Kenji Kawai
Kenji Kawai (川井 憲次, Kawai Kenji, born April 23, 1957) is a Japanese music composer and arranger. Known as one of the biggest names in the soundtrack world, he has worked on a wide range of mixed media productions, including anime, TV shows, films and video games.[1] Among his credits are Toei's Kamen Rider Heisei Generations Forever, Tsui Hark's Seven Swords and Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon; Wilson Yip's Ip Man; Mamoru Oshii's films The Red Spectacles, StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops, Ghost in the Shell, Mobile Police Patlabor and Avalon; the anime adaptations of Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma ½ and Maison Ikkoku; the live-action adaptation of Gantz and Hideo Nakata's films Ring, Ring 2, Chaos, Dark Water and Kaidan.
Kenji Kawai 川井 憲次 | |
|---|---|
 Kawai in 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Kaai (かーいさん, Kāi-san) |
| Born | April 23, 1957 Shinagawa, Japan |
| Genres | Film score Electronic music Instrumental music |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, arranger |
| Instruments | Guitar, keyboard, drums, multi instruments |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Associated acts | Mamoru Oshii |
| Website | Kenji Kawai Official Site |
His nephew, Hidehiro Kawai, is a bassist in Fox Capture Plan, an instrumental band.
Career
After dropping out of a nuclear engineering program at Tokai University, Kawai began studying music at Shobi Music Academy. However, he dropped out after half a year. With a few friends, he created the band Muse, playing fusion rock and participating in music competitions. Through competing in such contests, the band members became technically competent to enter the music industry and decided to part ways.[2]
After leaving Muse, Kawai began composing music for commercials in his home studio. While recording music for radio actor and voice actor Yūji Mitsuya, he met music director Naoko Asari, who advised him to compose anime soundtracks. Some of his work for anime soundtracks can be found in Ranma ½ and Ghost in the Shell. According to Kawai, he is not good at creating music from nothing, as he draws sounds from the visuals of the works. In the majority of cases, the images of the anime are not yet created, so he creates music when referencing storyboard visuals.[3]
Following his success as an anime movies music composer, he became involved in live action movies. He contributed music to horror films: Ring, Ring 2, Dark Water, Japanese-Polish science-fiction film Avalon, the Hong Kong film Seven Swords and in the 2017 live action film Death Note.
Kawai has worked on several projects with director Mamoru Oshii (both Headgear members) and has written scores for all of the Hideo Nakata's films. The most recent film featuring his music is 2009's Assault Girls by director Oshii. Kawai's music has received the Annie Award and Hong Kong Film Award. In 2005, for Innocence: Kôkaku kidôtai (Ghost in The Shell 2: Innocence) he was nominated for an Annie Award.
For the music found in Seven Swords and A Battle of Wits he was nominated for Best Original Film Score Awards at both the 25th and 26th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2006 and 2007.
Works
Anime/television
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | めぞん一刻 (Maison ikkoku, Ikkoku House) | |
| 1987 | デビルマン (Devilman – The Birth) | OVA |
| 1988 | 機動警察パトレイバ— (Mobile Police Patlabor) | OVA |
| 1988 | 吸血姫美夕 (Vampire Princess Miyu) | OVA |
| 1989 | 機動警察パトレイバ— (Patlabor: The TV Series) | |
| 1989 | らんま１／２ (Ranma 1/2) | |
| 1989 | 機動警察パトレイバ— 劇場版 (Patlabor: The Movie) | Movie |
| 1989 | 御先祖様万々歳！ (Gosenzo-sama Banbanzai!, Long Long Live the Ancestors!) | OVA |
| 1989 | らんま１／２ 熱闘編 (Ranma 1/2: Nettohen) | |
| 1990 | デビルマン (Devilman – The Demon Bird) | OVA |
| 1990 | プロジェケトA子 (Project A-ko) | OVA |
| 1990 | からくり剣豪伝ムサシロード (Karakuri Kengō Den Musashi Lord, Musashi, the Samurai Lord) | |
| 1990 | キャッ党 忍伝 てやんでえ (Kyatto Ninden Teyandee, Cat Ninja Legend Teyandee) | |
| 1990 | 麿子 (MAROKO) | |
| 1991 | バ—ンナップ (Burn up!) | OVA |
| 1991 | らんま 1/2 中国寝崑崙大決戦! 掟やぶりの激闘編!! (Ranma 1/2: Big Trouble in Nekonron, China) | OVA |
| 1991 | 人魚の森 (Mermaid Forest) | OVA |
| 1991 | 魔獣戦士ルナ・ヴァルガ— (Demon Warrior Luna Varga) | OVA |
| 1992 | 絶愛 －１９８９－ (Zetsuai 1989) | OVA |
| 1992 | 姫ちゃんのリボン (Hime-chan's Ribbon) | |
| 1993 | らんま1/2 OVA (Ranma ½ OVA) | OVA |
| 1993 | 無責任艦長タイラ— (The Irresponsible Captain Tylor) | OVA, TV Series |
| 1993 | 機動警察パトレイバ—2 the Movie (Patlabor 2: The Movie) | Movie |
| 1994 | ブル—シ—ド (Blue Seed) | |
| 1994 | 戦え!! イクサ—1 (Iczer Girl Iczelion) | OVA |
| 1995 | プリンセス ミネルバ (Princess Minerva) | OVA |
| 1995 | 攻殻機動隊 (GITS, Ghost in The Shell) | Movie |
| 1996 | 爆れつハンタ— (Sorcerer Hunters) | |
| 1996 | 赤ちゃんと僕 (Baby and Me) | |
| 1997 | はいぱ—ぽりす (Hyper Police) | |
| 1997 | 吸血姫美夕 (Vampire Princess Miyu) | |
| 1999 | 逮捕しちゃうぞ the MOVIE (You're Under Arrest THE MOVIE) | |
| 1999 | 地球防衛企業ダイ・ガ—ド (Dai-Guard) | Movie |
| 2001 | ガイスタ—ズ (Geisters – Fractions of Earth) | |
| 2001 | あなたがここにいてほしい (Zaion: I Wish You Were Here) | OVA |
| 2001 | レイヴ (Rave Master) | |
| 2002 | パトレイバ— WXIII (WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3) | |
| 2003 | ガンパレ—ド・マ—チ -新たなる行軍歌 (Gunparade March) | |
| 2004 | イノセンス (Ghost in The Shell 2: INNOCENCE) | Movie |
| 2004 | ウルトラマンネクサス (Ultraman Nexus)[4] | |
| 2004 | 風人物語 (Windy Tales, Fūjin Monogatari) | |
| 2005 | スタ—シップ・オペレ—タ—ズ (Starship Operators) | |
| 2005 | MAKOTO | |
| 2006 | フェイト/ステイナイト (Fate/Stay Night) | TV series |
| 2006 | 立喰師列伝 – Tachiguishi-Retsuden (Tachigui: The Amazing Lives of the Fast Food Grifters) | Music and Actor |
| 2006 | ひぐらしのなく頃に (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni) | |
| 2007 | 精霊の守り人 (Seirei no Moribito) | |
| 2007 | ひぐらしのなく頃に解 (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai) | |
| 2007 | Mobile Suit Gundam 00 | |
| 2008 | The Sky Crawlers | |
| 2009 | Eden of the East | |
| 2010 | 劇場版フェイト/ステイナイト Unlimited Blade Works (Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works) | |
| 2010 | 劇場版機動戦士ガンダム00（ダブルオー）-A Wakening of the Trailblazer- (Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer) | |
| 2011 | トワノクオン (Towa no Quon) | |
| 2011 | 武装中学生 バスケットアーミー (Busou Chuugakusei Basket Army) | |
| 2012 | 009 RE:CYBORG (009 Re:Cyborg) | |
| 2012 | 非公認戦隊アキバレンジャー (Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger) | |
| 2014 | ばらかもん (Barakamon) | |
| 2014 | ワールドトリガー (World Trigger) | |
| 2014 | すべてがFになる (The Perfect Insider) | |
| 2015 | 花燃ゆ (Hana Moyu) | Taiga drama |
| 2015 | わかば＊ガール (Wakaba Girl) | |
| 2015 | すべてがFになる (Subete ga F ni Naru) | |
| 2015 | 機動警察パトレイバーREBOOT (Mobile Police Patlabor: Reboot) | ONA, serve as extra episode of Japan Animator Expo |
| 2016 | ジョーカー・ゲーム (Joker Game) | |
| 2016 | モブサイコ100 (Mob Psycho 100) | |
| 2016 | SERVAMP -サーヴァンプ- (Servamp) | |
| 2016 | 刀剣乱舞-花丸- (Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru) | |
| 2017 | ウルトラマンジード- (Ultraman Geed)[4] | |
| 2017 | 仮面ライダービルド- (Kamen Rider Build)[5] | |
| 2018 | りゅうおうのおしごと!- (The Ryuo's Work is Never Done!) | |
| 2018 | まんぷく- (Manpuku) | Asadora |
| 2019 | 消滅都市 (Afterlost) | |
| 2019 | ノー・ガンズ・ライフ (No Guns Life) | |
| 2021 | ぶらどらぶ (Vlad Love) | |
Film
Video games
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | サンサーラ・ナーガ (Sansara Naga) | Famicom |
| 1990 | ブラッディ・ウァリアーズ シャンゴーの逆襲 (Bloody Warriors: Shangō no Gyakushū) | Famicom |
| 1992 | ソーサリアン (Sorcerian) | PC Engine |
| 1994 | チーム・イノセント (Team Innocent: The Point of No Return) | PC-FX |
| 1994 | サンサーラ・ナーガ２ (Sansara Naga 2) | Super Famicom |
| 1998 | ディープフィアー (Deep Fear) | Sega Saturn |
| 2003 | 信長の野望Online (Nobunaga's Ambition Online) (Chapter of Hiryu) | |
| 2007 | FolksSoul -失われた伝承- (FolksSoul) | PlayStation 3 |
| 2007–2010 | 三國志Online (Sangokushi Online) | PC |
Documentary
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Apocalypse: The Second World War |
Awards and honors
- Asteroid 117582 Kenjikawai, discovered by Roy A. Tucker in 2005, was named in his honor.[1] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on January 9, 2020 (M.P.C. 120069).[6]
References
- "(117582) Kenjikawai". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
- "Profile" (in Japanese). Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- "作曲家・川井憲次「『トワイライトQ』が僕の感性のターニングポイント」 (2) 押井守監督との出会い". マイナビニュース. May 17, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- 「ジーッとしてても、ドーにもならねぇ！」ウルトラマンシリーズ最新作『ウルトラマンジード』メインキャスト発表！ (in Japanese). m-78.jp. June 1, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- http://www.kenjikawai.com/topics.html#170903
- "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kenji Kawai. |
- Official website (in Japanese)
- Kenji Kawai at IMDb
- Kenji Kawai at Media Arts Database (in Japanese)
- Video on YouTube
Authority control  |
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