![Tons of manga at SF-bok - GBG, 27 mars 2007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Tons_of_manga_at_SF-bok_-_GBG%2C_27_mars_2007.jpg)
is the
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
term for a book that is not part of an
anthology or corpus. In modern Japanese, the term is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series: most series first appear as individual chapters in a weekly or monthly
manga anthology with other works before being published as volumes containing several chapters each.
Major publishing
imprints for include
Jump Comics
, sometimes stylized ''JUMP'' and also known as ''Jump Comics'', is a line of manga anthologies (manga magazines) created by Shueisha. It began with '' Shōnen Jump'' manga anthology in 1968, later renamed ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''. The origin of ...
(for serials in
Shueisha
(lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
's ''
Weekly Shōnen Jump
is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...
'' and other
''Jump'' magazines),
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...
's
Shōnen Magazine Comics, and
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.
Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hit ...
's
Shōnen Sunday Comics.
Japanese comics (manga)
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
came to be published in thick,
phone-book-sized weekly or monthly anthology
manga magazines
This is a list of manga magazines or published in Japan. The majority of manga magazines are categorized into one of five demographics, which correspond to the age and gender of their readership:
* '' Kodomo'' – aimed at young children.
* '' ...
(such as ''
Weekly Shōnen Magazine
is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published on Wednesdays in Japan by Kodansha, first published on March 17, 1959. The magazine is mainly read by an older audience, with a significant portion of its readership falling under the male high ...
'' or ''
Weekly Shōnen Jump
is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...
''). These anthologies often have hundreds of pages and dozens of individual series by multiple authors. They are printed on cheap
newsprint
Newsprint is a low-cost, non-archival paper consisting mainly of wood pulp and most commonly used to print newspapers and other publications and advertising material. Invented in 1844 by Charles Fenerty of Nova Scotia, Canada, it usually has an ...
and are considered disposable. Since the 1930s, though, comic strips had been compiled into collecting multiple installments from a single series and reprinting them in a roughly
paperback
A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...
-sized volume on higher quality paper than in the original magazine printing. Strips in manga magazines and tankobon are typically printed in black and white, but sometimes certain sections may be printed in color or using colored inks or paper.
In
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, while a translation is usually marketed as a "
graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
" or "
trade paperback", the transliterated terms and are sometimes used amongst online communities. Japanese speakers frequently refer to manga by the English
loanword
A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because th ...
, although it is more widespread for being used in place of the word "manga", as they are the same thing. The term also refers to the format itself—a comic collection in a
trade paperback sized (roughly ) book (as opposed to the larger format used by traditional American graphic novels). Although Japanese manga tankobon may be in various sizes, the most common are
Japanese B6 () and
ISO A5 (). The format has made inroads in the American comics market, with several major publishers opting to release some of their titles in this smaller format, which is sometimes also called "digest format" or "
digest size
Digest size is a magazine size, smaller than a conventional or "journal size" magazine but larger than a standard paperback book, approximately , but can also be and , similar to the size of a DVD case. These sizes have evolved from the printin ...
". In the United States, many manga are released in the so-called "Tokyopop trim" or "Tokyopop size" (approximately ).
Special formats
''Aizōban''
An is a
collector's edition
The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, or collector's edition, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints, r ...
volume
Volume is a measure of occupied three-dimensional space. It is often quantified numerically using SI derived units (such as the cubic metre and litre) or by various imperial or US customary units (such as the gallon, quart, cubic inch). The de ...
. These volumes are generally more expensive and lavished with special features such as special covers created specifically for the edition. A special paper used for the cover, higher quality paper, a special slipcase, etc. are generally printed in a limited run, thereby increasing the value and collectability of those few copies made. The format has begun to make inroads into the US market, with titles such as ''
Fruits Basket
, sometimes abbreviated , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Natsuki Takaya. It was serialized in the semi-monthly Japanese manga magazine , published by Hakusensha, from 1998 to 2006. The series' title comes from ...
'' and ''
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin'' being reissued in a similar format. Generally, only the most popular manga are released in this format.
''Bunkoban''
A edition refers to a printed in ''
bunko'' format, or a typical Japanese novel-sized volume. are generally
A6 size () and thicker than and, in the case of manga, usually have a new cover designed specifically for the release. In the case of manga, a tends to contain considerably more pages than a and usually is a republication of of the same title which may or may not have been out of print. Thus, the edition of a given manga will consist of fewer volumes. For example, ''
Please Save My Earth
, sometimes abbreviated ''Bokutama'', is a '' shōjo'' manga by Saki Hiwatari. It was published by Hakusensha from 1986 to 1994 in the magazine ''Hana to Yume'' and collected in 21 volumes (''tankōbon''). The series was adapted as a six-p ...
'' was published in 21 volumes, and then re-released in 12 volumes. If the original manga was a ''wide-ban'' release, the release will generally have the same number of volumes. The term is commonly abbreviated in Japanese to just (without the -).
''Gōkaaizōban''
A is another term occasionally used to designate a type of special release.
''Kanzenban''
The is yet another term sometimes used to denote a type of special release. A release is generally
A5 size () and will typically reproduce individual chapter covers, color pages, and side-stories from its original magazine run, features that are often omitted or converted to
grayscale
In digital photography, computer-generated imagery, and colorimetry, a grayscale image is one in which the value of each pixel is a single sample representing only an ''amount'' of light; that is, it carries only intensity information. Graysca ...
in standard releases. While the appellation emphasizes the value of the volumes, the term emphasizes their completeness, though it is generally reserved for more popular manga.
''Shinsōban''
Similar to a ''wide-ban'', a is a new edition released with (usually) a new cover. The volumes in such a release usually have new color pages and other extras. For example, in 2002, ''
Sailor Moon
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...
'' was re-edited; some pages were completely redrawn, and most dialogues were rewritten by the author. Plus, the chapters were redivided to fit into 12 volumes instead of 18.
''Sōshūhen''
The is a relatively new format published by
Shueisha
(lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
beginning in 2008. A edition is
B5 size (), larger than a , and similarly reproduces chapter covers and color pages while also including a variety of bonus features such as posters and interviews. The majority of releases are for popular manga with ongoing serializations. They also contain far more pages than a standard and thus feature more chapters in fewer volumes; ''
Naruto
''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...
'' Part I was originally published in 27 volumes, but was completed in just eight volumes.
''Wide-ban''
A ''wide-ban'' or edition is larger (
A5 size) than a regular . Many manga, particularly
and
manga, are published in ''wide-ban'' editions after magazine serialization, and are never released in the format that is common in
manga and
manga. When a series originally published in format is re-released in ''wide-ban'' format, each volume will contain more pages than in the original edition, and therefore the series will consist of fewer volumes. For example, ''
Maison Ikkoku
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Big Comic Spirits'' from 1980 to 1987, with the chapters collected into 15 ''tankōbon'' volumes. ' ...
'' was originally released in 15 volumes, but was republished as 10 ''wide-ban'' volumes.
See also
*
*
Omnibus edition
*
Trade paperback
*
List of best-selling manga
The following is a list of the best-selling Japanese manga series to date in terms of the number of collected ''tankōbon'' volumes sold. All series in this list have at least 20 million copies in circulation. This list is limited to Japanese m ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tankobon
Anime and manga terminology
Japanese books
Japanese words and phrases
Books by type
Comics formats