CCS Omnibus

I got the first volume of the Cardcaptor Sakura Omnibus edition by Dark Horse Manga publications in the mail today, and I'm quite pleased~

To do a small review on it, the book is full of beautiful pictures of Sakura, both single-page and double, and they're done perfectly. As far as I know, Dark Horse uses Tokyopop's translation and each volume (only one released so far) has three volumes in it. This first edition ends at the end of volume three, where Sakura first encounters the Maze card.

The pages are really well made, the ink beautifully done, and I've yet to find a smear or any mistake, really. As for the translation itself, if you've only read the scanslations available online, I have to say that it's iffy as for which is better. I lack both the Japanese raws and the ability to read them, but as for fluidity or coherence, some places see Tokyopop as being the better translation, whereas others have this translation as better.

But if it means you're spared these "Translation notes," isn't that reason enough to buy it?

In this particular spread, they used "WHEEEEE!!" rather than "Wow----!"put "Next Day" rather than "Bathroom," probably for coherence, and changed "Even though she has magic power she still oversleeps" to "Strange magical powers don't mean you can get up on time." Personally, I prefer the first for that particular line, rather than Tokyopop's, but the strangest thing to me is that, throughout the translation you find them not editing soundeffects in at all, but just putting them near the Japanese. Which isn't bad, really, and it's what most scanlators do, but they actually took the trouble to edit out *END*. There aren't any "End" at the ending of the chapters, nor are there "Chapter 1, 2, etc" inserts at the beginning. They made it flow really well as a single story. Like I said, it isn't bad or anything, but just struck me as odd that they took the trouble to edit that out.


Ah, I think they handled Kero's accent quite well. It was there, but also wasn't intruding by having every sentence typ'd like dis nigga. As far as honorifics, they handled it oddly, I feel. They introduce Sakura's brother with,

This meanie is my onii-chan-- my older brother. His name is Toya.

That is to say, they use the Japanese "onii-chan" but then don't use honorifics, for her brother, father, anyone really. I wasn't really expecting it, this being the first time I read Tokyopop's translation; I thought they'd avoid any and all Japanese like the plague. Particularly because they don't use "HOE" or "hanyan~"

All in all, though, it's a really wonderful edition. It makes me smile just looking at it, and it's not too expensive either. I think it was $15 or something, if you'll excuse my viral.