Hibino

• Anime

  That Anime Whose Name I Can’t Say: Norihiko Hibino Talks Blassreiter

  July 14, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this That Anime Whose Name I Can’t Say: Norihiko Hibino Talks Blassreiter

  
  Photo ©2008 GONZO・Nitroplus ／ Blassreiter Project

  I wanted to grab your attention with a picture of the girl from the anime. Did it work?

  Well, Norihiko Hibino is one cool cat. We’ve been talking about him a lot lately, but I bet you didn’t know he was working on a big anime produced by Gonzo, did you? It’s called Blassreiter (which I can’t say for the life of me), and it’s about a bleak future where zombies have invaded Germany. A unique premise, I know, but the music is great, and spans many different styles including jazz, electronic, and orchestral.

  Hibino was actually in bright and sunny San Diego recently, and I was able to sit down with him and pick his brain about the music in the series. He even lets it slip that there’s going to be a Blassreiter film in the future.

  Hit the jump for the full transcript of the interview as well as a picture of some cool cats. Anyone going to check out the series based on what he has to say? (more…)

• Game Music

  Metal Gear Solid 4: GEM Impact’s Story

  June 30, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 8 Comments Share this Metal Gear Solid 4: GEM Impact’s Story

  

  While Metal Gear Solid fans are familiar with Norihiko Hibino’s important contributions to both Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3, many may not know how vital his company, GEM Impact, was to the score for Metal Gear Solid 4. You may know some of these guys pictured above from their recent work on the Sekaiju no MeiQ² *shoou no seihai* SUPER ARRANGE VERSION album which we were quite fond of. However, with so many composers involved with the music in MGS4, Hibino and GEM Impact’s involvement nearly went uncredited, relegated to a mere footnote in the record books… until now!

  Join us after the jump for an exclusive interview with Norihiko Hibino as we discuss the individuals who comprise GEM Impact and the 90 minutes of quality music they contributed to the outstanding soundtrack for Metal Gear Solid 4.

  [Special thanks to illustrator Uetake Macarthur for these custom portraits of the GEM Impact team!] (more…)

• Game Music, Reviews

  Etrian Odyssey II Secret Character Revealed: Tetsujin Masaharu Morimoto! (Review)

  June 18, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this Etrian Odyssey II Secret Character Revealed: Tetsujin Masaharu Morimoto! (Review)

  

  Okay, not really, but the recently released Sekaiju no MeiQ² *shoou no seihai* SUPER ARRANGE VERSION album does feature a track that sounds similar to the music used in the classic Japanese television show Iron Chef. Maybe the game will feature an Iron Chef-inspired cooking mini-game?

  The album as a whole sports some impressive production values thanks to Norihiko Hibino and his company, GEM Impact, who contribute extensively to the track list alongside an all-star cast of composers who tackle Yuzo Koshiro’s original score for Etrian Odyssey II. Who are these culinary—I mean… musical masters, you may ask?

  Find out after the jump! (more…)

• Game Music, Reviews

  The Outer Rim: Music and Hairdos from Space Starring Travis Touchdown (Review)

  June 14, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this The Outer Rim: Music and Hairdos from Space Starring Travis Touchdown (Review)

  

  The ending from No More Heroes was disappointing as hell. To avoid spoilers for those of you haven’t finished the game (shame on you), I’ll just say it left a lot of loose ends. It comes as a surprise then that The Outer Rim’s self-titled debut album provides the perfect solution.

  The Outer Rim is a Japanese band sporting a smooth “spiritual jazz” sound and epic hairstyles. The group is headed by bassist Jeff Curry (not Japanese!) and features game composer Norihiko Hibino on sax and computer, Hakuei Kim on keys, and Nobuaki Fujii on drums. While the album is dominated by catchy jazz pieces with a distinctive atmosphere, a few tracks include bits of English vocal drama featuring No More Heroes front man Travis Touchdown and co-star Silvia Christal as they describe a bleak, musicless future in outer space. And yes, they used the same voice actors from the game!

  Check out our full impressions after the jump. (more…)

« Next Entries

Covering and promoting discussion of composers and music with a focus on video games and other contemporary media entertainment

Join Us Online Or Log in

 Got tips? Get in touch Or Browse our Categories Game Music Music Production Gear Anime Demoscene Software Television Doujin Chip Music Indie Music Film Events Japanese Miscellaneous Experimental Featured Editorial Reviews Interviews