If you've spent a good amount of time playing Castlevania games in the past, there's a high probability you've probably encountered Michiru Yamane's music in the past — even if you don't happen to know her name.
The acclaimed Japanese composer has been a regular contributor to the classic Konami demon-slaying series since 1994's Castlevania Bloodlines on the Sega Mega Drive, notably writing the soundtrack to what many consider to be the series's high point — 1997's Castlevania Symphony of the Night — as well as several Castlevania games for handheld consoles, and the Castlevania spiritual successor Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
All of this is say that she's a pretty big deal when it comes to the realm of video game music, and someone whose work continues to be studied and analysed to this day. That's why we thought we thought it was worth highlighting to our readers that the composer actually has her own YouTube channel online that you might not know about — one which sees the legendary musician perform a bunch of pieces from her past on her home piano, while her pet cats typically saunter around in the background.
The channel is by no means new (we've personally been subscribed to it for over a year now), but it's something that we feel has potentially gone under the radar a bit and is worth shouting about now in the hopes of bringing more eyes to her videos — especially those belonging to Western fans of the series.
Her most recent upload was published just three days ago and is a piano arrangement of Symphony of the Night's Rainbow Cemetery.
Meanwhile, other recent videos feature tracks from other games she's worked on like Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, and Dawn of Sorrow.
It's a true gold mine for video game music fans, and a rare opportunity to see one of Castlevania's most-prolific musicians perform alternative takes of her most famous compositions.
Here's a direct link to the channel, just in case you want to check it out for yourself (and subscribe).