Contents of This Site
The CDs listed on this site are part of my collection and, therefore, far from exhaustive. So the site is not likely to be of universal help but I am just hoping some of the information may interest a few people.
CD No.
CD numbers are quoted to help people to order CDs and probably the most (or only ^_^;;) important information here. If you notice any mistake, please let me know.
Price
The price of CDs, especially old ones, is a bit complicated. Japan introduced 3% consumer tax on 1st April 1989. This replaced a previous 10%(?) duty imposed on CD and the prices given here can be older or new price (to make the matter even more complicated, the VAT went up to 5% on 1st April 1997 and next increase is being talked by politicians). Please use them as a guide only.
Comments and Rating
Everything written in italics is my comments. Both the rating and comments are according to my personal view and, therefore, will not necessarily match yours. The 'domburi' (noodle bowl) symbols are used for the rating and five domburi is the full mark.
... You can't call yourself a big fan without it.
... Highly recommended for all fans.
... A good buy for dedicated fans.
... Only for "a collector", not for an average fan.
... Just forget about it.
It is likely for you to see only few of the last two as I usually do not bother to list such CDs up here.
Title Translation
English translation of titles etc are given in square bracket ([]). They are my translation and not the official ones.
Category of CDs
CDs are categorised in several groups; "soundtracks", "drama", "songs," "CD single," "maxi single," and "others". Obviously this is far from adequate and a "soundtrack" CD may contain drama tracks and vice versa.
Sales
I am not a CD merchant. Thus the CDs listed here is not for sale in any meaning, except those shown here (don't click if you are after inexpensive CDs).
Symbols used in Japanese CDs
I occasionally receive questions about symbols used in Japanese CDs and here are some of them and what they mean.
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This is obviously the copyright information. In anime/manga CDs this is usually the original creators and/or the company who produced the anime/manga |
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This is the information about the publisher, who owns the right to the actual contents of the CD. Again in anime/manga CDs this is usually the record company. |
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This means the content of the CD is domestic (that is, Japanese). Almost all the anime/manga CDs should fall in this category. |
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Opposite to the above, this means the content of the CD is imported. So my George Winston CD (^o^;;) has this on it. |
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This means the CD is "Sales Only", that is, forbidden to be used in rental shops. |
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Price of the most of Japanese CDs are protected for a fix period by law and this symbol means the CD is one of them. The date follows it (used to be two years and now six months after the release) is its expiration date. So shops can sell it at any price after the date. It is often misunderstood as "reprinted date" but it is misinterpretation of the kanji in the circle. Please note that the scheme is under continuous discussion and may change in any time. |
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This is the date of release of the CD. Please note that, in Japanese, the order is year-month-day. So this example means the CD is released on 25 Nov 2001. Also in old CDs the year is expressed by a character (N=1984, I=1985, H=1986, O=1987, R=1988, E=1989, C=1990, D=1991, K=1992 etc). |
How to contact me
Please send any questions/comments/suggestions etc to st_nht AT hkg DOT odn DOT ne DOT jp. If you want me to reply, please avoid sending mails from AOL and its related accounts as they sometimes refuse mails from my IPS (that is, I can read your mail but have no way to reply).
Well, you know... ^_-