Yen Press announced that they’d be releasing a Platinum Collector’s Edition box set for Sword Art Online back in October and it was released on December 22, 2020. It’s one I knew I had to have after seeing the first photos and unboxing on Yen Press’ official Twitter account, but is it worth the price?
Check out my full review of the Sword Art Online Platinum Collector’s Edition Box Set and get an inside and all-around look at the box set and its contents, including the collector’s edition volumes, below.
What comes in the Sword Art Online Platinum Collector’s Edition Box Set?
The Sword Art Online Platinum Collector’s Edition Box Set includes twenty volumes of Sword Art Online, which are specially formatted and printed in two hardcover collector’s edition volumes. Each volume comes with slipcases to protect the covers. Also included with the set are exclusive prints and a poster featuring art by Abec.
Potential negatives to buying the Sword Art Online Platinum Collector’s Edition Box Set
The text is somewhat small
They packed a lot of content in these collector’s editions, so I get why they had to make the text a certain size in order to fit all 20 volumes within just two books. But to me, the sizing of the text, which is smaller than your average light novel, was a bit too small. In addition, some of the pages felt taken over by these large mounds of text.
With that said, the margins they included on the pages look great and it is still quite readable. But with so much small text on one page, the pages can look quite overwhelming and wordy at first glance. This made it have a slightly less-than-perfect reading experience, but this is something I personally was willing to look over given just how amazing these editions look and the quality you get for the price.
Positives to buying the Sword Art Online Platinum Collector’s Edition Box Set
The volumes are hardcover and are beautifully made
Given the weight and size of these volumes, I couldn’t be happier that Yen Press made these editions hardcover. Since the books are rather thick, it will take some time for their spines to become flexible. I recommend opening and flipping through it a few times to warm up the spine before reading.
Overall, the Sword Art Online collector’s editions look great. They are beautifully made with a strong attention to detail. The covers have a glossy finish and each volume features different art by Abec. The spines and back of the volumes have a textured feel. They even come with a built-in ribbon bookmark and the slipcovers they included to further protect the volumes are a great addition as well.
The art looks great in this larger format
The collector’s editions feature both color and black-and-white art throughout which is amazing to witness in this larger format. There are drawings that fill single pages, but there are others that span two pages as well that really strike you when you see them.
Each new arc is introduced first with a cover art page, which is followed by these larger color panels. These serve as an amazing segway into each arc of the series and help to break up the sections within these large collector’s edition volumes. You can take a look at some of the art featured in the collector’s editions below!
The exclusive prints are a nice addition
The exclusive prints are printed on what appears to be thick, high-quality cardstock paper. The front of these prints have a glossy finish and they are beautifully printed with vivid and bold colors that really pop.
There are 20 prints in total and they feature the cover art from the volumes included in the collector’s editions. Each print is 9x11in in size. The cover art is featured throughout the collector’s editions, but the addition of these exclusive prints was a nice added touch for those who like to see, or collect, the individual covers.
I appreciate the fact that Yen Press included more in this box set than just a cheap wall poster. I don’t usually display the posters that come with box sets and they usually just end up sitting in the box, but these exclusive prints are an exception. They look incredible and I’ll definitely be framing a few and displaying them on the wall.
It saves space
The dimensions of the individual light novels are 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.38in, whereas the box set is 10.25 x 5.13 x 11.63in. 20 volumes of Sword Art Online take up approximately 15 inches of space, which is about half of a Billy Bookcase shelf. If you are someone who likes to display individual volumes on the shelf rather than in the box, the two collector’s editions of the box set, which are 9.25 x 2 x 11.5 inches in size, take up even less space when displayed.
It is a good value
If you were to buy 20 volumes of Sword Art Online at retail price, they would cost you around $270 USD or $210 USD if you were to find them on sale on sites like Amazon, which are always running deals on manga and light novels.
The SAO Platinum Collector’s Edition Box Set has a retail price of $200 USD, but you can find it for cheaper on sites like Amazon for around $149.99 USD while supplies last. Currently, these two have the cheapest prices I’ve seen for this box set with many other sites, like Barnes & Noble, still selling it at its retail price.
To give you an idea, since these collector’s editions collect 20 volumes, that means you can get the 20 volumes from Amazon for $8.45 USD give or take when you purchase the box set. With this box set, you also get a poster and exclusive prints, so you get even more for the price.
The sticker price may seem high, but you get a lot for the price and it’s cheaper in comparison to buying 20 individual light novels of Sword Art Online. All in all, the value is great, especially if you are someone like me, who loves to collect special editions and prefers hardcover volumes.
Final Verdict: Is the Sword Art Online Platinum Collector’s Edition Box Set worth it?
Yes, it definitely is. The box set really celebrates the series and I really love the hardcover, larger format collector’s editions that come with it. The box itself looks incredible when displayed, but everything included within it looks phenomenal as well.
It’s a good value for the number of volumes you get within the collector’s editions, and while the text could be slightly larger, there are many positives to the Sword Art Online Platinum Collector’s Edition Box Set that make it well worth it.
Where to buy the Sword Art Online Platinum Collector’s Edition Box Set
You can take a look at the Sword Art Online box set and the collector’s editions in the gallery below!
Sword Art Online Platinum Collector’s Edition Box Set Gallery
All photos were taken and are owned by Anime Collective. Product Credit: Reki Kawahara and abec, Yen Press.