Every month, Phantom River Stone holds a poll among our patrons to choose a topic for the blog in the coming month. After tallying the votes (including accumulated votes from previous months), the winning topic that has been voted for this time is:
"Shenmue Anecdotes from Shenmue Music Composer Osamu Murata"
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| Osamu Murata (profile photo from Twitter / X) |
The musical talents of Osamu Murata left an indelible mark on the Shenmue series, captivating players around the world with his unforgettable compositions.
Fresh out of university, Murata joined AM2 Sound Section at SEGA and quickly immersed himself in a number of arcade projects, over 10 titles during his time there, including classics like F355 Challenge and Virtua Cop 3.
Murata's exceptional talent as a composer saw him produce a staggering estimated 800-1000 songs during the project, pouring his heart and soul into crafting the atmospheric pieces that enrich the Shenmue experience. Murata's dedication to his craft was such that he pushed himself to the brink, even blacking out at the piano during an arduous composing session (as related in his interview with Shenmue World magazine, Issue 2).
When Murata first joined the Shenmue project, he was also responsible for recording the spoken lines of a great number of voice actors, and is officially credited as Voice Recording Chief for US Shenmue.
Among his many compositions are such standouts as Nozomi's Theme, Xiuying's Theme, and Yokosuka Blues (Goro's Theme) which became instant classics, each adding depth and emotion to the Shenmue universe. Also, a number of his compositions from among the vast pool of music that ended up unused during the original project were selected for inclusion in the latest chapter, Shenmue 3.
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| Xiuying's Theme, composed by Osamu Murata, which accompanies her instruction on the Swallow Flip move |
In our upcoming post, we'll share a selection of Murata's tweets from recent years, where he recounts anecdotes and memories from his time working on the Shenmue project as one of the music composers. These tweets offer an insightful look into the creative process behind one of gaming's most beloved series, directly from the perspective of one of the individuals who contributed to its music. Get ready to dive into Murata's firsthand experiences and reflections!
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