Arisawa, Takanori

Takanori Arisawa (April 2, 1951 - November 26, 2005) was a Japanese composer and arranger from Tokyo. He wrote the background music for several notable anime, including the award-winning soundtrack of the Sailor Moon anime series.

He died of bladder cancer at 54 years of age.

As the Music Director for Sailor Moon, Arisawa's first award was the 1993 Golden Disk Grand Prize from Columbia Records. He continued to compose for the entire anime series, plus several video games and some of the stage musicals. In 1998, 2000, and 2001 he won the JASRAC International Award for most international royalties, owing largely to the popularity of Sailor Moon music in other nations.

Arisawa expressed an admiration of Hollywood-style music, drawing his initial inspiration for the tone of the Sailor Moon soundtrack from the Charlie's Angels TV series. He frequently made use of symbolism when writing themes for specific characters or groups, borrowing thematic elements from diverse genres and from other countries. As the series progressed, his music gravitated from a pop feeling toward more classical arrangements to represent the protagonist having passed through painful experiences and grown as a person.

Source: Wikipedia