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Hiroki Kikuta

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Hiroki Kikuta
菊田 裕樹
Kikuta in 2011
Born
Yūki Kikuta

(1962-08-29) August 29, 1962 (age 62)
Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Alma materKansai University
Occupations
Years active1991–present
Musical career
Genres
Websitehirokikikuta.com

Hiroki Kikuta (菊田 裕樹, Kikuta Hiroki, born August 29, 1962 as Yūki Kikuta) is a Japanese composer and game designer. His major works are Secret of Mana, Trials of Mana, Soukaigi, and Koudelka, for which he also acted as producer and concept designer. He has composed music for seven other games, and worked as a concept designer in addition to composer for the unreleased MMORPG Chou Bukyo Taisen. He became interested in music at an early age, but earned a degree in Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Cultural Anthropology from Kansai University. He spent the next few years working first as a manga illustrator, then as a composer for anime series, before coming to work for Square in 1991.

After composing the soundtracks for his first three best-known works, he formed his own video game production company, Sacnoth, for which he was the president and CEO. After producing and composing Koudelka in 1999, he left to become a freelance composer. Since his departure he has formed his own record label, Norstrilia, through which he produces albums of his own compositions and collaborations with other artists, as well as his previous scores. His music has been performed in concerts such as the Symphonic Fantasies concerts in Cologne, Germany in September 2009, and selections of his works have been published as piano arrangements in sheet music books.

Biography

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Early life

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As a child, Kikuta was very interested in music, but while growing up in rural Japan had limited access to it.[1] As a result, he would listen to whatever music was on the radio, regardless of genre, and also to the music in films.[1][2] His first instrument was a classical guitar, which he taught himself without lessons.[1] It was not until he got a synthesizer, however, that he began to feel his potential as a composer.[3] He never received any form of formal musical training, and instead taught himself by reading music theory books and listening to a wide variety of musical genres.[2] Kikuta went on to earn an interdisciplinary degree in Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Cultural Anthropology from Kansai University, which he attended from 1981 to 1984.[3] While in college, Kikuta played arcade video games such as The Tower of Druaga (1984).[1]

After graduating from Kansai, Kikuta worked first as a manga illustrator under the pseudonym and later as an anime composer.[4] The manga he illustrated, including one titled Raven, were done under the pen name Yūki Nijūroku (結城 二十六).[5] As an anime composer, he worked on The Adventure of Robin Hood and The Legend of Snow White.[3]

In 1991, Kikuta was hired by Square (now Square Enix), as a composer.[4] After being rejected by his first choice, Nihon Falcom, he applied to Square without expecting to be hired, as they had many applicants for the job and he had never played any of the company's games. At the interview, however, Nobuo Uematsu was attracted to their shared love of progressive rock, and he was chosen over 100 other applicants.[5] He started off debugging Final Fantasy IV and creating sound effects for Romancing SaGa, as there were not enough game projects in development to open up new jobs for Square's new hires, but Kikuta was soon given game soundtracks to compose.[5][6]

Career

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Kikuta in 2008

During his seven years at Square, Kikuta composed the soundtracks to only three games: Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Soukaigi for the PlayStation. Kikuta says that he was given complete freedom to compose the soundtracks, in that he was given no direction at all as to how to compose the music; he began working on the music before the design of the game was finalized. This freedom was helped by the fact that Uematsu ran the music group as a separate division in the company from the game developers. Kikuta was chosen for Secret of Mana after Kenji Ito, the composer for the first game in the Mana series, Final Fantasy Adventure, was unable to work on the sequel due to other demands, including the soundtrack to Romancing SaGa.[5] At the time, Square typically had composers dedicated to one game throughout its development, and so Ito could not take on both projects at once.[1]

Rather than create MIDI versions of his compositions, like most game composers of that time did, and hand these over to the sound engineering department, Kikuta made his own samples that matched the hardware capabilities of the Super Nintendo. This way he would know exactly how the pieces would sound on the system's hardware instead of having to deal with audio hardware differences between the original composition and the limited palette of the Super Nintendo.[7] Kikuta spent nearly 24 hours a day in his office working on the soundtrack, alternating between composing and editing.[6] The first track he composed as "The Child of the Fairy Tribe".[1] Secret of Mana led to an arranged album, Secret of Mana+, which is composed of a single 50-minute track made up of "experimental" sounds like waterfalls, bird calls, and cell phone sounds.[8] Kikuta said in 2024 that he made the arranged album as a response to the stress of dealing with the restrictions of creating the original soundtrack, by instead creating something unrestrained and free.[1]

For Trials of Mana, Kikuta was assisted by a sound programmer, Hidenori Suzuki, which allowed him to compose over three times the amount of music he had created for Secret of Mana.[5] Kikuta decided to take the music in a "different direction" than Secret of Mana's, as he did not think he could surpass it with the same concept.[1] The move to the PlayStation for Soukaigi allowed Kikuta to focus on creating live music for the soundtrack, rather than tweaking the synthesizer instruments to make the music files fit in the game cartridge as he had to for the Super Nintendo. He used the added audio processing power to expand his musical creativity, including pieces such as songs in unintelligible Thai and Malaysian by Japanese singers. The game itself, however, was not a success, and Kikuta decided that he wanted more direct control over the next project he worked on.[5]

After Kikuta finished Soukaigi, he left Square and founded the video game development company Sacnoth, assuming the position of the president and CEO from 1998 to 1999.[4] During this time, the company created Koudelka for the PlayStation; Kikuta was credited as the concept designer, game planner, scenario writer, producer and composer. His philosophy in designing video games is that the best projects have a limited number of people designing the overall experience and making key decisions. He tried to follow this philosophy in creating Koudelka, and tried to bring a sense of "obsessive passion" to the project, reading what he claims were over 100 books on British history and taking the design team on a trip to Wales to study the country.[6] The game was released in December 1999 to poor reviews which criticized the game's combat system, though they praised the concept, art direction, and music.[9][10] Kikuta left Sacnoth soon after; the company changed its name to Nautilus and went on to produce four more games including the Shadow Hearts series before folding in 2007.[11]

In March 2001, Kikuta founded Norstrilia, named after the novel of the same name.[6] The company serves as his private record label, and publishes his albums.[7] For the next few years he worked as concept designer, game planner, and composer for Chou Bukyo Taisen, a Chinese MMORPG, the original design for which he proposed to Enix. Development of the game ceased in 2004 due to disagreements between Enix and the Chinese company that was to maintain the game while it was in progress and it was never released.[5] He spent the next few years composing for video games only released in Japan, including the eroge visual novel Sora no Iro, Mizu no Iro and the MMORPG Concerto Gate. Beginning in 2010 he started working as a composer for projects with several artists, such as Soulcalibur V (2010) and Rise of Mana (2014), which continues to date; his first solo work since 2010 was Indivisible in 2019.[12]

Kikuta released Lost Files, his first album of original music, in 2006. The album includes the demo tapes Kikuta submitted when first applying for the job of game composer at Square, using the sound source of the Nintendo Entertainment System.[5] It was followed in August 2007 by his second original album, Alphabet Planet. He has also composed three other albums and two singles in conjunction with other singers or performers; these albums have been released through his Norstrilia label. He released a third original album in 2011, titled Tiara.[4]

Legacy

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A piece from Secret of Mana was performed by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra for the third Orchestral Game Music Concert in 1993, while one from Trials of Mana was performed for the fifth event in 1996.[13] His music from Secret of Mana was also performed at the fifth Symphonic Game Music Concert in 2007 at the Gewandhaus Leipzig, Germany. Music from Secret of Mana made up one fourth of the music in the Symphonic Fantasies concerts in Cologne in September 2009 which were produced by Thomas Böcker as a part of the Game Concerts series.[14][15] In 2012, five more performances of Symphonic Fantasies were given in Tokyo, Stockholm, and again in Cologne, with an additional performance in 2016 in London with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Eckehard Stier.[16]

Two compilation books of piano sheet music from the Mana series have been published as Seiken Densetsu Best Collection Piano Solo Sheet Music first and second editions; songs from Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana are featured in both. All songs in each book have been rewritten by Asako Niwa as beginning to intermediate level piano solos, though they are meant to sound as much like the originals as possible.[17] Selections of remixes of Kikuta's work appear on Japanese remix albums, called dōjin, and on English remixing websites such as OverClocked ReMix.[18] Kikuta has said that he enjoys listening to these works, mentioning OverClocked ReMix by name.[5]

Musical style and influences

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Kikuta finds composing music to be natural, "like breathing". He considers it to be his "vocation", and contrasts it with designing and creating video games, which he calls his "wish" and finds to be very difficult to do in comparison to composition. Kikuta does not worry about the style of music that he composes, considering it to only be a tool or method. As a result, his music is frequently composed of combinations of styles mixed together.[3] He is inspired to create his music by things that he has seen, especially while traveling; he credits much of the musical imagery in Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana as being inspired by several islands in Fiji he has visited.[2] Rather than trying to be a "pure artist" that creates art for art's sake, Kikuta says that his primary goal in composing is to entertain the listeners.[6] He has not been influenced by other video game composers, though he claims to admire Hitoshi Sakimoto, who also worked at Square. He has named Pink Floyd as his single biggest musical influence, and guitarist Allan Holdsworth as the artist he would most like to collaborate with.[3] Kikuta stated that his favorite song he composed was "ouverture" from Concerto Gate.[7]

Games

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All works listed below were solely composed by Kikuta unless otherwise noted.

Games
Year Title Notes Ref.
1992 Romancing SaGa sound effects [5]
1993 Secret of Mana [5]
1995 Trials of Mana [5]
1998 Soukaigi [5]
1999 Koudelka [5]
2004 Sora no Iro, Mizu no Iro [19]
2005 Sakura Relaxation [20]
Nidzuma wa Sailor Fuku [21]
2006 Tennin-So Kitan [22]
Kaijinki [23]
2007 Concerto Gate with Kenji Ito [5]
2010 Shining Hearts [24]
2011 Tiara [4]
2012 Soul Calibur V with various others [25]
Demons' Score "Walpurgis Night Fever" [26]
2013 Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky with various others [25]
2014 Rise of Mana "The Drip Drip Drip of Memory" [27]
2015 Kakuriyo no Mon with various others [28]
2016 Earthlock: Festival of Magic "Halls of Karba" [29]
Pankapu "Eternal Orbis Chronicles"
2017 Unraveled: Tale of the Shipbreaker's Daughter with Dale North [30]
2018 Tangledeep with Andrew Aversa, Grant Kirkhope, and Norihiko Hibino [31]
Secret of Mana Remake with various others [32]
2019 YIIK: A Postmodern RPG arrangements [33]
Pixel Noir arrangements with Kunal Majmudar [34]
Indivisible [12]
2020 Orange Island with Mark Sparkling [35]
2021 Hunt the Night guest composer [36]
Rakugaki Kingdom "IXTL"
2022 Trinity Trigger [37]
Sin Chronicle "With the Sacred Prism"
2024 Visions of Mana with Tsuyoshi Sekito and Ryo Yamazaki [38]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Yarwood, Jack (December 9, 2024). "Interview: Secret of Mana Composer Hiroki Kikuta Reflects On The Timeless SNES Soundtrack". Time Extension. Gamer Network. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Kalabakov, Daniel (January 6, 2003). "Interview with Hiroki Kikuta". Spelmusik.net. Archived from the original on August 15, 2007. Retrieved June 15, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Interview with Hiroki Kikuta". RocketBaby. January 2001. Retrieved June 15, 2007.
  4. ^ a b c d e Kikuta, Hiroki. "Angel's Fear" (in Japanese). Angel's Fear. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Jeriaska; Kikuta, Hiroki (June 16, 2007). "Hiroki Kikuta: Lost Files Regained". Square Haven. Archived from the original on April 2, 2009. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
  6. ^ a b c d e Jeriaska; Yamamoto, Taka (June 9, 2007). "Where Angels Fear to Tread: A Conversation with Hiroki Kikuta". Square Haven. Archived from the original on January 17, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
  7. ^ a b c Jeriaska (August 31, 2009). "Interview: Magical Planet – The Music of Hiroki Kikuta & Yoko Shimomura". Gamasutra. Retrieved September 1, 2009.
  8. ^ Kalabakov, Daniel (May 19, 2002). "Secret of Mana +". RPGFan. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  9. ^ Urhahn, Dre (November 2000). "Koudelka". Power Unlimited (in Dutch). 8 (11): 49.
  10. ^ Sato, Ike (January 14, 2000). "Koudelka review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  11. ^ 2007年10月03日IRリリース事業再編に関するご案内 (PDF). Universal Entertainment Corporation (in Japanese). October 3, 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  12. ^ a b MacGregor, Kyle (July 3, 2015). "Skullgirls dev making RPG with Mana composer". Destructoid. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  13. ^ "Orchestral Game Concert 5". Soundtrack Central. Retrieved June 26, 2008.
  14. ^ "Concert program for download". Symphonic Fantasies. September 1, 2009. Archived from the original on October 5, 2009. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
  15. ^ "The Concert Programs :: Symphonic Game Music Concerts". Merregnon Studios. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  16. ^ "London Symphony Orchestra - Symphonic Fantasies London". lso.co.uk. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  17. ^ "Mana Series :: Sheet Music Books". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  18. ^ "Game: Secret of Mana (1993, Square, SNES) – Remixes". OverClocked ReMix. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
  19. ^ Napolitano, Jayson (June 17, 2009). "Monster Hunter Orgel Arrange Album, or "What the hell is an orgel?" (Review)". Original Sound Version. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  20. ^ Napolitano, Jayson (April 15, 2009). "It's Not Perverted, It's Love: Hiroki Kikuta's Love Relaxation (Review)". Original Sound Version. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  21. ^ Gann, Patrick (May 20, 2009). "More Eroge Soundtracks from Kikuta: Nice Life as Wife (Review)". Original Sound Version. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  22. ^ "Tennin So Kitan". Square Enix Music. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  23. ^ Napolitano, Jayson (October 4, 2009). "Hiroki Kikutas Soft Side: Kaijinki (Review)". Original Sound Version. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  24. ^ Gann, Patrick (January 21, 2011). "Hiroki Kikuta Survives Magfest, Answers Questions". Original Sound Version. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  25. ^ a b Williams, Mike (December 6, 2016). "Skullgirls Dev Collaborating with Trigger for Indivisible Opening Animation". US Gamer. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  26. ^ Kubba, Sinan (September 19, 2012). "Demons' Score, Square Enix's new rhythm game, now available on iOS". Engadget. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  27. ^ Corriea, Alexa Ray (February 26, 2014). "New Secret of Mana title hitting mobile in Japan". Polygon. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  28. ^ admin (June 1, 2015). "Kakuriyo no Mon Soundtrack". Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  29. ^ N/A (September 1, 2016). "Earthlock: Festival of Magic". IMDB. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  30. ^ RosePortal Games (May 2, 2015). "Unraveled: Tale of the Shipbreaker's Daughter". Kickstarter. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  31. ^ Farrell, Reilly (March 6, 2018). "Tangledeep Original Soundtrack". Video Game Music Online. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  32. ^ Wallace, Kimberley (September 22, 2017). "Secret of Mana Remake". Game Informer. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  33. ^ Douglas, Dante (January 16, 2019). "YIIK: A Post-Modern RPG Is Too Quirky For Its Own Good". Paste Magazine. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  34. ^ SWDTech Games (September 16, 2015). "Pixel Noir". Kickstarter. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  35. ^ Sterchi, Ted (June 24, 2019). "Orange Island – An action-adventure RPG with heart". Kickstarter. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  36. ^ Moonlight Games (April 5, 2019). "Hunt the Night - 16-bit dark fantasy action-adventure game". Kickstarter. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  37. ^ Romano, Sal (May 20, 2022). "FuRyu launches 'PROJECT-TRITRI' countdown website – new action RPG for PS5, PS4, and Switch [Update]". Gematsu. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  38. ^ Ramsey, Robert (December 10, 2023). "Visions of Mana Isn't Open World, But It Does Have 'Vast' Semi-Open Areas". PushSquare. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
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