Interview:Tsunku♂ on Rhythm Heaven

	The name Tsunku♂ might not mean much to about 99.9 percent of you reading this article, but in Japan, this man is a Pretty Big Deal: among his many projects, he's a pretty famous record producer and songwriter, and even fronts the rockgroup Sharan Q.
	But his latest project hit the US: he was responsible for much of the original compositions in Rhythm Heaven, just released in the US for the Nintendo DS. We had the opportunity to throw Tsunku♂ a few questions in celebration of Rhythm Heaven's debut.
IGN:	What's you're[sic] specific involvement with the Rhythm Heaven series, did you have any input in the game design or were you just responsible for the music?
Tsunku♂:	My collaboration with Nintendo began with my submission of a game proposal. In Japan, with games that use rhythm and sound, it's long been the case that the placement of accents and the timing of button presses has had nothing to do with music. For someone like myself whose work revolves around music, this has never seemed right, and I wrote up my proposal in hopes of doing away with this. I also felt that without Nintendo's expertise, realizing my idea for a rhythm game would be impossible. It wasn't like I really knew anyone with Nintendo, either. It was a bit risky, but my staff just took our proposal and approached them directly. Then, after numerous meetings and dance classes, I was able to convey my idea to the software engineers, and slowly, it became a reality. Rhythm Tengoku for Game Boy Advance was completed as a result, and two years later we expanded the idea with Rhythm Tengoku Gold for Nintendo DS.
IGN:	Have you worked on any videogames before Rhythm Heaven that we might know?
Tsunku♂:	Until now, I hadn't done any producing for games, but I think I'd furnished several compositions and such.
IGN:	Are you fluent in English or did you have to have someone else handle the English translations for the songs?
Tsunku♂:	The only English I know was what I'd learned in school, so I'm much better at reading it than speaking it. When I use English in Japanese songs, it's always done with a dictionary in one hand. In the case where you're going to use something in America, however, it should really be done with professional interpretation. This American version of Rhythm Heaven was done with that sort of professional interpretation.
IGN:	What sort of music influences your compositions?
Tsunku♂:	I grew up listening to The Beatles. At the same time, I was also raised in the midst of Japanese popular music. Back in my high school days, I used to listen to radio stations that played hit songs and disco from the US and Europe almost everyday. That's about it.
IGN:	Which level and song in Rhythm Heaven turned out to be your favorite?
Tsunku♂:	I like MUNCHY MONK and FROG HOP, but really there are too many to name. LOCKSTEP is also really interesting!

Rhythm Heaven
Rhythm Games		• • • •
		• • • •
		• • • •
		• • • •
		• • • •
		• • • •
		• • • •
		• • • •
		• • • •
		• • • •
Medal Corner	Endless Games	• • • • •
	Rhythm Toys	• • • • • •
	Guitar Lessons ★Basic Course★	• • •
	Guitar Lessons ★Technical Course★	• • •
Miscellaneous		• • • Title • Practice Flicking • Listen to Music • Read Something • Perfect Campaign • Characters • The Rhythm League • Rhythm Heaven • Rock 'n' Roll Hall • Development History • Sound Test • Demo • Rhythm Tengoku Gold Comic • •