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iPods



Where to buy CDs from Japan:




More anime soundtracks:



by Shiro Sagisu



by Keitaro Takanami



by Ritsuko Okazaki



by Masamichi Amano



by Toshiro Masuda



by Sleepin' JohnnyFish



by Melocure



by Swing Out Sister



iPod accessories



iPod auto accessories



car audio systems

leesure time (music)
Enough work already! Time for tunes! Crank up that iPod!

leesure time sections
¶  anime & manga
¶  comics
¶  movies
¶  music


music to write by

     


Lee says:    "I write better to music. Unfortunately, except on rare occasions, I can't write while listening to anything with lyrics. Hearing the words of the song mess up the flow of words in my head I'm trying to put to paper.

Luckily, I've found the solution: Japanese J-Pop and anime soundtracks. Since the Japanese lyrics aren't English words, they don't get in the way of my writing.

J-Pop and anime music draw from the whole gamut of Western music tradition, from classical music to Celtic tunes to bluegrass to trendy retro pop. Anime scores are rich and textured, playful and relaxed. Best of all, the songs are fun! I've doubled, even trebled, my writing output recently, due in large part to having finally found the perfect music to write by. "





online J-Pop & anime music resources

Amazon.com  anime & game soundtrack section
Geneon Anime Music  licensed U.S.releases of Japanese CDs
ANIMETrax  licensed U.S.releases of Japanese CDs
CDJapan  Japanese-market anime DVDs & anime music CDs
Anime Jungle  used Japanese-market anime DVDs & anime music CDs
Studio Neko-Han-Ten   anime/manga CD guide with album info, translated titles
Chuddah's Corner   anime/manga-related game music guide CD guide with album info



Lee says:    "It used to be almost impossible finding anime music outside of Japan. Now, thanks to the Internet and the growing U.S. market for anime, it's gotten amazingly easy.

CDJapan (it's in English) is simply the best place to find and buy music CDs straight from Japan. AnimeJungle is the best for those used copies of hard-to-find out-of-print titles. Both these companies are fast, friendly, and trustworthy; I order from them often.

Even better, recently U.S. companies like Geneon and ANIMETrax have started acquiring licenses to anime albums and now release authorized U.S. editions. These CDs are identical to the original Japanese releases except that all the packaging, labeling, and liner notes are in English. One thing isn't identical: U.S. editions are almost half the price of their Japanese counterparts.

Amazon, too, has started offering more and more Japanese-market import CDs, although unlike CDJapan, they don't provide much information on the albums or usually any sound clips to listen to. Hopefully this changes.

If you do start ordering from Japan, , there are some useful things to know. Soundtracks, best albums, maxi-singles, audio dramas, character albums...an anime series may spawn dozens of different CDs. (There are well over a hundred Sentimental Journey/Sentimental Graffiti CDs, for example!) Sometimes it's hard to be sure that the album you see listed is really the one you want..

All-important is the Japanese manufacturer's catalog number (usually four letters-dash-four-numbers). You'll need this for any serious searching. The best place to find this code number is Neko-Han-Ten or Chuddah's Corner. Amazon.com uses their own catalog numbering scheme, which is why ordering from Amazon's a bit trickier than it could be.

Types of albums:

Soundtrack or OST: These contain most, if not all, the BGM (instrumental background music) and usually the on-air Opening (OP) and Ending (ED) theme. Sometimes they include other features as well. Most U.S.-edition anime CDs are soundtracks. U.S.-editions are usually about $15, Japanese market ones about $30.

OP and ED Maxi-Singles: Anime opening and closing themes are only a minute-and-a-half long or so to fit inside the time budgeted for credits. You can find the full four-minute version of these songs on "maxi-singles." Maxi-singles contain the theme song, a vocal-less "karaoke" version of the theme song, and a B-side single by the same artist (with its karaoke version, too). These types of albums are Japanese-market only and go out of print fast. Get them while they last! They usually sell for $10-15.

Character Song Albums: These are vocal songs sung by the Japanese voice actors playing the anime character that expand and explore the character's mind and heart. If you hear a song during an anime episode where someone's singing and it isn't the opening or closing theme, chances are it's on a character album. Character songs vary in quality: some are must-haves, and some are fingernail-on-chalkboard bad. Up until recently Character albums were Japanese-market only, but Geneon has released a few U.S.-edition character albums like Chobits and Love Hina. Prices are roughly the same as soundtrack albums.

Audio drama albums: Japanese language radio program audio-only skits, plays, and conversations that use the voices of the show's character actors to expand or promote the TV anime shows."



U.S. domestic market J-Pop and anime music

     

Ai Yori Aoshi: Sakura
Ai Yori Aoshi: Pine
Chobits 001
Chobits 002
Chobits Song Collection
Fruits Basket: Four Season (Ritsuko Okazaki)
Fruits Basket: Memory of You
Hanaukyo Maid Team - La Verite
Hand Maid May
His & Her Circumstances: Act 1.0
His & Her Circumstances: Act 2.0
Love Hina: Best Collection
Love Hina: Hinata Girls Song Best
Mahoromatic
Mahoromatic Motto Utsukushi Mono Music
Mahoromatic Something More Beautiful
Princess Nine Vol. 1
Princess Nine Vol. 2
Sister Princess: My Sweet Twelve Angels
Someday's Dreamers
Stellvia: Sound Wave of Stellvia
Stellvia Character Song Album
Sweets (Yoko Ishida)
Video Girl Ai
Video Girl Ai Vol. 2


the indigo

     


Lee says:    "My favorite J-Pop band is The Indigo.

The Indigo's folk tune sound is deceptively simple; their musical arrangements are anything but. Mix bluegrass steel guitars with the orchestration of a Jimmy Webb or a edgier Richard Carpenter, add a knowing wink of retro pop, and stir with an indescribable something extra, and you have The Indigo.

Go to their homepage and check out their sample clips for yourself. The site's in Japanese, but enough of it's in English for non-Japanese readers to navigate around fairly easily.

You can buy several of their albums, like their 'best of' album, Indigo Suite, from Amazon. Most of the rest are available from CDJapan. And you can check out their fantastic Pygmalion music video "Under the Blue Sky" as one of the extras on the anime DVD Someday's Dreamers.


The Indigo official homepage
Catalog of The Indigo's albums with sample clips
August 2005 interview during U.S. tour


swing out sister

     


Lee says:    "Swing Out Sister has been my favorite band for a number of years.

Although they've been around since the mid-1980s, they haven't had much success in the U.S. and British markets, mainly due to their quicksilver nature --each album is new expedition into a new musical direction-- but they are big in Japan. Very big.

Echoes of what I like about The Indigo and J-pop in general can be heard in Swing Out Sister."



iPods to listen on

     


Lee says:    "The biggest invention for writers since the word processor?

The iPod.

Once you've tried one, you'll never be without. I do a lot of travelling, and now thanks to my iPod, I can take along my entire music collection. I can even listen to my own private 'radio station' in my car on my frequent cross-country drives.

I've taken mine everywhere, from war zones to tropical islands. I've listened to my iPod through typhoons and mortar attacks. I simply can't imagine not having one."



iPod accessories

     


Lee says:    "There are zillions of iPod accessories out there. Here are four I recommend:

Most important is the plain vanilla AC power adapter. If you travel like I do, there are lots of times you just want to plug your iPod into the wall to recharge without going through a docking station or computer or whatever. This little gizmo's a must! Buy two! One for home, one for travel.

The most common way of listening to an iPod in your car is by attaching a small FM radio transmitter to your iPod and listening via your car's FM radio. Most FM transmitter accessories limit you to four or so pre-set frequencies. The Griffin iTrip allows you to use any frequency your car FM radio can tune to. No wonder it's Amazon's best selling iPod accessory! Each model of iPod needs its own matching iTrip model for the jacks to fit, so double-check to make sure you're ordering the right one.

You also need to be able to recharge your iPod in the car. There are a lot of power adapters on the market that allow you to charge up your iPod in your car via the cigarette lighter. I've tried several. This Monster cable is the one I like the best.

Listening in your car via FM isn't the best solution in metro areas where there isn't an empty spot on the FM dial. There are now several car stereo iPod adapters that allow you to plug directly into your car stereo. I've found them a bit inconvenient. This JVC KD-G510 stereo is a better solution. It's the only model I know of that has an aux input jack right on the faceplate. You simply plug a stereo cable between your iPod's headphone jack and the car stereo. Easy as plugging in a headphone. Plug it in, throw your iPod on the front passenger seat, and away you go! When it's time to park, just unplug the iPod end and take your iPod with you. Simple!"





Lee trivia:    Lee may have introduced his brother Mike to comic books, but Mike introduced Lee to iPods.


Lee trivia:    Lee currently has 2.4 days worth of anime & J-Pop music on his iPod.


Lee trivia:    Lee has been to exactly one music concert in his life. He's too embarassed to name the band.


Lee trivia:    Lee's ultimate dream job would to be a film score composer. Lee has zero compositional talent, though.


Lee trivia:    Lee spent almost twenty years hunting for the soundtrack to Romancing the Stone. He finally found it.


Lee trivia:    The first anime music CD Lee ever bought was Project A-Ko. He had to order his from Japan back in the pre-internet dark ages, and it took months to arrive. But you don't have to buy the CD! It comes free as a bonus in the newly remastered Project A-Ko DVD. Lee's jealous.


Lee trivia:    Lee knows the lyrics to "The Girl from Impanema." Be afraid. Be very afraid.