View source for Tankōbon

{{short description|Japanese term for a complete book or single manga volume}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
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[[File:2010-08-05 Manga books for sale.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Rows of manga {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}}]]
A {{nihongo||単行本|'''tankōbon'''|{{lit|independent/standalone book|lk=yes}}}}{{efn|also romanized as '''tankobon''' and '''tankoubon'''}} is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17×11 cm paperback books) and ''[[bunkobon]]''. Used as a [[loanword]] in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a [[manga]] that was previously published in a serialized format. Manga {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} typically contain a handful of chapters, and may collect multiple volumes as a series continues publication.

Major publishing [[Imprint (trade name)|imprints]] for {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} of manga include [[Jump Comics]] (for serials in [[Shueisha]]'s ''[[Weekly Shōnen Jump]]'' and other [[Jump (magazine line)|''Jump'' magazines]]), [[Kodansha]]'s [[Weekly Shōnen Magazine|Shōnen Magazine Comics]], [[Shogakukan]]'s [[Shōnen Sunday]] Comics, and [[Akita Shoten]]’s [[Weekly Shōnen Champion|Shōnen Champion Comics]].

== Manga ==
[[File:Tankobon comparison.jpg|thumb|This Japanese {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} edition of ''[[Love Hina]]'' volume 11 is smaller than this English {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} edition of ''[[Genshiken]]'' volume 8.]]
Increasingly after 1959,{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} [[manga]] came to be published in thick, [[phone book|phone-book]]-sized weekly or monthly anthology [[list of manga magazines|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 {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} 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.<ref>Jason Yadao. The Rough Guide to Manga.</ref> Strips in manga magazines and tankobon are typically printed in black and white, but sometimes certain sections may be printed in colour or using colored inks or paper.

In [[English language|English]], while a {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} translation is usually marketed as a "[[graphic novel]]" or "[[trade paperback (comics)|trade paperback]]", the transliterated terms {{lang|ja-Latn|tankoubon}} and {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} are sometimes used amongst online communities. Japanese speakers frequently refer to manga {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} by the English [[loanword]] {{nihongo|"comics"|コミックス|komikkusu}},<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shiraishi |first1=Saya S. |editor1-last= Katzenstein |editor1-first= Peter J. |editor2-last= Shiraishi |editor2-first= Takashi |title=Network Power: Japan and Asia |date=1997 |publisher=Cornell University Press |location=Ithaca, New York |isbn=978-0-8014-8373-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/networkpowerjapa0000unse/page/252 252] |edition=Illustrated |chapter=Japan's Soft Power: Doraemon Goes Overseas |quote=The term ''komikkusu'' (for comic books) spread and because of its English origin... |url=https://archive.org/details/networkpowerjapa0000unse/page/252}}</ref> 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 (comics)|trade paperback]] sized (roughly {{cvt|13|x|18|cm|0|disp=comma}}) book (as opposed to the larger {{cvt|18|x|25|cm|0|disp=comma}} format used by traditional American graphic novels).<ref>{{cite journal |last=Brienza |first=Casey E. |date=June 2009 |title=Books, Not Comics: Publishing Fields, Globalization, and Japanese Manga in the United States |journal=Publishing Research Quarterly |publisher=Springer |location=New York |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=101–17 |issn=1053-8801 |doi=10.1007/s12109-009-9114-2 |s2cid=143718638}}</ref>

Although Japanese manga tankobon may be in various sizes, the most common are [[Paper size#Japanese B-series variant|Japanese B6]] ({{cvt|12.8|x|18.2|cm|2|disp=comma}}) and [[Paper size|ISO A5]] ({{cvt|14.8|x|21.0|cm|2|disp=comma}}). The {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} 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 {{cvt|5|x|7.5|in|cm|disp=comma|order=flip}}).<ref>{{cite journal |last=Brienza |first=Casey E. |date=June 2009 |title=Books, Not Comics: Publishing Fields, Globalization, and Japanese Manga in the United States |journal=Publishing Research Quarterly |publisher=Springer |location=New York |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=101–17 |issn=1053-8801 |doi=10.1007/s12109-009-9114-2 |s2cid=143718638}}</ref>

== Special formats ==
=== ''Aizōban'' ===
An {{nihongo||愛蔵版|'''aizōban'''|{{lit.}} "cherished edition"}} is a [[Special edition|collector's edition]] [[volume (bibliography)|volume]]. These volumes are generally more expensive and lavished with special features such as a special cover created specifically for the edition, a special paper used for the cover, higher quality paper, a special slipcase, etc. {{lang|ja-Latn|Aizōban}} are generally printed in a limited run, thereby increasing the value and collectability of those few copies made. The {{lang|ja-Latn|aizōban}} 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.

=== ''Bunkoban'' ===
{{Distinguish|Bunkobon}}
A {{nihongo||文庫版|'''bunkoban'''|{{lit.}} "paperback edition"}} edition refers to a {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} printed in ''[[bunkobon|bunko]]'' format, or a typical Japanese novel-sized volume. {{lang|ja-Latn|Bunkoban}} are generally [[Paper size|A6]] size ({{cvt|105|x|148|mm|disp=comma}}) and thicker than {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} and, in the case of manga, usually have a new cover designed specifically for the release. In the case of manga, a {{lang|ja-Latn|bunkoban}} tends to contain considerably more pages than a {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} and usually is a republication of {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} of the same title which may or may not have been out of print.<ref>{{cite web |title=ぼくの地球を守って 12 |url=https://www.hakusensha.co.jp/comicslist/42198/ |website=HAKUSENSHA |publisher=[[Hakusensha]] |access-date=15 February 2025}}</ref>

Thus, the {{lang|ja-Latn|bunko}} edition of a given manga will consist of fewer volumes. For example, ''[[Please Save My Earth]]'' was published in 21 {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} volumes, and then re-released in 12 {{lang|ja-Latn|bunko}} volumes.<ref>{{cite web |title=ぼくの地球を守って 12 |url=https://www.hakusensha.co.jp/comicslist/42198/ |website=HAKUSENSHA |publisher=[[Hakusensha]] |access-date=15 February 2025}}</ref> If the original manga was a ''wide-ban'' release, the {{lang|ja-Latn|bunkoban}} release will generally have the same number of volumes.

=== ''Gōka aizōban'' ===
A {{nihongo||豪華愛蔵版|'''gōka aizōban'''|{{lit.}} "luxury collector's edition"}} is another term occasionally used to designate a type of special release.<ref>{{cite web |title=豪華愛蔵版 美味しんぼ |url=https://www.shogakukan.co.jp/books/09179511 |website=SHOGAKUKAN |publisher=[[Shogakukan]] Inc. |access-date=15 February 2025}}</ref>

=== ''Kanzenban'' ===
The {{nihongo||完全版|'''kanzenban'''|{{lit.}} "complete edition"}} is yet another term sometimes used to denote a type of special release. A {{lang|ja-Latn|kanzenban}} release is generally [[ISO 216|A5 size]] ({{cvt|148|x|210|mm|disp=comma}}) and will typically reproduce individual chapter covers, colour pages, and side-stories from its original magazine run, features that are often omitted or converted to [[grayscale]] in standard {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} releases. While the {{lang|ja-Latn|aizōban}} appellation emphasizes the value of the volumes, the term {{lang|ja-Latn|kanzenban}} emphasizes their completeness.

=== ''Shinsōban'' ===
Similar to a ''wide-ban'', a {{nihongo||新装版|'''shinsōban'''|{{lit.}} "redecorated edition"}} or {{nihongo||特装版|'''tokusōban'''|{{lit.}} "specially bound edition"}} is a special edition released, usually with a new cover. The volumes in such a release usually have new colour pages and other extras. For example, in 2003, ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' was re-edited; some pages were completely redrawn, and most dialogues were rewritten by the author. The chapters were redivided to fit into 12 volumes instead of 18.<ref>{{cite web |title=『美少女戦士セーラームーン新装版（１２）＜完＞』（武内 直子） |url=https://www.kodansha.co.jp/comic/products/0000035469 |website=Kodansha Comic Plus |publisher=[[Kodansha]] Ltd. |access-date=14 February 2025}}</ref>

=== ''Sōshūhen'' ===
The {{nihongo||総集編|'''sōshūhen'''|{{lit.}} "compilation"}} is a format published by [[Shueisha]] beginning in 2008. A {{lang|ja-Latn|sōshūhen}} edition is [[ISO 216|B5 size]] ({{cvt|176|x|250|mm|disp=comma}}), larger than a {{lang|ja-Latn|kanzenban}}, and similarly reproduces chapter covers and colour pages while also including a variety of bonus features such as posters and interviews. The majority of {{lang|ja-Latn|sōshūhen}} releases are for popular manga with ongoing serializations. They contain far more pages than a standard {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} and feature more chapters in fewer volumes; ''[[Naruto]]'' Part I was originally published in 27 {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} volumes, but was completed in just eight {{lang|ja-Latn|sōshūhen}} volumes.<ref>{{cite web |title=NARUTO総集編 うずまき大巻 大巻ノ八 |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/book/408111008/ |website=[[Oricon]] |publisher=[[Shueisha]] inc. |access-date=19 April 2025}}</ref>

=== ''Wide-ban'' ===
A '''''wide-ban''''' or {{Nihongo||ワイド版|'''waidoban'''|{{lit.}} "wide edition"}} edition is larger ([[ISO 216|A5]] size) than a regular {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}}. Many manga, particularly [[Seinen manga|{{lang|ja-Latn|seinen|nocat=y}}]] and [[Josei manga|{{lang|ja-Latn|josei|nocat=y}} manga]], are published in ''wide-ban'' editions after magazine serialisation, and are never released in the {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} format that is common in [[Shōnen manga|{{lang|ja-Latn|shōnen|nocat=y}} manga]] and [[Shōjo manga|{{lang|ja-Latn|shōjo|nocat=y}} manga]]. When a series originally published in {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} 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, ''[[Inuyasha]]'' was originally released in 56 {{lang|ja-Latn|tankōbon}} volumes, but was republished as 30 ''wide-ban'' volumes.<ref>{{cite web |title=犬夜叉 ワイド版 ３０ |url=https://www.shogakukan.co.jp/books/09124165 |website=SHOGAKUKAN |publisher=[[Shogakukan]] Inc. |access-date=15 February 2025}}</ref>

== See also ==
*{{lang|ja-Latn|[[Gekiga]]}}
*[[Omnibus edition]]
*[[Trade paperback (comics)|Trade paperback]]
*[[List of best-selling manga]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

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