So why is there such a big deal between the English version published by Tokyopop and the original Japanese version published by Shinshokan? Because Tokyopop royally screwed us over. >_______> Now, I grant that Tokyopop can't do everything the same due to cost issues but...when you have other series that have color stuff in them and put it in those what's stopping you from doing it here xO. Course I can answer that one (again). Since Dragon Knights was among the earlier series that Tokyopop published in the Right-to-Left format, they had to most likely keep up with the original way they did to make it "consistent." But we know how they fail that >___>

So here is a list and some comparisons on what Tokyopop oh so loves to do to this really (though a bit rushed and confusing at the end xD) series. And if it sounds like I'm ranting in everything some parts...I have good reason to >_>

Lawl. Tokyopop took out some things. BUT I can understand due to cost issues when they first started publishing and if they wanted to be consistent (pffft) it would be weird if they started doing it. Though they did start printing the posters in BW version and stuck them at the end like an extra image. NOT GOING TO CUT IT FOR ME SORRY. Anyway here it is.

• Posters (obviously)
  • I did notice that in the later volumes (about 20ish on?) they printed in some volumes the poster in black and white and put them at the end like an extra image or something. ...Yeah.
• Jacket Covers
  Well that's easy =\ We don't use the jacket flap covers, and they publish the cover and back images from the jacket (usually, they did change the volume covers on some, but that's in a different section), but that means you lose the images from the hard cover and the flap image.
• Ohkami's "My Life" talk in the back
  At least for most of the series. They started including it in volume 20, and they had included it in at least the first three volumes (I think). I've heard that some people had it republished version, but I have the first printings and I can't really confirm xD; Let me know though~ Some of the things in these sections also include some old sketches she's done (at least in volume 14, and 16 has some gift art another manga-ka had drawn for her...I only have from 14, 16, 19-16 in the original Japanese version, still working on getting the rest xD).

*facepalm* Oh God how I sometimes want to strangle them...but anyway other than their naming screwups (*still can't get over the Ramganas' mutilation...*), they've changed a few things that was published from the original version. Now, not a lot of these are big, but when you mess with the cover of a volume that's different xO >_> A lot of these will also discussed in the volumes section, this is just a brief list. Enough rant, here's the list as well as to show you something else >w>

• Names
• Ink is darker/thicker (eh, not a big deal)
• Cover volumes changed
  • Volume 1 - Poster from volume 4 was printed for the front cover. Cesia from the cover of volume 4 was printed on the back Oo
  • Volume 2 - Poster was printed for the back cover.
  • Volume 3 - Flap image of Rune and Thatz printed for the back cover.
  • Volume 4 - Tintlet from the back cover of volume 6 was printed on the back o_O
  • Volume 6 - Rune and Thatz from part of the back cover of volume 1 was printed on the back >_>...
  • Volume 13 - Shian from the poster was published on the back.
  • Volume 16 - Poster was printed for the front cover
  • Volume 18 - ...Iunno who the little faerie is actually xD But she's from the flap cover and was published on the back
  • Volume 19 - Poster was printed for the front cover
  • Volume 21 - Poster was printed for the front cover. Original front cover image was printed on the back.
  • Volume 22 - Poster was printed for the back cover. Nohiro from flap cover was printed on back.
  • Volume 23 - Poster was printed for the back cover.
• B&W versions of posters were published.
  • Volume 13 - Well part of it. The Nohiro half is printed near the front...and this image was printed again in 14 (wtf NO SABEL FOR 14?! BLASEPHYMY.)
  • Volume 15 - Zoomed up version of poster printed near the front
  • Volume 16 - Poster printed in full (as in, you see the whole thing) covering two pages at the end of the volume.
  • Volume 17 - Poster printed in full (as in, you see the whole thing) covering two pages at the end of the volume.
  • Volume 18 - Poster printed on one page, zoomed in a little (but mostly full) at the end of the volume.
  • Volume 19 - Poster printed in full (as in, you see the whole thing) covering two pages at the end of the volume.
  • Volume 20 - Poster printed in full (as in, you see the whole thing) covering two pages at the end of the volume.
  • Volume 21 - Poster printed in full (as in, you see the whole thing) covering two pages at the end of the volume.
• Random images from the story were used on some blank pages that wasn't done in the original version (like in volume 23, you see Sabel on the second page). Eh, no biggie, and since it was done to every volume pretty much (usually on the back of very first page and the "last" page before the ads) I'm not going to list them. They didn't take away any of the original random art that Ohkami put in so I'm not going to complain >_>;
• Yeah that whole history/summary thing of previous volumes they publish at the front of the later volumes? That's not in the original xD; Nor is that character map (like the good guys/bad guys, etc.). *shrugs* I'm indifferent about it. That history/summary thing was handy when refreshing memory of what happened in previous volumes when it was first released since Tokyopop was mean and spread the release dates farther and farther apart (three months wtf...half a year?!) >___> Of course, by that time they were starting to catch up to what was originaly published and they need to space out release dates to allow the series that was still running Wings to finish and get published in tankoban version before they could publish it in English xD; So I guess I'll let it slide (though waiting almost a year for the English version, release date in June 2008, of the final volume, which was published back in August 27 in Japan, is stupid).

Well we all know that publishers of manga will make typos and grammatical errors, and Dragon Knights is not excluded. However, it has been noted that they tend to do it more often than usual, particularly toward the end. Meh. I don't really complain too much since I expect it, no matter what series or company it is, it just happens. But now for something more important...

This is not very noticeable, yet at the same time it is on some certain pages. Ever wonder why sometimes a panel/page looks like it was cut off prematurely? Like SABEL'S FACE GETTING CUT IN HALF IN VOLUME 23 >_>....Well there is a real reason for it. TP actually prints the pages bigger than the original and thus the edges of the pages were cut off. It's a very slight size change, barely noticable. But the cut off is. And I have a scan to compare~! I might add more...I don't know this makes me too depressed >_>...

Yeah. The one on the left is the Tokyopop print. The one on the right is the original version. And no, I did not crop it off like that, go look for yourself. This is Tetheus forming his sword in volume 24, about 27-30 pages in. It's the scene where he's confronting Shydeman and Fedelta, on the left page. I think it's about half an inch is cut from all edges, maybe less on the top and bottom. But they are definitely cut off. I wouldn't have been able to make some of the icons where I cropped out a character who was near the edge if I had used the TP version. I went to look through some of the earlier volumes and compared if this really was a big deal. In some senses it's not (unless you're like me and hates seeing their favorite characters' faces get cut off prematurely) though I think for some really small panels where the characters are like drawon very small, a minor character might be cut out. I'm not sure, I didn't do a page by page comparison for something like that.

But yeah. It's still a bit irritating. At first I forgave them because I thought it actually made sense what with publishing and rescanning and such. Until I realized that the TP versions, the images are actually bigger by a bit >_> And a bit adds up. Sooo I'm a bit conflicted. But nothing you can do really.

Tokyopop also has a tendency to have poor proofreading skills. And I'm not talking about typos. I'm talking about something more incredulously stupid. >_> Like in volume 22...

HELLO MR. PREVIEW IN A SPEECH BUBBLE. Seriously. WTF. I hate to sound like I'm ranting but seriously. I was starting to forgive them for all the other mistakes, but this is just wrong and very poor example on their editing/proofing staff. It also makes me wonder if DK just really got shafted at this point. Again, I did not edit this (I don't even have the font, lol). You can see for yourself. In volume 22, after the whole interaction with Lobal, Bierrez, and Thatz and it's a Dragon Fighter who pops out from a secret entrance in front of Kitchel, Gil, and Ringleys, and right before the shot of fake!Ramganas.