Riichiro Manabe
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese composer
who wrote the scores for numerous science fiction
, horror
, and kaiju
films from 1956 to 1979. Among fans of these genre films, his music is has gained a less-than-positive reputation. His scores draw from jazz
and dissonant modernism
. His scores, particularly the ones he is most famous for in the 1970s, utilize electric guitar
, pipe organ
, the piccolo
, the keyboard synthesizer, and the vibraslap
heavily.
For instance, Manabe's score for Godzilla vs. Hedorah
has been described as "atrocious". The same source calls Godzilla vs. Megalon
' s score "more competent" but at the same time, "none pleasant to listen to". Note, however, that Megalon is one of the more maligned entries in the Godzilla
canon, and that Manabe's score is only one of several elements that is frequently lambasted.
He is often lambasted as one of Toho's worst composers.
Others have described his Hedorah score as "unique" and one that "deserved recognition". Manabe has composed the scores of numerous other films, including some Super Giant
films, Oshima
's Cruel Story Of Youth
(1960
), The Vampire Doll, The Lake of Dracula, Evil of Dracula, and the Nikkatsu
Roman Porno, Flower and Snake
(1974
).
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
who wrote the scores for numerous science fiction
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
, horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
, and kaiju
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
films from 1956 to 1979. Among fans of these genre films, his music is has gained a less-than-positive reputation. His scores draw from jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and dissonant modernism
Modernism (music)
Modernism in music is characterized by a desire for or belief in progress and science, surrealism, anti-romanticism, political advocacy, general intellectualism, and/or a breaking with the past or common practice.- Defining musical modernism :...
. His scores, particularly the ones he is most famous for in the 1970s, utilize electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
, the piccolo
Piccolo
The piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
, the keyboard synthesizer, and the vibraslap
Vibraslap
A vibraslap is a percussion instrument consisting of a piece of stiff wire connecting a wood ball to a hollow box of wood with metal “teeth” inside. The percussionist holds the metal wire in one hand and strikes the ball...
heavily.
For instance, Manabe's score for Godzilla vs. Hedorah
Godzilla vs. Hedorah
, also known as Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster, is a 1971 science fiction kaiju film. The eleventh film in Toho Co. Ltd.'s Godzilla series , it was directed by Yoshimitsu Banno with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. It was the first film to feature Hedorah. The score was composed by Riichiro Manabe...
has been described as "atrocious". The same source calls Godzilla vs. Megalon
Godzilla vs. Megalon
is a 1973 Japanese science fiction kaiju film directed and co-written by Jun Fukuda with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. It was the thirteenth film in the Godzilla franchise...
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
canon, and that Manabe's score is only one of several elements that is frequently lambasted.
He is often lambasted as one of Toho's worst composers.
Others have described his Hedorah score as "unique" and one that "deserved recognition". Manabe has composed the scores of numerous other films, including some Super Giant
Super Giant
is a fictional Japanese superhero featured in a successful series of serial-like tokusatsu short feature films produced by Shintoho Company, Ltd....
films, Oshima
Nagisa Oshima
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. After graduating from Kyoto University he was hired by Shochiku Ltd. and quickly progressed to directing his own movies, making his debut feature A Town of Love and Hope in 1959....
's Cruel Story Of Youth
Cruel Story Of Youth
, was the second film directed by Nagisa Oshima.Oshima, who was only 28 at the time, made extensive use of hand-held cameras and location shooting, and the results drew comparisons to the French nouvelle vague filmmakers emerging at around the same time; the film became one of the primary films in...
(1960
1960 in film
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
), The Vampire Doll, The Lake of Dracula, Evil of Dracula, and the Nikkatsu
Nikkatsu
is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:...
Roman Porno, Flower and Snake
Flower and Snake
aka Flowers and Serpents is a Japanese soft-core S/M film starring Naomi Tani, directed by Masaru Konuma and produced by Nikkatsu. Based on a novel by Oniroku Dan , Japan's best-known author of S&M fiction, Flower and Snake was the first of Nikkatsu’s Roman Porno films to deal with an S&M theme...
(1974
1974 in film
The year 1974 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in the USA.*August 7 - Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J...
).
Filmography
- Suzaki paradise: AkashingōSuzaki paradise: Akashingōaka Suzaki Paradise Red Light is a 1956 black and white Japanese film drama directed by Yuzo Kawashima.- Cast :* Michiyo Aratama as Tsutae* Yukiko Todoroki as Otoku* Seizaburō Kawazu as Mr. Ochiai* Tatsuya Mihashi as Yoshiji, Tsutae's husband...
(洲崎パラダイス 赤信号 Suzaki paradaisu Akashingō) aka Suzaki Paradise Red Light (1956) - Zankoku onna jōshiZankoku onna jōshiis a 1970 Japanese film directed by Shōgorō Nishimura.-Cast:*Annu Mari as Mari*Sanae Ohori as Chie*Jirō Okazaki as Eiji*Shinji Takano as Matsui*Kotaro Sugie as Maeda*Haruo Tanaka as Aihara...
(残酷おんな情死) (1970)
Sources
- Riichiro Manabe Homeage http://www003.upp.so-net.ne.jp/johakyu/manabe/manabe-index.htm