Creative Staff
Music: Makoto Yoshimuri
What They Say
Now you can own the soundtrack from the hit animation series Durarara!! and Durarara!!x2 by Makoto Yoshimori. Get yourself a “Russian Bodyguard” and go “Dancing in the Sunshine”!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
This is a Japanese import, containing two full length CDs with a total of 42 instrumental pieces from the collective anime series Durarara!! In usual Japanese style, it comes with an obi or a small paper that is wrapped around one of the sides of the CD and secured by plastic. This CD also has a slipcover as featured in the photo. The inside booklet is small featuring a few images from the anime but is mostly dedicated to the song list (in Japanese) and the credits.
In Summary:
I listened to the entirety of both discs of this CD on my drive to Chicago last weekend. My spouse and I were hoping for some of the opening or closing songs, but this is truly an instrumental only CD. Despite being a bit letdown, we really enjoyed it a lot. There a lot of interesting and quirky pieces, and if you’re familiar with Durarara!! then you know what you’re getting yourself into. There is a wide and eclectic selection of music and is bound to take you down memory lane. I found myself thinking, “Oh, this is Izaya’s music.” Or “Isn’t this when we see Celty?”. I actually do like instrumental music a lot, as I listen to it when I write or read often, so I’ll be sure to listen to these CDs again.
As a side note, the price point may seem high if you are not familiar with Japanese CDs. In Japan, there is a very strong CD culture that we don’t much of in the United States. While we are by far more digital oriented when it comes to music, Japan values the physical ownership of the CD. They still have several chain CD stores that are going very strong. Imports are always more expensive and this is a 2-disc collection, but CDs can be spendy even in Japan. When I was in Japan about 2-3 months ago, I bought several CDs and the price tags range from ~$12-25. These were for mostly half-length CDs. You can do the math for how much per song it is. There was also nothing special with these CDs either. Most artists even have multiple versions to encourage fans to buy multiple copies which add up quickly and empties out your wallet fast.
Don’t even get me going on Japanese music videos! But, seriously, if you’re interested in Asian music, check out Kpop. They know how to package a CD and keep the cost down. They also use music videos as a marketing tool. But, I digress. Invest in this CD only if you love instrumental music and, of course, Durarara!! It is available at Right Stuf and Amazon.
Content Grade: B
Packaging Grade: B
Released By: Aniplex USA
Release Date: October 10th, 2017
MSRP: $34.98
