Fruits Basket Volume 1 Comparison: Chuang Yi vs Tokyopop vs Yen Press vs Hakusensha Bilingual

I should've done this years ago. Ever since Yen Press rescued Fruits Basket from the "out of print" void, I knew the decision to redo my original post was inevitable, but given that I've recently acquired the bilingual edition, by Hakusensha Comics, and the ending of the 2019 anime reboot, my Furuba fever has not quite abated. Posts by fan and content creator, Jacob Chapman, have also inspired me to delve deeper than I did originally and think harder about how little differences can build to a different reading of these beloved characters and their unique situation.

This series needs no further introduction, but I'll give it one anyway just in case. Fruits Basket is a Japanese shojo manga series, written and drawn by Natsuki Takaya, that ran from 1998 to 2006 in Hana to Yume magazine. It tells the story of an orphan named Tohru Honda who through tragic circumstances comes to live in a house whose family hiding a dark secret that has completely torn them asunder. Through learning about them, laughing and crying with them, Tohru will uncover the mystery and potentially save them from the centuries-old curse that threatens to forever silence any chance at happiness they have. The first English translation for the series was done by Hakusensha in 2003 who released it as part of a line of bilingual editions meant to help Japanese schoolchildren learn English. Tokyopop then licensed and distributed the manga for English territories, primarily in the US and Europe from 2004 until 2011 when they closed their doors. Chuang Yi Publishing did likewise for English speaking territories in Asia and Oceania from 2003 until they too went out of business in late 2013. The licence was then rescued by Yen Press in 2015 until present who now distributes to all English speaking territories. The takeaway message from this is that throughout almost two decades Fruits Basket has been translated into English four times, three of which have covered the entire series, and we will be looking at those different translations in this blog post, starting with volume one. 

So let's get the party started. One where everyone can follow along...hopefully...we'll see.

Sailor Moon Eternal Edition Volume 3 Comparison (Kodansha vs Kodansha!)

The last few months have brought many changes to my life. A lot of things have happened, both good and bad, but I'm ready to get back into this and catch up before the next release. I'm sorry to everyone for the long wait.

So...the Sailor Moon manga is now available digitally for the first time in English. While I'm in no hurry to give up my physical copies, this is fantastic news for those who don't have the shelf space or the money. I can also see many double dipping for the convenience of being able to read the eternal editions on the go. One thing I've noticed while casually flipping through the preview pages for the other languages is they all seem to have localised honorifics whilst the English version is the only to maintain the Japanese ones. For the languages that used the same alphabet at least. As someone who would've preferred localised honorifics in the English edition, I can help but feel a little envious.

Sailor Moon Eternal Edition Volume 2 Comparison (Kodansha vs Kodansha?)

Well, everyone, here we are again. First of all, I would like to apologize for how late this comparison ended up being, but while last time, it took me a couple of weeks to get my copy of the manga that ultimately ended being to my benefit as several interviews were released during that time giving tidbits of information that I was able to include in my look through. That and other purple dragon related distractions led to me choosing to wait for a couple of weeks, which unfortunately ballooned into a couple of months. Christmas, family gatherings and my own lethargic tendencies also played a part and for that, I'm sorry. I'm definitely going to try to be more prompt with volume three. Realizing it has the same release date as Kingdom Hearts 3 though, that may prove to be a struggle. Fingers crossed. 

Sailor Moon Eternal Edition Volume 1 Comparison (Kodansha vs Kodansha?)

Salutations everyone and thank you for being here. What else can I say, but here we are again after just a few years. Today, I'll be taking a look at the newly released "eternal edition" by Kodansha USA and comparing it to their previous Sailor Moon release from 2011. This new release is based on the Japanese kanzenban release or "perfect edition" so it has a lot to live up to. Boasting a larger size and updated translation, as well, as being delayed twice, it's time to find out if it was worth all the blood, sweat and tears.

Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 2 (Viz Media and Chuang Yi)

Happy Halloween Everybody!

Believe me when I say I've been meaning to get back into doing these posts for months and several posts about other titles are half complete. However, it was always a struggle to complete them as it was often a series I wasn't very motivated to look into. Last week I decided I'd had enough of my own laziness. I thought to myself, What series am I motivated to compare and the answer hit me immediately. And here we are.

I have kept collecting and am currently only two volumes away from my Chuang Yi Fullmetal Alchemist collection being complete. So now I really have no excuses other then I'm lazy and can't keep a consistent schedule. However, I still plan to do those other titles to mix things up.

Additional: Yes, I am aware of the Fruit's Basket Collector's Editions. I have bought the first omnibus so you can expect a do-over of that comparison in the future. I have also pre-ordered Yen Press's Twinkle Stars release for a future comparison with it's Chuang Yi counterpart.

Last Important Note: Because I don't own a copy of the Japanese volume nor have any knowledge of the language, I will not be comparing the English releases to the original Japanese. 

That's enough stalling, let us move on!

My Thoughts on Kodansha USA's Sailor Moon release

Sailor Moon has been with me for a very long time and is very dear to my heart as a result. When I first saw the DIC English dub on Fox Kids during the early 2000's, I found myself swept up in its dramatic story about a princess seeking to defeat an ancient evil from her past and reunite with her one true love. A truly powerful tale of love and devotion accompanied with cheesy music and talking cats. I should point out that the episode in which I entered the show was "Bad Hair Day" where Serena had already been revealed as the Moon Princess, way past the halfway point of the first season. Sailor Moon disappeared off Fox kids UK after R had finished airing though they did tease the S season at one point, though sadly nothing came of it. This is where my childhood nostalgia ends as I never read Tokyopop's initial release of the original manga and didn't watch the S/Super S seasons until finding them on YouTube several years later. This quickly rekindled my love of the series despite hating how Cloverway had translated it. Unfortunately, by this time Tokyopop's release was long out of print so I was long out of luck.

The announcement of Kodansha's re-release left me, like many others, giddy with excitement though I didn't find out about it until after the first volume had already been released. Flash forward over 2 years, all the books are out and what do I have to say?

Well...they were OK. Sadly that's my opinion. OK, not great. Now before you reach for your crossbow, I'm guessing you want the answer to one more question. I should point most of my problems were with Kodansha's handling of the translation. Having said that I don't think this release is all doom and gloom and would like talk about some things I do like about the series re-release.

Apologies and the Loss of Chuang Yi

My Apologies To Anyone Who Reads This Blog

I am very sorry for this delay and do my best not to let it happen again. I'm really embarrassed it has taken me so long to get this out.

So what are my excuses? Procrastination mainly.

My next post was going to about Chuang Yi's "Vampire Knight", but to be honest my feelings towards this series as a whole are lukewarm at best so the motivation just wasn't there at the best of times. It was a chore to read and a chore to write about.  Several months passed before I could borrow the Viz edition out of the library. What I should have done is switch to another title. I moved house in January too to be closer to work.

None of these are valid excuses, but I hope you can forgive me. Vampire Knight will come out at some point, but for July I have other plans, which I will detail below.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle Volume 1 Comparison (Del Rey and Chuang Yi)

Today, I give you an overview of the differences between Chuang Yi and Del Rey releases of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle volume 1. The tale of the ongoing struggle of one boy and the measures he was forced to resort to in order to restore his childhood friend's memories. Teaming up with a foul-mouthed swordsman and an easy going sorcerer, he travels through the different parallel worlds looking for these memories all the while knowing his friend will never remember the bond they once shared due to the price he paid to save her.

So...it's the anime equivalent of "Sliders"....cool! 

Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 1 Comparison (Viz Media and Chuang Yi)

"Alchemy: the science of understanding, deconstructing, and reconstructing matter. However, it is not an all-powerful art; it is impossible to create something out of nothing. If one wishes to obtain something, something of equal value must be given. This is the Law of Equivalent Exchange, the basis of all alchemy. In accordance with this law, there is a taboo among alchemists: human transmutation is strictly forbidden - for what could equal the value of a human soul...?"   (Narrator, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)

The answer is a right arm! It says so in the FIRST VOLUME!

Fruits Basket Volume 1 Comparison (Tokyopop and Chuang Yi)

	Tokyopop	Chuang Yi
Translator	Alethea and Athena Nibley	Shiroi T. Omo
Editor	Jake Forbes	Low Sin Lu

You can't delve very deeply into the world of shoujo manga without having heard the title 'Fruits Basket'. The story of the orphan, Tohru Honda, whose optimistic nature is tested who, upon meeting the Souma family, is thrust headfirst into the world of the supernatural. After getting to know them and learning of the tragic curse that has befallen them for generations; she resolves to break the curse and end their suffering. Cuddly animals, goofy hijinks and romantic subplots ensue. 

I first read fruits basket through my local library and gradually fell in love with the complex character relationships that drove the plot forward. Being considered one of the most famous shoujo, it seemed an appropriate place to begin with Chuang Yi releases.

Introduction

Greetings to all manga fans, otaku, wherever you may be!

Let me begin by thanking anyone and everyone who reads this as this is my first blog and am still unsure of the ins and outs of writing one of these. The story of my love of anime and manga goes back to when I was, but 10 years of age. It was long ago, in times of old, when saying you liked Pokemon was actually acceptable and even prompted praise. 

Anyone else remember those times?!

My life began in merry old England, among the cobblestone streets and thatched cottages...oh, who am I kidding?! I was born in the city port of Southampton. Still England though! I didn't make that up!  I spent most of my happy childhood there before my Dad's job sent us abroad for a number of years (Switzerland and Thailand). A story for another time though. Back to the anime.