章 113: Composer trapped in a bottleneck
Takayuki responded to Matsubashi's question, "Yes, I am indeed looking for someone to compose music for the game. Do you have any recommendations?"
Matsubashi nodded and said, "Yes, there is a candidate. He's the brother of a good friend of mine."
Takayuki became interested and asked, "How skilled is he?"
Matsubashi nodded seriously and said, "His composition skills are quite good. He was somewhat famous when he was younger, and he was considered to have unlimited potential at that time. Many record companies invited him to be a composer. However, due to some setbacks, he no longer wanted to create songs."
"What kind of setbacks?" Takayuki inquired.
"Well... he said he encountered a bottleneck, unable to create better songs, and couldn't break through it no matter what. His willpower gradually waned, and he started drowning himself in alcohol every day, never recovering. Until he squandered all the money he had earned, he gradually returned to an ordinary life. At this point, he regretted it and wanted to return to music production, but no one needed him anymore."
Matsubashi paused for a moment and then continued, "Now his family is living a bit difficultly. If he could find a job making music, he would be very happy."
It sounded like a person who was once passionate about music in their youth but encountered obstacles. Perhaps it was worth investigating.
Takayuki became interested, "Bring me a copy of his music to listen to. If it meets my standards, I'm willing to offer him a job."
With Takayuki's approval, Matsubashi seemed delighted. She quickly said, "Then let me thank you on behalf of my friend first. My friend often worries about her brother because he once regarded music as his life but wasted more than ten years for his own reasons."
"You don't need to thank me. I'm just saying I'll give it a listen. If he's capable, it's up to him, not me. If he lacks the ability, your recommendation won't have much effect," Takayuki replied.
Takayuki placed great importance on the music for Final Fantasy. In Final Fantasy, music was one of the souls, much more important than the soundtracks of many other games. If the music couldn't be found suitable, he'd rather not make the game.
The next day, Matsubashi brought over a tape of her friend's brother's recordings.
Looking at the packaging of the tape, it was obviously not publicly available works. The label on the tape's paper read a name: Makoto Sakai.
This name Takayuki was sure he hadn't heard of before, not even in the previous owner's memories. It seemed he was only slightly famous.
"President, the third song on this tape is his proudest work, also the last song he created. After this, he never created any more works," Matsubashi explained.
Takayuki inserted the tape into the tape player while asking, "Wouldn't he become rusty after not creating any works for over a decade?"
"Well... I'm not sure about that," Matsubashi answered honestly.
She was just trying it out now, seeing if she could help a friend.
But if he didn't meet Takayuki's standards, she would completely understand. The president was a perfectionist. Otherwise, he wouldn't have created such classic video games.
"Let's listen first," Takayuki said.
He pressed the play button.
After a series of scratching noises, a clear male voice began to hum softly along with the guitar slowly playing in the background.
The person's voice wasn't outstanding, but the rhythm and tune of his guitar playing were quite good. This largely made up for the shortcomings of his voice. Nine parts for composition and six or seven parts for singing.
The performance elevated the originally mediocre voice to a level of seven or eight, which was quite rare.
The first song was accompanied only by the guitar.
Takayuki found it quite good, especially the unique guitar playing.
However, Final Fantasy's music wasn't primarily guitar-based. He planned to continue listening.
The next song was a violin solo, and the overall music was very pleasant, giving a feeling of strolling in the sun, relaxed and comfortable. Indeed, he seemed like a very good composer.
What kind of obstacles would such a person encounter?
Takayuki wasn't a composer, so he didn't quite understand these things. He could only listen and see.
"Not bad. The performances of these two pieces of music are quite good. By the way, how old is your friend's brother?" Takayuki asked.
"He's forty years old already."
A composer who had some fame over a decade ago and then encountered obstacles?
It was really difficult to remember such people unless they were truly household names.
These shooting stars of composers were easily overlooked.
Next, Takayuki played the next piece of music.
This time, it wasn't a single instrument performance but a ensemble of multiple instruments.
This piece of music also exceeded the halfway mark, probably played using electronic keyboard equipment. The overall musical style had a hint of fantasy and confusion.
This was the last piece of music he had produced and the one he was most proud of. So, at this point, he should have felt his own bottleneck and expressed it in the music.
It was a qualified piece of music, already meeting Takayuki's standards for Final Fantasy music.
The previous music producers weren't bad, but Takayuki always felt that they didn't quite fit the dreamy yet refreshing style of Final Fantasy. Some were too calm, some too ancient, and some too modern, lacking a certain essence. But this one at least met his standards, scoring around eight. Perhaps it couldn't reach perfection, but if this person was willing to accept his guidance and compose according to his specified style, there was a chance to elevate it to over nine, then it would be comparable to Nobuo Uematsu, the famous composer for the previous Final Fantasy games.
When the third piece of music ended, the voice of Makoto Sakai came from the tape.
"Thank you for listening. If there's anything lacking, please feel free to point it out. I'm willing to do my best."
As the voice ended, the tape reached its end.
Matsubashi looked at Takayuki with a hint of anticipation. "President, what do you think?"
Takayuki pondered.
He was still considering whether Makoto Sakai truly met his requirements.
Eight points were already quite good.
Finding someone who could start at nine was really difficult, perhaps as difficult as winning the lottery. Besides, there was still room for improvement in the future.
However, he wondered if Makoto Sakai was arrogant. If he was, then it might not work out.
"I think it's good. Have him come over sometime. I'd like to see him in person," Takayuki said with a smile.
Matsubashi breathed a sigh of relief.
Her friend had entrusted her with helping her brother find a suitable job for a long time, and now there seemed to be hope. She felt very happy about it.
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