As promised... finally... a blog post. :) Since it's past midnight... here is my Christmas gift to all who drop by my blog and who like Kajiura Yuki's music. :)
Yup... I purchased one of the just released Yuki Kajiura LIVE pamphlets that has just been released in ebook format. I wanted to see what it looked like and thought that it would be something some of you may find useful should you also wish to purchase one of these ebooks. Also, I really am a huge Kajiura Yuki fand and I don't mind purchasing the Live pamphlets that I don't currently own. Since I had some points in my account that I could use, I decided to use them and so it didn't cost me anything to get this particular pamphlet. :)
According to CDJapan, the ebook can be downloaded and viewed on the Neowing ebook reader which is available for download for the Android and iOS devices. It's also available for the PC but the ebook can only be read if you have Japanese fonts enabled on your PC. There is currently no MAC version available.
Here's what all this means. You can download and view this ebook on your PC but you must have Japanese fonts installed on your computer. So IF you do not have an Android device or iOS device like the iPhone etc, then you will not be able to view this ebook if you do not have Japanese fonts installed. I tested it and, unfortunately, that is true. I am unable to view this ebook on my PC because I do not have Japanese fonts installed. What this means is, I think you need to have the Japanese version of Windows to view the ebook on your PC.
Strangely, I was able to read my previously purchased manga using the PC ebook reader. But I am unable to open the Yuki Kajiura Live pamplet using the same reader. I think that the way they are creating these ebooks is different from the way they created them for the manga. Well... it doesn't really matter to me in the end since I have a Samsung Galaxy S2 and a Nexus 7 tablet. Both run the Android software, so that's not a problem for me.
I used my Nexus 7 tablet to view this pamphlet and took some screenshots for the blog. This Live pamphlet is 24 pages long, inclusive of the front and the back. It used to retail on the Spacecraft webstore for 2500yen but is no longer available for purchase. It cost only 1750yen on CDJapan.
In my opinion, this is a good thing for international fans. The Spacecraft Webstore is not the easiest of webstores to navigate and order from. Trust me, it took me some time just to input the correct address. I think you have to be Japanese, live in Japan or understand how Japanese addresses work etc to be able to do it with ease. Also, the webstore sometimes refused to work which is why the proxy service I tried to use told me they could not successfully place an order, hence, forcing me to do it myself. So, in short, it is quite a hassle to order from the Spacecraft Webstore.
Also, the Spacecraft webstore charges 700yen minimum for shipping. Hence, this very same pamphlet that I just purchased for 1750yen would cost 2500+700=3200 yen even if I shipped it to an address in Japan. Yup, it is A LOT cheaper to get it in ebook format.
It's also easy to store ebooks. This is something that would my my mother very happy since she's been complaining that I have too many books in my room. :)
And, reading this ebook isn't hard at all because you can zoom in and the text still shows up nicely on my Nexus.
These are screen captures of the same page. This is Kajiura Yuki's foreword for this pamphlet. The first image is of the same page at 100% on the Nexus. The next image is of the same foreword zoomed out to see the full two page spread. And the 3rd screen capture is zoomed in, to enlarge the text for easier reading.
Another good thing about this is that an ebook will probably be available for sale for a very long time since they don't have to do any re-prints at all and these ebooks do not take up much hard drive space. So if you don't buy this ebook today, it'll probably still be there tomorrow, or next month or next year.
There are a few negatives for fans though. Firstly, this is tied to the Neowing ebook reader and is saved on your computer in the .ibe format. I don't know much about other devices but I don't think you can put this on the Kindle or something similar. And should CDJapan cease to exist in the future... hmmmm.... that means no more unlimited downloads of your purchase product. So you should make a backup somewhere I suppose.
Also, if you like books like I do, you're not going to be completely satisfied with an ebook. I LOVE books. I love how they feel, I love how they smell, I love the paper and I even love good binding. That is why, I LOVE a lot of Kajiura Yuki's live pamphlets in recent years. The binding and the choice of paper etc... so exquisite and this cannot be replicated in an ebook. I can't feel the embossed patterns on some of these pamplets and I can't feel the fabric she used on at least one of her pamphlets, nor can I smell the paper. Yes... I know it sounds weird but those who love books will understand. :)
All in all though, I am mighty pleased with this development. I hope that they will release more of the pamphlets in the future for fans who aren't able to pick up the physical books themselves. Obviously, I would love to still buy the physical books if I do attend the lives etc but if I can't, them I am happy to be able to buy the ebook too.
Okay, back to the vol7 pamphet itself, instead of generic comments about the pros and cons of these ebooks.
This 24 page pamplet opens with a foreword from Kajiura Yuki and then a few lyrics pages of the songs which use Kajiuran. They are lotus, Credens justitiam, the image theme of Xenosaga II (live ver.) and Zodiacal Sign (live ver.). Each of these lyrics pages have photos of FictionJunction and/or Kajiura Yuki featured on them.
Doesn't Kajiura Yuki look soooooo very cool in the image above? :)
After that each of the vocalist in FictionJunction gets a two page spread. There is also a 2 page montage spread of the FJ vocalists and Kajiura Yuki. Then the musicians get a third of a single page per musician. And the pamphlet ends with two more pages of the Front Band Members talking about Kajiura Yuki and then two more pages of credits.
I don't know if this is a purchase for everyone but I think if you're a big fan, especially one who can read Japanese, then these ebooks are something to consider. Personally, if I ran a website devoted to Kajiura Yuki and her vocal projects, I would love to buy ALL the ebooks because screen capturing pages for the website is soooo much easier than trying to shoot photos or messing with the binding to do scans. While some people are okay with flattening their books etc... um... I really don't like doing it, hence, the less than desirable cel phone photos of the pamphlets. :P
I may buy the Yuki Kajiura Live vol.4 ebook too since I don't own that yet. If I do I'll do another review like this. Actually, I kind want to get the Kalafina photo ebooks too even though I already own the physical copies but that's probably something I won't get for sometime because I don't really have a good reason to get them except that I think having them in digital format is kinda nice too. :P
Finally... as always... something for those who, like me, love Keiko best in Kalafina. :P
That's it for now. :)
Please purchase this or another Kajiura Yuki / FictionJunction / Kalafina ebook if you can afford it. If you want to see more of them, then you should purchase them to indicate that there is a market for these ebooks. So if you like them and can afford to buy them.... please do. CLICK ME to go to the product page on CDJapan.
Okay... time for bed. :) I wish all who chance upon this post, a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. :)
p.s.
Please feel free to share the screen captures etc... but please provide a link back to this post. It would make me happy. Thanks. :)
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