Should I even bother trying to collect the manga volumes now

[StormSky92]

Hello. I'm new here, and I joined pretty much just to ask this question.

I know i'm a little late to the party, but i've only recently gotten into Evangelion. I have been looking around online, and it seems like volumes 9 and 10 of the manga are impossible to find. It's very frustrating. I've searched for the other threads on here about it, but they are all older, so maybe some new way of obtaining these volumes came to light and I missed it entirely. I know about the 3-in-1 volumes released by VIZ, however my problem with them is that they look too big. I really don't like the big, bulky 3-in-1 volumes, so I was hoping it would be possible to get the individual volumes. I read some people claiming the Chuang Yi releases were "great" or something like that, but I have problems with their website loading pages.

Basically, should I just give in and buy the 3-in-1s, or there is some hope that volumes 9 and 10 are still out there somewhere? (Books A Million has both listed at $5.99 and says they are supposedly available to ship within 7 days, but I don't believe that)

[pwhodges]

They are out there, but you need to look around for a while to find them. Obviously there are people getting the larger volumes, and this is freeing up some copies of the individual volumes.

[Blue Monday]

The Viz 3-in-1s are very good, and I actually prefer that size - But to each their own.
Chuang Yi volumes are alright as well (Madman joint distribute them in Australia). I'd actually say I prefer them to the single Viz tankōbon releases. Better print quality, paper and they have dust jackets, etcetera.

I can vouch for both.

[The Eva Monkey]

Now is actually a pretty good time to get into the manga, thanks to the omnibus/3-in-1 release that Viz is doing. I imagine that they'll manage to release the whole rest of the series in this format, including the final volume at some point this year.

I did a post about it with a bit of info:
http://www.evamonkey.com/the-evangelion-omnibus-is-a-real-thing/

[hui43210]

Ya just get the omnibus's, thats what I've been doing. Really easy way to get the whole series as they come out.

[TehDonutKing]

I found all the tankobon released so far in a little over a year. It's not too hard.

[StormSky92]

Now is actually a pretty good time to get into the manga, thanks to the omnibus/3-in-1 release that Viz is doing. I imagine that they'll manage to release the whole rest of the series in this format, including the final volume at some point this year.

I did a post about it with a bit of info:
http://www.evamonkey.com/the-evangelion-omnibus-is-a-real-thing/

About your post, when it says "Clean versions of the actual covers of volumes 1-3 are printed in the front of the collection." so, it does have the covers of the original volumes 1-3 in it? Have the other omnibus releases done that as well?


And, to not post spam...

The Viz 3-in-1s are very good, and I actually prefer that size - But to each their own.
Chuang Yi volumes are alright as well (Madman joint distribute them in Australia). I'd actually say I prefer them to the single Viz tankōbon releases. Better print quality, paper and they have dust jackets, etcetera.

I can vouch for both.

Where can you get the Chuang Yi volumes from? I looked online briefly, but I couldn't find anything.

[The Eva Monkey]

About your post, when it says "Clean versions of the actual covers of volumes 1-3 are printed in the front of the collection." so, it does have the covers of the original volumes 1-3 in it? Have the other omnibus releases done that as well?

Yup. So it has full page artwork of the original covers inside, and they have no text or logos so you can really appreciate the artwork.

[StormSky92]

Yup. So it has full page artwork of the original covers inside, and they have no text or logos so you can really appreciate the artwork.

Interesting. That's definitely a major point in favor of the omnibus. However, i've read reviews online that say the ink bleeds through the page occasionally, and it can be really distracting. Is it really that bad, or it being blow out of proportion?

[pwhodges]

I've not noticed that in the three volumes out so far. The paper is thinner than in the individual volumes, but smoother and much whiter, having a better quality feel to it, and it seems just as opaque.

[Paranoid]

Interesting. That's definitely a major point in favor of the omnibus. However, i've read reviews online that say the ink bleeds through the page occasionally, and it can be really distracting. Is it really that bad, or it being blow out of proportion?

Personally, I haven't noticed this issue. I have the first and second omnibuses, and the third is on its way. The paper is a little thin, but seems to be fairly good quality. As The Eva Monkey says, it includes all of the original art and extras, so you don't lose anything.
As far as the size goes, it's actually smaller than I thought it would be after reading some of the reviews. Pretty much the perfect size for reading.

Here's a picture of the second omnibus compared with the first PMMM tankobon for comparison:

As you can see, it's bigger - but not so much so that it would make it difficult reading. I personally prefer it over the tankobon's size.

[pwhodges]

it includes all of the original art and extras, so you don't lose anything.

This has changed somewhat in the third volume. You don't get the book descriptions from the back of vol 8, nor the article on Mark Twain's The Mysterious Stranger from vol 9. The first doesn't concern me at all, but the second is a shame. I suppose they may be holding stuff back to bulk out the last volume, as it will only contain two tankobon volumes, the first of which, vol 13, has no added material at the back at all.

[Legendary Cloud]

I've been lurking for awhile, and was hoping a thread like this would pop up. I joined so I could just be straightforward and ask: Which one does everything think, overall, is "better" to try and get if you have the choice between the individual volumes and the omnibuses?

[The Eva Monkey]

I've been lurking for awhile, and was hoping a thread like this would pop up. I joined so I could just be straightforward and ask: Which one does everything think, overall, is "better" to try and get if you have the choice between the individual volumes and the omnibuses?

Well, the omnibus version is new, in better circulation, and (because the rarity of some of the individual volumes) probably going to be cheaper. It also has larger pages and full-color interior artwork. The only real downside is that the paper is a lighter stock, which some may find an issue. It's not that the ink bleeds through, it's more like it's slightly more transparent. You can just barely see through the pages on the individual volumes, but its a bit more noticeable with the omnibus. Another thing the omnibus has going for it is it has nice bright white pages and dark black ink, whereas the individual volume are sort of off-white, and the ink is not as dark.

Overall, I would say that the omnibus is going to be a better purchase for you.

[AR-99]

3 for 1 is hard to beat, if I were to get into the manga now without ever having picked up a volume I would opt for that.

[Blue Monday]

Where can you get the Chuang Yi volumes from? I looked online briefly, but I couldn't find anything.

http://www.madman.com.au/periodicals/home/2/neon-genesis-evangelion-manga

Like I said, Madman are an Australian distributor so international postage could get pretty pricey.

CY themselves do have an online store, though I've never used it:
http://www.chuangyi.com.sg/new2/ecatalogtitle.php?title=NEON+GENESIS+EVANGELION

But really, you should just save yourself the trouble and pick up the Viz 3-in-1s. They're awesome.

[StormSky92]

Well, I have been thoroughly persuaded to just get the Omnibuses. I saw a video on Youtube, and those color pages look awesome. The extras looks like they are formatted better, and the white pages really make the art stand out. It just sucks that I have to wait until August for the fourth omnibus, but oh well. I doubt they'll make a set of 13 & 14, so i'll probably have to buy those individually, but oh well. It will a lot easier on my shelf space (and my wallet).

[The Eva Monkey]

I doubt they'll make a set of 13 & 14

Just because there isn't a 15th volume? There's nothing saying they can't/won't release it as a 2-in-1 instead.

Maybe if we're reaaaaaally lucky, they'll include some sort of special additional content to round out the last volume. Doubtful, but I can hope.

[pwhodges]

More to the point, it would be beyond stupid not to complete the set in the matching size and quality. I'm hoping for some extra essays or something (or at least the ones missing from the third volume!) to help bulk out the final volume, but I don't really expect anything much new.

[delispin25]

I never got to read the Eva manga while it was published one volume at a time, so of course I was really excited to hear about the Omnibus that Viz was going to release. So far I've bought every volume. While reading, a question arose, if they are serializing the manga as a 3-in-1, what's going to happen with the last 2 volumes. Will they release the last two volumes in a 2-in-1, or will they not release them at all, since they are already out. Maybe they will put in all the Angel Kiss that they left out, along with other supplements, it would suck if they didn't.