only female working on Suikoden Tierkres, got stuck working with the cute half-dolphin creatures called the Poirpose? We have the answers here along with details on some of the projects they’ve worked on over the past 8 months, and we also learn about the pseudonym that Tetsuya Shibata released under on the Yuusha 30 soundtrack.

All this and more in our GDC interview after the jump! (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

A Very Special Gift: The Breath of Fire Original Soundtrack Special Box (Review)

July 28, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

Every once in awhile, game companies surprise us by giving us exactly what we want in terms of game music. While I admit that doesn’t occur often, Capcom is generally one of the companies that show game music fans some love, and I’m sure their in-house record label Suleputer has something to do with it. You guys know I am a huge fan of the Breath of Fire series, as Breath of Fire III served as our soundtrack of the month back in September, so you can imagine that I was pretty excited when Capcom released the Breath of Fire Original Soundtrack Special Box back in 2006.

What’s in it? Well, everything. Not only will you find the Breath of Fire IV and V soundtracks intact, but the original Breath of Fire, which never received an official soundtrack release, as well as additional music from Breath of Fire II and III, are also included, making this the end-all collection for Breath of Fire music fans. Even more, we recently learned that Capcom’s former Sound Director Tetsuya Shibata was responsible for putting the set together, often without the source files, so we should all be thankful for his diligence and Capcom in general for making this possible.

Our review of the massive, 11-disc box set is waiting for you after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Meet Unique Note: Interview With Tetsuya Shibata and Yoshino Aoki

June 25, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 6 Comments Share this

Hopefully by now you’re familiar with the names of Tetsuya Shibata and Yoshino Aoki. We talked to Shibata at GDC about his role as Sound Director at Capcom Japan. Not only was he responsible for a lot of the music heard in the Devil May Cry series, but he was also responsible for putting together the amazing Breath of Fire Special Box and countless other projects during his tenure. Yoshino Aoki, on the other hand, is the lovely voice behind the Breath of Fire III soundtrack, as well as the composer of Breath of Fire IV and other title during her time at Capcom.

Well, we’re here to break the news to you. Shibata and Aoki have both left Capcom to form their own studio, Unique Note, and we have the first interview with the two about the move and what we can expect to hear from them in the near future. Join us as we learn more about Shibata and Aoki’s background, why they’re heading out on their own, and what their goal is with Unique Note.

Find the joint interview after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

GDC 2009: Interview With Capcom Sound Director Tetsuya Shibata

March 29, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 5 Comments Share this

[Left to right: Wataru Hokoyama, Jayson Napolitano, Norihiko Hibino, Tommy Kikuchi, Tetsuya Shibata]

Tim’s right when he says its been a long week at GDC. But it’s been a lot of fun too. We were fortunate enough to be able to catch up with Tetsuya Shibata, the Sound Director at Capcom Japan. He made his way to the San Francisco for the sole purpose of being present for the evening’s G.A.N.G. Awards where his vocal theme from Devil May Cry 4 had been nominated in the “Best Vocal – Pop” category.

We briefly discuss Resident Evil 5 and Devil May Cry 4, as well as his other 2008 projects. We also learn about Shibata’s progression through the audio department at Capcom, and discuss his role in putting the Breath of Fire Special Box together. An interesting discussion is head.

Read our interview with Tetsuya Shibata after the jump. (more…)