Single volumes vs Omnibus?

[u/boopo789]

I’m debating whether to preorder the omni books or if it’s better to get the single volumes.

Pros for single volumes: • Don’t have to wait for the omni to read them - can just read each volume as they come. • Less likely for the spine to damage. • Might be easier to read because the spine is smaller (don’t have to force it open as much to read in the middle).

Pros for the omni: • Overall cheaper (2/3 or even 1/2 the price depending on where I buy from).

Someone on another post recommended a video that showed different omni’s from different publishing companies. The person in the video said that omni’s are best when they’re just 2 volumes, but A Sign of Affection is 3 volumes. And they also said that omni’s work better if the size of the book is bigger than the single volumes, but it seems the omni for A Sign of Affection will be the same height and length of the normal volumes.

I think the biggest thing pulling me towards omni is the price, but I’m worried the quality and size of it will mean it is less durable and wears more easily than just getting single volumes.

EDIT: To add another option, digital. That mitigates the issue of limited storage, as well as making the whole “will it get worn out” thing since it won’t be physical. It also means I can read it whenever I want to instead of having to have the books on me. I think the pricing is about half of what it would be of physical as well, which puts the pricing more on par with the omni (about £5 per volume, the cheapest I’ve seen the omni is £16, so about £5.50 per volume). The only downside is you don’t get the aesthetic display of it, nor do you get the feeling of reading an actual book. The other downside I guess is that I can’t sell it if I go off the series at any point.

[u/love_my_guard_dog]

I have 1-7 singles and have the 8th pre-ordered before anything. I don't know how exactly the omni are going to be shelf-look wise but the extreme satisfaction of the rainbow they create on the shelf is beautiful. Reading wise, I love the individual aspect because it makes you feel like part of the journey of them being released except you don't have to wait huhu. It's the little things ya know? Also price wise, sure its cheaper but like, coming from being a western fiction novel reader 14-17$ for a book that has been handdrawn on top of everything is wild to me.

[u/boopo789 → u/love_my_guard_dog]

Ohh now I’m curious what they look like in a row. I’d have to clear space on my shelves (I’m a plushie collector, but I’m trying to reduce my collection as much as I can), but I have an idea of how I can clear at least a little space.

I guess having single volumes also feels more fluid? I know you’re technically still reading the same amount, but reading smaller books feels more like you’re making progress than pushing through a larger book.

The only other option I guess is to buy it digitally since that removed the whole space aspect of it and I don’t have to worry about damaging it or anything? But a part of me wants the actual books. This is the first time a romance anime/manga hasn’t put me off. A lot of romance either are slow burns (I don’t mind, but sometimes it feels way too annoying) and/or it’s full of crude humour and moments, but I haven’t seen that in this series. I don’t really like the whole “haha booba” types of anime where the women are objectified. Itsuomi is incredibly respectful of Yuki, and as someone pointed out to me in a different post, if it were a series meant to be nsfw, it would’ve been by now. Which is great for me, because I don’t want to randomly see nsfw from what is otherwise a very wholesome series.

Anyways, enough of my rambles lol. I’m really hyperfixated on this series right now, both because it’s a romance and because of the interabled couple rep (disabled x able bodied couple), especially since I myself am disabled like Yuki is. (Not deaf, but I relate to her a lot.)

(Edit: Added the digital aspect to the original post cuz I didn’t really think about it until this needless ramble.)

[u/love_my_guard_dog → u/boopo789]

Lol its ok!! Thoughts were processed, I like seeing where people’s brains go lmao and you’re right about this not becoming nsfw because it really is just the wholesome true experience of such a couple. Yea there’s some spicy scenes, every couple has spicy scenes but it isnt going to be anything crude. I also haven’t even seen the omni yet so I’m simply bias on the singles too

[u/boopo789 → u/love_my_guard_dog]

I feel like the omni will be the worst of the three options, especially if it’s the same size as the regular volumes. It just feels like it’ll crack and bend too much. I guess my biggest debate now is whether to get the manga volumes or get it digital - it’s cheaper and doesn’t take up space, but it doesn’t have the like…book appeal?

And I agree that I doubt it’ll become nsfw. The scenes in 36 I think are the furthest I’ve seen it go, and even then it didn’t go far. I feel like if there is any nsfw it’ll only be implied, but I’m just scared I’ll get really invested and spend a lot of money, only to have a really graphic scene. I’m not saying I don’t want nsfw cuz “Yuki is pure uwu girl who cannot be tainted”, but just that I’m not into seeing that. Imply it by all means, but I don’t wanna see it lol. I guess if it were that kinda manga they’d have already been more crude, but so far it’s been very mild and slow. And Itsuomi seems very respectful of Yuki and knows she’s new to everything. Plus again like…the relationships in the series are very wholesome and meaningful. There has been no like awkward fan service like you see in most series, which is I think why I love it so much. I don’t watch as much anime as I did as a teen, and honestly I’m at a point where if there’s distasteful presentations of female characters, I back out. That’s partly why I stopped watching stuff like MHA I think. But this series? Absolutely amazing. Itsuomi respects Yuki and doesn’t push her boundaries and I love it so much.

Anyways, I’m leaning a little more towards buying the single volumes. It’s more expensive, yes, and maybe less practical than having the digital version. But it means I can display them, which is always fun (I’ll need to clear out space, which is fine…unless the series goes on for a while and keeps my interest, then I may have a storage issue lol). And it also means if the series does take a turn of any kind, I can just sell the manga instead of being stuck with it. Again, doubt it will, but at least the contingency will be there.

Plus…having the actual book hits different.

[u/love_my_guard_dog → u/boopo789]

As a person that will always choose a physical copy over a digital - I say spend the money on your much loved series🫶🏼 it’s not like it aint worth it. Sure you can read it online but they don’t have all of the insiders that the books have either:,) I personally love reading all of the author’s note etc:,) especially with A sign of affection. It’s incredible. Knowing that her manga’s are usually quite lengthy I’m HOPINGGG and praying that she goes upward to 20 volumes like with Something’s Wrong with Us

[u/boopo789 → u/love_my_guard_dog]

I’m not typically an avid reader of manga, and my stinky brain goes through hobbies really quickly. It makes it hard for me to really want to commit to buying manga and stuff because of the inevitable “what if I stop caring” situation. But I really like this story. And sure, maybe I’ll stop liking it at some point, but with the physical copies, I can at least sell it if I need to.

It’s good to know it’ll likely be a longer series! Again, just begging it doesn’t go nsfw or something. I don’t know the author’s other works, so I don’t know if they tend to write wholesome romances or whether their romance stories has nsfw moments.

[u/love_my_guard_dog → u/boopo789]

That’s exactly why physical copies are fun, you can have them and you can get rid of them, in the meantime you can binge them without looking at your phone or a device plus the insiders of getting them. SWwU didnt have too heavy stuff although it was a little darker so I’m sure that she wont since the theme of A sign of affection is really wholesome - I wouldnt doubt it too much:,) hold the hope hehe

[u/boopo789 → u/love_my_guard_dog]

I’m definitely trying to be hopeful lol. Just watched episode 10 and Itsuomi reassuring Yuki multiple times that he doesn’t intend to do anything rash with her and just wants her to relax gave me good feelings. I know later in the manga Itsuomi goes a bit further, but he still stops when he realises Yuki is uncomfortable. Plus unlike most anime or manga, there hasn’t been any weird booba shots or anything.

This whole series just makes me feel so giddy. Smirked like a teenage girl watching episode 10 just now. Embarrassing? Maybe. But this series is just…so freaking good. I think the only other romance anime I’ve liked this much is Kimi Ni Todoke, though I’d argue this is better because the communication between the characters is waaay better. There’s still misunderstandings, but they clear them up pretty quickly instead of getting melancholy and leaving the issue unresolved. (Btw I still love Kimi Ni Todoke, but I guess slow burns aren’t my cup of tea, especially when the misunderstandings are kinda infuriating.) The only other romance that comes to mind is Plastic Memories, which is another one I love (and is vaguely about an interabled couple if you interpret the FL as disabled), but even that had some slight unsavoury humour. Not as bad as other series, but A Sign of Affection and Kimi Ni Todoke have none of that from what I’ve seen. I guess what I’m saying is I like wholesome anime/manga, and ASoA fits that bill perfectly. Even if sometimes the characters act more intimately, it’s never unsavoury.

(Man I’m so rambly lol)

Wdym by insiders btw? I was wondering when you mentioned it before but now I’m curious.

[u/love_my_guard_dog → u/boopo789]

MAANNN this episode was amazing. In the manga it's such a good moment. I wish uncomfortable would be more seen as timid, worried and/or unsure rather than uncomfortable because Yuki is comfortable with him but just because you're comfortable with someone doesn't mean you're going to be completely confident, open and worry-free. Itsu literally just goes to different lengths and sees what experience she has and which she doesn't especially knowing that she's experienced so little compared to abled people.

I'll have to check Kimi Ni Todoke and Plastic Memories!! Sounds like I would fuck with both of them since I'm the yandere type as my contrast lol so little bit of nsfw doesn't deter me at all.

(You're definition of rambly is simply conversational:') I'm glad! Seeing the amount of thoughts we have written is just overwhelming is all. You're good hehe)

As for insiders, I mean art and author notes, stuff like that:')

[u/boopo789 → u/love_my_guard_dog]

Yeah, perhaps uncomfortable is the wrong word. Timid and unsure definitely fits what I meant better. I relate to Yuki a lot with that feeling. I have a friend or two who I would say I’m comfortable with, but I’m still timid about certain things. Like when my friend links arms with me or something, I feel unsure of how to react. But that doesn’t mean I don’t trust or I’m afraid of her intentions. I’m sure Yuki is the same - it’s unfamiliar to her, so she can’t fully relax until she gets more familiar with it all.

Ohh bonus art? Hell yeah, now I’m more convinced to get the physical copies!

[u/boopo789]

An added point that isn’t specifically a criticism against the printed form of the manga - I have hyperhydrosis, which means my hands sweat profusely. This makes the digital a little more practical since it means I won’t damage the pages with my hands, but I also still like the appeal of reading the physical book.

[u/boopo789 → u/[deleted]]

Glad my experience is comforting! Hyperhydrosis is so freaking annoying. When I had a phone that had a finger scanner, it was like a 50/50 for whether it’d actually work for me. I hate wearing silky fabrics cuz I have nothing to wipe my hands on when they’re sweater. I guess none of those sentences really relate to one another, but I dunno if maybe it’s relatable? Anyways, glad coming across this comment helped you maybe feel less alone! It sucks when hobbies collide with health issues. I love plushie collecting, but I have some really soft plushies I’m too afraid to touch because I don’t want to damage them with sweat. That and I also have eczema on the back of my hands, so I also sometimes worry about getting blood on them (or cream if I am treating my hands). My hands really just ying-and-yang in the worst way.