Kohei Tanaka (composer)

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For other uses, see Kohei Tanaka.

Kohei Tanaka (田中 公平 Tanaka Kōhei?) is a Japanese composer who has created numerous musical scores for famous anime series. Tanaka was born in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture in February 14, 1954.

He has created sweeping orchestral works for a range of formats, from anime audio CDs to Japanese game soundtracks.

Contents

[edit] Career

He entered into Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (Music faculty-Composition department) and studied under Tomojirô Ikenouchi and other professors. Tanaka worked for three years at Victor Music Industries after he had graduated. He went to study to Berklee College of Music for two years after he had left Victor. After had returned to Japan, Tanaka started the activity as composer.

Though he had playing at the hotel at first, he was requested to compose an inserted song of "Arcadia of My Youth: Endless Orbit SSX", a 1982 TV anime , and it became his first work as a composer. Afterwards, he handled some compositions of the inserted songs for the Super Sentai series and did the compositions of the background music for the first time for a TV anime Konpora Kid (コンポラキッド Konpora Kiddo?) in 1985.

Notably, the Gunbuster's BGM made his name and talent very famous among anime fans and is recognized one of the his most important works.[1] He also handled the composition of Diebuster, a sequel series of Gunbuster, and showed a peculiar arrangement to his own work 17 years ago.

His composition is especially known by the Hot strings of that. Another his most important work is often enumerated The King of Braves GaoGaiGar, a 1997 TV anime, and GaoGaiGar Final, 2000 OVA.

In 2002, he won the first Tokyo Anime Award for Best Music by the music of Overman King Gainer

[edit] Voice

Tanaka seems to respect Ennio Morricone, occasionally introduces himself as Ennio Morricone Jr. and sings. He is not only a composer but also very good at the song and his voice seems to have four octaves in high and low. He is occasionally participating in own composed tune as a chorus.

The voices of the eyecatchs of Gunbuster and Diebuster are him.[2]

[edit] Anime Music

Kohei Tanaka has worked on the following anime series:

1985
  • Konpora Kid - TV series
  • Yume no Hoshi no Button Nose - TV series
1986
  • Doteraman - TV series
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006

[edit] Games

[edit] References

  1. ^ Profile of Tanaka Kohei from approved website
  2. ^ A interview with Kohei Tanaka from the Diebuster Soundtrack (2006). Because it was an off-the-beaten-path fact and nobody had asked him in 18 years, he spoke voluntarily.

[edit] External links