, was a Japanese musician and music producer. He debuted as a musician in 1986 as the guitarist for the band Shijin no Chi, later forming the duo Oh! Penelope with former bandmate Mutsuji Tsuji. Since the mid-1990s, Watanabe worked as a music producer, creating songs such as Chara's "

Yasashii Kimochi is a song by Chara (singer), Chara, released as the first single from her 1997 album ''Junior Sweet''. The song was used in a Shiseido commercial for their 'Tessera J' range. The B-side of this single, ''Junior Sweet'', was also used in these com ...

" (1997),

Hitomi Hitomi may refer to:. People * Hitomi (given name), a feminine Japanese given name * Hitomi (voice actress) (born 1967), Japanese voice actress * Hitomi (singer) (born 1976, as Hitomi Furuya), Japanese singer and songwriter * Hitomi Nabatame (b ...

's "Love 2000" and

Ikimonogakari The romanization of the group's name does not have the hyphen according to Sony's websites for their albums. is a Japanese pop rock musical duo, duo from Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan consisting of Yoshiki Mizuno and Kiyoe Yoshioka. The group starte ...

's "Hana wa Sakura Kimi wa Utsukushi" (2008). In 2000, Watanabe launched a solo project entitled Atami.

Biography

Watanabe debuted as a member of the band Shijin no Chi, through

Epic Records Japan Epic Records Japan is a Japanese record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Its founder was Shigeo Maruyama. Between 1978 and 1988 the label operated as a wholly owned subsidiary: Epic/Sony Inc. () was established in August 1978

. By 1993, the three-person unit had released five studio albums. In March 1994, Watanabe retooled the group as a duo, creating Oh! Penelope with Shijin no Chi's vocalist Mutsuji Tsuji. Oh! Penelope's

mini album A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...

''Photograph'' (1995) was one of the first

enhanced CD Enhanced CD is a certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies that combine audio and computer data for use in both Compact Disc and CD-ROM players. Formats that fall under the "enhanced CD" ca ...

s released in Japan. After releasing their debut full-length album ''Milk & Cookies'' in March 1997, the band disbanded by June. After the band's disbandment, Watanabe focused on working as a music producer, producing music such as Chara's "

" (1997) and "

70% (Yūgure no Uta) is a song by Japanese singer Chara (singer), Chara. It was released as the third single from her album ''Strange Fruits'' on February 17, 1999. It debuted at #36 on the Japanese Oricon album charts, and charted for three weeks. In official descr ...

" (1999),

songs such as "

Love 2000 "Love 2000" is Namie Amuro's 15th single on the Avex Trax label. First pressing privileges came with a bonus remix of the title track. The same remix was later included on a vinyl single released two months after the CD version, as their fourth ...

" and "Samurai Drive" (2001). In April 2000, Watanabe began working on Atami (stylised as atami), a solo music project involving guest vocalists, such as

Miho Hatori is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and musician. She is best known as a solo artist, co-founder of New York City band Cibo Matto, and as the first person to provide the voice of Noodle in the virtual band Gorillaz, as well as for her work with th ...

, Chara, Hitomi and Kirinji. Atami's delf-titled debut album released in February 2001. In 2002, the band's single "Under the Sun" with

Bonnie Pink , known by her stage name Bonnie Pink, is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician. She writes and composes all her songs, and plays guitar and piano. Asada has said that the name Bonnie Pink is random and has no special meaning; she chose it b ...

was used as the theme song for the

Yōsuke Kubozuka is a Japanese actor and musician. Career Yosuke Kubozuka has been a model for many magazines and TV commercials before starting out his acting career where he debuted in a 1995 TV crime drama ''Kindaichi Case Files''. In 1998, he starred in the ...

-starring film ''Laundry''. In March, the second Atami album was released. In addition to popular music, Watanabe worked as a music producer for the films ''Laundry'' (2001), ''Gravity's Clowns'' (2009), ''

On Next Sunday is a 2009 Japanese drama film directed by Satoki Kemmochi and stars Somegoro Ichikawa and Younha, and a soundtrack produced by Zentaro Watanabe. Plot Cast * Somegoro Ichikawa as Shigeru Matsumoto * Younha as Choi So-ra * Naoto Takenaka as K ...

'' (2009) and '' My Rainy Days'' (2009). In 2012, Watanabe worked as the music producer for the

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

drama ''Hatsukoi'', and in 2013 for the anime '' Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea''. After a long period of illness, Watanabe died of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

on 27 July 2021.

Atami discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Production discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watanabe Zentaro 1963 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Japanese guitarists 20th-century Japanese musicians 21st-century Japanese guitarists 21st-century Japanese musicians Deaths from pancreatic cancer Japanese electronic musicians Japanese film score composers Japanese male film score composers Japanese music arrangers Japanese television composers Male television composers Musicians from Okayama Prefecture