The Manga thread

[Randorama]

As my work/ratio has become beyond horrendous, I would like to exploit the locals' knowledge of Manga to get an idea on what I should read, when instead of sleeping I enjoy some free time. I hope that nobody minds my attempt at focusing on Manga only, but the combined Anime/Manga thread is a bit too chaotic.

So, I'd like the usual suspects to come over to this thread and try to do the following:

1. Suggest good manga reads, with a brief synopsis of the series;
2. Suggest good authors, since good authors are the ones who write good series.

I promise that, aside leeching off good suggestions, I will try to index your mini-reviews every week or so, So that at some point the thread might turn into something useful and constructive.

Just to be nitpicky: let's try to be "adult". I am even willing to admit that One Piece is good, if it makes anyone happy, but I would prefer to mostly map seinen and josei mangas (for our inner women, etc.). I am a boringly serious person who reads stuff like The Invisibles.

Also, please avoid starting quarrels here, please (x4).

Mini-example:

1. Natsume Ono's La Quinta Camera is a story about four men living in an apartment, and an exchange student moving into the "fifth room" (the meaning of the title). It is a relatively short story which falls squarely within the "slice-of-life" genre.

2. Natsume Ono. She has excellent storytelling skills, and a sharp ability to present well-rounded characters. Besides, her "Italian" serializations are adorably elegant, although she embelliishes the place and culture to a great extent (I am from there, so I can tell).

F


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The list

Arigatou by Yamamoto Naoki: About a traditional Japanese family falling apart. Either a black comedy or a depressing tragedy, depending on you.

Basilisk: Two ninja clans fight to the death. Despite the characters pulling Naruto-esque moves all the time, it's nothing like its shonen brother. They are out to kill each other so expect lots of deaths.

Bitter Virgin: This guy is popular among the girls in high school and is a womanizer. He meets this very shy girl, who is terrified of even be touched by a man. She has a secret, and protagonist accidentally hears it. No, her secret is not that she's a virgin. Her secret is...bad, very bad. Disturbing. Read the end of the first chapter and you'll see what you're getting into. This manga highlights issues that women have to deal with and men are oblivious about. Very eye-opening.

Blade of the Immortal - Samurai seinen that blends sketch work and poetry with bloodshed and fast talking ghetto ronin.

BLAME! By Tsutomu Nihei. It's an unnarrated story, taking place in the very distant future. I hesitate to call it science fiction... the surreal atmosphere presented defies categorization into that genre. Nihei was trained as an architect and what little story exposition there is is interspersed with long sequences of walking through strange and enticing interior spaces. At times, the story is so open-ended as to become poetic, held together only by the reader's attention.

Boys on the Run by Hanazawa Kengo is about a guy with a shit job who ends up becoming a boxer. Part romance and part either comedy or depressing drama, depending on the reader.

Dorohedoro by Hayashida Q. - insane dark and funny fantasy, must read, doens't feel like manga at all

Everything by Urasawa Naoki (20th Century boys, Monster, etc)

I am A Hero by Hanazawa Kengo - a seinen take on zombie apocalypse

Koi Kaze by Yoshida Motoi: Adult guy meets schoolgirl, turns out she's his little sister. Romance happens. One of the few incest-themed mangas not focused on panty shots and the like. As such it should be enjoyable even if you're not... into the subject matter.

Lucu Lucu by Asari Yoshitoo - very enjoyable comedy with a dirt-poor guy, angels, demons, religion, philosophy and nonsense

Molester Man: 20-yr old friendless otaku is mistaken for a molester/stalker, but that issue is quickly resolved and the guy befriends the girl and her group of friends. Cue him awkwardly trying to socialize with them and asking 2ch for advice whenever he can ("just call her, faggot!"). This one was based on a real story so it's pretty down to earth, while also being funny at the same time.

Nanatsu no Taizai by Suzuki Nakaba - it's a shounen in a fantasy setup, but very well drawn, not dumb and the battles are actually badass-awesome. Also faster paced story than tour usual shounen.

Onepunch-Man by Murata Yuusuke - a bald and bland super hero, unpopular but freak strong, ridiculous super heroes and foes, hilarious
(NOT to be confused with teh alternative poor-drawing manga by ONE)

Oyasumi Punpun by Asano Inio - very good slice-of-life seinen, bit depressing though

Planetes - Reflective, humorous, light-hearted soap opera set in space.

Pluto - Serious detective thriller in fictional future world.

Shigurui: A blind, crippled samurai and a one-armed swordsman fight each other in a tournament with real swords. The manga tells their story and how they ended up in the tournament. VERY gory. I think the author dropped the ball on the second half of the manga, but the first one is spectacular.

Team Medial Dragon by Nogizaka Tarou & Nagai Akira - an insanely tense story about a surgery team

Vinland Saga by Yukimura Makoto - awesome viking adventure by a japanese author, feels very 'euro' kind of comic

[Xyga]

A few at random

Oyasumi Punpun by Asano Inio - very good slice-of-life seinen, bit depressing though
I am A Hero by Hanazawa Kengo - a seinen take on zombie apocalypse
Team Medial Dragon by Nogizaka Tarou & Nagai Akira - an insanely tense story about a surgery team
Vinland Saga by Yukimura Makoto - awesome viking adventure by a japanese author, feels very 'euro' kind of comic
Dorohedoro by Hayashida Q. - insane dark and funny fantasy, must read, doens't feel like manga at all
Lucu Lucu by Asari Yoshitoo - very enjoyable comedy with a dirt-poor guy, angels, demons, religion, philosophy and nonsense
Onepunch-Man by Murata Yuusuke - a bald and bland super hero, unpopular but freak strong, ridiculous super heroes and foes, hilarious
(NOT to be confused with teh alternative poor-drawing manga by ONE)
Everything by Urasawa Naoki (20th Century boys, Monster, etc)
Nanatsu no Taizai by Suzuki Nakaba - it's a shounen in a fantasy setup, but very well drawn, not dumb and the battles are actually badass-awesome. Also faster paced story than tour usual shounen.

Also if you like martial arts manga (some are very good) try the 'Baki' saga. It is just insane.
Lately I've also enjoyed Teppuu, like your typical martial arts manga, except with girls and not boring, I love the main character's a real bitch.

[Ruldra]

I've written about a few mangas I enjoyed in the other thread. I'll copy them here and add a few others. Like you, I'm mostly looking for more down-to-earth stuff.

Basilisk: Two ninja clans fight to the death. Despite the characters pulling Naruto-esque moves all the time, it's nothing like its shonen brother. They are out to kill each other so expect lots of deaths.

Shigurui: A blind, crippled samurai and a one-armed swordsman fight each other in a tournament with real swords. The manga tells their story and how they ended up in the tournament. VERY gory. I think the author dropped the ball on the second half of the manga, but the first one is spectacular.

Molester Man: 20-yr old friendless otaku is mistaken for a molester/stalker, but that issue is quickly resolved and the guy befriends the girl and her group of friends. Cue him awkwardly trying to socialize with them and asking 2ch for advice whenever he can ("just call her, faggot!"). This one was based on a real story so it's pretty down to earth, while also being funny at the same time.

Bitter Virgin: This guy is popular among the girls in high school and is a womanizer. He meets this very shy girl, who is terrified of even be touched by a man. She has a secret, and protagonist accidentally hears it. No, her secret is not that she's a virgin. Her secret is...bad, very bad. Disturbing. Read the end of the first chapter and you'll see what you're getting into. This manga highlights issues that women have to deal with and men are oblivious about. Very eye-opening.

[HenAi]

Boys on the Run by Hanazawa Kengo is about a guy with a shit job who ends up becoming a boxer. Part romance and part either comedy or depressing drama, depending on the reader.

Arigatou by Yamamoto Naoki: About a traditional Japanese family falling apart. Either a black comedy or a depressing tragedy, depending on you.

Koi Kaze by Yoshida Motoi: Adult guy meets schoolgirl, turns out she's his little sister. Romance happens. One of the few incest-themed mangas not focused on panty shots and the like. As such it should be enjoyable even if you're not... into the subject matter.

[Skykid]

I honestly can't think of a Manga you would appreciate more than Pluto (Naoki Urusawa). Plot synopsis not necessary, it's all about the delivery.

Additionally:

Blade of the Immortal - Hiroaki Samura - fuedal ronin cursed never to die. Needs to slay 1000 evil men to lift it

Planetes - Yukimura Makoto - Orbital debris collectors reflect on life in the face of the infinite.

Shigurui - as mentioned by Ruldra. A fable of sorts, violent to the core, unusually poetic.

[Ruldra]

I'll be keeping a close eye on this thread. I'm looking for more manga to read myself but I'm reluctant to start series that span countless volumes. I'd rather read something that doesn't last too long and is already finished. No way I'm starting stuff like Blade of the Immortal or Berserk these days (the latter has gone to shit anyway, or so I heard).

Right now I added Pluto and Planetes to my "check it out" list.

[Skykid]

If you went through Shigurui okay, you'll fly through Blade, not least because of the beautiful artwork, but it often consists of slient fight sequences that span entire volumes. It's the best of the Samurai manga I've read, once you get past the finding-its-feet first volume. I wouldn't pass it up.

Pluto is the perfect antidote to Urusawa's overlong 20th Century Boys - doesn't outstay its welcome at all, and never stops giving.

[ZacharyB]

I'll profess my love for BLAME! here. By Tsutomu Nihei. It's an unnarrated story, taking place in the very distant future. I hesitate to call it science fiction... the surreal atmosphere presented defies categorization into that genre. Nihei was trained as an architect and what little story exposition there is is interspersed with long sequences of walking through strange and enticing interior spaces. At times, the story is so open-ended as to become poetic, held together only by the reader's attention.

The basic plot is that a single agent of an unknown and possibly long-lost organization is slowly working his way upwards through an endless dungeon. The cybernetic dungeon is building itself out of control and he is following an old directive to find the human type able to connect to the netsphere (internet evolved) and stop it. Along the way he meets with straggling factions of once-great civilizations, ethereal cybernetic foes, and an abandoned factory so large that it maintained its own reality.

[PedroMD]

Most of what I would recommend has been said already (anything by Urasawa (Pluto seriously needs more love) and Asano Inio (Punpun is incredible, but his shorter works are also well worth your time)), so I'll just leave this one:

Sanctuary by Sho Fumimura. Dissatisfied with the outlook of Japan, two childhood friends decide to work together to radically change society into something they could be content with. One of them takes the high road, attempting to join the japanese Diet, and the other takes the low, through the Yakuza. Despite delving deep into japanese politics (there's a lot of violence early on, but becomes mostly a political thriller towards the end), it's a very engrossing story.

[Randorama]

I promise to start updating and organizing the first thread by this Thursday. If I don't, send the hounds.

Guys, one request: a brief word about the genres that each Manga would belong to, would improve indexing, too.

[Skykid]

From my recommends:

Pluto - Serious detective thriller in fictional future world.

Blade of the Immortal - Samurai seinen that blends sketch work and poetry with bloodshed and fast talking ghetto ronin.

Planetes - Reflective, humorous, light-hearted soap opera set in space.

Shigurui - Samurai warrior epic. Adaptation of a novel that's heavy on storytelling, feudal Japanese custom, and guro style bloodshed.

[Randorama]

List updated.

Any formatting suggestions welcome, too.

[KAI]

Fressia - Jiro Matsumoto - In alternate history Japan is engaged in protracted war and massive economic recession. Due to massive military spending, many prisons are shut and a Vengeance Act is created instead to allow those who have been hurt by convicted criminals to get revenge. Various Vengeance Proxy Enforcer firms are created to supply the massive demand for these.
Uzumaki - Junji Ito - A horror story about a town haunted by spirals.
Franken Fran - Kigitsu Katsuhisa - Horror Comedy. Madaraki Fran is a genius surgeon, she can do anything, even raising the dead. Lots of guro.

[Teufel_in_Blau]

Pretty much anything from Nobuyuki Fukumoto.

Highlights: Kaiji, Akagi and The Legend of Strongest Man Kurosawa. You haven't read a good Manga if you haven't read at least one of these. The first two are about gambling and the last one is about a guy who got old and lonely. I can't even tell you which one I prefer. All are great.

Hideo Yamamoto - Ichi the Killer
Forget the movie. It's kinda sad that people think of the movie when they thing of this great piece of story. I tried 'Homunculus' by him and it started good but at some point it was about gender issues and that totaly killed my desire to finish it.