THE LIBRARY
Collector guides, cover censuses, and edition answers, documented issue by issue. Every page answers one specific question, completely.
THE NAMES
2 shelves
Why is Resident Evil called Biohazard in Japan?
Japan named the threat. America could not trademark it, held a contest, and named the house.
Why is Mega Man called Rockman in Japan?
Half of a rock and roll pun, changed by an executive who called the title horrible.
THE TWELVE KINGDOMS
15 shelves
The Twelve Kingdoms Novel Gallery: Akihiro Yamada’s Covers
Every Twelve Kingdoms cover Akihiro Yamada painted for the Shinchosha complete edition, verified from the publisher’s own book pages, with the 1992 White Heart…
The History of The Twelve Kingdoms
From a 1991 horror novel at Shinchosha to a fantasy epic on a girls’ label at Kodansha, an eighteen-year silence, a complete-edition homecoming, a stage musical,…
What is Kodansha X Bunko White Heart?
The Kodansha label launched in 1991 for girls who had outgrown the teen line, and how a governing epic with no romance at all became its representative work.
In what order should you read The Twelve Kingdoms?
The novels were published out of chronological order on purpose: the full publication sequence, the world’s own timeline, and the author-consulted order behind…
Who wrote The Twelve Kingdoms?
Fuyumi Ono: Buddhist studies at Ōtani University, the Kyoto University mystery-story research club, a 1988 debut in a teen horror line, and the double career of…
What else did Fuyumi Ono write?
Ghost Hunt began as the Evil Spirits series when its author was twenty-eight; Shiki turned a mountain village into horror’s slow masterpiece. The horror shelf…
Who is Akihiro Yamada?
The Record of Lodoss War novels’ painter became the Twelve Kingdoms’ only illustrator: suiboku delicacy, a Seiun Award, and thirty-five years of covers for one…
How was The Twelve Kingdoms anime made?
Studio Pierrot, NHK’s satellite prestige slot, a score built on strings, and Akihiro Yamada’s designs carried from the page: the making of the 2002 anime.
How is The Twelve Kingdoms anime different from the novels?
Two classmates who barely exist in the books, one heroine made into a frame for everyone else’s stories, and an ending that had to stop mid-search: the…
What Twelve Kingdoms video games are there?
Exactly two, both from Konami, both for the PlayStation 2, both Japan-only: an adventure-leaning retelling of Yoko’s journey and its save-carrying sequel.
Can you read The Twelve Kingdoms in English?
Twice over, now: Tokyopop’s four hardcovers of 2007 to 2010, the license’s long lapse, and Seven Seas’ author-consulted new translation that began in July 2025.
Why did The Twelve Kingdoms stop for eighteen years?
The 2001 novel ended with its king and kirin still missing. The answer took until 2019, by way of short stories, a change of publisher, and one very patient…
What is the Shinchosha edition of The Twelve Kingdoms?
In 2012 the series left the girls’ bunko world for Shinchō Bunko, Japan’s flagship paperback line, with every cover repainted and five new illustrations in every…
How can you tell a first printing of The Twelve Kingdoms?
Japanese paperbacks carry their printing history in the colophon, not the ISBN: what to check on White Heart originals, Shinchosha complete editions, and the…
How does the world of The Twelve Kingdoms work?
Thirteen lands around a sacred sea, twelve kingdoms ruled by the chosen of unicorn-like kirin, and a Mandate of Heaven that withdraws from kings who fail: the…
TOKYO GHOUL
17 shelves
The Tokyo Ghoul Manga Gallery
Every Japanese tankobon cover of Tokyo Ghoul, volumes 1 to 14, pictured and dated: Sui Ishida’s Young Jump Comics paintings, 2012 to 2014, plus the Viz volume 1…
The Tokyo Ghoul:re Manga Gallery
Every Japanese tankobon cover of Tokyo Ghoul:re, volumes 1 to 16, pictured and dated: Sui Ishida’s sequel in Young Jump Comics editions, December 2014 to July 2018.
The History of Tokyo Ghoul
Tokyo Ghoul’s documented history: the 2010 prize one-shot, Weekly Young Jump serialisation 2011 to 2014, the :re sequel to 2018, and 47 million copies in…
Who is Sui Ishida?
Sui Ishida, documented: born in Fukuoka in 1986, webcomics as Nashimoto and Sotonami, second place in the 113th Young Jump Grand Prix, and the works from Tokyo…
How does Sui Ishida draw Tokyo Ghoul?
Sui Ishida’s art practice, from the record: the painted covers collected in Zakki, an ending-card illustration for every episode of √A, the published “secret…
What was the Tokyo Ghoul one-shot?
The Tokyo Ghoul one-shot documented: second place in the 113th Young Jump Grand Prix in 2010, published in Miracle Jump No. 2 in March 2011, plus the Rize and…
What is Tokyo Ghoul [Jack]?
Tokyo Ghoul [Jack] documented: Ishida’s seven-chapter digital prequel about the young Arima and Fura, Jump Live 2013, digital-only volume, Viz digital edition,…
Why does Tokyo Ghoul √A tell a different story?
The Tokyo Ghoul √A divergence, documented factually: Ishida was asked for an original draft, his version was not used, and the aired season condenses the manga…
How was the Tokyo Ghoul anime made?
The Tokyo Ghoul anime documented: Studio Pierrot, director Shuhei Morita, composer Yutaka Yamada, “unravel”, the four cours 2014 to 2018, the two OVAs, and the…
How many volumes of Tokyo Ghoul are there?
Tokyo Ghoul’s volume count, verified: 14 volumes of the first series, 16 of :re, the one-volume digital prequel [Jack], four light novels and two Zakki…
What are the Tokyo Ghoul English editions?
Tokyo Ghoul in English, documented: Viz Signature singles (14 volumes, 2015–17; :re 16 volumes, 2017–20), the digital [Jack], the novels, both Zakki hardcovers,…
Are Tokyo Ghoul covers the same in Japanese and English?
Tokyo Ghoul’s Japanese and English covers compared from pictured pairs: identical Ishida paintings, rebuilt lettering: both volume 1s and Zakki, side by side.
What Tokyo Ghoul video games are there?
Tokyo Ghoul’s games, briefly and in order: Carnaval ∫Color and Jail (2015), Dark War (2016), :re Invoke (2017), :re Call to Exist (2019), and Kaneki’s 2025 Dead…
What is Tokyo Ghoul Zakki?
Tokyo Ghoul Zakki documented: Shueisha’s 2014 illustration book of covers, promotional art and unreleased concept art with Ishida’s commentary, the :re…
What is Jack Jeanne, the game Sui Ishida created?
Jack Jeanne documented: Broccoli’s 2021 Switch theatre game created by Tokyo Ghoul’s Sui Ishida: original work, character designs, world design, illustrations…
What is Choujin X, Sui Ishida’s next series?
Choujin X as context for Tokyo Ghoul: Ishida’s 2021 Tonari no Young Jump series, published irregularly on his own schedule, simulpublished in English, ten…
How can you tell a first printing of Tokyo Ghoul?
Identifying a first printing of Tokyo Ghoul: the Shueisha colophon method, why the printing number (第1刷) is the evidence, why the ISBN cannot be, and how to…
TRADING CARDS
9 shelves
The Trading Cards Gallery
Japanese and international card backs side by side: Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic and Carddass, with the histories and questions behind them.
The History of Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards in Japan and the West
Vol.1 in February 1999, a second game in the West from 2002, one court fight over the TCG, and two banlists from 2013.
What is the difference between the OCG and the TCG?
Two regions, two card backs, two banlists: the OCG runs months ahead, hundreds of its cards have never crossed over, and the two games cannot be mixed in one deck.
Why were Yu-Gi-Oh! card artworks changed outside Japan?
Crosses, ankhs, firearms and hemlines redrawn for the international editions, and the names rewritten with them: Black Magician became Dark Magician.
Why do the OCG and the TCG have different rarities?
The same foil has two names: Holographic Rare in Japan is Ghost Rare in the West, and an Ultimate Rare is embossed across the whole card only in Japan.
When did Magic: The Gathering first appear in Japanese?
Fourth Edition, April 1995: the first Asian language printing, black bordered first because a card had to earn its white border in its own language.
Why do some Japanese Magic cards have different art?
War of the Spark gave all 36 planeswalkers new Japanese art, including a Liliana by Yoshitaka Amano, printed only in Japanese.
The History of Carddass
Bandai's vending machine cards from 1988: named for a weather data system, built as an information source for kids, and older than the trading card games that followed.
Were the first Pokémon cards Carddass cards?
Yes: Bandai's vending machine cards reached Japan in September 1996, a month before the trading card game, in red and green versions of all 151.