Space Battleship Yamato 2199 manga in Japanese on the left and in English on the right.
I hope to have enough time/energy/focus to post a more thorough review and comparison of the English translation by Dark Horse, but for right now I’ll say this: (1) translation is good and it’s great to see this get published in English; and (2) they should have used coated paper for the color pages as done in the Japanese manga b/c the difference is stark, as it appears that the ink saturation was not adjusted for uncoated paper stock. I would have paid more for coated paper to be used on the color pages.
The photos above don’t quite capture the difference, but under most reading conditions, the Dark Horse edition has the color pages far too saturated for the uncoated paper and it’s to the detriment of the art. The loss of detail is significant.
I’m embarrassed for Dark Horse b/c they’ve been in the business to know better than to make this kind of production art mistake. Ink coverage on uncoated vs coated paper and the changes required for the art files is print production 101. I say this as a designer who began their career prepping all manner of photography and illustration for print across myriad paper types.
Yo Dark Horse, I will fix your files for free, or consult your team in exchange for the next volume. Fly me out to your vendor for a press check. Seriously, your work deserves better than this.
