AoD Review: The Demon Ororon: The Complete Collection

[JustThisGuy]

Demon Ororon Complete Collection Vol. #01 of 1
Released By: TOKYOPOP
MSRP: 19.99
Pages: 848
ISBN: 1-4278-0732-9
Size: B6
Orientation: Right to Left
Release Date: 12/2007

At its highest points, such as the extended silent sequence at the beginning of the closing chapter, The Demon Ororon's stylistic edge alone is enough to make it a compelling read; and even at its worst, it's a vapid but eye-pleasing work.

[sunflower33]

I did buy this before I'd read your review, and find your review to be dead on. I got so confused by the similar character designs that by the second half of the book I no longer knew who was who unless they were addressed by name.

And I had problems with not being able to read close to the spine because the construction was such I didn't want to put too much pressure on it.

I really have mixed feelings about these large volumes. On the one hand, I'm glad I only had to pay $15 for the story because I really didn't like it all that much. On the other hand, if it's something I would have liked, the individual manga volumes would be much nicer to own because of the poor construction of the omnibus that I can't see lasting through re-reads.

[sir_integra]

Originally Posted by sunflower33

And I had problems with not being able to read close to the spine because the construction was such I didn't want to put too much pressure on it.

I really have mixed feelings about these large volumes...

I was wondering about this. I'm not in the market for this title since I have the original volumes, but I was thinking about picking up other titles in the omnibus format. Looks like I won't.

The art is what attracted me to this title and I wasn't that disturbed by the similarity of the character designs. I was bothered by the introduction of characters with potential to further the story that did nothing except take up some space. It seemed as if this series was intended to be longer; the ending seemed rushed and was ultimately unfullfilling.

[JustThisGuy]

Originally Posted by sir_integra

I was wondering about this. I'm not in the market for this title since I have the original volumes, but I was thinking about picking up other titles in the omnibus format. Looks like I won't.

Tokyopop's apparently capable of packaging these things decently, though their actual execution has been pretty scattershot so far. The Fruits Basket omnibus had its issues with proofreading, but the actual hardcover binding was IMO nicely done and much more attactive than the Ororon packaging. The omnibus collection of Sgt. Frog 1-3 (review forthcoming, I swear!) is also pretty decently put together, although in that case they're just using a simple softcover binding.

I make no bones about the fact that I really like the value you get for your dollar when buying these kinds of collections; when we're talking $15 street for entire short series, I'm a lot more willing to try new things that I wouldn't gamble $10-per-volume on. I really hope Tokyopop shakes some of the bugs out of the process, since I'd like to see them (and other companies) continue to do these kinds of releases wherever financially feasible. The fact the Vertical's still in business implies that it's possible to get this kind of thing right, at least for a select set of titles.

[grungelee]

Just an fyi... This collection was originally planned as a paperback release, and on going to press we discovered it was structurally impossible to bind up 800+ pages, onto the standard paperback, and the format changed to the current version hardcover.

Going forwards... standard omnibus editions will be paperback, ala Sgt. Frog, while deluxe editions will vary (Fruits Basket, Battle Royale)

[JustThisGuy]

Originally Posted by grunge

Going forwards... standard omnibus editions will be paperback, ala Sgt. Frog, while deluxe editions will vary (Fruits Basket, Battle Royale)

You wouldn't happen to know if those plans include multiple omnibus releases for the same series, would you? (e.g., should we be expecting a Sgt. Frog Vol. 4-6 omnibus somewhere down the line, or is the Vol. 1-3 collection a one-time thing to bring new readers on board?)

[grungelee]

Not really a design or production question, so I'm short on answers, but I think you can find some emblance of an answer in this thread.