The Woman Who Took Sword Art Online To The Next Level

gamerant.com:

Sword Art Online might not be for everyone, but anyone who has watched it, even with a more critical eye, has likely become ensnared by its best qualities. One such quality that has been universally praised is its score, composed by Yuki Kajiura, an artist with a style more distinct than almost anyone in the industry.

Japanese-born yet raised in Germany, Yuki Kajiura became exposed to classical music from an early age, as her father was enamored with it and wished for Kajiura to pursue it as well. It was a love that she inherited and which pushed her towards a career in music that led her to compose for film and television.

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Everyone has a particular show that comes to mind first when her composing comes up, and Sword Art Online happens to be one of the more contemporary associations. It could just as easily be Garden on Sinners, Fate/Zero, or more recently, the sensation that is Demon Slayer. But for fans that have been around for longer, her earliest hits were foundational TV scores such as NOIR and .hack//SIGN.

Kajiura's love of the piano has never been lacking in her music and at times feels so essential that it may very well be the foundation of her work, like the spine supporting the frame of a body. Often songs will begin with simple melodies that are later expanded upon by a swelling orchestra or a choir.

The central melody is not limited to piano however and is just as easily remedied by the playful and wispy plucking of string instruments. Orchestral pieces are Kajiura's bread and butter, but it can't be understated how effective her more experimental tracks that delve into synth and rock. Works like .hack or darker entries in the Fate series have some distinctly modern-sounding