Hey, guys.
Have you ever wondered what the best Death Note manga edition is for you?
Well, wonder no more, because I went out and bought them all.
So let's find out!
Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata are two of my favorite manga creators.
Not only do I enjoy the series they've created
together, like Death Note and Bakuman, but I also enjoy the series that Takeshi
Obata has worked on with others like Hikaru no Go or All You Need Is Kill.
Death Note
is one of my all time favorites though, so I was excited to make this video.
Not only because it highlights one of my top manga,
but also because I was curious to see whether or not
any of these editions would change my mind given that I only owned the box set
before comparing them all.
Spoiler alert another did catch my eye.
So as it currently stands, there are four ways to fully collect
Death Note with English translation: The individual paperbacks,
the complete box set, the black editions, and the all in one edition.
There are 12 individual volumes that fully collect Death Note
with English translation.
The box set collects all 12 volumes of the series.
The Death
Note Black Editions are 2-in-1's so they collect the series in six volumes.
The all in one edition, much applicable to its name, collects
all 12 volumes of Death Note in one edition.
Let's kick things off with size.
The smallest format is the all in one edition.
The listing describes it as a monstrously large edition,
but the only thing that's monstrous about it is its thickness at a whopping 3.2
inches thick.
Height and width-wise though, it is the smallest edition in terms of size.
The individual volumes are in the middle.
The black editions are the largest format of Death Note to release so far.
They are 8.4 inches tall whereas the individual paperbacks are 7.5 inches tall.
With the all in one being a compiled edition
that collects all 12 volumes in one,
it saves you the most space on the shelf by far, only 3.2 inches.
In comparison, the individual volumes take up around 9.6
inches, while the black editions take up around 8.4 inches on the shelf.
What about the cost?
The individual paperbacks retail at $9.99, the black editions retail at $14.99,
the all in one edition retails at $49.99, and the death note complete
box set retails at $114.99.
All of those prices are in USD by the way.
So the cheapest way to fully collect Death Note is through the all in one edition.
Also guys, please
don't pay crazy prices for Death Note right now, especially the box set.
I know that they are in and out of stock right now,
but this is one that won't be going out of print anytime soon.
Let's compare design next.
The covers in the individual paperbacks have the same artwork
as the Japanese volumes.
The Death Note
logo is glossy, but the rest of the cover has this slightly matte feel to it.
Not nearly as matte as the black editions though.
They carry this all over on the spine and each volume's spine features
artwork of a different Shinigami.
The black editions are paperbacks too.
But they are much more minimalistic in terms of their design, which some may
or may not like, with a Death Note logo at top
as well as portraits of the characters in the center of the editions.
The covers are matte, both the front and the back.
Interestingly enough, though, the spines are glossy.
All six spines feature a similar design with the Death Note logo and skulls
at the bottom with the volume number that's written in Roman numerals on them.
Because of this, they look more uniform on the shelf.
The edges of the pages are black as well
and this is something that's unique to this edition.
I also want to note that the covers of the Black Editions markup
really easily, whether it be with fingerprints or dust.
They also scratch easily if you aren't careful.
And since they are black as well as matte, scratches or any
imperfections really stand out, so they require more care than singles.
The all in one's design is also simplistic.
The edition is black
with this graphic on it that makes it look as if it's been scratched or distressed.
There's an image of Ryuk adorning the top of a cross in its center.
The spine says Death Note
all in one edition and it also has a minimalistic look to it.
The box,
however, has a really nice design with black and white artwork on all sides.
The front has the artwork seen on volume 12 of the singles
and then there's artwork of Ryuk that wraps around its side to the back.
The box itself is metallic silver and the text is inset
into the box and is foiled in a metallic red, which is really nice.
When kept in its box it looks great, but out of it,
the edition itself is my least favorite of the three.
The all in one does need to be handled with care too, because of its size
and the fact that its paperback, the covers are prone to denting
and when read it is
hard to get the edition back into its box, so be careful when doing so.
A quick look at the box set design as well.
This box set actually has some of my favorite artwork on it.
You have artwork of Ryuk and Light and the other Shinigami
on the sides and then this metallic silver Death Note logo on the front.
Up next is print quality Takeshi Obata uses a lot of black in his artwork,
but he uses a lot of negative space as well in Death Note,
so his artwork in this series has a lot of contrast
and contrast really benefits from a good quality printing.
Every edition of Death Note, aside from the All in one edition,
is printed on off-white paper that has an eggshell-like texture.
The All in one editions are printed
on white glossy paper, but the pages are extremely thin,
so thin that they are see-through and you can see the panels of the pages
underneath the one you are currently reading.
It is actually pretty bad to the point where you can make out full details
like Ryuk's face
and even read the text underneath as seen on Light's shirt in this panel.
So while the glossy white paper is great for contrast,
there's a give and take here with the quality of the paper.
The print quality in the black editions is slightly better
than what's seen in the singles.
The blacks are
sometimes a bit too dark in the singles, so the midtones don't stand out
as much as they do in the Black Editions.
As you can see here in this panel, you can see more detail in Ryuk's
hair in the Black Editions than you can in the individuals.
The larger format could be a reason as to why you can see even more detail,
but the contrast is slightly better in the Black Editions.
Since the all in one have white glossy paper,
they do have the sharpest contrast of the three,
but since the artwork has been shrunk down into the smaller format,
the details don't stand out as much as they do in the Black Editions.
All things to definitely consider.
How cropped is the artwork in each?
Alright, so this one is a bit different than the other edition comparisons
I've done
because it looks
like the artwork has been realigned to fit the different editions of Death Note.
Because of this
the editions are cropped differently at the top and bottom of the pages.
The all in one editions are cropped the least at the bottom of the pages
as seen here you can see more of this fan than you can in the other two.
Horizontally, though, the most cropped
edition is the Black Edition and the least cropped are the singles.
To me, though, the least cropped all around are the individual paperbacks.
Do any of the editions have color pages?
Yes, but only one of them.
The Black Editions have a few color pages and this is definitely one of the perks
to picking them up.
You can tell these pages were originally colored
in the singles and all in one too, but they were grayscaled in those.
By the way, seeing the color pages in the black editions makes me long
for a full color release of Death Note with English translation one day.
I've heard some people mention
something also about an updated translation in the Black Editions
but the listing for the edition does not state this.
I wanted to double check though,
so I read the first Black Edition alongside the singles.
I did not notice any differences in the translation while reading, but
I only have the first black edition right now, so if you notice any differences
in the translation in the later editions please let us all know in the comments.
But from what I can tell, everything appears to read the same.
The translated sound effects were the same in all of the editions also.
Another thing I saw people saying in reviews of the Black Editions
is that the text and the speech bubbles aren't aligned proportionately.
This is actually something that persists in all editions of Death Note.
Every speech bubble that looked like this example in the
Black Edition also occurred in the singles and the all in one edition.
In terms of readability,
the Death Note singles and black editions are the most enjoyable to read.
They have little of any problems with gutter loss and they are lightweight.
The all in one edition, however, is the most cumbersome thing I've ever read.
It's too small for how thick it is, and for that reason, it's very difficult
to hold or read comfortably.
As a result of its thickness as well, the pages are difficult
to read throughout.
These volumes have a big problem with gutter loss as a result,
and unfortunately, the all in one editions are the worst in terms of readability.
But if you're looking for something that's compact
that you can take on the road
with you, I can definitely see why they're appealing.
In regards to extras, the all in one comes with the one shot special, C-Kira story.
This is the first time that this short story has been printed
with English translation but Viz are coming out with a Death
Note Short Stories manga this year, which includes the C-Kira
story as well as others, so you can collect it that way as well.
As mentioned earlier, the Black Editions come with a few color pages,
but this is the only difference
I noticed in comparison to the singles in regards to the extras.
If you're wanting to own the four panel comics
at the end of the volumes, the individuals and the black editions have them.
The all in one edition, however, does not.
The complete box set comes with the 13th volume,
also known as the How to Read Death Note volume, as well as a "how
to use it" pamphlet which outlines all the rules when using the death note.
The 13th volume is an incredible read and it is one of my favorite editions
in a box set, especially from Viz.
It includes everything from commentaries and interviews with the creators
to character profiles, a bonus manga chapter and four panel comics.
It also comes with an L true name card inside of it in the front.
So now that we've gone over everything, which is the best?
As always, it depends on what you're looking for,
and while I think you're going to get to experience an amazing series no matter
what edition you choose, one may be a better fit for you.
Looking for the cheapest way to collect? All in one.
Want to save the most space on the shelf or something compact to take on the road
with you?
All in one also. Want the best readability?
The singles or the black editions.
Want the best extras? Box set.
Looking for the most cost effective way to collect the singles?
Also the box set.
Prefer the look of the original covers?
Box set or singles.
Like a more minimalistic design? The Black Editions.
The best print quality?
I would say the black editions here, because while the glossy pages in the all
the one editions make it have the best contrast,
the artwork is smaller so they aren't as enjoyable to read.
Want an edition with color pages or prefer a larger format?
The Black Editions.
What do I think, though?
Personally, I'm stuck between the box set and the Black Editions.
Before I made this video, I would have said box set, but now that
I've seen the Black Editions firsthand, I've gotta say I actually love them.
I'd still say your best and safest bet would be the box set if you're just now
getting into collecting Death Note, but man, the Black Editions have won me
over as well with their color pages, design, and larger format.
What do you guys think?
Let me know in the comments.
If you're looking for more manga comparison videos like these
be sure to check out this playlist next.
Also, I'd love to know what editions you guys would like to see compared
if it's Blade of the Immortal, don't worry, because that one is coming next.
And there you have it guys, that is it for the video.
Thank you so much for watching and I'll see you all next time!