Loveless - TokyoPop style

[tempestuously]

I really hope this is just my volume because the American release of the Loveless manga is horrible. I haven't read enough to commment on translation or the like since that usually doesn't bother me unless it's so bad, it jeopardizes character/story. But for such a pretty series, the art budget of TokyoPop is subpar, especially when you compare it to their boys love production line, Blu. Blu charges $5 more and you get gorgeous paper, thick covers and well-rendered images. TokyoPop charges $10 and gives me a sloppy cover with hideous typography. For the love of...they write the title in English on the Japanese version. It's not that hard to mimick that. It really isn't. Also, the quality of the art inside the manga is greatly diminished by cheap paper that bleeds, making some of the splash title pages, particularly the one with Soubi, almost impossible to see. They also make the mistake of using dark font on dark backgrounds, which probably wouldn't be as dark if their paper wasn't as cheap. I wish Viz had licensed Loveless. I pay $8 for Viz' Death Note and get almost the same manga/image quality I get from Blu. I even get typography that doesn't look like it was done by a grade schooler. I am not amused, TokyoPop. Not amused at all. You need to clean up your act or I'm going to stop buying and just read your shit in the stores.

Someone please tell me this was just my copy and that I'm overreacting.

Comments

[fluffymaru.livejournal.com]

::shrug:: My copy was fine, but I don't have an original Japanese version to compare it to. I mean, it isn't in the high-quality lines like DMP or Blu, so I wasn't expecting bells and whistles. It was pretty much a standard TP title. And mine had no errors or bleeding or bad pages.

That reminds me, my last two copies of AS have had SERIOUS print problems...pages faded to the point of almost being white. I need to return them.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

So glad to hear. That means I can just go to my usual store and pick up a copy. I bought this one while I was out this weekend because I just happened to walk by a Books A Million. It was the only copy and I impulse-bought. That was bad.

I don't mind most of TP's releases and I do love how the include the color inserts. I was just worried because the paper quality in this one was so bad. I kept comparing it to my Earthian copy and boggling since they're basically the same company. ^^;;

Hmm, guess it really is a copy issue. My AS volumes were just fine.

[ryosato.livejournal.com]

Hi! I randomly found you on an lj wandering so sorry for the random bugging. XP However, thought I'd tell you, BLU IS Tokyopop... it's owned by them, ti's the exact same company. I have no idea why they're publishing it under different stuff, except that maybe they think doing THAT much shonen-ai and yaoi would amke them look bad or something. But yes, BLU IS Tokyopop. They're just pretending it's not. ^_^;;; But yeah those titels are better quality. *sigh*

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Yes, I realize that hence why I said "their boys love production line." They use the same font style and everything so it's very obvious they are the same basic company. I think they are publishing under a different name because they want to charge more for these more special interest titles. To make up for it, they go out of their way to make sure everything is pristine. Fair trade.