there's always OS presses Alice even though I know you don't tend to buy them (OS press of Believe / Kurominochi , Kaisei will be out in Taiwan on 26th if you want to know btw)

the local HMV already has stock on the CD only of the single HURRAH :D , I'm going to pick a copy up either later today or tomorrow after school

There's no LE sold in Spore? And I thought of asking my friend to check out the local stores there.....Btw the CD only of the single you mentioned, it's Japan version or OS?

oops I made a mistake , the OS presses for all 3 editions of the single will be out on Taiwan on 20th & not 26th :dead2

& yes HMV's unable to import both CD + DVD's over here due to

1) censorship board T_T
2) region code differences . Japan's region code 2 while in S'pore it's region code 3

but it's mainly because of the censorship board & the CD only that I mentioned just now , it's directly imported from Japan . HMV only can import CD only of albums/singles in here to be sold from Japan but I suppose it's better than nothing

I almost got a shock when I asked the staff over the phone the price of it . I thought it was S$36.95 but it's actually S$26.95 :laugh

but still it's quite steep as the yen's not working in my favour :dead2 but I don't care I still will buy it , only the best for ARASHI :D

If I can't get the Japan version of LE2, I'll have to consider getting the OS press cause I really want Riida's single. I could get a store to specially order it for me, but they charge me too much in addition to the price of the single itself.

Spore has quite strict censorship board for not importing CD+DVD versions. Does that mean the only way to get CD+DVD is ordering online? Region codes aren't a big problem now since most players are region free.

I don't know what you use to purchase stuff online Alice but if you use credit card , you can consider YesAsia (even though they're a pain to me imo) or HMV HK in due time

if you use PayPal , even better . I can PM you my Taiwanese friend Cliff's email details in due time should you want an OS press for LE2 since buying directly from him's cheaper :)

That's what I do for OS presses of items that I can't find in S'pore

EDIT - I just found out that HMV HK is selling all 3 Japan presses for Believe / Kumori Nochi , Kaisei via http://hmv.com.hk/search/search_2008...arashi&fmt=Any

I think it's pricey to your standard ? :shrug . If not then I suggest you wait for OS press & HMV HK only accepts credit card as payment

you got that right :yes

That goes for OS presses of stuff that I can't find in S'pore which speaks mostly of items containing DVDs , as much as the CD stores want to bring them here to be sold , they can't at all .

You need a local distributor in the form of a record label & also the censorship board to get approval on the ratings of DVDs . I know countries like Taiwan , Hong Kong , Japan don't have such a thing but in here there's T_T

EMI used to be ARASHI , KAT-TUN's local distributor in S'pore but since last year after its S'pore branch was closed down , OS presses & let alone Japan presses of their stuff with DVDs couldn't be brought in here to be sold :(

HMV used to be able to do that easily/freely but after stricter censorship board rules were implemented , they can't do that anymore

========

Arashi's new single, already this year's 4th best selling single on its release date - http://community.livejournal.com/arashi_on/1447441.htm

great :D

ok, those sales are CRAZY.

at least i approve of this single, yes? :lmfao

lmao Eirynne , Kaori , Lisa & Alice will be happy to know that :laugh

*_*
i just saw their wall calendar & just had a "BRB I'M DYING" moment.

however, i do not approve of cowboy stripper Sho. LMFAO.

yesterday's sales: 214,618
today: 135,103

214, 618+135,103 = 349,721

Doesn't this mean that they have the #1 of 2009?

haha

I don't know but I'm not feeling their calendar pics that much at all :(

:eek , it already more or less shattered the NINKI index & it suppressed the total sales of KT's ONE DROP within 2 days O_O

I'm so proud :weep

JESUS F. CHRIST THOSE SALES!! o_o;;

Karen, REALLY?! are you sure we're talking about the WALL calendar, not the...other one (there's 2 parts, right)? i haven't seen all of it, yet, LOL.

but i'm a fan of the photographer's work. i love her emphasis on RED.

Thanks for the link to HMV Hong Kong, Karen! Gosh, it IS pricey. Already a few USDs more expensive than the other sites and added with the shipping cost, it's even more expensive. I can't use normal shipping since I've already experienced my orders getting lost using the standard mail. :weep Once bitten, twice shy.

I order online using credit card, so I'd be checking Yesasia for the OS press. I think that's my best choice now. Well OS is better than nothing, right?

You don't get problems with your package at the customs?

===

Believe/Kumori Nochi Kaisei sold so well.....I'm so happy for Arashi!

HELL YES BABY :cool kill the charts! ::smitten i'm beyond happy right now, LOL.

the utaban performance was HOT. the dancing is just simply awesome :cool they all looked hot, too. (but jun STILL didn't get a haircut..........:grumpy) but anyway, it was such a great performance, lol. :weep

Yeah, seems shocking sales to Ayu fans - but maybe Ayu should congratulate them. Ayu's single hit number one last week - but that's really a different story, because 350,000 for Arashi!? I mean - that's over 3.6 times of Ayu's weekly sales of her new single - and we're not even halfway with the Oricon week yet...!!!

It's just like this year's Oscars when it got #1 for the week but is actually lower than the one in 1998 when compared in viewership ratings...

^ so......is that supposed to be a good thing to you? or...? :shrug

I would say yes unless a surprise comes along out of nowhere. Its already charting better than Truth did. :thud The only one who might be able to take the yearly number one away from Arashi is....Arashi.

...WAITWAT. lol.
you really...shouldn't compare the current sales to those in 1998. things have gone digital and there are MANY MANY factors why Arashi's getting these monstrous numbers & why Ayu only got 95k last week.

sorry if i'm misinterpreting anything. ^^;;

& i think for Arashi to grab #1 from KAT-TUN next week, they'll have to clear 300k, imo. i haven't seen a JE single with big 2nd week sales since "Seishun Amigo".

yeah I'm serious & not kidding on what yesterday Eirynne

the pics didn't make my brain short circuit & the same thing goes for KAT-TUN's calendar too

I don't know why but something's wrong with me :lmfao

well Alice , HMV HK uses registered airmail be it for normal or express so I don't know if that's a good or bad thing to you . I use them a lot of times before & they're really good & very professional & my items come within 4-5 days

& nah I don't get problems with my packages at customs at all , never so far

if you want to wait for OS presses to be out via YesAsia or HMV HK , go ahead & do so . The OS presses of the single will be out on 20th March in Taiwan btw

:yes it's not fair to compare sales that's of 11 years ago & now . It's not easy frankly for a solo artiste to sell a lot of singles these days sadly as compraed to boybands

& ya Eirynne I haven't seen that as well for Seishun Amigo *time to play Kizuna now :lmfao*