Jump to content

Nobuo Uematsu

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nobuo Uematsu
植松 伸夫
Uematsu in 2011
Born (1959-03-21) March 21, 1959 (age 65)
Alma materKanagawa University
Occupations
  • Composer
  • keyboardist
Years active1986–present
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
LabelsDog Ear Records
Websitedogearrecords.com

Nobuo Uematsu (植松 伸夫, Uematsu Nobuo, born March 21, 1959) is a Japanese composer and keyboardist best known for his contributions to the Final Fantasy video game series by Square Enix.[1][2] A self-taught musician, he began playing the piano at the age of twelve, with English singer-songwriter Elton John as one of his biggest influences in pursuing a musical career.[3]

Uematsu joined Square in 1986, where he first met Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. The two later worked together on many games at the company, most notably in the Final Fantasy series. After nearly two decades with Square, Uematsu left in 2004 to create his own production company and music label, Dog Ear Records. He has since composed music as a freelancer for other games, including ones developed by Square Enix and Sakaguchi's studio Mistwalker.

Many soundtracks and arranged albums of Uematsu's game scores have been released. Pieces from his video game works have been performed in various Final Fantasy concerts,[4][5] where he has worked with conductor Arnie Roth and Game Concerts producer Thomas Böcker on several of these performances. Uematsu was also the keyboardist in The Black Mages in the 2000s, which played various hard rock versions of his Final Fantasy compositions. He has since performed with the Earthbound Papas, which he formed as the successor to The Black Mages in 2011. Uematsu has made several listings in Britain's Classic FM Hall of Fame, with the station referring to him as the Beethoven of game music.[6]

Biography

[edit]

Early life

[edit]

Uematsu was born in Kōchi, Kōchi, Japan.[7] A self-taught musician, he began to play the piano when he was twelve years old,[1] and did not take any formal piano lessons.[8] He has an older sister who also played the piano.[4] After graduating from Kanagawa University with a degree in English, Uematsu played the keyboard in several amateur bands and composed music for television commercials.[1] When Uematsu was working at a music rental shop in Tokyo, a Square employee asked if he would be interested in creating music for some of the titles they were working on. Although he agreed, Uematsu at the time considered it a side job, and he did not think it would become a full-time career. He said it was a way to make some money on the side, while also keeping his part-time job at the music rental shop.[4]

Square (1986–2004)

[edit]

Uematsu joined Square in 1986, with his first work being a few tracks for Cruise Chaser Blassty. He met game designer Hironobu Sakaguchi shortly after, who asked him if he wanted to create music for some of his games, to which Uematsu agreed.[4] For the next year, he created music for a number of games which did not achieve widespread success, such as King's Knight, 3-D WorldRunner, and Rad Racer.[1] In 1987, Uematsu and Sakaguchi collaborated on what was originally to be Sakaguchi's last contribution for Square, Final Fantasy.[9] Final Fantasy's popularity sparked Uematsu's career in video game music, and he would go on to compose music for over 30 titles, most prominently the subsequent games in the Final Fantasy series. He scored the first installment in the SaGa series, The Final Fantasy Legend, in 1989. For the second game in the series, Final Fantasy Legend II he was assisted by Kenji Ito.[1] In late 1994, Uematsu was asked to finish the soundtrack for Chrono Trigger after Yasunori Mitsuda contracted peptic ulcers.[10] In 1996, he co-composed the soundtrack to Front Mission: Gun Hazard, and created the entire score for Dynami Tracer. He also created music for three of the games in the Hanjuku Hero series.[1]

Outside of video games, he has composed the main theme for the 2000 animated film Ah! My Goddess: The Movie and co-composed the 2001 anime Final Fantasy: Unlimited with Shirō Hamaguchi. He also inspired the Ten Plants concept albums, and released a solo album in 1994, titled Phantasmagoria. Feeling gradually more dissatisfied and uninspired, Uematsu requested the assistance of composers Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano for the score to Final Fantasy X in 2001. This marked the first time that Uematsu did not compose an entire main-series Final Fantasy soundtrack. For Final Fantasy XI from 2002, he was joined by Naoshi Mizuta, who composed the majority of the soundtrack, and Kumi Tanioka; Uematsu was responsible for only eleven tracks.[1] In 2002, fellow Square colleagues Kenichiro Fukui and Tsuyoshi Sekito asked Uematsu to join them in forming a rock band that focused on reinterpreting and expanding on Uematsu's compositions. He declined their offer at first because he was too busy with work; however, after agreeing to perform with Fukui and Sekito in a live performance as a keyboardist, he decided to join them in making a band.[4][11] Another employee at Square, Mr. Matsushita, chose the name The Black Mages for their band.[4] In 2003, Keiji Kawamori, Arata Hanyuda, and Michio Okamiya also joined the band.[1] The Black Mages released three studio albums and performed at several concerts.

Freelancer (2004–present)

[edit]

Uematsu left Square Enix in 2004 and formed his own production company, Smile Please.[12] He later founded the music production company and record label Dog Ear Records in 2006.[13] The reason for Uematsu's departure was that the company moved their office from Meguro to Shinjuku, Tokyo and he was not comfortable with the new location.[4] He also stated that he had reached an age where he should gradually take his life into his own hands.[14] He does, however, continue to compose music as a freelancer for Square Enix. In 2005, Uematsu and several members of The Black Mages created the score for the CGI film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. Uematsu composed only the main theme for Final Fantasy XII (2006);[15] he was originally offered the job of creating the full score, but Hitoshi Sakimoto was eventually assigned as the main composer instead.[1] Uematsu was also initially going to create the theme song for Final Fantasy XIII (2010). However, after being assigned the task of creating the entire score of Final Fantasy XIV, Uematsu decided to hand the job over to Hamauzu.[1]

Uematsu also works closely with Sakaguchi's development studio Mistwalker, and has composed for Blue Dragon (2006), Lost Odyssey (2007), Away: Shuffle Dungeon (2008); The Last Story (2011); and Terra Battle (2014). He also wrote music for the cancelled game Cry On.[16] Uematsu created the main theme for Super Smash Bros. Brawl in 2008.[17] He then composed the music for the 2009 anime Guin Saga; this marked the first time he provided a full score for an animated series.[18] Uematsu has contributed music and story to e-books, such as "Blik-0 1946".[19]

Uematsu appeared five times in the top 20 of the annual Classic FM Hall of Fame. In 2012, "Aerith's Theme", written by Uematsu for Final Fantasy VII, was voted into the number 16 position in the annual Classic FM (UK) "Hall of Fame" top 300 chart. This was accompanied by "Dancing Mad" and "To Zanarkand".[20] It was the first time that a piece of music written for a video game had appeared in the chart. In 2013, music from the Final Fantasy series received even greater support and was voted into the third position on the Classic FM Hall of Fame.[6] Uematsu and his Final Fantasy music subsequently appeared at number seven in 2014,[21] number nine in 2015,[22] and number 17 in 2016.[23]

In September 2018, Uematsu announced that he would take a hiatus in order to recover from work fatigue, which led to him being hospitalized.[24][25] He composed the main theme for 2020's Final Fantasy VII Remake, "Hollow".[26] Sakaguchi said that Uematsu's work on 2021's Fantasian could be his last major game score due to health issues.[27] In a video posted to the Fantasian Twitter account on October 15, 2024, Uematsu announced that this was his last project as a video game composer.[28] This was later clarified on his Twitter account that he was not retiring from video game music entirely, but rather scaling back his involvement. He explained that while he would no longer take on full game soundtracks due to the time commitment, he would still be open to composing individual pieces, such as theme songs.[29]

Personal life

[edit]

Uematsu resides in Tokyo with his wife, Reiko, whom he met during college. They have a summer cabin in Yamanakako, Yamanashi.[4] In his spare time, he enjoys watching professional wrestling, drinking beer, and bicycling.[1] Uematsu has said he originally wanted to become a professional wrestler,[30] mentioning it was a career dream when he was younger.[31]

Concerts

[edit]
Uematsu at a Distant Worlds concert in 2009

Uematsu's video game compositions have been performed in numerous concerts, and various Final Fantasy concerts have also been held. Outside Japan, Uematsu's Final Fantasy music was performed live for the first time at the first event of the 2003 Symphonic Game Music Concert in Leipzig, Germany.[32] Other events of the Symphonic Game Music Concerts featuring Final Fantasy music were held in 2004, 2006, and 2007.[33] The concert in 2004 featured a world premiere of Those Who Fight from Final Fantasy VII. Japanese pianist Seiji Honda was invited to perform the arrangement together with the orchestra.[34] Another world premiere was "Dancing Mad" from Final Fantasy VI, performed by orchestra, choir, and pipe organ.[35] The event in 2007 included "Distant Worlds" from Final Fantasy XI, performed by Japanese opera soprano Izumi Masuda.[36]

A series of successful concert performances were held in Japan, including a Final Fantasy concert series titled Tour de Japon. The first stateside concert, Dear Friends – Music from Final Fantasy, took place on May 10, 2004, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California, and was performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. It was conducted by Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra director Miguel Harth-Bedoya.[37] Due to a positive reception, a concert series for North America followed.[38] On May 16, 2005, a follow-up concert called More Friends: Music from Final Fantasy was performed in Los Angeles at the Gibson Amphitheatre; the concert was conducted by Arnie Roth.[39]

Uematsu's Final Fantasy music was presented in the concert Voices – Music from Final Fantasy, which took place on February 18, 2006, at the Pacifico Yokohama convention center. Star guests included Emiko Shiratori, Rikki, Izumi Masuda, and Angela Aki. The concert focused on the songs from the Final Fantasy series and was conducted by Arnie Roth.[40] Uematsu and several of his fellow composers were in attendance at the world premiere of Play! A Video Game Symphony in Chicago in May 2006;[41] he composed the opening fanfare for the concert.[42]

Musical style and influences

[edit]

The style of Uematsu's compositions is diverse, ranging from stately classical symphonic pieces and heavy metal to new-age and hyper-percussive techno-electronica. For example, in Lost Odyssey, the score ranges from classical orchestral arrangements to contemporary jazz and techno tracks.[43] Uematsu has stated that he is a big fan of Celtic and Irish music, and some of his work contains elements from these musical styles.[44] Uematsu's Final Fantasy scores vary from upbeat, to dark and angry, to melancholic in nature. For instance, the music of Final Fantasy VIII is dark and gloomy, while the soundtrack to Final Fantasy IX is more carefree and upbeat.[45] His Final Fantasy music has been described as being able to convey the true emotion of a scene; an example is "Aerith's Theme" from Final Fantasy VII.[1] In an interview with the Nichi Bei Times, Uematsu said "I don't really self-consciously compose music for Japan or for the world, but I do think there is something in my more melancholy pieces that has a distinctly Japanese quality."[46] He has been named one of the "Innovators" in Time's "Time 100: The Next Wave — Music" feature.[47] He has also been called the "John Williams of the video game world"[48] and been credited for "increasing the appreciation and awareness" of video game music.[49]

Many of Uematsu's musical influences come from the United Kingdom and the United States.[50] He cites Elton John as his biggest musical influence, and he has stated that he wanted to be like him.[4] Other major inspirations include the Beatles, Emerson, Lake & Palmer,[51] Simon & Garfunkel, and progressive rock bands.[4] In the classical genre, he cites Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as a great influence.[50] Uematsu has said that 1970s bands, such as Pink Floyd and King Crimson, influenced his Final Fantasy compositions.[4] The lyrics for the piece "One-Winged Angel" from Final Fantasy VII were taken from the medieval poetry on which Carl Orff based his cantata Carmina Burana, specifically the songs "Estuans Interius", "O Fortuna", "Veni, Veni, Venias" and "Ave Formosissima".[52] In turn, Uematsu has had a major influence on video game music and beyond the video game industry as well. For example, "Liberi Fatali" from Final Fantasy VIII was played during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens during the women's synchronized swimming event.[53][54] From the same game, "Eyes on Me", featuring Chinese pop singer Faye Wong, sold a record 400,000 copies and was the first song from a video game to win an award at the Japan Gold Disc Awards,[49] where it won "Song of the Year (International)" in 2000.[55] Uematsu said that he gets more inspiration from walking his dog than from listening to other music.[56]

Works

[edit]
Video games
Year Title Role(s) Ref.
1986 Cruise Chaser Blassty Music with Takashi Uno [1]
Alpha Music [1]
King's Knight Music [57]
Suishō no Dragon Music [58]
1987 3-D WorldRunner Music [1]
Apple Town Story Music [1]
Genesis Music [1]
Aliens: Alien 2 Music [1]
Cleopatra no Mahō Music [1]
Rad Racer Music [1]
Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School Music with Toshiaki Imai [59]
JJ: Tobidase Daisakusen Part II Music [1]
Final Fantasy Music [3]
1988 Hanjuku Hero Music [1]
Final Fantasy II Music [60]
1989 Square's Tom Sawyer Music [1]
The Final Fantasy Legend Music [61]
1990 Final Fantasy III Music [62]
Rad Racer II Music [63]
Final Fantasy Legend II Music with Kenji Ito [64]
1991 Final Fantasy IV Music [1]
1992 Romancing SaGa Arrangement of "Heartful Tears" [65]
Final Fantasy V Music [1]
1994 Final Fantasy VI Music [13]
1995 Chrono Trigger Music with Yasunori Mitsuda [1]
1996 Dynami Tracer Music [1]
Front Mission: Gun Hazard Music with Yasunori Mitsuda, Masashi Hamauzu, and Junya Nakano [1]
1997 Final Fantasy VII Music [1]
1999 Final Fantasy VIII Music [1]
2000 Final Fantasy IX Music [11]
2001 Final Fantasy X Music with Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano [11]
2002 Final Fantasy XI Music with Naoshi Mizuta and Kumi Tanioka [1]
2003 Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Main theme [1]
Hanjuku Hero Tai 3D Music [1]
2005 Hanjuku Hero 4: 7-Jin no Hanjuku Hero Music with several others [66]
Egg Monster Hero Music [67]
2006 Final Fantasy XII Ending theme "Kiss Me Good-Bye" [1]
Blue Dragon Music [11]
2007 Anata o Yurusanai Music with several others [68]
Lost Odyssey Music [11]
2008 Super Smash Bros. Brawl Main theme [17]
Lord of Vermilion Music [1]
Blue Dragon Plus Music [1]
Away: Shuffle Dungeon Main theme [1]
2009 Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow Music [69]
Sakura Note Music [1]
Kurulin Fusion Music director [1]
2010 Lord of Vermilion II Opening theme "Dawn of Vermilion 2" [70]
Final Fantasy XIV Music [1]
Lord of Arcana Music with Kenichiro Fukui and Satoshi Henmi [71]
2011 The Last Story Music [1]
Unchained Blades Main theme [1]
2012 Jyuzaengi: Engetsu Sangokuden Music with Kevin Penkin [1]
Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory Music with Kenji Kaneko and Kenji Ito [1]
Unchained Blades EXXiV Music with Tsutomu Narita, Michio Okamiya, and Yoshitaka Hirota [1]
Fantasy Life Music [1]
2013 Norn9 "Ark of Destiny - World in the Norn" [1]
Lord of Vermilion III Main theme "Code : Vermilion" [72]
Ragnarok Odyssey Ace "Roar of the Black Dragon" [73]
Fairy Fencer F Music with several others [74]
Hometown Story Music with Tsutomu Narita [75]
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas Music with Kalle Ylitalo and Kenji Ito [76]
Wonder Flick Music [77]
2014 Granblue Fantasy Music with Tsutomu Narita [78]
Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters Opening theme "Shoot That Crimson Sky" [79]
Terra Battle Music [80]
2015 Megadimension Neptunia VII Main theme
Chunithm: Seelisch Tact "Theme of Seelish Tact" [81]
Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward Main theme "Dragonsong" [82]
Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force Music with several others [83]
2016 Super Senso Music [84]
2017 Terra Battle 2 Music [85]
Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood Main theme "Revolutions" [86]
Final Fantasy XV: Comrades "Choosing Hope" [87]
2019 Terra Wars Music [88]
2020 Final Fantasy VII Remake Main theme "Hollow" [89]
2021 Fantasian Music [90]
Dungeon Encounters Music director [91]
2022 Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord Main theme
2024 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Main theme "No Promises to Keep" [92]
Film/anime
Year Title Role(s) Ref.
2000 Ah! My Goddess: The Movie Main theme [1]
2005 Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Music with Keiji Kawamori, Kenichiro Fukui, and Tsuyoshi Sekito [1]
2007 Blue Dragon Main theme [93]
2009 Guin Saga Music [11]
2012 Fairy Tail the Movie: The Phoenix Priestess Ending theme "Surely Forever" [94]
2017 Granblue Fantasy The Animation Music with Tsutomu Narita and Yasunori Nishiki [95]
Other
Year Title Role(s) Ref.
1993 Final Fantasy V Dear Friends Music [1]
1994 Final Fantasy VI Special Tracks Music [96]
Phantasmagoria Music [1]
1998 Ten Plants "Forget the Dream of Tomorrow" [1]
1999 Ten Plants 2: Children Songs "Tomorrow's Weather" [1]
2003 The Black Mages Music, keyboards [44]
2004 Dark Chronicle Premium Arrange Arrangement of "Flame Demon Monster Gaspard" [97]
The Black Mages II: The Skies Above Music, keyboards [98]
2008 The Black Mages III: Darkness and Starlight Music, keyboards [13]
2010 Nobuo Uematsu's 10 Short Stories Music, story [1]
2011 Earthbound Papas: Octave Theory Music with Earthbound Papas [1]
Play for Japan: The Album "Every New Morning" [1]
2012 Reiki Japan Music [99]
2013 Blik-0 1946 Music, story [100]
Earthbound Papas: Dancing Dad Music with Earthbound Papas [101]
2022 Modulation - Final Fantasy Arrangement Album Music [102]
2024 Merregnon: Heart of Ice Music [103]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd "Nobuo Uematsu Profile". Game Music Online. March 18, 2013. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  2. ^ Dammann, Guy. "Nobuo Uematsu: the video game composer shaking up classical music". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Dwyer, Nick. "Interview: Final Fantasy's Nobuo Uematsu". Red Bull Music Academy. Archived from the original on January 13, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Mielke, James (February 15, 2008). "A Day in the Life of Final Fantasy's Nobuo Uematsu". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2008.
  5. ^ Jeremy Dunham (March 9, 2005). "Dear Friends: Final Fantasy in San Francisco". IGN. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
  6. ^ a b "Classic FM Hall of Fame (retrieved 6 April 2013)". Classic FM's Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  7. ^ "N's profile". Square Enix USA. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
  8. ^ squaresoundcom (October 15, 2008). "Nobuo Uematsu and Arnie Roth – Live Interview (Part I of II)". YouTube. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  9. ^ Fear, Ed (December 13, 2007). "Sakaguchi discusses the development of Final Fantasy". Develop. Intent Media. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
  10. ^ Kohler, Chris (2005). Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life. BradyGames. ISBN 0-7440-0424-1.
  11. ^ a b c d e f VanBurkleo, Meagan (May 27, 2009). "Nobuo Uematsu: The Man Behind The Music". Game Informer. Archived from the original on June 1, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
  12. ^ Niizumi, Hirohiko; Kohler, Chris (November 1, 2004). "Nobuo Uematsu leaving Square Enix". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
  13. ^ a b c "The Black Mages III Interview with Nobuo Uematsu". Music4Games. March 18, 2008. Archived from the original on June 24, 2008. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
  14. ^ "Exclusive Interview Feature: Interview #2: Nobuo Uematsu, Smileplease". RPGFan. April 1, 2004. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  15. ^ "Gameography". nobuouematsu.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2009. Retrieved July 7, 2009.
  16. ^ Tanaka, John (December 24, 2008). "Cry-On Canned". IGN. Archived from the original on December 28, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
  17. ^ a b Schneider, Peer (May 10, 2006). "E3 2006: Uematsu Scores Smash Bros". IGN. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
  18. ^ "Staff" (in Japanese). guinsaga.net. Archived from the original on March 14, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  19. ^ "Final Fantasy composer talks to us about upcoming e-book". Destructoid. July 19, 2013. Archived from the original on October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  20. ^ "Classic FM Hall of Fame (retrieved 9 April 2012)". Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  21. ^ "Hall of Fame – Classic FM". Classic FM's Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  22. ^ "Classic FM Hall of Fame 2015". Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  23. ^ Davis, Elizabeth (March 28, 2016). "The Lark Ascending reaches the top of the Classic FM Hall of Fame for the third year in a row". Classic FM. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  24. ^ O'Brien, Lucy (September 19, 2018). "Final Fantasy Composer Nobuo Uematsu Stopping Work Due to Health Problems". IGN. Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  25. ^ Ombler, Mat (December 21, 2022). "After 35 years of Final Fantasy, what's next for composer Nobuo Uematsu?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  26. ^ FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Team (January 31, 2020). "The music of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE - comments from the composers". Square Enix. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  27. ^ Robinson, Andy (March 7, 2021). "Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu 'could have made his last soundtrack'". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  28. ^ @fantasian_en (October 15, 2024). "Watch this special message from #FantasianNeoDimension composer Nobuo Uematsu" (Tweet). Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Twitter.
  29. ^ Uematsu, Nobuo [@UematsuNobuo] (October 16, 2024). "Wait, wait, wait! Everybody calm down! There seems to be some misunderstanding, but I'm not retiring from video game music work! I'm going to cut back a bit on my video game music work because I want to have more time to make the music I want to make. It would be difficult for me to take on the entire soundtrack of a video game because the time commitment for composing would be too long, but I would like to continue to work on jobs such as one theme song. So, we are waiting for your offer to Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI! #conTIKi" (Tweet). Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Twitter.
  30. ^ "Behind the Games: Meet the Composers – Nobuo Uematsu". GameSpot. July 31, 2009. Archived from the original on August 3, 2010. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
  31. ^ squaresoundcom (October 15, 2008). "Nobuo Uematsu and Arnie Roth – Live Interview (Part II of II)". YouTube. Archived from the original on September 14, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
  32. ^ "The Concerts". VGMConcerts.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  33. ^ "The Concert Programs". VGMConcerts.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  34. ^ "Seiji Honda performs Final Fantasy music". VGMConcerts.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  35. ^ "Nobuo Uematsu to attend GC-concert". VGMConcerts.com. July 15, 2006. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  36. ^ "Opera singer Izumi Masuda to perform at GC concert". VGMConcerts.com. March 27, 2007. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  37. ^ Schneider, Peer (May 11, 2004). "Dear Friends: Music From Final Fantasy". IGN. Archived from the original on March 22, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2008.
  38. ^ "Final Fantasy In Chicago". IGN. December 14, 2004. Archived from the original on February 16, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2008.
  39. ^ "Final Fantasy – More Friends, More Music". IGN. April 28, 2005. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2008.
  40. ^ GameSpot Staff (June 6, 2006). "Final Fantasy concert DVD coming to Japan". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
  41. ^ "Nobuo Uematsu to attend Chicago world-premiere". Play! A Video Game Symphony. April 8, 2006. Archived from the original on May 19, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2008.
  42. ^ "Nobuo Uematsu composing for PLAY!". Play! A Video Game Symphony. February 23, 2006. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2008.
  43. ^ "Lost Odyssey Review". GameTrailers. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
  44. ^ a b Spence D.; Schneider, Peer; Dunham, Jeremy (July 9, 2004). "Nobuo Uematsu Interview". IGN. Archived from the original on March 14, 2008. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
  45. ^ "Twelve Days of Final Fantasy XII: Nobuo Uematsu Interview". IGN. October 23, 2006. Archived from the original on December 7, 2006. Retrieved June 5, 2008.
  46. ^ Hamamoto, Ben (September 8, 2009). "Nobuo Uematsu: An Interview with Video Game Music's Premier Composer". Nichi Bei Times. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2009.
  47. ^ Farley, Christopher John (May 19, 2001). "In Fantasy's Loop". Time. Archived from the original on December 31, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  48. ^ Huang, Michael. "Biography". nobuouematsu.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  49. ^ a b "Nobuo Uematsu". Square Enix. Archived from the original on June 1, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
  50. ^ a b Olin, John. "Interview by Xbox Evolved". Xbox Evolved. nobuouematsu.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2008. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
  51. ^ "Interview by Bob Rork". nobuouematsu.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2008. Retrieved May 30, 2008.
  52. ^ Ashmore, Patrick. "One Winged Angel Translation and Background". RPGamer. Archived from the original on September 28, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  53. ^ Suds (2004). "Video Game Music In the Olympics!". Video Game Music Archive. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2006.
  54. ^ "The Culture of Videogame Music". Empire arcadiA. 2005. Archived from the original on October 27, 2006. Retrieved August 29, 2006.
  55. ^ "Japan Gold Disc Award 2000". Riaj.or.jp. January 21, 1998. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  56. ^ "The Music of Distant Worlds: interview with Nobuo Uematsu and Arnie Roth". Asia Pacific Arts. August 27, 2010. Archived from the original on April 11, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  57. ^ Square Enix North America Site Staff (2005). "Uematsu's Music". Square Enix North America. Archived from the original on March 12, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2006.
  58. ^ "FINAL FANTSYの楽曲で知られる世界をまたにかける作曲家『エンタメの今に切り込む新企画【ザ・プロデューサーズ】第十七回・植松伸夫氏』". spice.eplus.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  59. ^ "Message from MIHO♥" (PNG). Archived from the original on November 8, 2014.
  60. ^ "Final Fantasy Retrospective: Part II". GameTrailers. July 23, 2007. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  61. ^ Square Brand. All Sounds of SaGa, Line Notes. p. 1. Retrieved on June 28, 2008.
  62. ^ Gann, Patrick; Schweitzer, Ben (June 17, 2006). "Final Fantasy III OSV". RPGFan. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2008.
  63. ^ Videogame Endings Database (October 7, 2018). "Rad Racer 2 - NES - ending". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  64. ^ Sy, Dexter (June 14, 2000). "IGN: Final Fantasy Legend II Review". IGN. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2008.
  65. ^ Napolitano, Jayson (February 11, 2011). "Start 2011 Music with a fight: SaGa Battle Track Compilation (Review)". Original Sound Version. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  66. ^ Niizumi, Hirohiko (January 21, 2005). "Uematsu's Hanjuku plans will make fans smile". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  67. ^ "Egg Monster Hero". Square Enix. January 1, 2017. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  68. ^ Yoon, Andrew (August 29, 2007). "Nobuo Uematsu works on unique game, "I Won't Forgive You"". Engadget. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  69. ^ Ouden, Adriaan Den (July 17, 2010). "Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow Review". RPGamer. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  70. ^ Napolitano, Jayson (August 16, 2010). "Passing the Torch: Sakimoto's Semi-Rockin' Lord of Vermilion II Soundtrack (Review)". Original Sound Version. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  71. ^ Hillier, Brenna (July 11, 2011). "Nobuo Uematsu involved in two unannounced projects". VG247. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  72. ^ "「グルーヴコースター EX」が「LoV」とコラボイベントを実施。報酬に称号など". 4gamer. December 18, 2014. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  73. ^ Spencer (May 8, 2013). "Nobuo Uematsu composed A Song For Ragnarok Odyssey Ace". Siliconera. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  74. ^ "Former Final Fantasy artist and composer team up for Fairy Fencer F RPG". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  75. ^ Meyer, Lee (May 29, 2013). "Natsume's Hometown Story Will Be Playable at E3". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  76. ^ "Nobuo Uematsu and Kenji Ito join Oceanhorn!". July 15, 2013. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  77. ^ "Hironobu Sakaguchi announces Terra Battle for smartphones". July 1, 2014. Archived from the original on July 6, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  78. ^ "Granblue Fantasy Smartphone Game Gets Anime, Manga Adaptations". Anime News Network. September 17, 2015. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  79. ^ Eugene (February 24, 2014). "Is Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunter's Opening Is Arranged By Nobuo Uematsu". Siliconera. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  80. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 6, 2014). "Sakaguchi's Terra Battle out this week". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  81. ^ Greening, Chris (July 22, 2016). "CHUNITHM Original Soundtrack -Seelisch Tact-". Video Game Music Online. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  82. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (May 22, 2015). "Yep, Nobuo Uematsu's new Final Fantasy song sounds lovely". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  83. ^ Shive, Chris (June 9, 2016). "New Characters Uncovered for Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  84. ^ "FINAL FANTASY LEGENDS YOSHITAKA AMANO AND NOBUO UEMATSU CONTRIBUTING TO TURBO'S DEBUT GAME, SUPER SENSO". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  85. ^ Pineda, Rafael. "Terra Battle 2 Smartphone Game Ends Service in Japan in September". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 14, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  86. ^ Chalk, Andy (May 16, 2017). "Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood trailer reveals theme song and new in-game action". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  87. ^ Sato (November 13, 2017). "Nobuo Uematsu And Vocalist Emiko Suzuki Talk About Final Fantasy XV: Comrades' Theme Song". Siliconera. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  88. ^ "坂口博信氏が手掛ける注目のRTS『テラウォーズ』キーマン3人にインタビュー" (in Japanese). Famitsu. June 14, 2019. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  89. ^ FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Team. "The music of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE - comments from the composers". square-enix-games.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  90. ^ Higham, Michael. "How The Creator Of Final Fantasy Is Evolving The Classic RPG With Fantasian". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  91. ^ McWhertor, Michael (October 1, 2021). "New dungeon crawler from Final Fantasy vets hopes you like grids". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  92. ^ Janca, Ben (December 7, 2023). "FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH - Theme Song Announcement Trailer". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  93. ^ Arendt, Susan (March 2, 2007). "Japan Gets Blue Dragon Cartoon". Wired. Wired Magazine. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  94. ^ "Aya Hirano to Sing Fairy Tail Film's Ending Theme". May 30, 2012. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  95. ^ Romano, Sal (August 21, 2016). "Granblue Fantasy: The Animation airs in January 2017, first trailer". Gematsu. Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  96. ^ Gann, Patrick. "Final Fantasy VI Special Tracks". RPGFan. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2008.
  97. ^ Lott, Gunner (September 3, 2004). "Dark Chronicles: Tribute-Album". GamePro (in German). Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  98. ^ Jones, Jesse (January 29, 2005). "Final Fantasy ~ The Black Mages II: The Skies Above". RPGFan. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  99. ^ "Reiki Japan". Reiki Japan Official Website. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  100. ^ Schulenberg, Thomas (August 3, 2013). "Uematsu's Blik-0 1946 e-book has robots, feelings". Engadget. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  101. ^ Famitsu Staff (July 8, 2013). "植松伸夫氏率いる"EARTHBOUND PAPAS"による待望の2ndアルバム『DANCING DAD』の発売が決定". Famitsu. Archived from the original on July 17, 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  102. ^ Hashimoto, Kazuma (June 3, 2022). "Nobuo Uematsu Final Fantasy Arrangement Album Announced". Siliconera. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  103. ^ "Merregnon: Land of Silence". www.merregnon.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
[edit]