Kaoru Hasegawa
Kaoru Hasegawa | |
|---|---|
| 長谷川 薫 | |
| Born | 1971 (age 52–53) |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Employer | Spike Chunsoft |
| Notable work | Mystery Dungeon |
Kaoru Hasegawa (長谷川 薫, Hasegawa Kaoru, born 1971) is a Japanese game artist and part of Spike Chunsoft's affiliation. Since 1994, he contributes to the company, with the Mystery Dungeon franchise as the main character designer for the Shiren the Wanderer series since its first title in 1995, and as an artist for other video game titles.
Career[edit]
Before working in the Mystery Dungeon franchise, Hasegawa has contributed in Kamaitachi no Yoru as an artist. He later took part during the production of Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer for the Super Famicom. In an interview with Chunsoft, they wanted someone who could work on the then sequel of Torneko's Great Adventure: Mystery Dungeon, but he was not familiar with the title, nor the roguelike genre at the time of the interview. After being interested in the genre by playing through the game and being employed in the company, he was able work in the game. The game was set in feudal Japan, as the game's scenarist Shin-ichiro Tomie decided to set the game in this theme instead of a western art style, like Akira Toriyama's Dragon Quest characters. Many drafts were made for the silent protagonist of the eponymous game, and its mascot monster the Mamel, but most of them were lost.[1] Since then, he has contributed to the series as a character designer, occasionally as an art director like in Shiren the Wanderer 2.[2]
Hasegawa has taken part in few events related to the series. In 2012, during the first Nico Nico Game Master event, him and Tomie appeared in the finale of a real-time attack of the first Shiren the Wanderer game.[3] For the 20th anniversary of the Shiren the Wanderer series, he appeared in an exhibition of the series' artworks and performed a live painting on July 11, 2015.[4] Likewise for the series' 25th anniversary, another exhibition was hold featuring his works where he took part shortly in the event.[5] Additionally, he has contributed a new artwork for the Steam and Nintendo Switch port of Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate.[6]
Unrelated to the Mystery Dungeon franchise, he would contribute as an artist in other video games and media. One such was a towel featuring both Shiren the Wanderer′s Koppa and Danganronpa′s Monokuma during an exhibition of goods from the company and the release of Kenka Bancho Otome.[7] Another artwork was made for the PlayStation's 20th anniversary, along with many other video game artists.[8]
Works[edit]
Video games[edit]
Other media[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Shiren the Wanderer: Flowers Dancing in the Golden Town Amteca | Character artist | |
| 2006 | Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters Out of the Gate! | Special thanks |
References[edit]
- ^ a b 『風来のシレン』の制作陣が語る！ 新世代ローグライクゲーム『世紀末デイズ』の魅力とは. Famitsu (in Japanese). July 9, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ 『風来のシレン』20年間の貴重な資料やイラストを多数展示、長谷川薫氏によるライブペイントも. Famitsu (in Japanese). July 11, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ 最速のシレンは誰だ！ 第1回“ニコニコゲームマスター”本戦の模様をリポート. Famitsu (in Japanese). November 18, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
- ^ a b c "風来のシレン展"でキャラデザの長谷川薫さんがライブペインティングを披露！ イベントは7月26日まで開催. Dengeki Online (in Japanese). July 11, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ 大好評「風来のシレン展」にて2021年丑年年賀状プレゼント企画開催！. Hakabanogarou (in Japanese). December 24, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ Switch/PC版『風来のシレン 5plus』発売日決定。店舗特典の内容は？. Dengeki Online (in Japanese). September 8, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ 「コミックマーケット89」にスパイク・チュンソフトが出展―「モノクマコッパ タオルセット」が公開. Gamer.jp (in Japanese). November 24, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ プレイステーション20周年記念特別企画、著名イラストレーター＆デザイナーによる“プレイステーション20周年お祝い色紙”一挙公開！. Famitsu (in Japanese). December 4, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ "シレンGB2制作スタッフからの激励のお言葉". Famitsu (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2014-03-17. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
- ^ EZアプリ「風来のシレンGOLD」配信開始，「シレン3」の公式攻略モバイルサイトもオープン. 4gamer (in Japanese). October 23, 2008. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ 「不思議のダンジョン」と「世界樹の迷宮」がコラボレーション 世界樹と不思議のダンジョン. 4gamer (in Japanese). March 4, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ Masumi, Murakami (December 13, 2018). 「ポケモンGO」で挫折した私が「テクテクテクテク」を楽しめている理由. IT Media (in Japanese). Retrieved May 19, 2022.
- ^ Richard Eisenbeis (December 8, 2023). "New Shiren the Wanderer Game Director and Project Manager Talk About Going Back to Basics". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
