All Japanese Music CDs are discounted at 10% in Play-Asia.com

This is as good a chance to try out some new music genres as ever. All Japanese music CDs on Play-Asia.com are available at a 10% discount. So get the new Arashi CD or try out some exotic Enka music. Who knows? you could be addicted to it after your first go.

All products that are available, including those that are currently , are discounted. As long as it's not a sold out Limited Edition, you can enjoy the price cut. Don't worry if you cannot grab the last Limited Edition of your favourite artist, you can preorder the next one, this deal applies to all preorders as well.

Browse around for things you like, to help you distinguish the products that are discounted, we will place a 10% off logo on the product page. Get the best out of the deal, use the credit card that gives you the most points and your Play-Asia coupons. No strings attached.

Please be aware, however, that the discount does not apply to shipments to Japan.

It's about children - Arashi's Believe / Kumori nochi Kaisei

If Arashi seemed active in 2008, they'd only get more so this year since they've reached their 10th year anniversary in 2009. The first single they released this year carries two theme songs, one for Sakurai Sho's Yattaman and the other for Ohno Satoshi's Uta no Onii-san.

Yattaman is a movie for the family and long time anime/manga fans, acted by a star studded cast and based on a hugely popular manga series of the same name, it's a movie you won't want to miss.
Uta no Onii-san is a comedy drama series about a jobless young man becoming the "dictator" of a children's TV program. From a jobless bloke to a star and a dictator to a successful host, this is a story about dreams and a lot of gag.

Because of the two shows' association with children, the songs are both fast paced with a fizzy pop feel and memorable melodies that you can hum to.


While the songs are wonderful as standalone works they are even more interesting when you associate them with their respective drama or film. It's hard to classify what kind of artist Arashi, or the Johnny boys, at large, are, since they are required to dance, sing, model, act and do acrobats.

These boys are chosen at a young age during an audition and is put into a school designed especially to train them to enter the world of entertainment in the Johnny's way. There are times when I could not help but think that they are the male version of Takarazuka (especially after seeing clips of the boys doing stage plays).

Each member of Arashi specialize in something, the leader Ohno Satoshi in dancing, Sakurai Shou in writing lyrics, Aiba Masaki in sports (and constant mistakes in reading, talking, etc), Ninomiya Kazunari in writing music and Sakurai Jun in his dramas.

Although its mambers have acted in various roles, e.g. the sinister lawyer in Maou, the rich boy Doumeiji in Hanayori Dango and are no longer the youngest group under Johnny's entertainment (there are Hey! Say! Jump! and the Johnny's Juniors), they always give off a whiff of youth that is easy on the eyes and the ears.

This is not the band I want to join, Mom! - Detroit Metal City

Negishi Soichi is a shy, gentle teenager who wants to become a popular singer. To realize this dream, he left the rural area for Tokyo. However, the trends in the international city is going in a way that he could not quite fathom. Instead of the sweet pop music that he makes, the people are more interested in Death Metal bands.

Things get more wild after he met and signed a contract with the Death Records Label President. He is allowed to debut as a singer under the name of Johannes Krauser II, a Death Metal Band's vocalist. And with a bassist and a drummer, Detroit Metal City gives their performances, with a huge success.

As Negishi, the boy hates the music he performs on stage, but as Krauser II, not only is he wonderful at it, he seems to enjoy what he does a little too much. In fact, he is so convincingly evil on stage that people have no trouble believing that he is a demon, a terrorist from hell, as he termed himself.

Wanting to leave the band to develop his own music but is too afraid of the devil president and growing to want to please the Krauser II fans, Negishi is living a rather (amusingly, interestingly) troubled double life.

My favourite part has got to be Matsuyuki Yasuko, the devil president's laugh. That evilly mad cackle is the envy of any aspiring witch.

Krauser II's laugh is absolutely lovely as well.

Laughs are not the whole of the movie, but it makes up a big part of it. From Negishi's geeky image, his senselessly fluffy sweet songs (named Amai Koibito - Sweet Lover, as well) to the just as senseless bloodshed in Krausers' songs (Satsugai - Massacre), the contrast is just so great that you cannot help but laugh.

The double personality is wonderful as well, Krauser doesn't feel any sense of guilt for whatever damaging acts he does on stage but when it washes back to Negishi after the alternate personality fades, its another funny moment.

Although the live musical performances are dubiously themed and the lyrics may be offiensive to some people, the movie's or the manga's plot itself starred next to no particularly questionable material. No character is evil or violent (except for the devil president, she is comically evil), some are exceptionally sweet, Negima is happily invited to have breakfast when he appears in front of his parents door in Krausers' form and is referred to as "Kura-chan", what more loving family can you get?

Give it a go if you can stomach the more-than-loud metal music and the perverted lyrics. Just skip the songs if you are exceptionally keen on keeping your mind clean, otherwise a little shock won't hurt.

If you manage to look past the "kill" kanji, the thick white make up on his face and his exceptionally foul mouth, you can see some kindness in Krauser as well.

Wine, Roses and Kat-Tun - One Drop

"One Drop is Kat-Tun's Valentine gift to all their fans. As the theme song for Kamenashi Kazuya's new drama Kami no Shizuku, the song is an up beat rock tune that portrays the group's youth and vitality.

Kami no Shizuku originates from a manga of the same title and tells a story about men competing for the ownership of a connoisseur's red wine collection as well as his legendary bottle of Kami no Shizuku - God's drink (God's Drop creates some very un-appealing images).

Through wine, the drama portrays humanity, from jealousy between people of the same industry to the relationship between family members. Start acquiring a taste for the beverage through One Drop now."


A romantic dinner date consist of candlelight and of course, wine. And what is better than such a dinner is a whole drama or manga series focused on the beverage. In fact, wine stores has been putting the series on display and on sale as it helps them expand their client base.

From decanting wine to using poems to describe its scent and taste, this manga teaches people enough about the drink to fully enjoy it and gives them some knowledge as to impress their friends and dates.

Its not too late to start cramming, be prepared to appear knowledgeable, for your date might be an avid follower of the manga or the show.

The song is fun and energetic and watching the Johnny boys dance is always an amusing affair. You might need to be 18 or 21 to start learning about wine (most people start their wine education with their first sip, unlike Shizuku, the hero), but you can be at any to enjoy One Drop.

Available products:

One Drop (CD+DVD version)
One Drop (Standard version)
One Drop (First Press version)

Chasing After the One Winged Angel - Distant Worlds Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy's themes have been arranged in multiple versions, from electric midi to The Black Mages' rock punk style, to piano and orchestral version. One of the themes that crop up most frequently is Sephiroth's One Winged Angel.

Doubtlessly, Final Fantasy VII is one of the highest acclaimed work in the RPG series and its plot line both compelling and touching. It spots some of the most memorable characters in the series' history and intriguing villains, namely, the one winged angel, Sephiroth himself.

The silver haired man's motives in the games are blurry, but his image is clearly engraved in the series' fans' minds, not just through his fighting prowesses, his imposing visage, but also through his theme.

One of the reasons that the One Winged Angel sticks in its listener's mind is the strong tempo, established by the percussion instruments at the start, then the slightly discordant chorus of brass and string instruments, invoking an image in the audiences' heads, giving them an abstract picture of a dangerous fallen angel descending from the heavens amidst a shower of raven feathers.

Another element is the Latin. Many products from Japanese popular culture have borrowed phrases from the language, from Persona 3's catch phrase Memento Mori (trans. remember that you are mortal) to Noir's Salva Nos (trans. Saving Us). The language adds an air of mystery and dark glamor to the title.

Perhaps it is the language's association with ancient wisdom and Christianity which lends an extra level of grandness to the music, perhaps it is its status as a "dead language" that adds a layer of otherworldliness.

All in all, the One Winged Angel is a piece of music that every gamer must listen to or must own, and with the addition of Liberi Fatali (FF 8's opening theme that makes use of the choir and Latin just as cleverly), Distant Worlds Final Fantasy is a dream come true for all who believes that there is more to gaming than blood and gore.