Ok, I know what you’re thinking; why am I reviewing a manga that was released eons ago, a title so universally loved that everyone already knows about ? Well, all the above are true, but my review is focused more on the format of the release; I am of course well aware that Dragonball is a series that every is familiar with.

A little preamble; I adore the Dragonball manga and re-visit it all the time, but my full tankobon collection is stored back in my hometown of Singapore. They’ve been with me a good many years; I acquired the entire set slowly during my time in Tokyo. Anyhow, I’ve always wanted to collect the bigger and better deluxe edition ( known as the Kanzenban [完全版] edition in Japan; kanzen meaning “complete” ), and coupled with my urge to read the comic, I ordered the first 3 volumes from Amazon Japan.

This omnibus deluxe edition has several significant upgrades when compared to the regular tankobon edition; it comes in a bigger print size, is printed on thicker, better quality paper that shows off the art work better, and lastly, it has colored pages ! This Vol 1 that I’m reviewing is somewhat special among all the volumes because it features a whole lot more colored art work; check it out below –

The bigger print format, the better print quality and the colored pages together make the reading experience even better, almost like a brand new re-discovery of the comic.

(above & below) Even the chapter art covers that appeared before the serialized comic when it first appeared in Weekly Shonen Jump ( before the manga was collected into the Tankobon format ) are reproduced in color ! Fantastic !

Dragonball is an absolutely delightful manga, and this omnibus deluxe edition with the aforementioned technical upgrades makes it even better ! I got myself the first three volumes for starters, but now I’m going to have to collect the entire set. Highly recommended.

Dragonball Omnibus (3-In-1) Deluxe Edition Vol 1 Manga ドラゴンボール 完全版 (1) details :

– Dimensions – ‎ 5 x 1.3 x 7.5 inches
– soft cover, 228 pages
– Full Color / Black and White
– In Japanese Language

Buy From Amazon.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Amazon DE | Amazon ES

The links I provided above are for the original Japanese edition; go here for the English edition.

Addendum : Buyer Aware – A reader has informed me that the English edition of this omnibus 3-In-1 released by VIZ comics have inferior paper quality and no colored art work at all ! This is quite disappointing; looks like the best way to enjoy the comic is still the original Japanese edition; it’s a great reason to pick up those Japanese lessons that you’ve been putting off for so long !

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