Manga Tag: A Snippet of My Collection

I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, and I finally got around to it! Anyways, there’s a list of questions going around that you are supposed to respond to based on your own collection. I first saw it posted on Experiments in Manga, but it’s been featured on other sites and videos like The Manga Test Drive, Organization Anti-Social Genuises, and ProfessorOtakuD2.

So how big is my collection, anyway? Before I go into that, I’m counting omnibuses by the number of original Japanese volumes they contain. So Attack on Titan‘s first “Colossal Edition” counts as five volumes, Cross Game counts as two a piece (except for volume 1, which is three), etc. This makes it easier when doing my calculations. I excluded preorders. I also did not include my Japanese volumes (which would add about 75 to the total) or any art books or fan books. All are official English versions with the vast majority of them bought new.

Take a guess!

But based on my math, the figure I came up with is approximately…*drumroll*

2,675. Not bad for one person, but there’s so much more I need to pick up!

Anyways, on to the Manga Tag questions!

01. What was your first manga?

Sailor Moon, the Mixx/Chix Comix version.

02. What is your most expensive manga?

Probably the most I’ve ever paid for a volume or omnibus was for the first Attack on Titan Colossal Edition.But, of course, the most expensive item in my collection is Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon Original Picture Collection Vol. Infinity artbook. I actually own all of the artbooks. I managed to score good deals on all of them, surprisingly.

03. What was your least expensive manga?

Death Note. I got it cheap from GoHastings. Like $1 a volume shipped.

04. What is the most boring manga you own?

Probably Sugar Princess.

05. What is your favorite manga series?

I love Mars and Please Save My Earth.

06. What is the most relatable manga series you own?

This is a tough one! I feel like everyone has something about themselves they wish they could changes, so I chose Love Com.

07. What is one manga you own that is based off an anime?

I’ll just randomly pick The Vision of Escaflowne.

08. What is your rarest manga?

As I mentioned, I do own the Infinity artbook. Takeuchi, the author of the Sailor Moon series, published this book herself and sold it at Comiket.

However, I also own something that never even went to print: Clover: The Celestial Collection. Years ago, Tokyopop published Clover. However, this was before the CLAMP-mania went into full-swing, and so the company announced they would be including the four volumes in a box set called The Celestial Collection. Unfortunately, it was delayed. And then delayed. And then delayed until it just disappeared.

Since I needed this series to round out my CLAMP collection, I kept waiting impatiently for the box set. One day, I found it on eBay. I figured since it was available, it meant it was going to be available in stores soon, so I didn’t want to bid too high. I think I ended up paying around $26 for it.

Of course, it was never made available for sale, so I’m guessing this was a prototype or sample. I don’t know how many of these were made, and I’d love to know if anybody else has one. Even though Dark Horse rereleased Clover, this box set must be incredibly rare. I would really love to know the answer.

09. What is the most reprinted manga you own?

Probably Magic Knight Rayearth / Magic Knight Rayearth 2. It was serialized in a magazine (MixxZine/Tokyopop Magazine) –> Graphic Novel –> Rerelease in 100% authentic format (box set) –> Sold as individual volumes –> Dark Horse omnibuses.

10. What is the most popular manga you own?

I already mentioned Attack on Titan, which I’ve started collecting individual volumes as of volume 16, so I’ll add Naruto.

11. What is the most damaged manga you own?

Several volumes of my original Tokyopop Sailor Moon are falling apart. I also own bent copies of Short-Tempered Melancholic and Other Short Stories and ION since I bought them used.

12. Which manga has the most amazing art?

I know so others chose A Bride’s Story, and it really is beautiful. I will also throw in Cardcaptor Sakura, as I think it’s the pinnacle of the old CLAMP. The style they use in xxxHolic is also wonderful.

13. What is the oldest published manga that you own?

I guess Sailor Moon, but the oldest series in terms of Japanese publication date would be Princess Knight.

14. What is the newest published manga you own?

Probably Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto is the most recent.

15. What are some of the most recent manga you have purchased?

Besides the above, Oh, My Goddess! Omnibus 1 and The Complete Chi’s Sweet Home Part 1. Of course, those are just the new series…I’m getting some of my September releases in already…

Anyone else who would like to do this should join in! Let me know in the comments if you participate!