Tankōbon

is the Japanese 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 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 (for serials in Shueisha's '' Weekly Shōnen Jump'' and other ''Jump'' magazines), Kodansha's Shōnen Magazine Comics, and Shogakukan's Shōnen Sunday Comics.

Japanese comics (manga)

manga came to be published in thick, phone-book-sized weekly or monthly anthology manga magazines (such as ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' or '' Weekly Shōnen Jump''). These anthologies often have hundreds of pages and dozens of individual series by multiple authors. They are printed on cheap newsprint 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-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, while a translation is usually marketed as a "graphic novel" or " trade paperback", the transliterated terms and are sometimes used amongst online communities. Japanese speakers frequently refer to manga by the English loanword , 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". 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 volume. 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'' 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'' 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 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'' 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 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'' 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'' 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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tankobon
Anime and manga terminology
Japanese books
Japanese words and phrases
Books by type
Comics formats