Tankōbon
Tankōbon ( Japanese 単 行 本 , dt. "Single book") is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and not part of a series. Nevertheless, this term is used in the manga industry to denote individual issues of a series. A tankōbon thus designates every conceivable form of a bound work, from paperbacks to books with beauty tips, picture books, catalogs and the like. The term itself is more specific than hon - a general term for books that also includes book series.
The tankōbon does not include the book forms Bunkobon ( 文庫 本 , typically used for novels), Shinsho ( 新書 , typically used for informative books and textbooks), as well as the large-format Mook ( ム ッ ク , Mukku = case word from magazine and book ; editions with very many photographs), as long as they appear within a series.
There are no specifications for the dimensions of a tankōbon, so that even miniature books ( 豆 本 , mamehon , dt. "Small book") as well as books the size of a drawing sheet are included. However, other subject-specific terms often exist for unusual formats.
Manga
Manga are usually printed in weekly or monthly manga magazines (such as Afternoon , Weekly Shōnen Jump or Hana to Yume ). These are roughly the size of telephone books and consist of hundreds of pages filled with the stories of various authors. It is usually printed on very cheap newsprint and the editions are seen as disposable items . The collected chapters of such stories often appear in bound form as tankōbon. As a rule, better paper is used, which also leads to better quality. Manga tankobons usually have a size of JIS B6 , i. H. just under 13 × 18 cm.
Aizōban and Kanzenban
An Aizōban ( 愛 蔵 版 , Eng. "Lover 's Edition ") is the collector's edition of an edition. These editions are more expensive and have special gifts. The book cover is often made especially for the edition, mostly from special paper. The paper quality is usually even better than that of a normal tankōbon. In addition, other additions of all kinds are thought up. Since Aizōban are usually only made in limited editions, their desirability and value often increases. However, such editions are only made for the most popular manga.
The term Kanzenban ( 完全 版 , dt. "Complete edition") also denotes these special editions, but emphasizes their completeness, while Aizōban their value.
So far, only a few of these editions, such as Fruits Basket or Kenshin , have appeared outside of Japan .
Bunkoban
A Bunkoban ( 文庫 版 , dt. "Bunko edition") is usually the same size as a Japanese pocket novel ( Bunkobon ) and has about twice the content of a Tankōbon. These are only 15 cm high ( DIN A6 ), but much thicker. As with Aizōban, if it is a manga, a new cover is usually designed and higher quality paper is used. The term is also abbreviated to Bunko by omitting the syllable "ban" .
Wideban
As wideban ( ワ イ ド 版 , Waidoban , dt. " Broad edition") are books that are larger (often DIN A5 ) than a normal tankōbon and summarize series in a smaller number of individual editions.
Shinsoban
Shinsōban ( 新装 版 ) are new editions, usually with a revised cover and a few color pages.