One cannot talk about Pokémon music without talking about the biggest name in it, and fittingly, I have to bring it up as the ultimate discussion for the current run. The biggest name would be none other than Junichi Masuda, whose compositions have graced the main series games (and even beyond, thanks to Pokémon Go). The name is big, which might also explain why this post took some time to make - it had been planned for over a year. But with the build-up of topics related to music, it makes perfect sense to write about it now... as well as to make sense of his particulars for Pokémon music and beyond.
Classical music served as an influence for him - in particular the works of Stravinsky and Shostakovich - as he became attracted to them while playing the trombone in high school; even so, he does say that techno is his favorite music genre. It wouldn't be a surprise, then, that his Pokémon pieces sound like music of either genre, and in return they could be fully adapted to them, which can be construed to have happened both officially and unofficially. Much like the Mario series - also might be considered a cited influence in this regard - music that works well with the games is a big and good thing.
Besides music, in many Pokémon endeavors, he has been involved in their production and direction, though music is still involved somehow. A specific one would be the Hoenn region, based on his childhood vacation days, which could be said to be not unlike the childhood experience of the man that initiated Pokémon himself. His design philosophies include the layering of difficulties (starting simple before becoming complex), continued usage of 2D graphics, and portability of consoles, all of which are still evident and important for Pokémon.
Related to the above, there is "Masuda('s) method", the reference for the title of this post, which in a nutshell is a process that concerns breeding Pokémon from different language versions in order to have better chances of obtaining Shiny ones. The name is an attribution (by fans) because the method itself was explained by Masuda in a blog post. Though less related to music and more related to game development, the regard is still maintained and it's still an appreciable one, given the contributions in the latter area.
At any rate, Junichi Masuda is still readily identified with Pokémon music, even though he has always had a bigger role for the franchise (including presently as Chief Creative Fellow of TPC). The influences to the former area are respectable and so are the principles that guide the development of Pokémon games. The "method to the madness" can thus be regarded as the music and ways of playing that capture the greatest vivacity of Pokémon in general.
One year ago: Submerged in Attraction
Two years ago: Towards the TCGL Horizon
Three years ago: Journeys Gap Ad... in T-Shirt Form
Four years ago: Glyphs of Pokémon?
Five years ago: Playing Pokémon All Day
Six years ago: Getting Lucky with Friends
Seven years ago: A Place for VGC
Eight years ago: Blue and Yellow Philosophy
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