Shunsuke Kikuchi is a great composer

[Attitudefan]

Recently I had learned that Shunsuke Kikuchi had done the soundtrack for Sakigake!! Otokojuku. It was produced at the same time Dragon Ball was running (Sakigake!! Otokojuku's anime started in 1988) and has a completely different style. Sakigake!! Otokojuku's soundtrack sounds much like the typical synthwave/new wave music that was popular at the time. However, Dragon Ball sounds something out of the 60's or 70's kung fu flicks from Hong Kong and Wild Western films from the 60's.

Upon this realization, it makes me really appreciate what Kikuchi was aiming for when producing music for Dragon Ball: it's heavy inspirations really set the tone for Dragon Ball in such a huge way that now, I appreciate it even more.

[Cipher]

Kikuchi's absolutely stellar with scores. He's a rare case where there's a very distinct underlying style to his work -- you can immediately recognize his compositions as belonging to him -- but where the thematic flavor he layers on top of it varies to suit the tone and style of the work he's scoring. Dragon Ball's score is very much matched to its kung-fu and wuxia media inspirations, whereas I've heard other series he scored around the same time that have more of a Latin style, jazzy spy-fi inspired tracks, the serviceable-albeit-kind-of-bland Ifukube-inspired tracks he wrote for a few of the '60s Gamera films, etc.

His giving Dragon Ball a score that tied it to its media inspirations is also part of the reason none of the composers since have felt quite right, though Tokunaga's fit the bold-colored nostalgic space opera that GT was to a certain extent. They've all been scores for any old action series, rather than the specific kung-fu/filmic hodgepodge Dragon Ball is.

[simtek34]

Isn't there already a thread for praising Kikuchi?

[Lord Beerus]

Isn't there already a thread for praising Kikuchi?

Yes, there is.

But it goes without saying he is a fantastic composer, that captures the true essence of Dragon Ball through every track he has composed and nobody has been able to reach his level since he bowed out after Z ended.

[Kojiro Sasaki]

But it goes without saying he is a fantastic composer, that captures the true essence of Dragon Ball through every track he has composed and nobody has been able to reach his level since he bowed out after Z ended.

That's why we need to do anything a fan can do to make all his Dragon Ball music to be released!

[Attitudefan]

Isn't there already a thread for praising Kikuchi?

Yes, there is.

But it goes without saying he is a fantastic composer, that captures the true essence of Dragon Ball through every track he has composed and nobody has been able to reach his level since he bowed out after Z ended.

Oh wow, I had no idea when I made the initial post That's a first for me!

However, I'd like to point out that I was mainly referring to how Kikuchi's variance in how he composes for different shows. It's amazing how he can create soundtracks that have a similar flavour but at the same time be completely different.

[floofychan333]

Isn't there already a thread for praising Kikuchi?

Multiple threads, sir. But Kikuchi deserves all the respect and admiration he can get since there are no sufficient releases of his BGMs in the West and he always gets overshadowed by Faulconer.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

Isn't there already a thread for praising Kikuchi?

Multiple threads, sir. But Kikuchi deserves all the respect and admiration he can get since there are no sufficient releases of his BGMs in the West and he always gets overshadowed by Faulconer.

If it is any consolation, all FUNi's Z releases from the OB's onwards have the Kikcuhi score on default, I remember reading a review once where someone was complaining that the OB's didn't have the BF score...

[TheBlackPaladin]

I read--and was not surprised to learn--that apparently Kikuchi (before he retired) was considered something of a good luck charm in the Japanese TV industry. There was a saying, "If Kikuchi does the music, it'll be a hit."

[8000 Saiyan]

What a shame he isn't composing Super.

[Attitudefan]

I read--and was not surprised to learn--that apparently Kikuchi (before he retired) was considered something of a good luck charm in the Japanese TV industry. There was a saying, "If Kikuchi does the music, it'll be a hit."

that's not untrue. I actually think every show he scored on actually did very well