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Yuki Kajiura

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This article is about the Japanese musician, composer, and record producer. For the Japanese football midfielder, see Yuki Kajiura (footballer).

Yuki Kajiura
梶浦 由記
Kajiura at Anime Expo 2018
Kajiura at Anime Expo 2018
Background information
Born (1965-08-06) August 6, 1965 (age 59)
OriginTokyo, Japan
Occupations
  • Composer
  • arranger
  • music producer
Instruments
Years active1992–present
Labels
  • Space Craft Produce (1993–2018)
  • FictionJunction Music (2018–present)
Member of
Websitewww.fictionjunction.com

Yuki Kajiura (梶浦 由記, Kajiura Yuki, born August 6, 1965) is a Japanese composer, arranger and music producer. She has provided the music for several popular anime series, such as Sword Art Online, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero, The Garden of Sinners, Pandora Hearts and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.

As a composer, Kajiura is known for her unique and distinctive musical motifs and leitmotifs, as well as for her distinctive fusion of contemporary classical music and electronic music.

Biography

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Kajiura was born on August 6, 1965, in Tokyo, Japan. She has been into music since 1972 and accompanying her father on the piano. Her family later moved to West Germany because of her father's work. Kajiura wrote her first composition when she was seven years old titled " Thank you, Good-bye" as a farewell for her grandmother before leaving Japan.

Kajiura moved back to Japan when she was in middle school and later graduated from college. She began working as a systems engineering programmer until 1992 that she decided to focus more on music.[1]

In 2002, See-Saw participated in another Mashimo's project, .hack//Sign. During the production of the series, Kajiura met Emily Bindiger and impressed by her vocals, offered her to perform over 10 of the series' insert songs. She has also jokingly called Bindiger "her English teacher" at Anime Expo 2003.[2]

In 2003, Kajiura signed with FlyingDog to form FictionJunction Yuuka with Yūka Nanri. In 2004, the duo produced the opening and ending songs for Kōichi Mashimo's Madlax and in the next year, published their first collaborative album, Destination.

In 2008, Kajiura signed with SME Records to form Kalafina. The group consists of Wakana Ootaki, Keiko Kubota, and Hikaru Masai.

In 2009, Kajiura started a new project called FictionJunction. Unlike FictionJunction Yuuka, vocalists in this project were not fixed. This project involves collaboration with artists such as Wakana Ootaki, Asuka Kato, and Kaori Oda.

In October 2007, it was announced that Yuki Kajiura would be attending the performances of the Eminence Orchestra's concert, 'A Night in Fantasia 2007 – Symphonic Anime Edition', as a special guest.[3]

The 2014 series Aldnoah.Zero's opening theme "Heavenly Blue" was composed by Kajiura and was performed by Kalafina.[4]

In July 2016, Aniplex of America announced that the “Yuki Kajiura LIVE ~featuring SWORD ART ONLINE~” concert that took place in March 2016 in Japan would be having an additional date on January 14, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, but was later canceled due to visa issues.[5]

In December 2017, a source reported to a news site, Sponchi Annex that Kajiura was planning to leave her agency, Spacecraft Produce, over contract disputes. In February 2018, Kajiura herself confirmed via her Twitter that she has officially left her agency.[6][7]

Kajiura has performed internationally at various anime conventions including Anime Expo 2003, Anime Boston 2009 (with Kalafina), Anime Expo 2012 (with FictionJunction), and Anime Expo 2018 (as part of Anisong World Matsuri).[8]

On February 22, 2018, her contract ended with SpaceCraft Produce after being a talent for 25 years.[9] She is now represented by FictionJunction Music, a talent agency she founded herself.

Discography

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Solo albums

[edit]
Year Title
2003 Fiction
2011 Fiction II

Compilation albums

[edit]
Year Title
2011 The Works for Soundtrack
2023 The Works for Soundtrack 2

As project member

[edit]
Year Title Artist Notes
1993 I Have a Dream See-Saw Studio
1994 See-Saw See-Saw Studio
1995 Mata Aeru Kara See-Saw Single
2003 Early Best See-Saw Greatest Hits
2003 Dream Field See-Saw Studio
2005 Kimi wa Boku ni Niteiru See-Saw Single
2020 See-Saw Complete Best See-Saw Greatest Hits
2004 Destination FictionJunction Yuuka Studio
2005 Everlasting Song FictionJunction Asuka Single
2007 Circus FictionJunction Yuuka Studio
2008 Dream Port Revo & Yuki Kajiura CD & DVD
2008 Yuki Kajiura Live 2008.07.31 FictionJunction Live DVD
2009 Everlasting Songs FictionJunction Studio
2009 Yuki Kajiura Live Vol.#4 Part I ~ Everlasting Songs Tour 2009 FictionJunction Yuuka Live DVD
2009 Yuki Kajiura Live Vol.#4 PART II ~ Everlasting Songs Tour 2009 FictionJunction Live DVD
2010 FictionJunction 2008-2010 The Best of Yuki Kajiura Live FictionJunction Live
2010 Animelo Summer Live 2009 RE:BRIDGE 8.23 FictionJunction/FictionJunction Yuuka Live DVD
2012 Mobile Suite Gundam SEED Remastered Soundtrack Re track "Anna ni Issho Datta no ni" Yuki Kajiura/See-Saw Single
2012 Mobile Suite Gundam SEED Remastered Soundtrack Re track "Akatsuki no Kuruma" Yuki Kajiura/FictionJunction Yuuka Single
2012 Sing a Song/Silent Moon FictionJunction Limited Single
2013 Mobile Suite Gundam SEED Remastered Soundtrack Re track "Quiet Night" Yuki Kajiura/Rie Tanaka Single
2013 Mobile Suite Gundam SEED Destiny Remastered Soundtrack Re Mix "Tears"/"Kimi ha Boku ni Niteiru"/"Life Goes On" Yuki Kajiura/Lisa Komine/See-Saw/Mika Arisaka Single
2013 Yuki Kajiura Live Vol.#4 Part 1&2 Everlasting Songs Tour 2009 FictionJunction/FictionJunction Yuuka Live Blu-Ray
2013 Yuki Kajiura ive Vol.#9 “Shibukou Special" FictionJunction Live DVD
2014 Elemental FictionJunction Studio
2014 Yuki Kajiura Live Vol.#11 FictionJunction Yuuka 2Days Special FictionJunction Yuuka Live Blu-Ray
2014 Yuki Kajiura Live Vol.#11 Elemental Tour 2014.4.20 @ NHK Hall + Making of Elemental Tour 2014 FictionJunction Live Blu-Ray
2015 FictionJunction 2010-2013 The Best of Yuki Kajiura Live 2 FictionJunction Live
2020 Yuki Kajiura Live Tour Vol.#15 “Soundtrack Special at the Amphitheater” Yuki Kajiura/FictionJunction Live
2020 Princess Principal The Live Yuki Kajiura×Void_Chords Yuki Kajiura×Void_Chords Live CD/Live Blu-Ray
2023 Parade FictionJunction Studio

Produced albums

[edit]
Year Title Artist Notes
2003 Melody Saeko Chiba Studio
2004 Everything Studio
2008 Re/oblivious Kalafina EP
2009 Seventh Heaven Studio
2010 Red Moon Studio
2011 After Eden Studio
2013 Consolation Studio
2013 Kalafina 5th Anniversary Live Selection 2009-2012 Live
2014 The Best "Blue" Greatest Hits
2014 The Best "Red" Greatest Hits
2015 Far on the Water Studio
2016 Kalafina 8th Anniversary Special products The Live Album "Kalafina Live Tour 2014" at Tokyo International Forum Hall A Live
2016 Winter Acoustic "Kalafina with Strings" Studio, Christmas music
2018 Kalafina All Time Best 2008-2018 Greatest Hits

Other involvements

[edit]
Genre Project Involvement Year
Anime Jura Tripper Ending theme "Sunday Island" by Mariko Kouda [10] 1995
Anime Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Closing theme & insert songs 2002
Anime Chrono Crusade Closing theme song (Sayonara Solitaire) 2003
Game .hack//Quarantine Song "Yasashii Yoake" (also used in .hack//Sign) 2003
Anime The World of Narue Closing theme 2003
Anime Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Closing theme & insert songs 2004
Anime .hack//Legend of the Twilight Closing theme 2004
Anime Loveless Theme song 2005
Anime Shōnen Onmyōji Opening theme song 2006
Anime .hack//Roots Opening theme song 2006
Anime Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto Opening theme song 2006
Anime My-Otome Zwei Ending theme songs 2–3 2007
Anime Baccano! Ending Theme song "Calling" featuring Kaori Oda [11] 2007
Anime Amatsuki Ending Theme song 2008
TV drama Negima (Live Action) Ending Theme song 2008
Anime Kuroshitsuji Ending Theme Song "Lacrimosa" by Kalafina [12] 2008
Documentary Unknown Episodes of History – Historia Soundtrack[13] 2009
Anime So Ra No Wo To Opening Theme song 2010
Anime Ōkami Kakushi Theme song 2010
Anime Eve no Jikan Ending Theme Song 2010
Game Nobunaga's Ambition Theme song 2010
Anime Kuroshitsuji II Insert theme song 2010
Game .hack//Link Previously written songs contributed: Edge, (from .hack//Liminality Volume 1: In the Case of Mai Minase) Obsession from .hack//Sign and Silly-Go-Round. (from .hack//Roots) 2010
Documentary Unknown Episodes of History – Historia 2 Soundtrack 2011
Anime Sacred Seven Opening theme song 2011
Game Senritsu no Stratus Opening theme song 2011
Anime Fate/Zero Opening theme song, Ending theme song 2011
Anime Aldnoah.Zero Opening theme song 2014
Anime Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works Guest Composer, Ending theme song 2014
Anime The Heroic Legend of Arslan Ending theme song 2015
Anime Erased Ending theme song 2016
Anime The Heroic Legend of Arslan: Dust Storm Dance Ending theme song 2016
Anime Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel I. presage flower Theme song 2017
Anime Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel II. lost butterfly Theme song 2019
Music JAM Project song “To the Next Era” Composition and arrangement 2020
Anime Deemo: Memorial Keys Theme song composition, arrangement and lyrics 2022

Works

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Anime

[edit]
Title Year Director
Kimagure Orange Road: Summer's Beginning 1996 Osamu Kobayashi
Eat-Man 1997 Kōichi Mashimo
Noir 2001 Kōichi Mashimo
Aquarian Age 2002 Yoshimitsu Ohashi
.hack//Sign 2002 Kōichi Mashimo
.hack//Liminality 2002 Kōichi Mashimo
Le Portrait de Petit Cossette 2004 Akiyuki Shinbo
Madlax 2004 Kōichi Mashimo
My-HiME 2004 Masakazu Obara
My-Otome 2005 Masakazu Obara
Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle 2005–2006 Kōichi Mashimo
Hiroshi Morioka
Elemental Gelade 2005 Shigeru Ueda
My-Otome Zwei 2006 Masakazu Obara
Fist of the North Star: The Legends of the True Savior 2007 Toyoo Ashida
El Cazador de la Bruja 2007 Kōichi Mashimo
Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations 2007–2008 Shunsuke Tada
Tsubasa Shunraiki 2009 Shunsuke Tada
Pandora Hearts 2009 Takao Kato
Puella Magi Madoka Magica 2011 Akiyuki Shinbo
Yukihiro Miyamoto
Fate/Zero 2011–2012 Ei Aoki
Sword Art Online 2012 Tomohiko Itō
Sword Art Online II 2014 Tomohiko Itō
Erased 2016 Tomohiko Itō
Zaregoto 2016–2017 Akiyuki Shinbo
Yuki Yase
Princess Principal 2017 Masaki Tachibana
Sword Art Online: Alicization 2018–2020 Manabu Ono
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba 2019 Haruo Sotozaki
The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note 2019 Makoto Katō
The Case Study of Vanitas 2021 Tomoyuki Itamura
Fena: Pirate Princess 2021 Kazuto Nakazawa
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Entertainment District Arc 2021 Haruo Sotozaki
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Swordsmith Village Arc 2023 Haruo Sotozaki

Anime films

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Title Year Director
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle Movie: Princess in Birdcage Kingdom 2005 Itsuro Kawasaki
The Garden of Sinners 2007–2009, 2013 Ei Aoki
Takuya Nonaka
Mitsuru Oburai
Tomonori Sudō
Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part I: Beginnings 2012 Akiyuki Shinbo
Yukihiro Miyamoto
Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part II: Eternal 2012 Akiyuki Shinbo
Yukihiro Miyamoto
Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion 2013 Akiyuki Shinbo
Yukihiro Miyamoto
Sword Art Online: Extra Edition 2013 Tomohiko Itō
L.O.R.D: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties 2016 Guo Jingming
Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale 2017 Tomohiko Itō
Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel I. presage flower 2017 Tomonori Sudō
Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel II. lost butterfly 2019 Tomonori Sudō
Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel III. spring song 2020 Tomonori Sudō
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train 2020 Haruo Sotozaki
Princess Principal: Crown Handler 2021 Masaki Tachibana
Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night 2021 Ayako Kōno
Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night 2022 Ayako Kōno
Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Walpurgisnacht: Rising 2025 Akiyuki Shinbo
Yukihiro Miyamoto
Eisen Flügel TBA Seiji Mizushima
Daizen Komatsuda

Video games

[edit]
Title Platform Year Company
Double Cast PlayStation 1998 Sony Computer Entertainment
Meguri-aishite PlayStation 1999 SME
Blood: The Last Vampire PlayStation 2 2000 Sony Computer Entertainment
Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse (movie scenes) PlayStation 2 2004 Namco
Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra PlayStation 2 2006 Namco

Television dramas

[edit]
Title Year
15 Sai no Shiganhei 2010
Hanako to Anne 2014[14]
Eien no Nispa 2019
Anti-Hero 2024

Live-action films

[edit]
Title Year Director
Tokyo-Kyodai 1995 Jun Ichikawa
Ruby Fruit 1995 Takumi Kimiduka
Rainbow 1999 Naoto Kumazawa
Boogiepop and Others 2000 Ryu Kaneda
Moon 2000 Takumi Kimiduka
Achilles and the Tortoise 2008 Takeshi Kitano[15]

Musicals

[edit]
Title Year
Sakura-Wars 1998
Fine 1998
Funk-a-Step 1998
Funk-a-Step II 1999
Christmas Juliette 1999–2000
High-School Revolution 2000
Christmas Juliette 2000
Shooting-Star Lullaby 2001
Love's Labour's Lost/Set 2002
Angel Gate 2006

References

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  1. ^ "Yuki Kajiura Biography". Biography. Canta-Per-Me.net. January 26, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  2. ^ "Yuki Kajiura Concert". Anime Source. Anime-Source.Com. September 25, 2003. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  3. ^ "AU: Eminence Orchestra Returns to Sydney!". IGN Music. IGN Entertainment, Inc. October 10, 2007. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  4. ^ "DISCOGRAPHY｜Kalafina OFFICIAL WEBSITE". www.sonymusic.co.jp. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  5. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (July 2, 2016). "Yuki Kajiura to Hold Sword Art Online-Themed Concert in Hollywood in January". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  6. ^ "アニメ業界で事務所トラブル 梶浦由記氏退社、カラフィナも活動休止へ 20億円超の打撃". sponichi.co.jp. December 23, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  7. ^ "アニメ音楽界のカリスマ・梶浦由記氏事務所退社、「カラフィナ」活動は白紙". スポニチ Sponichi Annex. February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  8. ^ "Yuki Kajiura". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  9. ^ Pineda Antonio, Rafael (February 21, 2018). "Anime Music Composer Yuki Kajiura Leaves Agency After 25 Years". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  10. ^ "Yuki Kajiura". Sunday Island. Canta-Per-Me.net, Yuki Kajiura Discography. March 20, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  11. ^ "Yuki Kajiura". Calling performed by Kaori Oda. Canta-Per-Me.net, Yuki Kajiura Discography. May 31, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  12. ^ "Yuki Kajiura". Lacrimosa performed by Kalafina (in Japanese). FictionJunction.com, Yuki Kajiura Official Website. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  13. ^ "Yuki Kajiura". Casting Profile (in Japanese). NHK, Japanese Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  14. ^ 連続テレビ小説 (in Japanese). NHK, Japanese Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  15. ^ Berra, John, ed. (2010). Directory of World Cinema: Japan. Intellect Books. p. 10. ISBN 9781841503356.
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