Anime Expo 2012 Guest of Honor - Yuki Kajuira


Anime Expo is one of the largest conventions in the United States, and part of the convention is that they announce a slate of great guests that attract attention. For this year’s Anime Expo, I was very pleased to find out that one of the best anime composers and music producers would be making it in 2012. There are two incredible composers that are recognized as the “best” in their field in the anime world, one of them is Yoko Kanno, and the other is Anime Expo 2012 Guest of Honor Yuki Kajiura. Her work in .hack/sign, My Hime, Tsubasa, Xenosaga, and Puella Magi Magica Madoka is considered some of the best soundtracks in the world of anime and video games. I will explore what makes her stand tall above her contemporaries in the anime world. Yuki Kajiura has a unique style that is easily identifiable compared to many composers.

Her music has a similar “new age” style that can be found in Cirque du Soleil soundtracks. Many of the songs use a unique style that combines synthesized piano, vocals, Celtic music, and violins. The way she combines it has almost hypnotic appeal that engrosses the person who is listening to it. From the slower melodies to the faster-paced music, her work can capture the moment with a unique flair. Not only is Yuki Kajiura an awesome composer, she has an incredible eye for spotting talent as a music producer. She produced works with popular groups like See-Saw, FictionJunction, and AX 201 Guests of Honor Kalafina, each of the groups with a unique sense of style that emanates from their music.

I am a huge fan of Yuki Kajiura, she is one of my favorite composers in the world of anime and video games and I am glad that she is a guest of honor for Anime Expo 2012.

Notable Works 
  • Noir (2001) 
  • Aquarian Age (2002) 
  • .hack//Sign (2002) 
  • .hack//Liminality (2002) 
  • Le Portrait de Petit Cossette (2004) 
  • Madlax (2004) My-HiME (2004) 
  • Xenosaga II (2004) 
  • My-Otome (2005) 
  • Tsubasa Chronicle (2005) 
  • Xenosaga III (2006) 
  • El Cazador de la Bruja (2007) 
  • Pandora Hearts (2009) 
  • Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011) 
  • Fate/Zero (2011-2012 )

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