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EVERY Berserk Manga Edition Compared - What’s the Best Way to Collect in English?
Feb 3, 2022
Hey guys! In this week's video, I'm doing a side by side comparison of the Berserk manga editions that have released with English translation so far, the Berserk DMP paperbacks, the Dark Horse paperbacks, and the Berserk Deluxe Editions!
Hope this video was helpful and thanks so much as always for watching!
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0:00
What's up guys, it's Kristen from Anime Collective. So recently I asked you guys if you would like to
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see a comparison of the Berserk Deluxe Editions with the individual paperbacks and a lot of you
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responded yes, so here it is. So in this video I want to not only compare the Deluxe Editions to
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the individual paperbacks, but I want to compare the individual paperbacks as well. There's actually
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two versions. There's one that released by DMP in collaboration with Dark Horse, but there's also a
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set that was released by Dark Horse individually as well. So are there any differences between those
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and how do they differ from the deluxe editions as well? Let's find out. Alright, so I'm going to be comparing the three different releases of Kentara Mira's Berserk
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that have released with English translation. The two paperback releases, the one that DMP released in collaboration with Dark Horse
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and the second that Dark Horse released on their own in the Berserk deluxe editions
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A quick intro though before we get into it, even though Berserk is a manga and Kentara Mira
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is a creator that most likely needs no introduction, it's one I feel I need to talk about because
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it means so much to me. I also want to quickly note that I am super thankful to Kintara Miura for all of his hard work over those years, everything he brought us
1:06
He created my favorite manga, and I will forever be thankful to him for that. You guys probably already know by now that Berserk is my favorite manga of all time, but if this is your first introduction to my channel, I want to briefly talk about why
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If you're someone who has thought about reading it but has yet to delve into it, I want to mention why it's worth getting into
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Berserk is a story about so many things. Human nature, struggle, one's own will versus their destiny
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the sacrifice we make for others, but also those we make for ourselves, and so much more
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It's set in a brutal world that's played by war, and our main character, Guts, is quite literally born into it
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Later on in the Golden Age arc, he joins a mercenary group called the Band of the Hawk
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that's led by Griffith, a charismatic leader. This is the arc where things really take off in the story
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but this, of course, is a dark fantasy, so something happens later on that changes everything for guts
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and this story develops in a way that continuously keeps you invested. It's hard to really explain it without giving too much away
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but it's one that has made me cry, not just because it hit me hard emotionally, but because it touched me as well
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And while it's full of blood and gore, which I personally love, there's so much more to this story, and it actually has a ton of heart
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And also, too, while it's set in a world where otherworldly monsters reside, it feels so real due to the struggles and the dynamics of the characters
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And then there's the art. To me, it's just a masterpiece through and through, and I highly recommend it
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But what's the best way to collect the series? I love Berserk so much that I personally own both the Individuals and a Deluxe Edition
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so I wanted to compare them for you guys. First off, I want to go over how much of Berserk's manga each collect
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The DMP paperbacks are out of print, and they only released through Volume 37
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Dark Horse took over releasing the series individually after that point, and currently they have released 40 volumes with English translation
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As to release of Volume 41 Dark Horse Let Us Know on their site that it is being translated and localized in the United States and that it is expected to be available in summer 2022 Volume 41 however is already out in Japan and was released on December 24th
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Each Deluxe Edition collects three individual volumes of Berserk. They are currently caught up through Volume 27 with the release of Deluxe Edition 9
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Deluxe Edition 10, which collects 28 through 30, is expected to ship out on March 8th
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and Deluxe Edition 11, which collects 31 through 33, is expected to arrive on July 12th
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I'm not sure what they are going to do about Volume 41 in regards to the Deluxe Editions just yet because Dark Horse hasn't officially confirmed anything
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That being said, I am hopeful that they'll include Volume 41 in the final Deluxe. Cost-wise, the Deluxe Editions retail for $49.99, but I've seen them hit as low as $30 from time to time on Amazon
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Actually, at the time of this video, some of the Berserk Deluxe Editions are on sale for some pretty low prices
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The individual paperbacks, however, vary depending on the release. So the Dark Horse paperbacks are $14.99 a piece at retail
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The D&P paperbacks, however, are out of print, and I've seen them go for $600 or more for the set, which are just Volumes 1 through 37 on eBay
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Just a quick note, you can find the individual volumes for lower prices on sites like Right Stuff
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That being said, of the current ways you can collect Berserk, the individual Dark Horse paperbacks would cost you around $5.99 USD at retail for the 40 volumes that have been released so far
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The individuals are $14.99 USD a piece, but if you collect them in the deluxe editions, they're around $16.66 a piece at retail
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If you can get them at $30, though, which is one of the lowest prices I've seen them hit, they'd only be $10 a piece
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Each volume is around $2.66 more expensive when collected in the Deluxe Editions at retail
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even less when you get them on sale, but they are hardcover, Abasone Binding are in a larger format, so I think they are well-priced for what you get
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How do they compare in terms of size, though? The Dark Horse Deluxe Editions are the largest format of Berserk to be released so far
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and they are 7x10 inches, while the individual paperbacks, both the DMP and Dark Horse releases
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are around 5.1 by 7.2 inches. They contain three volumes of Berserk, but they only marginally save
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you space on the shelf approximately 0.11 inches. So each way you can collect a series takes up about
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the same space on the shelf. Next, let's talk about design and quality. The individual paperbacks
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feature the original artwork by Kentaro Miura and have glossy covers. The Berserk logo is at the top
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of each cover and on the spine as well with this leather-like pattern. They have a nice look to them
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and look good both on and off the shelf. I also love being able to see all the individual artwork
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on the covers. At first, I thought the only difference design-wise between the Dark Horse
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paperbacks and the DMP paperbacks were their spines, but the artwork on their covers is colored
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differently as well. As you can see here with the DMP logo, everything on the spine is spaced
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differently. I actually prefer the look of the DMP spines, but unfortunately, you can only collect
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up through 37, so you'd have to get the Dark Horse spines for the remaining volumes, and this is a
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quick look at what that'd look like on the shelf. The deluxe editions are hardcover and are wrapped
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in black pleather I really love the texture of them The brand of sacrifice is embossed in the center of the editions and the berserk lettering pops out against the dark background in this metallic red color All of the text on the Deluxicians is foiled by the way including what on the spine
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I've heard some people mention that the foiled text is prone to scratching. This is something that has never personally happened to me before, though
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I can see them potentially arriving this way from a warehouse depending on how they were stored and handled
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but you also want to be careful that your volumes aren't stored next to one another too tightly
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When you take out the volumes and put them back on the shelf, they could rub against one another, which could scratch the text if they are packed too tightly
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The deluxe editions are also the only edition with a sewn binding, which is super nice
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and it also helps with readability, which I'll get into later on. They really do have a premium feel and they are beautiful editions
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What about the translation and sound effects? No difference to report in terms of the translation when reading them side by side
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The sound effects, however, were translated in the deluxe editions, whereas they weren't in the paperbacks
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They added little translation notes above or next to the original hand-drawn sound effects on the pages
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Next, I want to talk about readability and whether or not these editions have any issues with gutter loss
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Because of their sewn binding, I actually noticed less gutter loss in the deluxe editions than the singles
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and you can really see that more so in the larger panels. Even despite their thickness, the artwork is obstructed less by the gutter in the deluxe editions
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The deluxe editions are larger and heavier, though, so if you want something that's more portable
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you may prefer the individual volumes. That being said, the deluxe editions are much easier to read than something like the Attack on Titan Colossal editions
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which are paperback and have a glued binding, I also review those on a channel if you'd like to
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check them out. When reading them side by side, I also noticed that the text was easier to read in
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the deluxe editions thanks to their larger format. Berserk can be quite text heavy at times. Not only
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is there dialogue happening between two or multiple characters at once in one panel, but there's inner
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dialogue or little slight comments typically seen with Puck happening as well. That being said
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the text in some areas is quite small in the paperbacks and I really had to put them up to
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my face at times to read some of them. With a larger format, the text in the deluxe editions
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is much easier to read and everything felt like it had more room to breathe also. Next, I want to
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talk about cropping. The artwork is less cropped all around in the deluxe editions than it is in
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the paperbacks. Both vertically and horizontally, you can see more of the artwork in the deluxe
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editions than you can in the singles. What about page and print quality? The Dark Horse deluxe
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editions are printed on white paper that has a matte finish, whereas the end visuals are printed
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on a slightly off-white paper that has an eggshell-like texture to it. Because of the type of paper the Deluxe Editions are printed on
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the contrast is sharper and the blacks are deeper. You can see that the shadows are a bit more dark than they should be in some areas
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in the paperbacks in comparison to the Deluxe Editions. Print quality between the DMP and Dark Horse paperbacks, on the other hand
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after a side-by-side flip-through, look to be the same, and if there are any marginal differences in print quality
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they weren't at all noticeable when viewing the same panel side-by-side. In regards to the page quality, it's the same
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Both have the same type of pages and the eggshell-like finish in a slightly off-white color
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I also want to talk about how the artwork looks in the deluxe editions Kintaram Yura is one of my favorite manga artists The level of meticulousness and attention to detail you can just tell that every panel was drawn with love and care
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the commitment and the work he put into Berserk is something that you notice the minute you look at his panels
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Whether it be his highly detailed landscapes, backgrounds and settings, or the outfits and portraits of the characters
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the way he conveys movement or emotion, whether we are in the thick of battle, riding with a band of the hawk
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add a ball with nobles, traversing a landscape, whatever it may be, the way that Kentaramir not
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only develops his story but pulls you into it through his art is incredible. In the deluxe
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editions, you can see all of the line weights, textures, and details he added a lot more than
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you could in the paperbacks thanks to the larger format and the higher print quality. His artwork
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has a presence and is larger than life, but it is made up of a lot of tiny details, textures
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and varying line weights. You can see all of these in even greater detail in the deluxe editions
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Kintaro Mura's artwork is the type that, while beautiful to witness in any format, really benefits from a larger format release
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And finally, I want to talk about extras. Each deluxe edition comes with full-color art galleries at the end
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that include all of the cover art of each volume that is compiled within that specific edition
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In deluxe editions 8 and 9, they also include the full-color fold-out posters
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at the beginning of the volumes, and I couldn't be happier that they did. 8 includes the fold-out posters that were also included in front of the paperbacks 22 through 24
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and 9 includes the fold-out posters that were also included in front of paperbacks 25 through 27
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These full-color fold-out posters were first added in paperback 22, and they were included in every volume after
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So the remaining deluxe editions should include the fold-out posters that were in the individual paperbacks they collect
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Okay, so now that we've gone over everything and compared the editions, I want to quickly sum everything up
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The deluxe editions have the highest print quality. The artwork is the least cropped in these editions
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The sound effects are translated on the pages. the artwork looks even more incredible in this larger format
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and they're high-quality, beautiful editions. I do also enjoy the individual paperbacks and really love the artwork on their covers
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They're also the cheapest way to collect Berserk at retail. The Dark Horse paperbacks, that is
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but they aren't quite as high in terms of print quality as the deluxe editions have more issues with gutter loss
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and the sound effects aren't translated on the page. I personally prefer the spines of the DMP paperbacks
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but they only collect up through 37, so if you're someone who wants the same spines for all 41
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you will want to get the Dark Horse paperbacks. Personally, I prefer the deluxe editions
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I just can't deny the way Kintaromir's art looks in them. The print quality is top-notch
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The text is easier to read in this format too, especially in those more dialogue-heavy moments of the series
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And they're all around just a premium format with an incredible design. That being said, while I think they are the best edition of Berserk to release so far
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I still love the paperbacks and decided to own both. This is something I tend to do when it comes to collecting my favorite series
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and with Berserk being my top, I had to get them too. What about you guys
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You own the singles or the deluxe editions or both? Let me know in the comments below
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As always, thanks so much for watching. Hope you all found this video to be helpful and see you all next time
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