Death Note is an important cornerstone for the manga and anime industry. Since its debut in 2003, this tale of magic, vengeance and murder has captured the public's imagination. It's been many people's entry into the world of manga and anime, creating countless new fans of the medium and spawning a merchandising juggernaut.
The All-in-One Edition is a single book that contains all of Death Note's 12 volumes and 108 chapters in one gigantic 2400-page tome. As a bonus, this edition comes with a special epilogue chapter that was previously unavailable in English and an exclusive silver slipcase. This is an often-overlooked model for famous manga series, but here's why more publishers should consider it in the future.
The idea of an all-in-one edition is highly convenient for old and new fans alike. It gives older fans a chance to have a unique collector's item that can include extras normally absent in a usual volume, such as concept art and author notes. The increased size of an all-in-one volume also allows the book to have a unique and visually appealing cover or slipcase, making it stand out among the regular volumes while presenting new, unique artwork.
It also allows newer fans to buy and read the entire saga with only one purchase, which makes the franchise more accessible. This is doubly so with older titles, as tracking down copies of everything can be difficult. Many stores only stock new releases and sell older manga sporadically, and when they do, there is no guarantee they'll have the volume you need to complete your collection. And there is nothing worse than being unable to finish a series when you can't get your hands on a missing volume.
Compiling the entire series into one makes the manga far easier to binge, especially if you plan to read on a trip or vacation. Carrying 12 books around or putting them in a suitcase isn't the easiest thing, especially when you have to keep track of them all. So being able to grab one book knowing it has the complete story inside is a great way to avoid this problem. It also makes it much easier to recommend to newer readers, especially those just dipping their toes into the world of manga. They can simply buy one book and experience the entire narrative without getting overwhelmed by all of the different volumes and the many different versions that exist.
Of course, this isn't feasible for every series. For instance, if you put all of One Piece's 1016 chapters into one book, it would be comically hard to move, likely requiring a One Piece branded forklift to get it off the shelf. Even series like Fairy Tail, with its 63 volumes, wouldn't work as a single book due to the sheer size it would have to be. However, while they wouldn't fit the all-in-one treatment, that doesn't mean collecting many volumes or single arcs into larger books wouldn't be great for both readers and collectors. It would reduce the number of books needed to catch up with the franchise and offer a unique item for collectors to display on their shelves.
Death Note's All-in-One Edition is a fantastic collection because it contains the entire story, but also because it presents a good model for legacy releases for other classic manga. One that allows people to quickly and easily own an entire narrative without having to search for specific volumes. Its size also means that it looks fantastic on a shelf, making it the perfect capstone to a Death Note collection. Let's hope that other manga franchises experiment with the all-in-one model in the future, so more readers get the chance to enjoy their fantastic stories.
