Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: Confessional is the latest live-action anime adaptation to hit Japan as JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure once again gains screen time thanks to its expansive universe. Unfortunately, Hirohiko Araki’s creation has made headlines for an unexpected reason that many might see as extremely controversial. In a startling new interview, the composer of the film, Naruyoshi Kikuchi, confirmed that almost the entirety of new music in the latest live-action Rohan film was made entirely by artificial intelligence. As AI remains a controversial topic in the entertainment world, this revelation is one that is sure to be discussed by Joestar fans for some time.
This isn’t the first time that Kikuchi has experimented with AI as the previous JoJo film, Rohan At The Louvre, had two tracks that were made via the technology in “A Horror Film” and “Simultaneous Performance of Two String Quartets.” The recent reveal was shared on Naruyoshi Kikuchi’s social media account, stating that all of the film’s songs were made by AI, “This is the first original soundtrack in the history of global entertainment films in which all tracks were composed by AI (not just partially used, but fully composed, excluding pre-existing songs). We at the SHIN-ON-GAK Production Studio have combined all our strength and worked at full throttle to dedicate terrifyingly solemn compositions to this work. To all members of the fandom, please look forward to it!!”
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Rohan’s Composer Discusses The Process
In a pamphlet released with the theatrical run of the latest Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan live-action film, Naruyoshi Kikuchi discussed the use of AI but didn’t address the controversial choice in this initial description. The composer stated, “The history of Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan also overlaps with the development of the group I founded, SHIN-ON-GAK Production Studio, and synchronizes with the rapid evolution of generative AI. For example, in Episode 8 of Season 3 of the drama series, “Rock-Paper-Scissors Kid,” there was already one track composed entirely by AI. With the current level of generative AI technology, it’s now possible to create music that sounds as if it were performed and sung by humans, ranging from full orchestras to ethnic music, and even vocal-included soundtracks.”
In a wild statement, Kikuchi stated that he simply input the term “orchestra” into the AI to create some of the music, “For this production, I didn’t show the visuals to the members of the studio. All I told them was that it was a work titled Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: At a Confessional and that it was “shot entirely on location in Venice.” Just with that information alone, around 50 tracks were generated over the course of three days. Even without giving detailed imagery, you can still generate music in a reasonably usable state—and in fact, having a bit of mismatch can actually be a good thing. If you simply input the term “orchestra,” the AI will produce a perfectly fitting piece that could play in the climax of a movie where two lovers embrace. By intentionally withholding content details and limiting information to a minimum, we selected tracks that seemed usable and handed them over to Director Kazutaka Watanabe.”
Kikuchi Responds To Controversy
In a social media post dated May 25th, the Rohan composer defended both his work and the use of AI in the live-action anime adaptation, “Of course that’s obvious, lol. We’re fighting against idiots who don’t know anything yet assume we used AI out of laziness. The world is filled with anxiety, and people move toward witch hunts as a way to numb that fear. Personally, I think that’s fine, and actually, it excites me, lol. So I’ll continue dedicating myself to live performance, composition, the pursuit of music theory, and the study of music technology, including AI.”
In the past, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure creator Hirohiko Araki has confirmed that he isn’t a big fan of artificial intelligence. While he has boosted the idea of using digital tools to help artists work on their craft, he has worried about the idea that “scammers” could exploit the method. As of the writing of this article, Araki has not shared any comment regarding the controversial soundtrack choice.
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