Anime OST fans are in for a treat, as Tiger Lab Vinyl recently released the Perfect Blue Deluxe Audiophile Edition. It contains two LPs with the original score of the seminal psychodrama anime, directed by the late Satoshi Kon.
Composed by Masahiro Ikumi and Yuji Yoshida, the Perfect Blue Deluxe Audiophile Edition contains the following tracks (sides indicated):
- A: Mima’s Theme
- B: Nightmare, Virtual Mima
- C: Uchida’s Theme, Nightmare [Kaminari Version]
- D: Virtual Mima [Voice Version]
Vinyl enthusiasts, in particular, love having the option to purchase pressings with unique color patterns. And Tiger Lab Vinyl has delivered on this front, as they have three variants available. These include Mima Meld, Perfect Pink, and a 180-gram Black Vinyl. The latter should appeal to the purists and true vinyl aficionados.
These editions cost $38 each, which is what most vinyl releases typically go for nowadays. But it’s likely that they’ll be sold out shortly, given that these releases are available in limited quantities and in high demand. So, look on Discogs or eBay if interested.
Cool and stylish merchandise for Perfect Blue fans
Tiger Lab Vinyl has gone the extra mile and made available some cool threads. The most notable is this pink tank top printed by Holy Mountain, which comes bundled with the Perfect Pink variant of the LP and costs $60.
However, if tank tops are not your thing, you may prefer a t-shirt with Mimi Kirigoe printed on the front for a mere $25.
Or you may prefer acquiring something more substantial that will keep you warm during those chilly winter months. Like this zip-up hoodie that features a printing of Mimi on the back and goes for $55.
Why collect anime soundtracks on vinyl?
Digital streaming services offer a cheap and convenient way to consume media, especially music. So why bother collecting anime soundtracks on an outdated medium, such as vinyl?
Firstly, it’s worthwhile owning the music you enjoy instead of relying on a digital service that could potentially remove it anytime. Secondly, anime OSTs often have phenomenal cover art, which looks great on LPs given their larger size. And thirdly, vinyl records boast a warmer sound than digital formats to the trained ear.
The recent Perfect Blue editions give us hope that we’ll see more quality vinyl releases in the future. Perhaps, with any luck, we’ll see vinyl releases based on more modern series, which will appeal to a wide demographic of anime fans.