Hiroto Saitoh

Game Music, Reviews

The “S” is for Sexy: Hiroto Saitoh’s S-MODE (Review)

July 9, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 6 Comments Share this

We’re huge fans of Hiroto Saitoh’s work. While his LILT Records has released a few game soundtracks over the years (including POWER DoLLS, Cross Hermit and Usotsuki to Inugamitsuki), having his own record label has mainly given him free reign to experiment and try his hand at original music covering a variety of musical genres.

We got bossa nova with Dia Novo, electronic music with Retrospective Blue, and vocaloid with Vocalize. This time, S-MODE is a distinctly jazzy affair. Released at M3 this past May, it’s the latest in a series of original music releases from Saitoh, and more than some of his past releases, if you’re a fan of “gamey” music, this one’s certainly worth your attention.

Find out why in our review of S-MODE after the jump. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Hiroto Saitoh’s Turning Japanese: Usotsuki to Inugamitsuki Music Collection (Review)

January 29, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

Now that you’re done vocalizing with Hiroto Saitoh’s catchy Vocalize album that we reviewed last month, it’s time to look into his other music release from Comiket 77. This one is titled Usotsuki to Inugamitsuki Music Collection, and while I’d never heard of the game, the Japanese-styled artwork on the cover immediately caught my attention.

Just as the Japanese title and artwork would suggest, there are a lot of traditional Japanese sounds here. There are lots of Asian-inspired melodies with woodwinds and various other ethnic instruments, but that doesn’t mean that we miss out entirely on Saitoh’s sometimes funky style. Given that I knew nothing about this album, I was surprised by what I heard.

Hit the jump for our review of Hiroto Saitoh of Many Color’s latest album, Usotsuki to Inagamitsuki Music Collection! (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Get Ready To Vocalize! Hiroto Saitoh’s Latest Experiment (Review)

January 18, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

I’m going to start calling him Hiroto Saitoh of many colors. Yes, that’s a Lord of the Rings reference for the two of you out there who know what I’m talking about. We’ve had the pleasure of checking out a lot of Saitoh’s releases from his record label, LILT Records. He’s done RPG-themed stuff with Cross Hermit, bossa nova with Dia Novo and Melodia, and the synthesizer-based Retrospective Blue.

Not one to miss Comiket, Saitoh released two albums at Comiket 77 last month: his Japanese-flavored soundtrack for Usotsuki to Inugamitsuki and this original album, Vocalize. From the time, you can probably gather what it’s all about: vocaloid. It’s appropriately cheery and cute, but also spans a number of musical styles. I realize vocaloid isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but if that’s you, perhaps you should consider giving Vocalize anyway.

Find out why I think so after in our review after the jump! (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Bossa Nova is Back and Remixed: Hiroto Saitoh’s Dia Novo (Review)

October 11, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

After taking a break with the Cross Hermit soundtrack, we’re back with more bossa nova from Hiroto Saitoh. This time it comes in the form of Dia Novo, an album (or EP) of arrangements of bossa nova greats like Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moreas, Baden Powell, Chico Buarque, and Paulo and Marcuos Valle by Hiroto Saitoh and his friends. A lot of artists for just six tracks, I know, but trust me when I say it’s all good.

These are some serious chillout tracks. The source material is of course pretty highly regarded among bossa nova fans, so it’s definitely interesting to see how Saitoh and the other arrangers have handled them. You’ll also see another familiar face here with Apaco on vocals, who you may remember from our Melodia review.

Hit the jump to find out whether these arrangements amount of sacrilege in our review of Dia Novo. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Hiroto Saitoh’s Retrospective Blue (Review)

August 22, 2009 | Patrick Gann | 1 Comment Share this

Saitoh-san has been doing game music since the 1990s, and it’s clear that the man has a lot of potential. I first got to know Saitoh through his contributions to RPGs such as Phantom Kingdom, Folklore, and Berwick Saga. Many other VGM enthusiasts know Saitoh’s work from the POWER DoLLS series. But have you ever heard Saitoh out from under the restraints of composing for a commercial product?

Saitoh’s own LILT Records has been an outlet for him to release his own works, traditionally alongside Comiket festivals. For Comiket 69, held at the tail end of 2005 (like, literally, the last few days of December), Saitoh released Retrospective Blue, a 30-minute EP, six tracks, with some instrumental tracks, some non-lyrical vocal tracks, and some lyrical vocal tracks. I’d at least mildly enjoyed Saitoh’s previous work on a variety of RPGs, so I thought I’d give this album a listen.

Without question, this is good stuff. How good? After the jump, you can find out. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Hiroto Saitoh’s RPG Soundtrack For a Non-RPG: Cross Hermit Soundtrack (Review)

June 10, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

We’ve been writing a lot about Hiroto Saitoh’s jazz and bossa nova roots in our reviews of the POWER DoLLS 1 Soundtrack Resonance and Melodia albums, but now it’s time to take a look at how he tackles traditional RPG music. But this isn’t an RPG! Patrick has informed me that it’s actually a simulation life (SLG) title with real-time battles. One might think of it as a cousin to an RPG, but the gameplay doesn’t quite fit the definition. The game’s tagline is “Pure Fantasy Realtime Strategy,” so, I guess the developers wanted to make up their own genre…? Regardless of the title’s genre though, you’ll mostly be surprised to learn that it’s not all that jazzy, and it’s rarely relaxing.

You’ll find your standard town, battle, and dungeon themes here, but each with their own ethnic flair courtesy of Saitoh. For oldschool fans, you’ll also probably dig the fact that this sounds a lot like 16-bit era music. For those who aren’t into that so much, the second disc includes arrangements of some of the game’s most memorable themes. While I don’t know anything about the story (no Wikipedia entry, argh!), the game was released in the early 2000s and apparently features lots of chicks. I guess Saitoh has a thing for games featuring predominantly ladies. Sounds like a cool guy to me!

Hit the jump for our review of Saitoh’s Cross Hermit soundtrack. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Just Relax With Hiroto Saitoh’s Melodia (Review)

May 11, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

We recently covered Hiroto Saitoh’s POWER DoLLS 1 Soundtrack Resonance album, and we noted that Saitoh appears to be quite fond of jazz and bossa nova. What better way to reinforce his love for these particular styles of music than with his original albums that have been released on LILT Records over the years.

Melodia in particular is a collection of 8 tracks that include many Saitoh originals alongside a couple of arrangements of works by bossa nova maestro Antonio Carlos Jobim and Japanese composer Nagayo Motoori. The music is mainly jazz, and is always laid back and accessible, so kick off your shoes and prepare yourself for a tranquil experience.

Hit the jump for our review of Hiroto Saitoh’s Melodia. (more…)