Composer Hattori Katsuhisa has been a respected figure in the Japanese music industry for many years. He is most well known in the US for composing anime soundtracks for popular television shows and movies such as Crest of the Stars (1999) and Fist of the North Star (1986), but he’s also had a long career composing music for Japanese films.
In 1969 he composed a terrific soundtrack for Yoichi Maeda’s little known film Nanatsu no kao no onna (aka The Woman with Seven Faces) which starred Shima Iwashita, Ken Ogata and Ichiro Arishima. We’ve never seen the movie ourselves and haven’t been able to find out very much about it, but we do know it has a great soundtrack!
Hattori Katsuhisa’s score for Nanatsu no kao no onna ranges from Bossa Nova, to Easy, to Beat and contains some commanding horn arrangements, nice vocalisms, sweeping strings, interesting violin work, subtle flute and driving beats. We’ve uploaded two complimentary tracks from the Nanatsu no kao no onna score that soundtrack enthusiasts should enjoy.
Many fans of Japanese cinema are probably familiar with actor Jo Shishido, but not a lot of people know that he was also a singer. Jo Shishido performed numerous songs in some of his early films and even released an album called “Ace no Jo.”
In 1961 Jo Shishido got his first big starring role in Buichi Saito’s film Rokudenashi Kagyo (aka Dirty Work). In the movie Shishido plays Eiji Yano, a carefree rogue who’s prone to breaking out into song whenever the mood strikes him.
The title song from Rokudenashi Kagyo is a catchy R&R/R&B song that enka fans should enjoy since the composition and Jo’s deep vocal style give it a very traditional feel.
Chiyo Okumura is often referred to as the “Eastern Sylvie Vartan” and with her cute looks and sultry voice it’s pretty easy to see why.
She was a popular vocal star in Japan during 1965-1971 and also appeared in three films for Toho studios alongside actors such as Gen Shimizu, Yutaka Sada, Ryuji Kita and Kei Tani. Chiyo Okumura is still recording and performing in Japan, but she’s most well known for her early efforts.
In 1969-1970 she teamed up with the Japanese songwriters Kunihiko Suzuki and Nakanishi Shitsu to produce three hit singles. “Koi No Dorei” (aka “Love Slave” or “Love Theif”) was the first of these three songs and it’s easily one of Chiyo Okumura best efforts.
“Koi No Dorei” features some nice string and horn arrangements, as well as some solid rhythm guitar and catchy electric piano riffs. It’s one of our favorite Chiyo Okumura songs and really shows off her strong voice.
I don’t know a lot about the Pinky Chicks, but I do know this six piece girl band made some fun music.
The band’s 1968 debut single for Victor was called “Yopparata Ojoosan” (aka “The Drunken Girl” or “The Drunk Girl”) and features what sounds like Alvin & the Chipmunks contributing backup vocals.
This odd, but cute tune tells a humorous tale about a girl getting drunk after she is stood up by a boy she was supposed to meet at a bar. Since the boy never arrives she decides to drown her sorrows with various alcholic drinks and becomes a “drunken girl” before the song is over.
Za KageStar (aka The Shadow Star) was a tokusatsu program that aired between 1976-1977 on NET TV in Japan over a course of 34 episodes. The show starred Naoki Tachibana as KageStar, who along with his trusty companion BelleStar (played by Emi Hayakawa), battled the forces of Doctor Satan and his Satan Empire.
Ichirô Mizuki (seen in picture) provided the lead vocals for the 4 songs associated with this show which include the closing theme “Star! Star! KageStar!” where he is accompanied by the childrens choir known as The Columbia Cradle Club. Mizuki is a force to be reckoned with in the world of anime & tokusatsu theme songs, recording hundreds of them over his 30+ year career so be prepared to see/hear more of him in upcoming posts!
Without further delay, this is my favorite KageStar track “Star! Star! KageStar!” and a video of the opening title sequence.
Composer Hattori Katsuhisa has been a respected figure in the Japanese music industry for many years. He is most well known in the US for composing anime soundtracks for popular television shows and movies such as Crest of the Stars (1999) and Fist of the North Star (1986), but he’s also had a long career composing music for Japanese films.
Many fans of Japanese cinema are probably familiar with actor 
Chiyo Okumura is often referred to as the “Eastern Sylvie Vartan” and with her cute looks and sultry voice it’s pretty easy to see why. 
I don’t know a lot about the Pinky Chicks, but I do know this six piece girl band made some fun music.
Za KageStar (aka The Shadow Star) was a tokusatsu program that aired between 1976-1977 on NET TV in Japan over a course of 34 episodes. The show starred Naoki Tachibana as KageStar, who along with his trusty companion BelleStar (played by Emi Hayakawa), battled the forces of Doctor Satan and his Satan Empire.