Manga-Suggest-a-Thon
Okay, I’m bored. Even though the April season starts tomorrow, and I have tons of work to do, I have a craving to read some manga.
I’m not really a big manga person - I don’t buy English manga because spending over a fiver on something I read in about 15 minutes (unless it’s RG Veda, where I had no idea what the hell was going on and gave up - not good going for a CLAMP fan!) is not financially sound, and I randomly buy Japanese volumes based on whether they have nice cover art or not (or because I’m a CLAMP fan, hence why most of Tsubasa and XXXHolic sit pretty much unread on my shelves). However, occasionally I crave to read some decent manga - and I’m appealing to the world out there to suggest some stuff!
Here’s where my tastes generally lie:
- Dark shoujo actiony-fantasy. X is one of my favouritest things in the whole world ever, despite being emo-tastic, and I’m a big fan of the little I’ve read of Mizu ni Sumu Hana by Chie Shinohara (I wonder how the live action film will turn out?). Oh, and while I’ve not read a lot of Kaori Yuki, I loved Angel Sanctuary and the single scanlated chapter of Fairy Cube that’s available.
- Generic shounen action adventures with decent artwork. I’m basing this around my irrational love of Daisuke Moriyama’s work - while Chrono Crusade and his current manga World Embryo aren’t really very original, I love both of them (World Embryo is only just getting started and already I’m waiting on the monthly chapters slavishly!). Only suggest things with no damsels in distress - I really liked Bleach until the Soul Society arc started - and preferably nothing overly Shounen Jump-esque - I’m battling my way slowly through D. Gray-Man in Japanese because the artwork’s great and the story isn’t bad either, but I’m not really a Naruto kind of person, for example.
- Stuff with AMAZING plots - this would be Naoki Urasawa’s stuff, like Monster, 20th Century Boys and Pluto. He’s a genius, basically. Anything else out there like him?
- Sensible, “mature” shoujo dramas - maybe this is more of a josei thing, but series like Honey and Clover, basically - I’ve read the first volume and a bit of a wonderful series called Bokura ga Ita which isn’t exactly anything novel but is told with lovely artwork and a very un-melodramatic yet mysterious feel; it feels like KareKano with less spazz, basically, and I really enjoyed the KareKano anime. I’m not really into the wish-fulfilment stuff of perfect guys falling in love with girls for no good reason other than they’re all beautiful people and ANGST ensuing, but exploring flawed people and their dynamics is always fun.
Oh, and anything a little bit “different” - innovative stuff like Mushishi is always good (I’ve discovered that, while the animation lends a lot of vividness to the beauty of Mushishi, I still prefer the manga because the pacing is much better; I find the anime can be just a tad too slow.)
Suggest away, people,. I need help! Please?
March 31st, 2006 at 4:48 pm
Hmm… can only really offer shoujo-type manga suggestions here… How about Nana (by Yazawa Ai)? The story is not atypical shoujo, the art is pretty good, it’s got a movie and an anime coming up, and Yazawa sensei writes her plots very real.
Onii-chan to Issho (Tokino Hari)? It’s very simplistic heartwarming story about four brothers and a girl. Very little rabu-rabu, just very heartwarming family stories.
March 31st, 2006 at 5:32 pm
Errr, have you ever read Nausicaa? Way better than the anime version.
I’m completely drawing up blanks at the moment - I only read English manga anyway (way too much effort to sit with a dictionary), and I have a horrible habit of forgetting everything I’ve read five minutes later (not to mention the fact that I suspect you are actually far better read than me despite me buying craploads of the stuff). I’m afraid my favourite generic shonen series is Negima, which I’d imagine has way too much fanservice for you (although the artwork is cracking).
March 31st, 2006 at 6:49 pm
Urasawa Naoki is a genius. Everyone pretty much knows that. His works are basically novels in pictorial form.
As for suggestions, I’m totally out of the shoujo genre. Right now, the top few manga are probably REAL, One Piece, Gunslinger Girl,Gantz and FMA. I chose these each of which are the top of the magazines they are serialised in.
Real is just amazing. Realistic look at disability through wheelchair basketball. By Inoue Takehiko who has super art as usual.
One Piece doesn’t have to be explained.
Gunslinger Girl manga is much better than the anime, and is probably the best of what the Dengeki series has to offer.
Gantz is great but you probably won’t like it. If both One Piece and Gantz can be classified as shounen, they are polar opposites. In a good way.
FMA manga owns the anime anyday.
I’m only including currently running manga.
March 31st, 2006 at 6:57 pm
If you like dark/supernatural shoujo, I’d recommend the group Storm in Heaven actually. They have a lot of oneshots/series that are excellent. My favorite works by them are by Yuana Kazumi and Yumeka Sumomo if i remember right.
Also try others like Reiko Shimizu (Kaguya Hime, Moonchild) and Natsumi Itsuki (Demon Sacred, Jyo-sei). They write shoujo but with lots of fantasy/sci-fi elements that make their plots very bizarre but really interesting.
My favorite series is Mekakushi no Kuni (or Land of the Blindfolded in the US). Its about a trio with special powers- either to see the future or the past. It starts out sort of generic and light but it all builds up and volumes 6-9 are amazing. Very emotional and very powerful.
i will try to think of more for you!
March 31st, 2006 at 7:12 pm
Yotsuba! I don’t think it fits in with your ‘usual’ preferences, but Yotsuba is absolutely hilarious, and the art is great too. Even though you didn’t like Azumanga Daioh I’d recommend giving it a try - it’s much, much better.
March 31st, 2006 at 7:17 pm
Le Cirque de Karakuri, if you can find it, has a great plot overall. It gets pretty bloody and dark too. The art might take getting used to, however.
Shin Angyo Onshi is originally Korean and is loosely based on Korean folk tales, but it has garnered enough attention to be brought to Japan. It has a very intriguing and often dark mood to it. I still can’t get over being fooled by the first chapter when I started reading with no prior knowledge ^^;
Busou Renkin by Nobuhiro Watsuki is a nice shounen series. It doesn’t drag fights for very long or is it very complicated (at least from what I’ve read so far). The quirky characters are what drives the series.
March 31st, 2006 at 8:36 pm
Why not try Yoshiki Nakamura’s Tokyo Crazy Paradise and Skip Beat? Yep, they’re shoujo but Nakamura’s stories are imbued with refreshing twists which makes up for some cliches. I’d say they’re two of the better shoujo series out there.
Also, I must push for Akemi Yoshimura’s Bara no Tame ni. It’s a lovely, lovely piece. Nakamura has created one of the most original heroines, ever.
For comedy, I suggest Angel Densetsu. The art improves later on but the premise is simply hilarious.
March 31st, 2006 at 8:55 pm
“Nakamura has created one of the most original heroines, ever.” Err, I meant Yoshimura.
March 31st, 2006 at 10:40 pm
I recommed Hyakkiyakou Shou by Ima Ichiko. It’s a little bit similar to Mushishi, but replace mushi with ghosts and demons. The story is alot darker too. One of the few mangas that actually creeps me out ; ).
April 1st, 2006 at 1:13 am
totally agree with your comment about not wanting to spend more than a fiver on anything that’s done reading in a few minutes. The only manga I ever read is Blade of the Immortal by Hiroaki Samura … doesn’t fit any of your categories … but the artwork is incredible. I reread each volume until the next one comes out, and it doesn’t bore me at all. It’s like taking the beat and funk from Samurai Champloo and mixed it with the atmosphere and artistic craft of a Piranesi etching.
April 1st, 2006 at 5:31 am
Death Note: story by Ohba Tsugumi, art by Obata Takeshi.
This is published by Shonen Jump but it definitely has AMAZING plot as well as awesome artwork, IMO.
The artist is the same as for Hikaru no Go, but the style and quality, compared to what little I’ve seen of Hikaru no Go, is completely different.
April 1st, 2006 at 5:59 am
some good titles already mentioned (Real, Angel Dentestu, Yostubato!)..also would recommend Basara (epic shoujo), Nodame Cantabelle (since you mentioned Honey and Clover), and Gokusen (josei), Eternal Sabbath and Genjuu No Seiza (supernatural)
April 2nd, 2006 at 6:19 am
Please check out Basara by Yumi Tamura or anything else by Yumi Tamura. The art doesn’t seem fantastic, but it grows on you. The plot is enthralling, emotional, and actually creates a heroine that is strong, and not annoying.. I’m a huge CLAMP fan, but when I read this series, I will honestly say my favorite manga will always be Basara not something from CLAMP.
If that doesn’t intrigue you, the series has:
Cross dressers
Owls
Changing hair styles
Brilliant cast of characters…lots
April 2nd, 2006 at 4:21 pm
Try Iron Wok Jan. It’s about competitive cooking, and, kinda like Katamari Damacy on the PS2, it’s hard to explain why it’s so great, it just is. From the over the top characters and artwork down to the detailed illustrations of food and preparation… it’s just all good.
May 9th, 2007 at 9:46 am
There’s a publishing company in Singapore that does Fairy Cube in English. You might want to try contacting them to ask if they can ship it over to you, and their prices are lower than that of American publishers.
Check out www.chuangyi.com.sg for their contact details. Oh, go to the English section.
August 31st, 2007 at 2:49 pm
heyys, u definately gotta try ‘Air Gear’… i dun really noe hu the actual artist is tho’… neither do i noe if its totally original… hehe, sorry… u can read it on http://www.onemanga.com (its in english) if u wanna try it… its really good… i suggest not to watch the anime cos the manga is way better… ‘Air Gear’ is wayy cool!!