Michiru Ōshima


Michiru Ōshima is a Japanese composer and arranger. She works on music in wide range of areas, such as anime, films, television series, video games, and concerts. She has written scores for over 100 films, over 200 television titles, video games, various types of events, concerts, theaters, among others. Ōshima is one of the most prolific living composers for film, anime, and video games. She has released over 300 CDs including film soundtracks and artist CDs.
Her works include composition for Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. films and scores for numerous anime television series, including Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa, Nabari no Ou, Queen Emeraldas, Xam'd: Lost Memories, Arc the Lad, and Weathering Continent.
In addition to the soundtracks on Kaiju films and anime music, she has composed music for several video games such as Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf for Super NES, Ico for PlayStation 2, Legend of Legaia for PlayStation and its PlayStation 2 sequel Legaia 2: Duel Saga, Arc the Lad III, Deemo, Midnight Play by the company Tivola based on the art illustrations of Květa Pacovská, and an orchestral arrangement of a Zelda medley for the Wii and GameCube game The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
She was also the composer for a Japanese stage musical adaptation of the classic Hollywood film Roman Holiday. Her latest work includes the composition of several music tracks for the highly acclaimed Chinese espionage thriller film The Message and a 2017 Chinese mystery thriller film The [Devotion of Suspect X |The Devotion of Suspect X].
She is a member of both the Japan Academy Film Prize Association and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Biography

Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Department of Music Composition, Ōshima began her activities as a composer and arranger while in college, and has been involved in composing music for films, commercials, television programs, anime, ambient music, and tunes for classical musicians. She released the first Symphony entitled “Orasho” when she was still in college. Through her masterful manipulation of both orchestras and synthesizers, she has attracted attention from various sectors for creating grandiose, dramatic sounds, and beautiful melodies.
Ōshima was the youngest person to be awarded the 1st prize at International Electone Festival / International Electone Concours in 1977. Her other awards include the 52nd and 67th Mainichi Film Contest Award for Best Music, the 21st, 24th, 26th, 27th, 29th, 30th, and 38th Japan Academy Film Prize for Music, and the 31st Japan Academy Prize for Best Score, Tokyo Anime Award for Best Music in 2006, Best Composer Award at Jackson Hole Film Festival 2007. Moreover, Ōshima has composed a large number of music for music festivals in France and Luxembourg, stages in Belgium, or concerts in Japan and United States. She also recorded and conducted with orchestras, and musicians from all over the world such as the United States, Australia, France, Russia, Belgium, England, the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria, including a concert "KAIJU CRESCENDO: AN EVENING OF JAPANESE MONSTER MUSIC" at the G-FEST XXVI in Chicago. Ōshima was one of the 27 composers for the album ‘In 27 Pieces: the Hilary Hahn Encores’ performed by violinist Hilary Hahn which was awarded a 2015 Grammy Award in the Best Chamber Music category. She has been engaged in many governmental projects as well, such as music director at “40th Year of ASEAN-Japan” in 2013, in which she supervised and managed musicians in ASEAN countries, organized concerts in ASEAN countries and composed music for the ASEAN Summit.

Awards and nominations

;Awards
;Nominations
  • 1998: Japanese Academy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music for Paradise Lost
  • 2001: Japanese Academy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music for Nagasaki Burabura Bushi
  • 2003: Japanese Academy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music for The Sun Also Rises and Copycat Criminal
  • 2004: Japanese Academy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music for Like Asura
  • 2006: Japanese Academy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music for Year One in the North
  • 2007: Japanese Academy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music for Memories of Tomorrow
  • 2016: Japanese Academy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music for ''125 Years Memory''

    Compositions

Film soundtracks (selective)