View source for Blog:Sounders: Natsume (Where Are They Now)

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<small>[[User:CRV|CRV]] ([[User talk:CRV|talk]]) 05:07, 11 August 2016 (CEST) [[Blog:Sounders: Natsume (Where Are They Now)|[permalink]]]</small>

[[File:Natsume.gif|right|Natsume logo]]
In the first edition of a new feature chronicling sound designers and production companies, GDRI catches up with some of the sound designers from [[Natsume]] (now Natsume Atari)'s 8/16-bit golden age.

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| bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|[[File:Kiyohiro Sada - 1.jpg|right|Kiyohiro Sada]]
'''Kiyohiro Sada''' worked at Konami from 1986 to 1989, where he worked on many Famicom and NES games like ''Contra'' and ''The Adventures of Bayou Billy.'' He joined Natsume in 1988 and continued to work for Konami. He became a full-time employee at Natsume the following year.

Sada's best-known works with Natsume, at least outside Japan, are probably ''Abadox'' and ''S.C.A.T.'' ''Abadox'' seemed particularly influenced by his former employer's ''Life Force'', and Sada's distinctive sound no doubt helped it feel that way.

Sada left in 1993 and formed his own sound production company called [http://www.puresound-net.co.jp/ Pure Sound], which he still operates today. Pure Sound has worked on many games over the years including the ''Summon Knight'' series, ''Half-Minute Hero'', ''Robo Pit'', and ''The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages''.


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| bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|[[File:193px-Iku Mizutani - 1.jpg|right|Iku Mizutani]]
'''Iku Mizutani''' also came over from Konami (MSX ''Metal Gear'', NES ''Rush'n Attack''). His first game at Natsume was the NES conversion of ''Heroes of the Lance''. He continued to work on many more games across many platforms including ''Shatterhand'', SNES ''Power Rangers'', and ''Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Battle Assault''.

In 2006, Mizutani started [http://www.soundfountain.co.jp/ Sound Fountain], which worked on ''The King Of Fighters XIII'', DS/3DS ''Medarot'' games, and various games by Osaka Natsume offshoot [[Bullets]].


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| bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|[[File:250px-Hiroyuki Iwatsuki - 1.jpg|right|Hiroyuki Iwatsuki]]
'''Hiroyuki Iwatsuki''' joined Natsume in 1990 and is still with Natsume Atari today, working at the Nagoya office. His titles include fan favorites like ''Wild Guns'', ''Pocky & Rocky'', and SNES ''Ninja Warriors'', as well as more recent titles like ''Omega Five'' and ''Wild Guns: Reloaded''.


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| bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|[[File:Kinuyo Yamashita - 02.jpg|right|Kinuyo Yamashita]]
'''Kinuyo Yamashita''' is yet another musician who left Konami (''Castlevania'', ''Nemesis 3'', ''Arumana no Kiseki''). The difference is, [http://kinuyoyamashita.com/ Yamashita] was never a Natsume employee; she has worked mostly as a contractor since exiting Konami. Her profile is also quite extensive. Among the titles on which she was involved are GBC ''Croc 2'', SNES ''Power Rangers'', ''Pocky & Rocky 2'', and ''Mark Davis' The Fishing Master''.

A subarachnoid hemorrhage sidelined Yamashita in 1998. She eventually recovered, however, and continued to make music. She now lives in New Jersey.


''Yamashita's arrangement of a track from ''Medarot 3'':''
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| bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|'''????'''
'''Shinya Kurahashi''' (倉橋真也) (''Shimono Masaki no Fishing to Bassing'', ''Zen-Nippon Pro Wres: Fight da Pon!'') was with Natsume's Osaka division for a while, but little is known about him. Not much is known about '''Kouichi Yamanishi''' (山西浩一)(''Dragon Fighter'', ''Shadow of the Ninja''), either.

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''Credit to the creators/uploaders of the videos above. Photos sourced from [http://www.vgmpf.com/ Videogame Music Preservation Foundation Wiki].''