The debate about Son May Records is a hard one to settle. Some anime stores (distributors of merchandise related to Japanese animation, or "anime") and conventions ban the sale of Son May CDs, while others continue to distribute them for various prices.

What's all this fuss?

Just about any anime fan who has purchased soundtracks of their favorite shows has to have come across a few Son May CDs. Let's face it, they are cheap, and sound just as good as the originals.

Son May CDs are copies. This means that if you are fifty years old, looking to sell your well-sorted out collection of Son May CDs, they are basically worth jack-diddly to anyone who is looking for authentic merchandise.

Just for the Music

That is one area of debate, a lot of people won't mind that their CDs are just copies. But by purchasing Son May CDs you are not supporting the original companies who helped make the CD possible in the first place. This results in a loss of income for them.

It's true that original CDs are much more expensive than Son May CDs. When one sees their favorite anime CD selling for $39.95 on a shelf, and next to it being what appears to be the same cd, selling for $11.00 the only difference between the two will be the small "SM" logo.

The "fuss" about all this is that some say it isn't right to purchase Son May CDs, while others say it is. The ones who say it isn't bring up the arguments that the CDs are illegal, not worth anything, and hurt the producers. The ones who say it is, bring up the argument that it's the music that counts, they are cheaper, and are basically the same as the originals.

A collector is suggested to steer clear of Son May CDs and similar products. Most notably companies that distribute CDs much the same way as Son May does, such as Ever Anime, for example. They are bootlegs, and likely not to be worth anything in the future.

On the contrary, it is completely up to the consumer on whether they choose to purchase a Son May CD or not. If they are only interested in the music, then they may choose to settle with a Son May CD, rather than go for originality. Although, they should be aware that what they are buying is not legal within the United States. The original company does not profit from the purchase of a Son May CD.