Yamamoto is Back
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Yamamoto is Back
Since Yamamoto's scandal in 2011, I kept searching his name on the database of JASRAC, the biggest music copyright collecting agency in Japan, once a year or so to check if he's come back.
Recently, multiple pieces of music have been added to the database under the name of Kenji Yamamoto.
"OMINOUS SILENCE" is a track from Kai and this had been his last work in the database for a decade. "YAMAMOTO KENJI" is apparently a musician who shares the same name and it's not the Yamamoto we know, so the three tracks created by this person are not related. All the other ones below the first four have been registered in 2021 considering their serial numbers, and 山本 健司 is credited for them just like the Kai score.
The detailed information of these pieces credits Yamamoto for "musical composition," so he's not just an arranger here. After the scandal, he did music arrangement for some songs under the name of "Kenz," but he hadn't composed anything since then, so this is his first activity as a music composer in the last decade. The distributor is "Music Airport," which is a music label founded by Matsutake Hideki, Yamamoto's old and close friend.
Matsutake is a synthesizer musician who is most known for working under Yellow Magic Orchestra. He has been a friend of Yamamoto for decades and they once worked together for the soundtrack CD of Super Budtouden. There was his interview on Yamamoto's now defunct website, and their bond seems very tight.
Considering all the information I gathered, it is safe to say that Yamamoto is now back as a music composer after a decade of hiatus, with the help of his old friend. However, this obviously does NOT mean that he makes a comeback to the Dragon Ball franchise and his old works are going to be revived, but it is good to know that he is making a step forward and restarting his career.
Recently, multiple pieces of music have been added to the database under the name of Kenji Yamamoto.
"OMINOUS SILENCE" is a track from Kai and this had been his last work in the database for a decade. "YAMAMOTO KENJI" is apparently a musician who shares the same name and it's not the Yamamoto we know, so the three tracks created by this person are not related. All the other ones below the first four have been registered in 2021 considering their serial numbers, and 山本 健司 is credited for them just like the Kai score.
The detailed information of these pieces credits Yamamoto for "musical composition," so he's not just an arranger here. After the scandal, he did music arrangement for some songs under the name of "Kenz," but he hadn't composed anything since then, so this is his first activity as a music composer in the last decade. The distributor is "Music Airport," which is a music label founded by Matsutake Hideki, Yamamoto's old and close friend.
Matsutake is a synthesizer musician who is most known for working under Yellow Magic Orchestra. He has been a friend of Yamamoto for decades and they once worked together for the soundtrack CD of Super Budtouden. There was his interview on Yamamoto's now defunct website, and their bond seems very tight.
Considering all the information I gathered, it is safe to say that Yamamoto is now back as a music composer after a decade of hiatus, with the help of his old friend. However, this obviously does NOT mean that he makes a comeback to the Dragon Ball franchise and his old works are going to be revived, but it is good to know that he is making a step forward and restarting his career.
Last edited by kei17 on Wed Mar 09, 2022 8:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Yamamoto is Back
I'm surprised he didn't start a new name.
Well, nice to see him working again.
Well, nice to see him working again.
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Re: Yamamoto is Back
Let's hope he doesn't, uh, "sample" another Black Sabbath song this time...
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Re: Yamamoto is Back
I thought he was forever banned from composing music because of multiple counts of plagiarism.
So, you decided to read my signature, eh?
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Re: Yamamoto is Back
i thought he was banned too lmfaoFPSSJ4_Goku wrote: ↑Wed Mar 16, 2022 5:33 pm I thought he was forever banned from composing music because of multiple counts of plagiarism.
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since i'm used to the lgbtq+ focused side of the fandom, those are usually the kind of topics youll see me post in if any of those pop up : o bc i have a pretty queer reading of the series ^^"
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Re: Yamamoto is Back
I guess it is not something as serious as when they remove a licence from a Medical Doctor.FPSSJ4_Goku wrote: ↑Wed Mar 16, 2022 5:33 pm I thought he was forever banned from composing music because of multiple counts of plagiarism.
Thanks to the poster for the update btw
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Re: Yamamoto is Back
If he never had any talent for original compositions for 20 years, then I’m not exactly sure that an 11-year long exit would change things all that much tbh. But let’s just hope he’s reflected on things so far and won’t pull such tricks again.
If anything though, this should be some interesting news for VGMDB to pick up on.
(Wondering why they didn’t just make him re-arrange the original series BGM for Kai, would have been the best outcome.)
If anything though, this should be some interesting news for VGMDB to pick up on.
(Wondering why they didn’t just make him re-arrange the original series BGM for Kai, would have been the best outcome.)
Re: Yamamoto is Back
Oh come on, I don't think everything he did was ripped off. Budokai 2 & 3's opening songs are timeless classics and they're original as far as I'm aware. I know there's lots he copied, but with the amount of contributions he did overall, there must also be plenty he came up on his own.GhostEmperorX wrote: ↑Sat Apr 02, 2022 7:27 pm If he never had any talent for original compositions for 20 years
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Re: Yamamoto is Back
You know, I've always wondered... is it because of Yamamoto's departure from Dragon Ball that most (if not, all) DB video games post-Raging Blast 2 DIDN'T have ORIGNIAL intro themes?
In addition, is this why Kageyama left the series after that game, too? Well, by proxy, of course.
In addition, is this why Kageyama left the series after that game, too? Well, by proxy, of course.
Re: Yamamoto is Back
Assuming JASRAC works the same way as similar agencies in other countries, the compositions would be listed here under his legal name no matter what. He could use a different name on the credits of an actual release, though.
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Re: Yamamoto is Back
Welp, good luck to him
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Re: Yamamoto is Back
Returning to this thread (almost 2 years since the last reply, I know), the next set of music added to JASRAC under his name (and also published by the same Music Airport) is, so far, code 272-xxxx-x, precisely 6 tracks in total.
And judging by the titles, as well as the only credit present being "Composer", it seems to be regular instrumental material of some kind (although I've yet to see or hear any of the works from these sets).
Guess that's definitely all that's left for him now, even after so long a time period. Certainly not going anywhere near regular entertainment media labels for soundtracks anymore.
And judging by the titles, as well as the only credit present being "Composer", it seems to be regular instrumental material of some kind (although I've yet to see or hear any of the works from these sets).
Guess that's definitely all that's left for him now, even after so long a time period. Certainly not going anywhere near regular entertainment media labels for soundtracks anymore.
Last edited by GhostEmperorX on Sat Mar 30, 2024 1:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Yamamoto is Back
Is this the same Kenji Yamamoto from Dragon Ball? I did a Google search for Kenji Yamamoto years ago and found another composer of the same name who's mainly famous for scoring Nintendo games. I also found a soccer player of the same name. So are you sure that you have the right guy?
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Re: Yamamoto is Back
I mean, if you're not searching JASRAC for 山本健誌 specifically, you're not going to come across the Metroid composer. Plain English text won't work there either.BootyCheeksJohnson wrote: ↑Fri Apr 19, 2024 12:47 am Is this the same Kenji Yamamoto from Dragon Ball? I did a Google search for Kenji Yamamoto years ago and found another composer of the same name who's mainly famous for scoring Nintendo games. I also found a soccer player of the same name. So are you sure that you have the right guy?
And the DB Yamamoto in question is 山本健司 instead. Given what is known about his connection to Hideki Matsutake, fellow Project MONOLITH member & owner of the Music Airport company that's the publisher of the new entries under his name, it's definitely the same individual (you surely won't find that many others of the same name on a composer database if they aren't also in the field themselves, and there's many different characters that can be used to read the name "Kenji" over there).