Kenji Kawai

Website | Wiki (jp)

After dropping out of a nuclear engineering program at Tokai University, Kawai Kenji began studying music at Shobi Music Academy. However, he dropped out after half a year. With a few friends, he created the band Muse, playing fusion rock and participating in music competitions. Through competing in such contests, the band members became technically competent to enter the music industry and decided to part ways.

After leaving Muse, Kawai Kenji began composing music for commercials in his home studio. While recording music for Yuji Mitsuya he met music director Naoko Asari, who advised him to compose anime soundtracks. Some of his most famous anime soundtracks can be found in Patlabor, Ranma ½, Ghost in the Shell, Fate/Stay Night, When They Cry and more recently in Mob Psycho 100.

He has worked on several projects with the director Mamoru Oshii and has written scores for all of Hideo Nakata's films. Kenji Kawai's music has received the Annie award and Hong Kong Film Award in 2005, for Ghost in The Shell 2: Innocence he was nominated for an Annie award.

Following his success as an anime music composer, he became involved in live action movies. He contributed music to horror films: Ring, Ring 2, Dark Water, Japanese-Polish science-fiction film Avalon and the Hong Kong film Seven Swords.

For the music found in Seven Swords and A Battle of Wits he was nominated for Best Original Film Score Awards at both the 25th and 26th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2006 and 2007.