Some Takeaways From The “We Love DiGiMONMUSiC” Re-Release

I received my shipping confirmation on Christmas Day of 2013. Over one month later (thanks to numerous weather delays), the re-release of the “We Love DiGiMONMUSiC” memorial boxset is finally in my hands.

As you can probably tell, this post is a little less formal than my news updates. I just wanted to jot down some of my thoughts on this set while they were still fresh in my mind. I was starting to think this would be one of the few DiGiMONMUSiC releases I’d never get to own, so I’m very thankful that it’s back in-print.

The discs themselves feature the exact same tracks as their 2002 counterparts (as expected). It’s a simple theme song collection, the same Kōji Wada openings and Ai Maeda endings you see packed into every other release. You likely already own half the music on this set even if you only have a modest Digimon collection. The real draw are the cover versions of the theme songs performed by the series’ voice actors, which can only be found on this boxset. My personal favorite is the Digimon Frontier cast’s version of “FIRE!!” I think it’s a missed opportunity that the cast of Savers and Xros Wars weren’t assembled to record new versions of their shows’ theme songs, but this was never advertised as anything other than a repackaging of existing material, so c’est la vie.

Bonus goodies include a 2014 calendar/poster, two booklets (one only six pages and the other a whopping 104 pages), and of course, a beautiful artbox. Each disc also features bonus tracks with commentary from the voice actors, composers, and artists. The big booklet is what fascinates me the most. This thing is absolutely filled to the brim with liner notes, but most of it is far beyond my Japanese fluency. What I can understand is really neat.

For nerds like me, the best part is an updated, chronological list of nearly every Digimon CD, with release dates and catalogue numbers and everything. I know it sounds boring (and it is), but it’s a fantastic resource. This new list makes a few changes from the list in the “Digimon Animation Chronicle” book, switching around the chronology of certain discs. For example, the first CD single for “Beat Hit!” is listed as DiGiMONMUSiC CD #35 in the “Animation Chronicle,” yet it’s listed as #36 in the memorial boxset’s booklet. I went ahead and updated the numbers on this site to match those found in the booklet, for you dorks like me who care about this stuff.

Just like in the “Digimon Animation Chronicle” book, though, there are a few errors. Ai Maeda’s CD single for “My Light” has been completely omitted from the list, which screws up the aforementioned “DiGiMONMUSiC Chronology” numbers. I assume its exclusion is merely an oversight. I mean, it’s obviously a Digimon CD. It contains the ending theme for “Diablomon’s Counterattack.” The rear cover is a Digimon illustration! I’ve corrected this error; that CD single is still listed as Digimon CD #102 on this site.

Even more baffling is the exclusion of every single Xros Wars CD. What’s that about? The list skips straight from 2010’s “ALL THE BEST” CD to the 2013 “Ending Best Aimer” disc. No way that was an accident. Is it because the Xros Wars CDs were all released by Columbia? It’s a real shame to have such a huge gap like that. It’s like the series never existed…

If you’re interested in buying this set, you’d better act fast. All retailers are calling this a “limited edition,” just like it was back in 2002. You’re going to end up paying nearly $80 for this box, and that’s without shipping. There’s no debating it: this thing is way overpriced, especially considering there are only nine exclusive songs on this set. But the songs are really good, even if they’re just cover versions of existing tunes. If you can make room in your budget, it’s a great collector’s item.

– MagicBox