How did you manage to convince Yoko Kanno to sign the credit titles?Good question ! It was a long-term job, which took more than one year and a half. On the music, we had two great collaborators: Taku Iwasaki and Yoko Kanno. I was very fond of the work of Taku Iwasaki on Rurouni Kenshin (the 4 OAV of Kazuhiro Furuhashi) and I knew that he was also capable of composing original soundtracks like Witch Hunter Robin's one, which is more modern and more occidental. He could also add some guitar, some electro sound, create interesting mixing. On Oban, he conducted a 40 musicians orchestra, then he mixed that music with some techno. At the end, his composition was superb, it spreads over 80 pieces of music which were often written specially acording to some image, which is pretty rare for a TV show. Of course, all of this cost a lot. Then we worked with Yoko Kanno. The productor with who we chose to work is M.Ota, and he was the one who presented us Taki Iwasaki. When I asked him, at the beginning of the production, whether we could try to request Yoko Kanno, he immediately ansewered it was impossible - she was too busy and he was too old and too tired to work with her again (!). I try again regurlarly about the credit titles and he finished presenting me two demos of a "young artist". I listened to them and found them perfect. Actually it was she, the young artist, and these two musics became the opening and ending titles of the TV show. In studio, Yoko is very passionate, very living. I never assisted to the eccentricities she is sometimes reproached for, I found her very accurate and very pro. We got a lot of chances, because only a few TV shows can pride themselves to have some Yoko Kanno on their credit titles, without taking in account that Oban is a french-japanese coproduction.
Will you answer to the question everyone is asking for : Are Yoko Kanno and Gabriela Robin the same person?I know a lot of things, but I must keep the secret. I won't say anything, even under torture ! (laugh)
For the fans, by a fan ^^
PS : Sorry for the english errors if there are
