Interview with Yukihiro Jindo – Ys, TLOH composer

We all love the music in Nihon Falcom games. I don’t know absolutely anyone who has played these games who doesn’t highlight one of their themes. It is a key element in the success of games like Ys or The Legend of Heroes. Today we are lucky enough, thanks to the Spanish Ys community (YSpain_Legend), to bring you an interview with one of the legends who has participated in the soundtrack of these games. As a freelancer, and not as part of Nihon Falcom’s staff, but he has participated in many of the company’s games, let’s get to know him a little bit more!

Please, notice that Jindo is a freelance composer and his comments have nothing to do with the Falcom company’s ideas.

YSpain_Legend: Hi Mr. Jindo. First of all, I would like to ask you if you could do a little introduction about yourself for the readers that first hear from you and your work.

Yukihiro Jindo: Hi, nice to meet you, I’m Yukihiro Jindo, a Japanese composer. I work in various music compositions. VGM, Advertisement on TV or WEB, Musicals, and so on. In VGM, Falcom’s work is overwhelmingly large, lol. Thank you.

YSpain_Legend: What was your educational and career journey into your current role?

Yukihiro Jindo: I started playing the Electronic organ at a very young age. And, I started playing the violin in an amateur orchestra in junior high school (age 13), so I have played many various orchestral works. I started playing around with synthesizers in high school (age 16), inputting Classical music and the then-popular VGM into a Sequencer. I also enjoyed as a keyboardist for an amateur rock band. In college, I majored in English Literature and studied Shakespeare, etc. I believe that I am who I am today because of these experiences.

YSpain_Legend: What’s the most challenging thing about your role?

Yukihiro Jindo: It is an «arrangement».. It is a struggle with time and budget, lol. I’m willing to make it until I’m satisfied that it is the best I can do. For example, even if I create a cool orchestral song, if I’m not satisfied with it, I’ll rework it to rock or another genre. Sometimes I have to make it again and again, so I don’t have enough time at all, lol.

Hansuke: What is your favorite memory/moment while working as freelance composer?

Yukihiro Jindo: This was thanks to social media, people from various countries praised the songs I wrote. I had never thought before that people from different countries would listen to my songs and like them. I was very happy to learn for the first time that a lot of people were supporting me during the period around Ys IX. Another thing that makes me happy is when my music is played at an event venue where my family visits.

幻影nayu: What sorta of videogame music inspire you? Are there any videogame
composer that you are particularly fond of?

Yukihiro Jindo: The «VGM» that influenced me was the commercial facility (arcade) games by Sega, Namco and Konami around the 90s. For example… Rock tunes like «After Burner» and many racing games (S.S.T. BAND) ,or Gradius series (Konami).. All the cool tunes inspire me, and not just the VGM. The music that inspire me up comes not only from VGM, but also from the soundtracks of various other movies, dramas, and animations. «Videogame composer that I’m particularly fond of»… I’m sorry, I can’t think of any particular game composers. But I respect all people who make cool songs.. Ah, I remember now. When I worked on «Soul Calibur 6«, I thought Bandai Namco’s sound team was amazing because they make so cool songs.

YSpain_Legend: How do you approach your work when you have to create a new song VS when you have to arrange a song?

Yukihiro Jindo: When I compose, I place importance on what I think is the «coolest» song. In arranging, there are many many different approaches…, First of all, I think it is important to make arrangements that only I can do, which no one else can do. If someone else can substitute it, there is no point in my arranging it. For this reason, I often strive to familiarize myself with the game’s story. The listener associates the story from the music. I don’t want to spoil the listener’s game impression, so I approach my arrangements with a thorough knowledge of the story. For example, if the musical scene in the story reminds us of another character, I may secretly include that person’s theme (like Ys II Chronicle «Rest in Peace»). However it has to the coolest in the end. So, for example, if I’m not moved by an orchestral arrangement, I will rearrange it into another genre, such as rock. But above all, the original song is probably the best for many people. So I would like to recreate in the arranged version the emotion that the listener felt when they first heard the original song. Can I speak further? lol. In arranging, I believe it is also important for the instruments to express the story inside the music. Specifically, I emphasize that the various instruments sometimes compete with each other for a single melody, and that sometimes the instruments talk to each other. For example, in the past, when I would create a song for violin and guitar, the violin’s role was primarily responsible for the melody. Now, however, the violin is free to move back and forth between the surface and underside of the melody, twining around the lead guitar. I would not include a violin in a song unless there is a necessity for a violin in that song.

YSpain_Legend: What would you say is the most valuable thing you have learnt from composing videogame music?

Yukihiro Jindo: Through composing VGM, I learned that VGM is a wonderful genre of music that
the listeners can have a much greater emotional attachment more than any other genre of music because it is music that the listeners hear through game experiences. Unfortunately, I think VGM sometimes tends to be neglected, but I hope it becomes more popular.

YSpain_Legend: What are the tracks composed by you that you are more fond of when it comes to the Ys series?

Yukihiro Jindo: They are «Cloaca Maxima» and «Glessing Way!» of the Ys IX. I composed both of these at the same time. I hope you will also enjoy my arranged version of Glessing Way, as
the arrangement I have done is also my favorite. By the way, I composed «Cloaca Maxima» thinking «I’ll make a song that will be adopted for the opening», but when I played the game, there was no opening (lol).

YSpain_Legend: When it comes to Ys, the setting for each game is based on different locations that have a counterpart in the real life and we can see references to each country. This could be The Forest of Celceta (Spain) in Ys: Memories of Celceta, Balduq (France) in Ys IX or Denmark/Scandinavia with the nordic culture in Ys X. Does this affect the way in which you approach your work for each game?

Yukihiro Jindo: From my point of view, as far as I’m concerned, when it comes to composing, it
hardly matters. If it is Ys, «cool rock» is the first priority, I think. I believe that in Ys it is important to compose rock music that fits the action. (Perhaps the company’s composers will be asked to write music with national colors.) However, when it comes to arranged albums, the idea is a little different. I regret that I wanted to make the Ys IX arrangement album more French-flavored, with accordions and such. lol.

RPG Spain: What criteria do they use to assign the different themes of each title in which you or other composers participate?

Yukihiro Jindo: I don’t know because the company’s staff chooses the music that goes with the
game. I just make songs that I think are cool and give them to the company. As a result, for example, a song I wrote with the intention of Ys is sometimes used in the Trails, lol.

RPG Spain: As you’ve just said, you have also participated in other great RPGs such as TLOH. Are there any differences between working on these games and your work on Ys?

Yukihiro Jindo: In the past, I was conscious of the differences. In my personal subjective view, I thought that rock music would suit Ys, and orchestral music would suit The Legend of Heroes. However, I am not so conscious of it now. During Ys, I’m conscious of «cool rock for Ys,» but now I also conscious of creating «Falcom Music» that is neither «exclusive to Ys» nor «exclusive to The Legend of Heroes.» I think the definition of «Falcom Music» is «cool music with a melody that people can easily remember. Also, it’s important to have music that stands up to the flashy game screen. In various films and other company games, sometimes music should not stand out in some scenes. That policy is of course correct. In Falcom Music, however, I believe it is important to let the emotions come out to the fullest.

RPG Spain: What about Tokyo Xanadú? Is it a different case?

Yukihiro Jindo: Yes, I think it is a different case. But I’m not really aware of it. I think company staff will probably be asked to do the work that makes a difference. Perhaps there are two ways to think about it. One is to be faithful to the worldview and setting, and to compose and arrange music within that framework. Or, to create freely without worrying. I think it depends on the person which one is right. However, I think the latter has a better chance of creating masterpieces.

RPG Spain: How do the different regions of Zemuria differ in terms of theme composition? Is this a hardship compared to other RPGs that change the entire world with every release?

Yukihiro Jindo: I don’t really pay attention to it. However, I think the company staff are probably having a hard time, lol. They would have to reflect the country and atmosphere of the game screen in their songs. From my standpoint, my first priority is to create songs that I think are cool. Of course, if the company orders me the atmosphere, or national color of a song, I’ll follow it. But, since this is rarely the case, I create based on my own ideas. (When it comes to “Arranging”, I think differently, as I’ve said before! )

YSpain_Legend: What is your favorite game of all time?

Yukihiro Jindo: I try to play popular titles for my own studies. I play and enjoy all genres: shooting, action, RPG, Animal Crossing, etc. but it’s hard to decide on my favorite.. In the 2000s, I enjoyed the Beatmania series a lot due to the influence of having friends in development at Konami. I’ve also played some Open-World games (Horizon, Days Gone, Zelda BOTW, Witcher, etc.), But I stopped playing this genre a few years ago because they cut into my work time too much, lol. I guess I like games that can be enjoyed by many people.. like “Mario Kart”, or “Samba de amigo”.. Ah, I love driving games. I like the type where we can drive freely through the city, not racing. Sometimes I drive in my room with a steering wheel controller, lol.

YSpain_Legend: What is the game with your favorite OST of all time?

Yukihiro Jindo: For VGM… I think Konami’s Castlevania series is cool. I sometimes listen the album «Resurrection of the Night«. For movies, the works of Patrick Doyle, Alan Menken, Abel Korzeniowski..and so on. I have a huge amount of movie soundtracks. For classical music, I love Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Gliere, Elgar, Walton, Hindemith, Nielsen,…too many to count (lol)

YSpain_Legend: Would you like to share some words with our readers?

Yukihiro Jindo: Thanks for your interest in me. I want to write many more good songs in the future. When I get busy with work, I sometimes stay away from social media, but I would be
happy if you could support me.