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After forming Key, Maeda worked on the music and scenario for their first title ''[[Kanon (visual novel)|Kanon]]'' released in 1999, which proved to be very popular in the [[Eroge|adult game]] market in Japan. Beside Maeda, the majority of ''Kanon''{{'s}} scenario was written by Naoki Hisaya, but he quit Key shortly after ''Kanon'' was produced. Following this, Maeda wrote most of the scenario for Key's next title ''[[Air (visual novel)|Air]]'', along with again working as the [[lyricist]] and one of the composers for the music featured in the game. After a period of four years in 2004, Key released their third and longest game ''[[Clannad (visual novel)|Clannad]]'' where Maeda did a vast amount of the writing for the game; in all, Maeda put in around 75% of the work that went into the creation of ''Clannad''. Also in 2004, Maeda began writing his first [[manga]] entitled ''[[Hibiki's Magic]]'', which was first conceived as a short story he wrote as a student.<ref name="volume1">{{cite book|last=Maeda|first=Jun|title=Hibiki's Magic|volume=1|date=January 9, 2007|publisher=[[Tokyopop]]|page=228|isbn=978-1-59816-766-5}}</ref> In 2005, Maeda worked on the scenario and music for Key's fifth game ''[[Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life]]'', followed by Key's sixth title ''[[Little Busters!]]'' released in July 2007 which he also worked on in regards to the scenario and music.
Maeda was reported to say in the February 2007 issue of ''[[Comptiq]]'' that after the completion of ''Little Busters!'', he would not be working on the scenario staff for Key any longer. However, in an interview in the December 2007 issue of ''[[Dengeki G's Magazine]]'', Maeda said that he would still be working on the music for Key's next game.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Jun Maeda and Shinji Orito Interview|magazine=[[Dengeki G's Magazine]]|date=October 30, 2007|publisher=[[MediaWorks (publisher)|MediaWorks]]|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref><ref name="rewrite" /> In 2007, Maeda also composed the ending theme for the game ''Himawari no Chapel de Kimi to'' for the company Marron, and he was on the music staff for [[Ram (company)|Ram's]] game ''[[5 (visual novel)|5]]'' released in July 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marron.nu/web/himawari/index.html|title=Himawari no Chapel de Kimi to official website|accessdate=November 16, 2007|language=Japanese|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081023064937/http://www.marron.nu/web/himawari/index.html|archivedate=October 23, 2008|df=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ram.product.co.jp/5/product.html|title= product page for the visual novel ''5''|publisher=[[Ram (company)|Ram]]|accessdate=April 1, 2008|language=Japanese}}</ref> Maeda worked in collaboration with [[Na-Ga]] and [[ASCII Media Works]]' ''[[Dengeki G's Magazine]]'' to the anime series and [[Media franchise|mixed media]] project ''[[Angel Beats!]]'' as the planner and writer, as well as composing the anime's music. Maeda worked on Key's ninth game ''[[Rewrite (visual novel)|Rewrite]]'' with the composition of the game's music and as the quality checker.<ref name="rewrite">{{cite web|url=http://key.visualarts.gr.jp/rewrite/rewrite.html|title=''Rewrite'' visual novel official website|publisher=[[Key (company)|Key]]|
In 2015, Maeda designed and co-wrote the scenario for the ''[[Angel Beats! (visual novel)|Angel Beats!]]'' visual novel, as well as composing some of the game's music. Maeda once again collaborated with Na-Ga, ''Dengeki G's Magazine'', P.A. Works, and Aniplex to produce his second anime series ''[[Charlotte (anime)|Charlotte]]'' in 2015, contributing as the planner, writer, and composing the anime's music. In 2016, Maeda revealed that he is suffering from [[dilated cardiomyopathy]]. To recover from this condition, he will need a [[heart transplant]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-07-29/clannad-charlotte-writer-jun-maeda-reveals-he-needs-heart-transplant/.104783|title=Clannad/Charlotte Writer Jun Maeda Reveals He Needs Heart Transplant|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|date=July 29, 2016|accessdate=August 11, 2016}}</ref> Maeda is credited for the original concept and the composition of the music for Key's visual novel ''[[Summer Pockets]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gs.dengeki.com/news/89671/|title=Key新作『Summer Pockets』発表! ヒロイン公開＆制作陣に独占インタビュー!|publisher=[[ASCII Media Works]]|date=December 8, 2016|accessdate=December 8, 2016|language=Japanese}}</ref>
==Writing themes==
As is prevalent in the scenarios Maeda has written for [[visual novel]]s, there are recurring themes related to the concept of a family and the bonds that hold it together.<ref name="long-interview">{{cite journal|title=Key Scenario Staff Long Interview|journal=Colorful Pure Girl|issue=March 2001|language=Japanese}}</ref> Most prevalent are the maternal bonds felt between a mother and daughter relationship, as can be seen strongly in ''[[Kanon (visual novel)|Kanon]]'', ''[[Air (visual novel)|Air]]'', and ''[[Clannad (visual novel)|Clannad]]''. However, in one of his earliest works, ''[[Moon (visual novel)|Moon]]'', there was a conflict between the female protagonist and her late mother. On the other hand, Maeda rarely includes detailed descriptions of a paternal relationship in his works, and only in ''Clannad'' did he explore such a relationship in any depth. Another recurring theme is that of [[magical realism]], or adding fantastical elements into a story that would appear otherwise to be normal, such as with the concept of the illusionary world in ''Clannad'', or the use of magic in ''Air'' and supernatural elements in ''Charlotte''. Similarly, the concept of the switching between a real-life setting and the mystical Eternal World from ''[[One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e]]'' has been compared to Haruki Murakami's novel ''Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World'', which uses a similar dichotomy between reality and fantasy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www32.ocn.ne.jp/~obika/book/game.htm|title=''One'' review|accessdate=May 25, 2008|language=Japanese|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080319181000/http://www32.ocn.ne.jp/~obika/book/game.htm|archivedate=March 19, 2008|df=}}</ref>
After the production of ''Moon'' with its melancholic storylines, Maeda decided to shoot for what has later become known as a "crying game", starting with ''One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e''. A crying game in this sense is a type of [[bishōjo game]] which can make the player cry for the characters, and thus give a more profound impact on the players. When working on ''Kanon'' with a similar goal, Maeda worked in depressing elements to the two heroines' stories he wrote for: [[Makoto Sawatari]], and [[Mai Kawasumi]].
==Musical involvement==
Jun Maeda [[Composer|composes]] and [[Lyricist|writes lyrics]] for songs and [[background music]] featured in games he works on. At [[Tactics (company)|Tactics]], he composed a single piece of music for ''[[Moon (visual novel)|Moon]]'', but did not contribute to the music in ''[[One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e]]''. At Key, Maeda has worked on the music for all of Key's titles except for ''[[Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet]]'' and ''[[Rewrite (visual novel)|Rewrite Harvest festa!]]''.<ref name="erogamescape">{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203153954/http://erogamescape.dyndns.org/~ap2/ero/toukei_kaiseki/creater.php?creater=938|url=http://erogamescape.dyndns.org/~ap2/ero/toukei_kaiseki/creater.php?creater=938|title=Jun Maeda's visual novel contributions|archivedate=February 3, 2009|publisher=ErogameScape|accessdate=April 8, 2015|language=Japanese}}</ref> He also composed and wrote the lyrics to the ending theme song for the ''Clannad'' anime series,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://61.199.33.219/games/info/musicinfo/keysoundslabel/clannad_maxi/|title=''Mag Mell / Dango Daikazoku'' album information|accessdate=November 16, 2007|language=Japanese|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520092547/http://61.199.33.219/games/info/musicinfo/keysoundslabel/clannad_maxi/|archivedate=May 20, 2011|df=}}</ref> and similarly for the opening theme song for the ''Clannad After Story'' anime series. Music that Maeda composes for Key titles is published on Key's [[record label]] [[Key Sounds Label]]. On the label, Maeda produced three singles and one album where he wrote and composed all the songs which include: "[[Natsukage|Natsukage / Nostalgia]]", "[[Birthday Song,Requiem]]", "[[Spica/Hanabi/Moon]]", and ''[[Love Song (Riya album)|Love Song]]''; the songs on the first three were sung by [[Lia (singer)|Lia]] and the fourth was sung by [[Riya]].
Maeda wrote and composed the two songs "Doll", performed separately by Lia and [[Aoi Tada]], and "Human", performed by Lia; both versions of "Doll" were used as the main ending [[Theme music|theme songs]] for the second season of the anime series ''[[Gunslinger Girl]]'' in 2008, while "Human" was used for the final episode. Maeda's first involvement as a main composer was with the 2008 visual novel ''[[5 (visual novel)|5]]'' by [[Ram (company)|Ram]] where he composed about twenty [[background music]] tracks.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://key.visualarts.gr.jp/diary/2008/06/post_19.html|title=This is Maeda. Here is an Advertisement|publisher=[[Key (company)|Key]]| accessdate=June 18, 2008|language=Japanese}}</ref> Maeda also wrote and composed the opening and ending themes used in ''5''.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://ram.product.co.jp/5/top.html|title=''5'' visual novel official website|publisher=[[Ram (company)|Ram]] |accessdate=May 25, 2008| language=Japanese}}</ref> Maeda formed his own record label named Flaming June in 2011, and the first release on the label is the single "Killer Song" by [[Nagi Yanagi]] released in December 2011. Flaming June released an original concept album with Yanagi on April 25, 2012 titled ''[[Owari no Hoshi no Love Song]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://flaming-june.com/001/lovesong2/#discography|title=『終わりの惑星のLove Song』 Discography|trans-title=Owari no Hoshi no Love Song Discography|publisher=Flaming June|accessdate=May 2, 2012|language=Japanese}}</ref> Maeda released the concept album ''Long Long Love Song'' featuring [[Anri Kumaki]] on July 26, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://key.soundslabel.com/long_long_love_song/|title=Long Long Love Song 麻枝 准×熊木杏里|publisher=[[Key Sounds Label]]|accessdate=May 27, 2017|language=Japanese}}</ref>
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