The Lead Composer for Dragon Quest is Officially the Oldest Game Music Composer

What a strange, specific award. How about "World's Oldest Breakfast Cereal Logo Designer"? Or "World's Hairiest Hotel Receptionist"? Pointless. But good luck to the fella.

Love listening to the music of the Dragon Quest series. I own the Dragon Quest VIII & VII Original Soundtracks, and looking to keep building on my collection. My favourite song in the series is the Dragon Quest VIII Original Soundtrack version of 'Ah Yes, At That Time'. Sugiyama is my favourite composer to listen to with Grant Kirkhope and David Wise coming pretty close.

And what a soundtrack!

I haven't really played a lot of Dragon Quest games, but living in Japan you basically learn some of the main songs from the series by heart without trying just by walking around. Not to mention that by working as an elementary school teacher I get to hear kids who probably weren't alive before the series started getting X's in the titles rock that main theme on their melodicas.

@Milton_Burle To be fair, the vast majority of Guinness World Records are completely pointless.

Good for him! As long as he's well and he enjoys working.

@Milton_Burle
Japanese people are so unique. Please understand...
Anyway, wow. Already 85 years old ?
Congrats...!

That's a good age to reach regardless of his profession. Continued health to him.

This man is a true genius if ever there was one. I played Dragon Quest VIII and couldn't believe how much of a treat it was for the ears - beautiful melodies one after the other. It's years since I played it but those tunes are a part of me now.

I most love the slower ones like Melody of Love (DQ V) or Over the Sorrow (DQ VIII) but it's all really stirring.

John Williams is 84 and is still working as well. He confirmed he is scoring the next Star Wars film.

I should give some of his work a listen sometime

Cool but he's also a psycho who believes that the rape of Nanking and other Japanese war crimes never happened. Roughly the equivalent of a holocaust denier.
Don't let that take away from enjoying the game or score, but I don't think he should be personally celebrates.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Sugiyama, while a great composer, has attempted historical revisionism and claims that many of Japan's atrocities committed during WW2 never happened (such as the Rape of Nanking).

He's created great work, but in this article celebrating the man, I don't think we should forget this frustrating aspect.

Cool but he's also a psycho who believes that the rape of Nanking and other Japanese war crimes never happened. Roughly the equivalent of a holocaust denier.
Don't let that take away from enjoying the game or score, but I don't think he should be personally celebrated

Good to hear that such a great composer is being honored. Everytime I start up one of the DQ games, I am reminded of his talents & part of why I love this series so much.

Too bad this accomplishment is somewhat marred by this man's, uh... less than popular political views (basically he firmly believes Japan did nothing wrong in WWII).

@GeminiSaint
Isn't that a typical belief of any party in favour of a particular side in a conflict?

@shaneoh no. How many Germans believe that the nazis did nothing wrong and deny the holocaust?

@shaneoh
It's not that he simply "believes" that. He actively goes out of his way to hinder any advancement toward Japan acknowledging some of the horrible war crimes they've commited during WWII, such as the notorious Rape of Nanking, which someone already mentioned. If you want to know more about that gruesome event (which this man says never happened), look it up on Wikipedia.

@TossedLlama
The key difference here is that Albert Einstein deeply regretted having allowed for the creation of the atomic bomb.

@D_e_A_c_T
Depends on how many people believe in the Nazi ideals, that's the point.

@GeminiSaint
I looked it up before I commented, not pleasant. Similar incidents occurred in occupied Germany by Allied forces (and likely elsewhere too), although details mostly seems to focus on the Soviets, details on other countries involvement in these abhorrent crimes seems to be somewhat lacking.

@TossedLlama
Yeah, his opinion doesn't distract me either

@shaneoh if someone denied that war crimes on my side they'd be scum too.
You missed the point.
Read a book.
Denying the existence of Comfort Women and the Rape of Nanking makes this guy scum. Straight up. Scum.
Denying these events does not put Japan in the best light especially when their revisionist standards do anything but endear them to their neighbors.

@GeminiSaint this guy isn't gonna get it.
The whole atomic bomb comparison is mind blowingly ignorant.
He's entitled to be scum but he's just that.

Okay. I need to go back into self imposed exile.

@D_e_A_c_T
As I previously mentioned, details of the non-Soviet side of the Allies in similar atrocities is slim, that reeks of denial to me. I've read 11 books in the last 21 days, so no issues there. Considering he would have had no involvement in Nanking, calling him scum is unfair. May as well call people who think the moon landing was fake, scum, or those that thought the world was a disc. People believe stuff, it may not be factual, but it's theirs to believe.

@shaneoh yes people who think the moon landing is fake are scum. People who deny war crimes are also scummy.
denying war crimes enables others to do the same and prevents future people from learning from history.
and I do believe we should teach about our own side's war cirmes. Sure. Certainly. we're doing that now more than ever if you look at the accountability directed towards those involved at Gitmo and all that.

Accountability is essential in healing wounds and learning from the past. Those who encourage ignorance are scummy in my book. Especially when the facts of history stare them in the face.

@D_e_A_c_T
"yes people who think the moon landing is fake are scum."
Can't tell if you're being serious or not...

Considering the person in question is a music composer, I don't see his personal opinion being instrumental in the behaviour of Japanese armed forces in any future conflict. The Japanese people are aware of the incident, whether the individual believes it actually happened or not, they'll still learn something from it.

Accountability is all well and good, but these days people seem to think that descendants should be paying the price for the transgressions of their ancestors. The people that should be held accountable for the Nanking and all other atrocities are those responsible for them. The problem with the "facts" of history is that it is written by the victor, which is why we are unlikely to know the full details of monstrosities committed by Allied forces. Can't have the heroes appearing less than pure.