TaylorJD92
Mamoru Samuragochi was the credited musician for multiple Resident Evil and Onimusha titles, as well as various symphonies. After recently admitting to using a ghost composer for the last two decade’s worth of work, a part-time music teacher in Tokyo, Takashi Niigaki, has claimed to be that ghost writer during a televised press conference.
Here is some of what he had to say at the conference:
“I’ve never felt he was deaf ever since we met. We carry on normal conversations. I don’t think he is (handicapped). At first he acted to me also as if he had suffered hearing loss, but he stopped doing so eventually. He told me, after the music for the video games was unveiled, that he would continue to play the role (of a deaf person).”
If this is true, then Niigaki had composed over twenty tracks since 1996, not just since 1999 when Samuragochi’s hearing completely disappeared. But it gets even stranger. Niigaki tried to end the relationship multiple times with Samuragochi, but when he did, Samuragochi would allegedly threaten suicide. It wasn’t until a Winter Olympian by the name of Daisuke Takahashi was going to skate to a performance credited to Samuragochi that Niigaki finally and completely severed ties to the man.
Since composing music for the accredited composer of video games, films, symphonies, and Olympics, Niigaki has been paid an equivalent of 7 million yen ($70,000).
“I am an accomplice of Samuragochi because I continued composing just as he demanded, although I knew he was deceiving people.”
This is some crazy stuff that’s popped up in the last two days. Personally, I’m not sure how I feel about the entire thing. On one hand, if Samuragochi is a fraud and isn’t deaf, I’m curious as to how he got into a position to pay a ghost composer in the first place. On the other, if Samuragochi really does have a degenerative hearing disorder and Niigaki lied to mitigate his own guilt, only continuing to compose due to suicide threats, I can feel a little sympathy for both. It doesn’t excuse what either of them have done, but regardless, I hope this ends well.
[Source]
