Masaya Matsuura
Encyclopedia
is a video game designer and musician based in Tokyo
, Japan
. He was born in Osaka
on June 16, 1961, and majored in Industrial Society at Ritsumeikan University
. He has worked extensively with music and images, and has been active with the J-Pop
band, (or PSYCHOLOGICAL S). Matsuura been credited with popularizing the modern rhythm-based music video game
at his studio NanaOn-Sha
.
synthesizer. He has also mastered the keyboard, guitar, and bass and he occasionally performs these instruments in stage as well.
In the late 80s, PSY • S enjoyed fair degree of popularity in Japan thanks to a number of hits. Certain of their songs have been used in such anime shows as City Hunter, and in films. In 1987, Masaya Matsura oversaw musical composition for the anime adaptation of To-Y
, Atsushi Kamijo
's popular manga.
Technological development occurring during the 1990s generated increased interest in Matsuura in creating computer-based music and from this field Matsuura soon transitioned into interactive music and music video game
s. In 1993 Matsuura became the first Japanese musician to release a CD-ROM, The Seven Colors, for which he was awarded the "Multimedia Grand Prix". In June 1996, after having produced 10 albums with PSY • S (and four "best of" albums), Matsura quit the band, and focused his attention on his multimedia projects.
Matsuura founded the Tokyo-based production company, NanaOn-Sha
, and began development of video games. The first major project would be a unique game fusing hip-hop rhythms the visual talents of American animator, Rodney Greenblat
. Released in December 1996 in Japan, PaRappa the Rapper
is regarded as one of the first modern rhythm games and has been credited as being almost solely responsible for popularizing the genre. Matsuura's talent for combining music and video game play would again be demonstrated with his 1999 release of the generative music gameVib-Ribbon
, and would cement his position as one of the founders of the music game genre.
In 2003, Matsuura together with NanaOn-Sha was responsible for the production of the audio portion of Sony's third generation robotic dog toy, AIBO
(model ERS-7). This included both music and sound effects.
In 2004, he was awarded the "First Penguin" award by the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) for his innovative contributions to the video game industry.
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
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...
. He was born in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
on June 16, 1961, and majored in Industrial Society at Ritsumeikan University
Ritsumeikan University
Ritsumeikan University has a growing reputation as one of the main private universities of Japan. It is part of a group of prestigious private universities in the Kansai area, called "Kan -Kan -Dou -Ritsu "...
. He has worked extensively with music and images, and has been active with the J-Pop
J-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
band, (or PSYCHOLOGICAL S). Matsuura been credited with popularizing the modern rhythm-based music video game
Music video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
at his studio NanaOn-Sha
NanaOn-Sha
NanaOn-Sha is a Japanese video game company which created what is widely credited as the first modern rhythm game, PaRappa the Rapper. It was founded by: Masaya Matsuura in 1993. The game's success resulted in the spinoff UmJammer Lammy, which is based on guitar samples, and eventually a proper...
.
Career
In April 1983, shortly after his graduation from Ritsumeikan University, Matsuura met singer Chaka (Mami Yasunori) and founded . The band's first album, Different View, was released in 1985. The group's musical style is a mixture of experimental synthesizer, electric guitar, and vocals. Matsuura is the band's composer and arranger, and he performs using a Fairlight CMIFairlight CMI
The Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
synthesizer. He has also mastered the keyboard, guitar, and bass and he occasionally performs these instruments in stage as well.
In the late 80s, PSY • S enjoyed fair degree of popularity in Japan thanks to a number of hits. Certain of their songs have been used in such anime shows as City Hunter, and in films. In 1987, Masaya Matsura oversaw musical composition for the anime adaptation of To-Y
To-y
is a Japanese manga and anime OVA. It is the story of GASP, an underground punk rock band, and their attempt to get a recording contract and attain stardom. The story follows To-y Fujii, lead singer of GASP, and his attempts not to sell out during his rise through the recording industry...
, Atsushi Kamijo
Atsushi Kamijo
is a Japanese manga artist. At times he is billed as "Atsushi Kamijo and Yoko", which refers to Yoko Murase, his assistant. Kamijo is known for his stylish designs, which often use pure white backgrounds with very little middle ground between black and white...
's popular manga.
Technological development occurring during the 1990s generated increased interest in Matsuura in creating computer-based music and from this field Matsuura soon transitioned into interactive music and music video game
Music video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
s. In 1993 Matsuura became the first Japanese musician to release a CD-ROM, The Seven Colors, for which he was awarded the "Multimedia Grand Prix". In June 1996, after having produced 10 albums with PSY • S (and four "best of" albums), Matsura quit the band, and focused his attention on his multimedia projects.
Matsuura founded the Tokyo-based production company, NanaOn-Sha
NanaOn-Sha
NanaOn-Sha is a Japanese video game company which created what is widely credited as the first modern rhythm game, PaRappa the Rapper. It was founded by: Masaya Matsuura in 1993. The game's success resulted in the spinoff UmJammer Lammy, which is based on guitar samples, and eventually a proper...
, and began development of video games. The first major project would be a unique game fusing hip-hop rhythms the visual talents of American animator, Rodney Greenblat
Rodney Greenblat
Rodney Alan Greenblat, born August 23, 1960 in San Francisco, California, is an American graphic artist known best in the United States for the visual style of the computer games PaRappa the Rapper and UmJammer Lammy, and in Japan for his comic Thunder Bunny. He was also the character designer for...
. Released in December 1996 in Japan, PaRappa the Rapper
PaRappa the Rapper
is a rhythm video game for the Sony PlayStation created by Masaya Matsuura and his NanaOn-Sha company....
is regarded as one of the first modern rhythm games and has been credited as being almost solely responsible for popularizing the genre. Matsuura's talent for combining music and video game play would again be demonstrated with his 1999 release of the generative music gameVib-Ribbon
Vib-Ribbon
is a video game for Sony PlayStation. Developed by Masaya Matsuura and his NanaOn-Sha company, and released in Japan in 1999...
, and would cement his position as one of the founders of the music game genre.
In 2003, Matsuura together with NanaOn-Sha was responsible for the production of the audio portion of Sony's third generation robotic dog toy, AIBO
AIBO
AIBO was one of several types of robotic pets designed and manufactured by Sony...
(model ERS-7). This included both music and sound effects.
In 2004, he was awarded the "First Penguin" award by the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) for his innovative contributions to the video game industry.
Music albums
Masaya Matsuura has released 10 music albums with PSY•S, 4 "best of" albums with PSY•S, and 1 solo album. All albums were released under the Sony Music label.With PSY•S
- 1985 - Different View
- 1986 - PIC-NIC
- 1987 - Collection (Compilation)
- 1988 - Mint-Electric
- 1989 - Atlas
- 1990 - Signal
- 1991 - Two Hearts
- 1991 - Holiday
- 1992 - Two Sprits Live PSY'S Best Selection (Live)
- 1993 - Window
- 1994 - Home Made
- 1994 - Emotional Engine
- 1996 - Two Bridge (Compilation)
- 1998 - Brand New Diary + Another Diary (Compilation)
Utilities and Non-games
- The Seven Colors (1993, MacMacintoshThe Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
) - TOOL-X (1994, MacMacintoshThe Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
) - Tunin'Glue (1996, MacMacintoshThe Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
)
Games
- Metamor Jupiter (1993, PC Engine CD) as music composer
- PaRappa the RapperPaRappa the Rapperis a rhythm video game for the Sony PlayStation created by Masaya Matsuura and his NanaOn-Sha company....
(1996, PS1PlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
) - UmJammer LammyUmJammer Lammyis a rhythm video game developed by NanaOn-Sha and published by Sony for the PlayStation video game console. UmJammer Lammy is a spin-off of PaRappa the Rapper, also released for the PlayStation...
(1999, PS1PlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
) - Vib-RibbonVib-Ribbonis a video game for Sony PlayStation. Developed by Masaya Matsuura and his NanaOn-Sha company, and released in Japan in 1999...
(1999, PS1PlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
) - Rhyme Rider KeroricanRhyme Rider Keroricanis a music video game in the style of Vib-Ribbon, an earlier game developed by the same studio. The game's plot is quite simple involving the adventures of Kerorican, a female astronaut wearing kemonomimi-style frog-helmet, as she walks along accompanied by jazzy techno music. As Kerorican...
(2000, Bandai WonderSwanWonderSwanwas a line of handheld game consoles produced in Japan by Bandai between 1999 and 2003. It was developed by the late Gunpei Yokoi's company Koto and Bandai...
) - PaRappa the Rapper 2PaRappa the Rapper 2is a PlayStation 2 rhythm video game and the sequel to PaRappa the Rapper, although it is actually the third game in the series following UmJammer Lammy...
(2002, PS2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
) - Mojib-RibbonMojib-Ribbonis a music video game created by Masaya Matsuura as a pseudo-sequel to his earlier music game, Vib-Ribbon . A direct sequel called Vib-Ripple was released in 2004...
(2003, PS2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
) - Vib-RippleVib-Rippleis a video game for the PlayStation 2 created by Masaya Matsuura and his studio NanaOn-Sha. It is the sequel to the 1999 PlayStation game Vib-Ribbon...
(2004, PS2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
) - Tamagotchi Connection: Corner ShopTamagotchi Connection: Corner Shopis a shop simulator game released by Bandai in 2006 for the Nintendo DS and has characters from the Tamagotchi series. It was later followed by Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2, released late that same year...
(2005, Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
) - MusikaMusikaMusika is a music video game created for the iPod by Masaya Matsuura . Originally called Rhythmica, Musika was created exclusively for the iPod click wheel interface and is considered similar in format to the rhythm game, Phase, also for iPod...
(2007, iPodIPod gamesAn iPod click wheel game or iPod game is a video game playable on the various versions of the Apple portable media player, the iPod. The original iPod had the game Brick included as an easter egg hidden feature; later firmware versions added it as a menu option...
) - Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2is a life simulation video game published and developed by Namco Bandai for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It is the sequel to Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop, also released for the Nintendo DS...
(2007, Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
) - Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 3Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 3is the third Tamagotchi video game released for the Nintendo DS game system, following Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2. It was released in Japan on September 27, 2007, in North America on June 17, 2008, and in PAL regions on November 14, 2008.-Gameplay:...
(2007, Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
) - Major Minor's Majestic MarchMajor Minor's Majestic Marchis a music video game for the Wii. It was created by Parappa the Rapper designer Masaya Matsuura and famous artist Rodney Greenblat.Major Minor’s Majestic March uses the Wii Remote as a mace that the drum major, Major Minor, uses to keep tempo, recruit new band members and pick up valuable items...
(2008, WiiWiiThe Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
)
Prizes and awards
- 1997 - Multimedia Grand Prix (Creator Awards) • MMCA Artist Award
- 1998 - Interactive Achievement Awards • Game Design and Sound Design (for PaRappa The RapperPaRappa the Rapperis a rhythm video game for the Sony PlayStation created by Masaya Matsuura and his NanaOn-Sha company....
) - 1998 - IGDA Spotlight Awards • Innovative Game Design, Use of Audio and Game Soundtrack (for PaRappa The RapperPaRappa the Rapperis a rhythm video game for the Sony PlayStation created by Masaya Matsuura and his NanaOn-Sha company....
) - 2000 - Interactive Achievement Awards • original music composition (for UmJammer LammyUmJammer Lammyis a rhythm video game developed by NanaOn-Sha and published by Sony for the PlayStation video game console. UmJammer Lammy is a spin-off of PaRappa the Rapper, also released for the PlayStation...
) - 2004 - Game Developers Choice Awards • First Penguin Award 2004