Final Fantasy V
Dear Friends

FF5 Dear Friends

Contains arranged versions, some vocalized, of songs from Final Fantasy V for the Super Nintendo (Super Famicom). The game has had several re-releases, but I believe the music doesn't change from game to game. However, in the Anthology release, there is some extra music during the opening FMV scene that is not found on any soundtrack.

This is an interesting album because some of the songs are in Saami, a rather rare language spoken in certain parts of Finland, Sweden and Norway. (Thanks to Jousto for this information! ^_^)

Also thanks to Jousto, I've put up an English translation of "As You Feel, I Feel." He translated it with the help of Irja Seurujärvi-Kari. Thanks, both of you! ^_^

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First pressing: Comes in a thick cardboard book-type case with the liner notes glued to the front cover. Does not have an obi. The liner notes include the tracklist, with main titles in English and with the original Japanese (kana) titles below; lyrics to "My Home, Sweet Home" and "As I Feel, You Feel," with kana translations; a message from Nobuo Uematsu; candid photos of the recording and production staff and musicians; photos of Uematsu with various people and in various places; and what looks to be photos of random people and things from around Finland. (I suppose that considering the album is called "Dear Friends"...) Also comes with a customer survey card.

Squaresoft version: Comes in a regular plastic jewel case. The liner notes style has been changed drastically from the first pressing. They have far fewer photos than the first pressing, but they do still include the tracklist, lyrics, and message from Uematsu.

Squaresoft re-release: Comes in a regular plastic jewel case. Barring any corrections or slight text changes that might have been made in the liner notes that I didn't catch, the liner notes and music are the same as the original Squaresoft version. However, I did notice that there is an extra bunch of Japanese text on the back of the liner notes below the "Dear friends" message, and a new line of text on the inside cover of the liner notes below the "Products staff" list. Aside from those, the only real differences are the new catalog number, and minor changes to the obi and the back cover, which you can see by comparing the scans above.

SonMay version: Comes in a regular plastic jewel case. The liner notes take after the style of the first pressing, but they are missing the entire second half, starting from the message from Uematsu and all the photos and credits beyond that. Also comes with a customer survey sheet and an apparently random sticker; mine came with a sticker of the ChronoTrigger logo, of all things.

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Interesting note: The date of release on the Squaresoft re-release is listed as 11/26/94 (the date of the original Squaresoft release), although it was actually re-released on 10/1/04.

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Last revised April 17, 2011