Tankōbon
From Open Encyclopedia
Tankōbon (単行本) is the Japanese term for a "compilation volume" of a particular series (such as a manga or a novel series), as opposed to a magazine or a complete works series which often contain multiple titles.
Typically, manga are first published in phone-book-sized weekly or monthly anthology manga magazine (such as Afternoon or Shonen Jump). These anthologies often have hundreds of pages and dozens of individual storylines by multiple authors. They are printed on very cheap newsprint and are considered disposable. A Tankobon collects chapters from a single series and reprints them in a roughly paperback-sized volume on higher quality paper.
In English, while a tankōbon translation is usually marketed as a "graphic novel" or "trade paperback," the terms "tankoubon" or "tankobon" (spelled as such) and "graphic novel" are used by online manga communities. Japanese people frequently call manga tankōbon komikku (コミック), from the English word "comic".
The term may also refer to the format itself - a comic collection in a trade paperback sized book (as opposed to the larger format used by traditional American graphic novels.) The tankōbon format has made inroads in the American comics market, with several major publishers opting to release some of their titles in the format.
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Aizōban
An aizōban (愛蔵版) 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, special paper used for the cover, higher quality paper, a special slipcase, and so on. Aizōban are generally printed in a limited run, thereby increasing the value and collectability of those few copies made.
Kanzenban
Kanzenban (完全版) is a term sometimes used instead of aizōban for a special release. As with aizōban, kanzenban are generally printed in a limited run, and generally only the most popular manga are released in this format.
Bunkoban
A bunkoban (文庫版) edition is a typical Japanese novel-sized volume. These are generally smaller (about 16cm tall) and thicker than tankōbon, and usually have a new cover designed specifically for the release (in the case of manga). If there was a wideban release, the bunkoban release will generally have the same number of volumes. They are also sometimes referred to as "bunko," without the "-ban."
Wideban
The wideban (ワイド版 waidoban) edition is larger than the regular tankōbon, and generally collects a series in fewer volumes than the original tankōbon release. For example, Maison Ikkoku was originally released in 15 tankōbon volumes, but was released as 10 wideban volumes.es:Tankōbon it:Tankoubon ja:単行本 ru:Танкобон
