Anime OST fans are in for a treat as Tiger Lab Vinyl recently released the Perfect Blue Deluxe Audiophile Edition. It contains two LPs featuring the original score of the groundbreaking psychodrama anime, directed by the late Satoshi Kon.
Curated 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 especially love to buy 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 purists and true vinyl lovers.
These editions cost $38 each, which is what most vinyl releases go for these days. But it is likely that they will sell out soon as these releases are available in limited quantities and are in high demand. So check Discogs or eBay if you’re interested.
Cool and stylish merchandise for Perfect Blue fans
Tiger Lab Vinyl has taken it a step further and made some cool yarns available. The most striking is this pink tank top printed by Holy Mountain, which comes with the Perfect Pink variation of the LP and costs $60.
However, if tank tops aren’t your thing, you might prefer a T-shirt with Mimi Kirigoe printed on the front for just $25.
Or maybe you’d rather buy something substantial that will keep you warm during those cold winter months. Like this zip hoodie with a print of Mimi on the back and costs $55.
Why collect anime soundtracks on vinyl?
Digital streaming services provide an inexpensive and convenient way to consume media, especially music. So why collect anime soundtracks on an outdated medium, like vinyl?
First, it’s worth owning the music you love rather than relying on a digital service that could potentially remove it at any time. Second, anime OSTs often have phenomenal album covers, which look great on LPs given their larger size. And third, vinyl records have a warmer sound than digital formats to the trained ear.
The recent Perfect Blue editions give us hope that we will see more high quality vinyl releases in the future. Perhaps, with a little luck, we’ll see vinyl releases based on more modern series, which will appeal to a wide demographic of anime fans.
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