Découvrez l'homme derrière les mélodies inoubliables de vos jeux préférés ! Sans Shoji Meguro, l'univers Persona que l'on connaît n'existerait pas.
Plongez dans le parcours fascinant de ce compositeur de génie, depuis ses débuts chez Atlus jusqu'à la création des bandes originales emblématiques de Persona. Quelles sont ses influences et comment a-t-il révolutionné la musique de jeu vidéo ?
Explorez son style unique, mélangeant pop, jazz, électro et rock, qui a captivé des millions de joueurs à travers le monde. Laissez-vous emporter par l'histoire d'un créateur visionnaire !
00:02Whether it's the gameplay, the storyline or the universe, everything is there to captivate you.
00:06But the point that shocked me the most throughout the game was the music.
00:09Exceptional music, which actually made me want to know who was behind it all.
00:13So I did my research, and I found that it was the same person who composed the music for the Persona series.
00:18So, I go listen to the music from Persona, and once again, I get a slap in the face.
00:23That's why today I decided to talk about this composer who deserves more light, Shoji Migo.
00:30Miguro was born in the early 1970s in Tokyo, Japan.
00:37He became familiar with technology at a very young age thanks to his parents who owned a small family factory in Tokyo.
00:44His mother will encourage him to learn their collector in a music school.
00:48And it was in college that he began to have his first musical dreams, such as Herbalbert, Kassopia or the group Key Square.
00:55Music is his first passion, okay, but he doesn't necessarily want to make it a career now, since during his studies, he will develop a second passion, mathematics.
01:04He had a bit of a go at Formula 1, and wants to pursue a career as a car designer.
01:08Except that over time, he'll realize that, well, finding a job in a big technology company won't be possible.
01:17For the simple reason that his educational level is much too low.
01:20So he will prefer to focus on a job search, where he will apply everywhere.
01:24And during his research, he will notice something.
01:26He would notice that there was a high demand for video game composers.
01:30And that's when he seriously considered a career in music.
01:35So he applies to many video game companies.
01:38But unfortunately for him, he fails all his interviews due to his lack of knowledge about video games.
01:45But it was in 1995 that a studio gave him a chance.
01:49And this studio is...
01:50At the beginning of his career, he was not officially hired by the company.
01:55Since Meguro will initially be responsible for composing the OSTs for Persona 1.
01:59And it's not just any theme, no.
02:02Since this will become an essential music of this series.
02:11At the end of the 90s, he worked on various projects.
02:15For example, Devil Summoner Soul Hacker, released on Sega Saturn.
02:18and Macken X, released on Dreamcast.
02:36Now, Atlus has complete confidence in him.
02:38And that's why in 2003, he became the main composer on the game Shin Megami Tensei 3 Nocturne.
02:48His goal was to move away from the orchestral, epic style often heard in RPGs of the time.
03:04And sought to make more industrial, electro-rock, minimalist and ambient sounds.
03:08And this artistic direction that he's going to take is going to be a good idea.
03:12Because this risk-taking will ensure that the game's music will be well received by players.
03:17Except that unfortunately, the company's financial situation does not follow this same success.
03:22Atlus is starting to go into the red and the company is seriously considering closing its doors.
03:27But in 2006, the studio would play its last card.
03:30He will bet everything on this episode which will take another turn for Atlus.
03:33It's true that I haven't even told you about the concept of Persona.
03:48But to put it simply, the series generally follows the adventure of a young student who will have paranormal experiences.
03:52Of course, student life means exams, relationships, school holidays, etc.
03:57A concept that will be appreciated by many players since it will sell more than 1.3 million worldwide.
04:03A total success for Atlus since it is the first game that has had such success for them.
04:07But it's not just the game that's been making waves, as even the game's soundtrack has sold over 510,000 copies worldwide.
04:14And this time, Meguro takes a huge risk in his way of composing.
04:17Where previous games in the series were darker, more mystical, Persona 3 marks a complete departure.
04:23The universe is much more trendy, with titles more oriented towards pop, rap, jazz and many other genres.
04:29They are performed by Japanese rapper Lotus Juice and singer Yumi Kawamura.
04:54Besides, it was not common to hear artists singing and rapping in a video game in the middle of combat.
04:59And he will apply this mixture of singing and instrumental music to all his compositions, notably in 2008 on the fourth opus of Persona.
05:24The office doesn't want to remake Persona 3.
05:28It retains certain basics, such as the alternation between sung and instrumental music, but will explore a new musical universe.
05:35Each place once again has its own sound identity, like for example the high school, which still keeps this pop side, the shopping center more funky,
05:42and the fights, which is a mix of rock and punchy electro.
05:46I'll let you listen.
05:46Face up, I hold up, I feature to the true, on the right, stick to the beat, on the whole moment, yes.
05:56Your affection, your affection, take it from my feet.
06:04Tell me why you did it, every dream falling apart.
06:09Tell me why you did it, I'll turn the promise.
06:12Thanks to Shiyoko Hirata, the music is more direct, more sung than in Persona 3,
06:18since its goal was that we sing along with the game, that we become attached to it more quickly.
06:22And that's why most of the songs have a very strong vocal melody that sticks in your head.
06:27And we're going to have a lot of melodies that stick in your head in 2017,
06:32since he will be working on this opus which is for many the best JRPG of all time.
06:42Once again, he changes musical genre.
06:52And from the start, the creative team wanted a very strong visual and sound identity,
06:56centered on the concept of the phantom thief.
07:00Migros has set itself a goal: to compose stylish music.
07:03which gives us the impression of living a Torrentino-style video game heist film, but Tokyo version.
07:07And like previous Personas, the process doesn't change,
07:12each music once again has a very specific role,
07:15like Tokyo Daylight, which is calmer music,
07:18created especially for the daily activity phase,
07:20such as shopping or social interactions,
07:22Last Surprise, a much more dynamic piece,
07:25and Binet The Mist for slower, more introspective music.
07:28Of course, we don't forget to thank the participation of external artists,
07:55such as Lean, an artist who offers us an incredible performance
07:58that the players are not ready to forget.
08:01And like all good things, they come to an end, and it was in 2021 that Meguro decided to leave Atlus.
08:06after more than 25 years of career with them.
08:09He wanted to fly on his own and make his dream come true,
08:12create your own video games and become an independent composer.
08:17Of course, he still remains in collaboration with Atlus,
08:20but on an ad hoc basis,
08:22and he will even contribute to a new project of the company,
08:24named ReFantasy.
08:27A project they have been working on continuously since 2016,
08:30just after the P5 exit.
08:32And this game is intended to be a completely new license
08:34alongside Shin Megami Tensei and Persona.
08:36And once again, Meguro will change his artistic direction.
08:40No, actually, I would even say
08:41that he will completely step out of his comfort zone.
08:44I told you at the beginning of the video,
08:56The metaphor music is truly exceptional.
08:59And I had to talk about it,
09:00because this time he ventured into musical territories
09:02never crossed before.
09:04He managed to create a unique atmosphere,
09:06mixing powerful heart and classical instrument
09:09to evoke a medieval and fantastic world.
09:13Thanks to the participation of Keisuke Onryo,
09:15a Japanese Buddhist monk,
09:17we will feel a spiritual and mystical dimension to the music.
09:20Which will ultimately give us epic OSTs,
09:22orchestral, and all this in a masterful way.
09:39We also thank Katagiri Maiko
09:47on his participation in the project.
09:49And if there is one theme that perfectly highlights it,
09:52This is the one.
09:52I'll get straight to the point with you,
10:14but for me, the music of Persona
10:17sit down at the table of the greatest musical eggs in video games
10:20like Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts or even Nier.
10:24We can only thank Shoji Miguro
10:26for his exceptional work on this series,
10:29since all the music he composes
10:30are generally unanimous.
10:32Each theme is equal and has its own artistic direction.
10:35For example, if you like pop, there is P3 and P4.
10:37You like jazz, there's P5.
10:39You are more epic, orchestral,
10:41so listen to Metaphor, without forgetting Shin Megami Tensei.
10:45It's not for nothing that artists like Logik
10:47recognized his talent
10:48and took up a theme from P4 to do it together,
10:51which I will also share with you on TikTok.
10:54Even concerts like the Persona Live Tour
10:56are often played to celebrate his work on the Persona series.
11:00We are eagerly awaiting Miguro's new projects.
11:03And speaking of new projects,
11:04A brand new Persona game is already available on mobile and Steam.
11:07A good opportunity to listen to the compositions again
11:10of this musical genius who is Shoji Miguro
11:12and who, I think later,
11:14will always continue to surprise us with a next Persona.
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