I commented about that a couple times back in Ringo Jihen, but yeah, it's worth mentioning again, and I'm surprised you noticed it too, especially if you're using AACs.
I think you're mostly on the money, except the AAC format colors the sound in its own way, so some of the characteristics you're talking about have been exaggerated or minimized by AAC's own sonic bias. In using lossless, absolutely there's a difference between the two, though I wouldn't quite describe it the same way you've indicated.
But the re-release was definitely a remaster, even if an unannounced one. It's kind of a baffling concept for Americans because studios will remaster the shit out of everything just so they can re-release it and ADVERTISE it as a remaster. It's one of the most abused fads in recent years, but Japan remasters things all the time (like my Ghost In The Shell CD box) and declares NOTHING about it.
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You know Tokyo Jihen is a supergroup, when you can't blame most of the members for wanting to pursue other projects.
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