GFCA-195~213: Akumajo Dracula Best Music Collections BOX

[Secret Squirrel]

A recent edit made a lot of changes to the tracklist, so you guys might want to check it out and see what you think of them.

http://vgmdb.net/db/albums-history.php?id=17063

There was also 1 track time edit, but I reversed it. Current track times are clearly correct since we've had multiple freedb lookups.

[seanne]

I rejected the few edits that clearly contradicted what we can see in the scans (and involuntarily I accepted all others in the process - maybe that could be made to work in a better way?).

Anyway, looking over the edits that were made I think most of them were good as I feel what was there before was often too literal. Besides many of the new titles are ones that have already been established by translations of previous releases.

[Prime Blue]

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[seanne]

Originally Posted by Prime Blue

I don't see the point in me trying to put together an accurate tracklist translation for hours when it will be superseded by ancient 2001-ish errors like "Demon Castle".

Just don't expect me making contributions if you keep those edits.

As I said, it was by my mistake that all the edits were accepted, hopefully SS can revert them. Basically we're almost at a point where we need a discussion thread for Castlevania titles in order to set them in stone, as everyone has his or her opinion and edits will just keep pouring in.

I certainly respect the work you put in, as I stated before - and that's why I would appreciate if people brought up a discussion here before making further edits to the English tracklist - even if I don't agree with many of your titles. For instance I don't know why you think Devil seems more appropriate than Demon when referring to Dracula's Castle.

Hopefully we can work out a solution.

[Secret Squirrel]

I'll have to manually unaccept the queue edits tonight when I get home.

[Prime Blue]

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[Cedille]

Sorry I'm not really familiar with this franchise, but is Akumajō or Yasōkyoku the official romanization? I wouldn't say it's wrong or inappropriate since we haven't established a standard for our romanization (as far as I know), but I think the avoidance of macrons is something we constantly do in other entries (this may change in the future, though).

[Prime Blue]

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[Dag]

I suggest you guys add an alt tracklists with both old/new, this is a lost war. Soon another good willed person will try to fix the tracklist with the more common translations, and I think it's reasonable. You can't expect people to accept all these new translations overnight and forget those that have been around since forever, especially since many are officially used by Konami (ex. Divine Bloodlines).

And macrons are butt ugly and un-English :P

[Cedille]

Originally Posted by Prime Blue

As for Yasōkyoku...umm...well.

Oh, yeah, I already forgot that we recently talked about this. I'm still not sure about changing Akumajō to Akumajo is mandatory, but I feel it's only used for this specific entry.

(...on a side note, why Wikipedia users seem to be so fond of macrons while we don't?)

[Secret Squirrel]

I've put all of the recent edits back into the moderation queue, so they are all pending now (and rejectable.)

[Secret Squirrel]

So we've got a couple of options here. We could grab the current tracklist and submit it as an alternate (though I'm not sure what we would call it), or I could just reject or stealth-reject all of the recent edits.

[seanne]

I don't think it's the best idea to start adding mutiple translated tracklist, it just seems unnecessary and confusing to me. And when eventually it's time to link the tracks we would need to decide on one translation anyway.

[Fearin]

If a second English track list was made and added (like the sound test track lists) have it named in such a way to say it and the edits within are under consideration, but have the main translation named so people know this is the one the members at large consider correct. That way people aren't as confused by multiples, the ones who submit information won't feel their voice isn't being heard.

To help solve the problem would be probably to put the name, the alternate turned down names and the why behind it. So people see that their reiteration of a commonly used but wrong title should be stopped. I don't know if you would have to shove it in the notes area or have a tiny database for Akumajo/Castlevania games itself which would pop up while people were editing, track linking but instead of being linked to people and places, linked to a "black list" which they could look at and see why it would be bad to use those names.

It may also help if these more updated lists get copied over to the older games so people don't get confused that way and try to move old to the new.

[Secret Squirrel]

All recent tracklist edits reverted for this album. Please discuss any new changes to the album before submitting them.

Perhaps someone would like to take a stab at starting a project to fix up and align all of the Dracula tracklists.

[Dag]

Originally Posted by seanne

I don't think it's the best idea to start adding mutiple translated tracklist, it just seems unnecessary and confusing to me.

I think if labelled properly it's a useful and clear signal to the user. I understand why anybody would see "Blood Relations of Heaven and Earth", google it and and conclude "Divine Bloodlines" is more correct. If you have other tracklist (say "English (old translation)" or such) one can compare and understand the difference. Plus many old translations are officially used by Konami anyway.

I'm not saying this is needed for every old tracklist fixed but for games with such fanbase and music tradition as this one I think it'd help the users.

[Prime Blue]

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[Kaleb.G]

I also agree that older translations as track metadata would be useful for searching and identification purposes. Then again, one problem inherit with translations is that many times there is no single translation that is the most correct.

[The Gambler]

Well, since this box is already in 22 collections (and mine is on travel), I wouldn't mind some in-depth opinions about it.

Was the AoS music re-recorded or is it the same (and atrocious) quality as LC-1453? Is the arcade (1988) soundtrack the recording from K30X-7705 or the newer one from HOGC-0015? What about the sound clarity of the new soundtracks included? Overall, as a soundtrack collector and series' fan, are you guys happy with the purchase?

I must say the 30 page booklet looks extremely lousy (thirty pages for a chronology of games we all know? Konami, please focus on the music and give composers their well earned credit, thanks).

Also, who is the "jazz musician" featured on page 32?

[The Gambler]

OK, I received my box

Who's the guy next to Yamane in the dvd, during the jazz performing of Beginning? Is he Maezawa?

That would be an indication that he's the composer of the track? It's a bit baffling that after all these versions of Beginning we lack such an info.

Edit: it's him, confirmed by the dvd end credits. Interesting, to say the least!

[seanne]

Originally Posted by Prime Blue

How about alternate translations in the new track metadata? One that's displayed as standard (either the official one or an unofficial one that would have to be discussed) and the others show up on mouse-over.

I agree that this kind of thing would be best placed in the metadata, yeah. Same with sound test tracklists as was brought up before.

Point is we still need to decide which titles should be the display ones (the "best" ones), or else we'll still never get past this circular editing (:

[Prime Blue]

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[StephenJMunn]

I received my box today. There's an error in the current tracklist for disc 4, transposing "Opus 13" with "Slash." At least for these tracks, the listing on the CD notes is correct, and is the reverse of what's on here.

[Revoc]

Originally Posted by Prime Blue

悪魔城ドラキュラX　月下の夜想曲（PS）（SS） / Devil's Castle Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight / Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Credits & Composers (PS): Michiru Yamane

Credits (SS): T. Ohsono, J. Karashima, K. Okada

Composers (SS): T. Ohsono, J. Karashima, Kaoru Okada

According to this Wiki:

T. Ohsono = Tetsuya Ohsono (大園哲也)
J. Karashima = Junko Karashima (辛島純子)
K. Okada = Kaoru Okada (岡田かおる)

Is this Kaoru Okada the same person?

[LuxKiller65]

Wha? This thing is 50% off on Amazon now. I can feel it right up my butt. What a shotty piece of crap, did they print so many of it that they want to get rid of it? It's everywhere on Yahoo, eBay, every import site has it in stock. I feel this extremely limited edition will never be worth anything. My wallet cries for the extra 10000Y spent on thin air.

[Brad Evans]

Originally Posted by LuxKiller65

Wha? This thing is 50% off on Amazon now. I can feel it right up my butt. What a shotty piece of crap, did they print so many of it that they want to get rid of it? It's everywhere on Yahoo, eBay, every import site has it in stock. I feel this extremely limited edition will never be worth anything. My wallet cries for the extra 10000Y spent on thin air.

Is it really worth buying VGM albums based on the idea that they may increase in value if sat on long enough? I mean, it's really about the music, right? Then again, what do I know... everything is a gamble in one way or another.

[Jodo Kast]

Originally Posted by Brad Evans

Is it really worth buying VGM albums based on the idea that they may increase in value if sat on long enough? I mean, it's really about the music, right?

Right. I think it's interesting to have originals, just like it's interesting to have a biological body. But such things are really not necessary. What I mean is that the music is still the same if the original CD is converted into energy through excessive heat, provided the music has been backed up. Even if one is really careful and stores the discs in a nitrogen environment or a vacuum, they might last longer than one's lifespan. At which point they will have no value.

[Medina]

I was kind of thinking the same thing as Brad though. VGM is a strange thing to try and predict worthwhile cash value in down the road. Sure people sell albums for $200 used now, but nobody probably knew those albums were going to sell for that much when they were first released. I see a lot of people asking some ridiculous prices for Mischief Makers soundtrack (like 35000 yen), but people likely bought that thing for like 2500 yen way back when it was released and never guessed it would sell for so much later.

Lux, if you're thinking about hanging on to VGM for cash value, try buying something more obscure than an Akumajou Dracula album, or just hang on to something for a long time. You own a lot of Akumajou albums and spent 10000 yen on another piece of that collection of video game music. It doesn't have to feel like a waste just because it won't sell for much.

[LuxKiller65]

I have sold less than 8 albums since I started collecting, the rest are trades, and I mainly buy to listen to and sometimes keep sealed, it the album has a special meaning to me. People seem to think other people only care about money, let me tell you, you're wrong.

My point was that I feel stupid for having spent 200$ instead of 100$, just because I thought it was limited and would be out of stock in a couple of weeks (therefore people would ask 300$ on eBay). I could have bought a couple of nice albums with the spare 100$. Sorry the meaning wasn't clear, I should have known people always understand things in their worst meaning.

[Medina]

That wasn't the "worst meaning", just the way you seemed to mean it with the way you worded it ("I feel this extremely limited edition will never be worth anything."). Really, a person's motives to collect something are their own, and people collect things to sell them back for more than they originally paid all the time. I understand what you mean now though, and it is a shame, but I guess it's better than waiting to see if the price will go down and then ending up not getting one before they go out of stock.