This concept album is my "Final Major Project" for UH University.
It is a "Dolby Digital Professional 5.1" surround type of work.
The concept is based on the story of Tsutomu Miyazaki, best know as “The Otaku Murderer”. He was a very smart Japanese student who suffered with a malformation to the hands. This misfortune shaped his character and his social life, slowly turning him into a paedophile first (taking pictures and videos of his victims) and then into a true serial killer of four female children. After abusing their bodies, he would engage in acts such as drinking their blood and eating their hands (because of his disease he was obsessed with hands).
Following these murders, the word “Otaku” has assumed a significant meaning, and this is why nowadays it is considered a strong taboo in Japan.
The album is a representation of the inner journey in the psychology and interiority of the person and the mind that stands behind these murders. It explores the different emotional states, sensations and sudden and strong switches of mood, all narrated through the music. The album consists of brief and diverse chunks, where each one represents a specific mental state or episode of this tragedy.
Despite the disturbing and macabre tones of this event, I intended to narrate it in a delicate way. Firstly, because the story is told in first person, by the protagonist (the murderer) and secondly, because whilst doing what he did, he was deeply convinced that he was doing something right (“Tell the world I am a gentle man” is what he last said before being executed.)
Genre and narrative style: I did attempt to amalgamate various elements in order to create a unique and original language to tell a story with; to narrate and describe what (I would like to think) was in the mind of the murderer.
credits
released 04 May 2012
"Otaku - Music for an imaginary film" - by Francesco Cassino (comakid)
Written, recorded, arranged, produced and mastered by Francesco Cassino
Artwork and graphics by Pietro Garrone (pietrogarrone.com)
DVD graphic contents by: Pietro Garrone, Dora Tkalcic, Francesco Strada, Francesco Cassino
Thanks to: Dora, Nicola, Marco, Faz, Valeria, Angela, mamma e papà.
To Dora.