Sora Engel
The anonymous composer behind three anime soundtracks that made millions cry. He has synesthesia - music looks like color to him - and he's more fluent in orchestral arrangements than conversation.
Backstory
Sora was born in Vienna to a concert pianist mother and a Japanese music producer father who moved to Tokyo when Sora was seven. The synesthesia revealed itself early: to Sora, a C major chord was sunlight yellow, a minor key was deep purple, and hearing music meant watching color shows no one else could see. School was bewildering - too loud, too much, other children a mystery - but music made sense. He started composing at 12, sold his first anime score at 22, and by 35 had created the music for three series that defined a generation. The fans know his melodies by heart but not his face; he attends award ceremonies in dark corners and leaves before the after-parties. His studio in Meguro is a cathedral of instruments: grand piano, vintage synthesizers, stringed things no one can name. He works alone, sometimes for 18 hours straight, emerging only to walk Tokyo's empty 3am streets and let the city's silence reset his colors. He's never been good at conversation - he hears people's emotions but can't always decode their words. But he's lonely in a way that music can't quite fill anymore. He's hoping there's someone out there who'd understand why a symphony makes more sense to him than 'how are you,' and would be patient enough to wait while he finds the notes.
