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Hey guys! In this week's video, I review and do a side by side comparison of all 7 of the Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z manga editions with English translation, the graphic novels, comic book issues, Dragon Ball Full Color Editions, Dragon Ball 3-in-1's, Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z Vigbigs, and the Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z Manga Box Sets!
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0:00
What's up guys, it's Kristen for Anime Collective. So I recently started a new format of a video
0:05
where I review all of the English editions of a series and I recently did one for Attack on Titan
0:10
and it seems like you guys really enjoy that kind of format so I'm excited to get more out for you
0:14
guys. So this time around I wanted to tackle a series that probably doesn't need any introduction
0:20
It's been going strong for many many years. It is Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z by Akira Toriyama
0:26
So Dragon Ball has actually been releasing with English translation since the 90s
0:30
so it makes sense that there's a lot of different ways to collect the series. Currently, as it stands, there are seven different versions with English translation
0:38
and I'm going to be comparing them all for you guys today. With that all said, let's get into it
0:42
Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z by Akira Toriyama has been released with English translation in seven different formats
0:48
First, the comic book issues, then the paperback graphic novels were released in the 2000s
0:52
the individual paperbacks, the 3-in-1s, the Vizbigs, the box sets, and the seventh being the
0:57
full color editions, which only apply to Dragon Ball Z. But how many volumes do each collect and
1:02
do they fully collect Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z? First up are the individual paperbacks. There
1:07
are 16 volumes in Dragon Ball and 26 volumes in Dragon Ball Z. So there are a total of 42 volumes
1:13
to collect if you decide to go this route. There are also two box sets that collect the individual
1:17
paperbacks, one for Dragon Ball and one for Dragon Ball Z, that were released as well that
1:21
collect all 42 volumes. Next we have the VisBigs. There are 5 VisBigs that collect Dragon Ball and
1:27
9 VisBigs that collect Dragon Ball Z. So there are a total of 14 VisBigs. Each VisBig collects
1:33
3 volumes. Finally we have the Dragon Ball 3-in-1s which collect all of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z
1:38
in 14 volumes. These collect Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z continuously unlike other formats
1:44
which split them up by series. For example, this 3-in-1 here marks the end of Dragon Ball and the
1:49
beginning of Z. Before I get into reviewing the additions that fully collect Dragon Ball and
1:54
Dragon Ball Z, I want to briefly talk about the releases that don't. First up are the comic book
1:59
issues, which began releasing in the 90s. I'm not going to include these in every breakdown that I
2:03
do over the course of the video because they are really just nice additions to own if you're a huge
2:08
collector of the series and while they fully collect Dragon Ball, they don't fully collect
2:11
Dragon Ball Z. With Dragon Ball Z, they only collect it up through most of the Frieza arc
2:16
so it's not anywhere near complete. Some quick notes about the comic book issues. They're in
2:20
black and white, have newspaper-like pages, and have unique cover art. They decided to switch to
2:25
a paperback graphic novel format which collects even less of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z than
2:29
the comic book issues later on. They only published 10 volumes of Dragon Ball and 10 volumes of
2:34
Dragon Ball Z in this new graphic novel format. The art is the most cropped in this version
2:39
the print quality isn't all that great which is probably indicative of the time they were printed
2:42
in, and they're out of print so they're harder to collect. These two don't fully collect the series
2:47
so I decided to leave these out of the running with all of the other formats that have since been released. Still though, I wanted to show them off because I find they are lesser known
2:55
and while I don't personally recommend the graphic novels after seeing them firsthand and with their
2:59
print quality, I think the comic book issues are fun to collect. Another release that I want to
3:03
talk about real quick are the full-color editions, which only collect the Saiyan arc, which is
3:07
compiled in three volumes, and the Frieza arc, which is compiled in five volumes of Dragon Ball Z
3:12
So they don't collect any of Dragon Ball, nor do they fully collect Z, but they are awesome additions
3:17
They're great to collect alongside other formats. I really wish they would continue on with these, even potentially doing Dragon Ball in this format as well
3:24
but Viz let us know in a tweet that the Dragon Ball full-color arcs are licensed separately from one another
3:29
so they have no word on a release of the next arc. So right now I can recommend them as a standalone purchase I would only get these in addition to another format that allows you to fully read the series And honestly after doing this video I might have convinced myself to get these in addition to the ones I already have because the color pages are striking and the
3:46
print quality is amongst the best thanks to the glossy paper they are printed on. I am going to compare the full color editions when applicable throughout this video, especially in
3:54
terms of print quality, and also how the color pages look in comparison to other formats, so stay
3:58
tuned for that. Now on to the rest of the formats, which fully collect both Dragon Ball and Dragon
4:03
Ball Z. I'll be comparing these all side by side, but wanted to showcase those three formats
4:08
the comic books, the graphic novels, and the full color editions first, even though they aren't
4:11
complete. With that all said, how do the individual paperbacks, which you can also collect in the box
4:16
sets, the VizBigs, and the 3-in-1s compare? First off, they differ in terms of size. The individual
4:21
paperbacks in the 3-in-1s are the smallest format. They are both the same size as Viz's other
4:25
standard Shonen Jump releases. The VizBig is another format, which is larger than the 3-in-1s
4:30
and individual paperbacks that Viz releases. They've released these as well for other series like Vagabond
4:35
which I also reviewed on the channel if you'd like to check that out. This is the largest format at Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z that fully collects both series
4:42
The full color editions are the largest format, but again, they only collect the Saiyan and Frieza arcs
4:47
They are about the same height as the Dark Horse Deluxe editions. In regards to the price, the singles retail for $9.99 a piece
4:53
the Viz Bigs are $19.99 each, the 3-in-1s are $14.99 each, and the Dragon Ball box set retails for $139.99, while the Dragon Ball Z box set retails for $219.99
5:04
Of course, you can usually find these for discounted prices on sites like Right Stuff or Amazon
5:08
but based on retail, the cheapest way to collect is through the 3-in-1s. The 3-in-1s would cost you around $209 USD, the VisBigs would be the second cheapest at $280
5:17
the box sets are the third cheapest at $360, and the individuals would be $420
5:21
The full color editions will run you $19.99 a volume, so it would be $160 to collect only the Saiyan and Frieza arcs
5:28
Again, this is at retail, but kind of gives you an idea as to how much each would cost you
5:32
The box sets are on sale quite a bit when you can find them in stock, so you can usually get this one in particular for cheaper prices than retail
5:39
The graphic novels and comic book issues that I mentioned prior are all over the place in terms of price given that they are out of print
5:44
I usually find them at half-off retail when I find them at secondhand bookstores
5:48
Next, I want to talk about design. When it comes to design, it's totally subjective
5:53
To me, though, the Vizmix and the individual paperbacks look the best on and off the shelf
5:58
Each feature a different artwork by Akira Toriyama, and the stylization of the Dragon Ball text on the cover is totally different on each as well
6:04
The individual volumes feature the original cover art. I recently got the Dragon Ball art book
6:09
so you can see that the individual paperbacks have the same artwork as the Japanese volumes
6:13
as well as the connecting spine artwork at the bottom. By the way, all formats of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z that have been released so far have glossy covers
6:20
The paperbacks in particular have connecting artwork on the spines as mentioned prior
6:25
Although I will say that I purchased the individuals through the box set and for some reason my volumes were cut a variety of different sizes
6:31
So the artwork doesn't line up right. Not sure if this is a common issue or something that just happened with mine, but Dragon Ball is almost perfectly lined up though
6:38
This just happened with Dragon Ball Z. The 3-in-1s feature some of the artwork seen on the Perfect Editions that were released in Japan
6:44
and they have connecting artwork on the spines as well as seen at the bottom of this page
6:48
The VisBigs, on the other hand, feature artwork of individual characters, which form together to create a larger image
6:53
Their covers are a little bit sturdier and thicker than the rest of the formats. The Full Color Edition is the most colorful version, and it also features new artwork
7:01
Next up, let's talk about the page and print quality. The Full Color Editions are printed on glossy white paper
7:07
the VisBigs are printed on white paper as well, but they have a matte as well as a smooth finish
7:12
The individual paperbacks are printed on off paper that has an eggshell texture The three ones are printed on an off paper but the pages are extremely thin probably as thin as the paper that newspapers are printed on
7:23
I know some of you prefer the eggshell-like texture, so you probably prefer the individual paperbacks
7:28
The addition with the best print quality, however, that fully collects both series is the Vizbigs
7:33
Because the contrast is better and the blacks are deeper, the midtones also stand out more
7:37
since they are printed on higher quality paper. The individual paperbacks are the second best in my opinion
7:42
The worst print quality, however, is definitely the 3-in-1s. Aside from having super thin, newspaper-like pages
7:48
the print quality also isn't as good as the paperbacks or the Vizbigs. As mentioned earlier, I do think the paper in the full color editions is the highest quality
7:56
and the print quality is incredible as well, but in terms of those that can fully collect both series, the Vizbigs are the best
8:02
But what about color pages? Do any of these editions include them? There's only one edition that fully collects Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z as of now
8:09
that includes color pages, and that's the Vizbigs. The VisBigs have the original color pages released in the Japanese volumes, whereas the full color editions are digitally colored
8:18
You can see that the color pages were printed in black and white in the individual paperbacks and 3-in-1s
8:23
which resulted in these panels looking darker than those that were already in black and white
8:28
In terms of how cropped the artwork is in each edition, the most cropped version horizontally is the VisBigs
8:33
the second most cropped is the 3-in-1s, and the least cropped is the individual paperbacks
8:38
Vertically, the artwork is the most cropped in the individual paperbacks, the second most cropped in the 3-in-1s, and the least cropped in the VisBigs
8:45
I also want to show you real quick that the full-color editions overall, though, are the least cropped all around by far, as seen in this panel of Raditz here
8:52
But the least cropped that fully collects both series vertically is the individual paperbacks
8:56
and the least cropped horizontally is the VisBigs. I also want to note that all formats of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z
9:02
that were released with English translation read in the original right-to-left format
9:06
How easy are they to read, though, and are there any issues with gutter loss? The individual paperbacks and 3-in-1s are the most flexible editions
9:13
The Vizbigs, however, are a little bit more rigid, and due to their thickness, have some slight issues with gutter loss
9:19
but only at the very beginning of the volumes. They are still rather easy to read, though, but just wanted to note that
9:24
All versions, though, have good margins, so the panels are hardly ever obstructed
9:28
All are pretty lightweight, too, and while the Vizbigs are the heaviest, I didn't find them at all cumbersome to read
9:33
Are there any differences in terms of the sound effects? The sound effects are redrawn and translated in every format of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z aside from the full color editions
9:42
So they all have the English sound effects and place the original sound effects drawn by Akira Toriyama
9:47
The only edition that preserves the original sound effects are the full color editions which have sound effect glossaries at the end of the volumes that allow you to translate them
9:55
What about translation? Much to my surprise, the individual paperbacks have a less refined translation
10:00
than the other editions that fully collect Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. While not bad by any means, there are some minor grammatical and sentence structure errors throughout them
10:09
The Vizvigs in 3-in-1 editions fixed a lot of the grammatical errors that were present in the individuals
10:14
and reworded a few sentences so that they flow better. The changes to the story, though, are minor
10:18
Like here, Raddatz says all grown up in the paperbacks, whereas he says all grown up in the newer editions
10:24
Also, in this sentence here, they added a connecting word, those, to make the sentence flow more naturally in comparison to how it's translated in the paperbacks
10:31
One of the biggest ways, though, that the additions vary is in terms of censorship
10:35
All right, so censorship is most likely one of the biggest concerns a lot of you have
10:40
It's one of my biggest concerns as well. Just to get this out of the way, though
10:43
there is no way to collect Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z with English translation currently without some form of censorship added
10:50
But there are some that have less So the most censored version by far is the VisBigs The least censored versions are the individual paperbacks in the 3 To give you an idea the VizBigs censored Bulma flipping off Pilaf
11:02
whereas the individual paperbacks in 3-in-1s did not. She's shown with her pointer finger up instead, which just doesn't have the same effect
11:09
Another example is this panel, which says, You , but says, Take that in the VizBigs
11:14
In addition to language, some nudity and innuendo was also censored in the VizBigs
11:19
For instance, in this panel in the Visbigs, they drew in an arm to cover her chest
11:22
whereas they did not in the other two. What they chose to censor and not censor in the Visbigs overall is slightly odd
11:28
but it doesn't necessarily distract from the story. That being said, I always prefer when series are in their most original format
11:35
And finally, I want to go over any extras and new material that were included with a few of the additions
11:40
The Visbigs have a title page gallery at the end. Also included with the Visbigs are author notes and full-color title page illustrations
11:47
Of course, these also come with those full color pages that are sprinkled throughout as mentioned prior
11:51
The 3-in-1s also have a title page gallery at the end of the editions, but they didn't include them throughout like the singles
11:58
There are pages with little illustrations included throughout and author notes as well. The box sets come with double-sided posters and collector's booklets
12:05
which include interviews with Akira Toriyama, guides, and more. Alright, so now that we went over every edition, their differences, and their pros and cons, which is the best
12:13
As always, this kind of depends because it's all about what edition is best for you
12:18
If you're looking for the cheapest way to collect both series, the 3-in-1s are the most
12:21
cost-effective way to do so. If you're looking for the version with the highest print quality, I'd go with either
12:27
the individual volumes, which you can also collect in the box sets or the VisBigs. Also, those full-color Saiyan and Frieza Arc editions have incredible print quality as
12:35
well, so you may want to pick these up also in addition to one of the others. If you're wanting to collect the least censored release, you'll want to either get the individual
12:42
paperbacks or the 3-in-1s. If you are wanting extras, the box sets have the best extras, but the
12:47
VisBigs include color pages throughout that are beautiful to witness as well. I also want to sum
12:51
everything up real quick because there is quite a bit to take in. The individual paperbacks are one
12:55
of the most uncensored releases. They are one of the highest in terms of print quality, but the
12:59
translation is better in the VisBigs and 3-in-1s. The VisBigs have the highest print quality. The
13:04
color pages included throughout are beautiful, but they are less easy to read than the other
13:08
editions, and they are the most censored release of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z by far
13:12
The 3-in-1s have the worst print quality in newspaper-like thin pages, so they aren't
13:16
all that high quality, but they are one of the most uncensored versions of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z in addition to the individual paperbacks
13:22
They are also the cheapest way to collect both series at retail. The rest of the editions, the comic books, the graphic novels, and the full-color editions
13:29
don't fully collect either Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z, so I kind of pitted the other
13:33
three against one another. That being said, the comic books are fun to collect and are a nice addition to the collection
13:39
if you're interested in comics as well. and the full-color editions are one I'd recommend getting an addition to one of the three editions that fully collect both series
13:46
The full-color pages are beautiful, and the print quality of these editions is great. The artwork is also cropped the least in these editions by far
13:53
As far as the graphic novels, though, they are the only ones I wouldn't recommend, because they have the worst print quality, and the standard paperbacks that have since been released are better
14:01
As to what I prefer, though, I personally decided to go with the box sets, because they collect the individual paperbacks at a cheaper price, come with extras
14:08
and the paperbacks are one of the least censored versions. That being said, I do love the color pages in the VizBigs
14:14
and I would usually pick these up instead but decided not to go with those because they are the most censored edition
14:19
And there you have it, guys. We took a look at all of the editions of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z
14:23
that have released with English translation so far. What's your favorite edition of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z to release so far
14:29
Let me know in the comments. As always, I hope this video was helpful. Thanks so much for watching and see you guys next time
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