Manga-Thread I: The one and only

[Yora]

Strange, I could have sworn there was a general manga thred, but I can't find anything. Several anime and Bleach threads, but none for just manga. Okay, so lets make one.

I start this thread with a request:

I'm looking for fantasy manga, with fantasy in a sense similar to InuYasha. I actually tried InuYasha, but got bored with it after a couple of chapters. You could probably also consider Bleach fantasy, but it's not really what I'm looking for and I'd like to have something that has a plot, or characters doing something. :smallbiggrin:

I had fun with Appleseed, Monster, and Uzumaki, and there's probably a lot good stuff like that, but most of it doesn't seem to be fantasy.
Does anyone have any recommendations?

[Prime32]

The anime thread is for manga too. And occasionally Eastern videogames.


Could you clarify what you're looking for a bit more? You're looking for stuff similar to a series you don't like? :smallconfused:

[Yora]

I'm looking for fantasy manga. Stuff with swords, and magic, and people killing monsters. :smallbiggrin:
InuYasha and Bleach have it, but don't appeal to me because of bland stories, and Bleach is to a great deal "magic invades everyday life", which also isn't my first choice of fiction.
(I actually liked bleach for the first 130 or so chapters, but then the manga seemed to completely lose it's aim and is just stalling for endless pages.)

[Starfols]

You can talk about manga in the anime thread, we won't tell anyone. :smallwink:

I would say slayers. It's the fantasy genre to a T. It's actually not bad, either. :smallbiggrin:

[Tengu_temp]

I suggest Mahou Sensei Negima. It mixes magic and fantasy with everyday life, yeah (though the current arc takes place in a fantasy world, not the mundane one), but it's an incredibly good manga with a huge, great cast, gripping action and an engaging storyline. Just bear in mind that it starts as a fanservicey harem comedy and slowly shifts its focus over time. Just endure the first chapters, you won't believe how awesome it gets later.

[Terraoblivion]

I did think Negima. However, it is more people fighting magitech robots and people fighting other people. The last 115 or so chapters have taken place in a world that is a lot like an old school Final Fantasy setting though. And even before that there were tengus, inugami, wizards, dragons and, of course, Martians. Only two characters uses swords regularly, though, but they are both main characters and there is a martial artist, a ninja and a gun-fu using bounty hunter among important characters too. For more fantasy stuff.

It is still a surprisingly talky manga, with a lot of the most important characters being non-combatants. There is a lot of action of course, but even during the action as much focus is spent on character and plot development as on the fight itself. I probably wouldn't like the manga if not for that, but it is an important note. Also it has one of the greatest collection of varied, important, well-developed female characters among manga. Not all of them get the same amount of development, but the major ones are generally not cliché and with one possible exception they aren't defined by their relationship to a man. And seriously, these girls are often badass. Especially Kaede!

[nyarlathotep]

A series that might be a bit off the beaten path is King of Thorn. It has most of the fantasy tropes and style of story telling present, but is set twenty minutes into the future. Overall it's very good and I'd recommend it.

[Lawless III]

If you've got the stomach for it, Berserk has a great story and interesting characters.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Seems the best play to ask, now that OneManga is down, does anybody knows any website where I can contiue reading manga?

I was up to date whit many manga I would hate to have to stop reading

[Starfols]

If you've got the stomach for it, Berserk has a great story and interesting characters.

I was going to suggest Vagrant story, but both are gritty, extremely low fantasy, without much magic or adventures or anything.

Oh, One Piece is good after a while. It's got lots of swords and monster fighting, and is a similar mood to Inuyasha, albeit a bit more whimsical. It's also pretty long, so you'd be set for a while.

My vote's still for slayers though. IIRC, it's literally based off a D&D campaign.

[Obrysii]

Not sure if there's a manga, but Record of Lodoss War is based on a D&D campaign.

[13_CBS]

I'm looking for fantasy manga, with fantasy in a sense similar to InuYasha. I actually tried InuYasha, but got bored with it after a couple of chapters. You could probably also consider Bleach fantasy, but it's not really what I'm looking for and I'd like to have something that has a plot, or characters doing something. :smallbiggrin:

Hmm...so you want a Fantasy manga series set in a historical setting?

1) Sengoku Youko, written and drawn by the same guy who made the most excellent Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer.

2) Akaboshi - Ibun Suikoden, a spin off of the famous Chinese classic The Water Margin (though, regrettably, the series was canceled 24 chapters in).

3) Drifters, written by the same fellow who made Hellsing. Be warned; the series is less of a real piece of literature and more of an orgy badassery and gore.

4) Pilgrim Jaeger, unique among manga in that it's set in Sixteenth Century Italy. Expect to see a lot of famous Italian historical figures in that time with superpowers (like Michaelangelo with super strength, etc.)


Unfortunately, the number of historical fantasy I can think of that actually caught my interest are few. There are more manga I could recommend that fall under Historical or Fantasy, but few fall under both.

[Yora]

Unfortunately, the number of historical fantasy I can think of that actually caught my interest are few. There are more manga I could recommend that fall under Historical or Fantasy, but few fall under both.
Recommend anyway. :smallbiggrin:

I completely forgot about Berserk. A friend is always telling me I really have to read it.

[Prime32]

Not sure if there's a manga, but Record of Lodoss War is based on a D&D campaign.The difference is that RoLW was written by a DM, while Slayers was written by the players.

Compare the openings:
Lodoss: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve5rvM-YBac and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2vxlZkfW-Y
Slayers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QdtEXexKns and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj02mR0hgL8

[Atelm]

There are several manga of Record of Lodoss War, based on the various Lodoss light novels (which in turn were based on the author's AARs of his campaigns). They were released in English by CMX, I think, but may be out of print.

There's at least manga for The Grey Witch, Chronicles of the Heroic Knight, Deedlit's Tale and Lady of Pharis storylines. Out of which the first two have anime versions as well. However, since the manga is way closer to the novels in terms of faithfullness (due to being written by the same person), the stories of Grey Witch and Chronicles don't match 1/1 with the animated ones. (noticeable in Chronicles which has some characters not found in the anime and a different ending)

[bluewind95]

Would Fullmetal Alchemist count? It's pretty fantastic, it's got a plot, pretty good characters (in my opinion, anyways) and it's a manga.

[Terraoblivion]

It should count. It isn't sword and sorcery, but it is definitely fantasy. At least i have never seen people clap their hands and turn a hunk of iron into a working gatling gun or people who make things blow up with their hands.

[Roland St. Jude]

Seems the best play to ask, now that OneManga is down, does anybody knows any website where I can contiue reading manga?

I was up to date whit many manga I would hate to have to stop reading

Sheriff of Moddingham: I'm going to assume that you mean legal sites. Any answers regarding illegal sites (similar to the one you mentioned) are going to earn people Infractions.

[13_CBS]

Recommend anyway. :smallbiggrin:


Series with a * next to them are some of my all time favorites.

Historical:

Historie, a fictional historical account of the real life Eumenes of Cardia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eumenes)

Shoukoku no Altair, set in an alternate version of Turkey, about the unusually young government official who goes about solving problems with his speed, his wit, and his loyal pet eagle as he learns about what it means to run a country and to be a proper official

Kuroshi tsuji, set in 19th Century Victorian England, about a young boy and his demonic butler, and how they go about solving crimes (the title is not two words; I had to separate it due to the forum cuss word filter)

*Rurouni Kenshin, a manga classic, set in 19th Century post Meiji Restoration Japan, about the wandering swordsman Kenshin and his philosophy on life, battle, and the changing of times

Souten no Koumori, a one chapter short story made by the author of the esteemed Full Metal Alchemist

*Vinland Saga, chronicling Norse civilizations in and around Greenland and the British Isles in the 11th century (some decades before the Battle of Hastings), told from the perspective of a fictional young boy who seeks vengeance

*Otoyomegatari, uniquely set in 19th century Central Asia; a slice of life story about a 12 year old boy and his new 20 year old bride, and how they overcome various obstacles in life and their relationship (the art for this series is awe strikingly good)

*Spice and Wolf, set in a fantasy medieval country, chronicling the story of a young traveling merchant and a curious wolf deity who decides to travel with him

Emma, made by the same author/illustrator who wrote Otoyomegatari, telling the story of a low born maid and a wealthy young man in Victorian era England, and how they struggle to preserve their relationship despite society's protests (related to this is Shirley, also by the same author, telling the slice of life story of an even younger maid and her mistress)

*Kurogane, about a wandering cyborg samurai in medieval Japan, who goes around protecting the weak and punishing the wicked



Those are all the Historical manga I can think of at the moment. I'll post a list of Fantasy manga later.

[Poison_Fish]

You can also consider Fairy Tail. It's fantasy shounen with mages that use their fists fighting monsters and other mages.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Sheriff of Moddingham: I'm going to assume that you mean legal sites. Any answers regarding illegal sites (similar to the one you mentioned) are going to earn people Infractions.

Wasn't aware those sites were illegal, if that is the case please ignore my question.

Also sorry Roland.

[Lord Seth]

Yu Yu Hakusho.

[Yora]

*Spice and Wolf, set in a fantasy medieval country, chronicling the story of a young traveling merchant and a curious wolf deity who decides to travel with him
I just saw those on the shelve at a friends we had played D&D this night. Might give it a try after next game.

[Demons_eye]

Yu Yu Hakusho.

Best one I read in awhile.

[Aroka]

If you've got the stomach for it, Berserk has a great story and interesting characters.

Berserk is awesome.

Ubel Blatt is basically a D&D version of Berserk. It's nowhere near as good (and not quite as extremely adult, but still adult), but maybe worth checking out.

[Teutonic Knight]

Anyone else find that some of the rated M manga are actually some of the better ones? My thinking is that they are usually the most realistic in their world, as in they most resemble reality, which reminds me that our world is really like this, in some ways. Otaku no Musume-san, Hohzuki Island, and Mel Kano.

Which counteracts another thing from a documentary about manga, that people like to read them to enter those fantasy sword settings that Yora wanted and leave behind their worldly troubles. My addition to that is that in manga you often see the lack of parents in daily lives, if it's a manga about teenagers. No one to tell you what to do so that you can have all those crazy adventures.

Might add more later. Just putting this out for now.

[VanBuren]

I'd say that that's being subverted by the three more popular shonen. Yes, Naruto and Sasuke, and Luffy don't have parents present but that's sort of important to the plot.

Unlike say, Digimon or Pokemon were they exist but aren't present, in Naruto, Naruto and Sasuke's lack of parents. In Bleach, Ichigo's mother's death is important to Ichigo's character. In One Piece, Luffy's father is the leader of a grand revolution.

So... I dunno. I'd say it depends.

[Lord Raziere]

well yea, Naruto and Sasuke's lack of parents is what sorta makes their entire characters tick, and everyone else in the village has parents- except maybe Sakura, we don't ever see her parents but she does have Tsunade as her mentor so I guess that counts.

[Teutonic Knight]

You must also remember that the popular Jump shonen make up less than (low number up for proposal) percent of all the manga out there. So what happens to them doesn't matter as much to a generalization of manga as a whole.

[Yora]

Which counteracts another thing from a documentary about manga, that people like to read them to enter those fantasy sword settings that Yora wanted and leave behind their worldly troubles. My addition to that is that in manga you often see the lack of parents in daily lives, if it's a manga about teenagers. No one to tell you what to do so that you can have all those crazy adventures.

I really don't know where that idea comes from, that works that take place in a fantasy setting are meant to allow people to escape from their daily problems. That seems like a rather stupid explaination, probably comming from people who take great pride in their "high art" literature.
I say the setting is really just decoration that's of minor importance to the plot. Much more important is how a work deals with interpersonal relationships, because when it comes to that, it doesn't matter if their are real world students or accountants, or live as a mages apprentice or on a starship. Every character, and every setting, is by their nature 100% fictional, even if modeled after real world places or people. But they are not these places or people, but rather idealized versions from the creators mind.
What really matters is if the characters deal with their situation in a way that seems believable and that you can relate to. You can dress up a serious story in a fantastic setting, but just having something take place in the real world does not make the characters act like they would in real life. In fact, many of the most rediculous and fictionalized plots I've seen take place in the supposed real world.

[Aroka]

Anyone else find that some of the rated M manga are actually some of the better ones? My thinking is that they are usually the most realistic in their world, as in they most resemble reality, which reminds me that our world is really like this, in some ways. Otaku no Musume-san, Hohzuki Island, and Mel Kano.

I've bothered to read very few manga that aren't seinen. It's basically been Ranma ½ (which remains awesome), and then Berserk, Blade of the Immortal, Shamo, Vinland Saga...

I find seinen manga just tend to have better art. Very few manga compare to Berserk and Blade of the Immortal, and even Shamo and Vinland Saga have a cool style with a "twist." The writing is hard to compare, but the stories are sometimes very involved, like the historical politics going on in the background of Vinland Saga.

This doesn't just apply to manga. Artesia is M-rated, and I don't think I've ever read a better western comic. (And it's in freaking watercolors.) It's Cerebus without the heaps of crazy and the endless Marvel references. Walking Dead is great. Invincible is the only good superhero comic.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Since Record of Lodoss War has been mentioned, there's always Rune Soldier Louie.

(Of course, I am more familliar with the anime than the nanga, but the anime was fun...)

[Starfols]

I've bothered to read very few manga that aren't seinen. It's basically been Ranma ½ (which remains awesome), and then Berserk, Blade of the Immortal, Shamo, Vinland Saga...

I find seinen manga just tend to have better art. Very few manga compare to Berserk and Blade of the Immortal, and even Shamo and Vinland Saga have a cool style with a "twist." The writing is hard to compare, but the stories are sometimes very involved, like the historical politics going on in the background of Vinland Saga.

Really? I found Berserk to be kind of cluttered and overdone. Vinland Saga was okay though, and I haven't read any of the others. Manga has a lot of different styles, and many of the more cartoony ones are also very well done. If you like really good realistic art, I would suggest Vagabond. :smallbiggrin:

Also, as recently discussed in the anime thread, the line between seinen and shonen is rather blurry, and there are good books in either category. There's also many that aren't really categorized at all.

[Yora]

Since Record of Lodoss War has been mentioned, there's always Rune Soldier Louie.

(Of course, I am more familliar with the anime than the nanga, but the anime was fun...)
For some reason, I'm always a bit suspicious about manga that are made after an anime series. Same thing for the other way round. :smallbiggrin:
Somehow, I don't really trust them, as they seem a bit like money grabbing franchise milking.

However, I make an exception for Ghost In The Shell. While I think the original manga is very good, the movie version of the main plot is just excelent, my favorite movie of all time. And the anime series that followed both, is also very very good. :smallbiggrin:

[Manga Shoggoth]

For some reason, I'm always a bit suspicious about manga that are made after an anime series. Same thing for the other way round. :smallbiggrin:
Somehow, I don't really trust them, as they seem a bit like money grabbing franchise milking.

It is no more money-grubbing than, say, producing a novel based on a film, or a film based on a novel. Personally, I find films easier to watch in a cinema or my front room. On the other hand, books and comics I can take anywhere. Merchandising, however...

As long as it is a good adaptation I am fine with it.

Where I do have problems is when huge - usually unnecessary - changes are made between the two mediums. Just about the only title where that has worked was Nadesico, where the anime was a great improvement on the manga.

(Edit: And I really must get round to watching Ghost in the Shell. It has been sitting in my in-tray for nearly 10 years now...)

[Yora]

It is no more money-grubbing than, say, producing a novel based on a film, or a film based on a novel.

(I don't like those either.) :smallbiggrin:

But yeah, there's really no reason such things have to be bad. I just rather stick to what the author originally intended, and not some retelling of someone else. But sometimes, those are also very good.

[AtlanteanTroll]

One Piece

They're going to do a time skip two years into the future.

It'll probably end at chapter 1100 at this rate.

YAY!! :smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin:

[Teutonic Knight]

I really don't know where that idea comes from, that works that take place in a fantasy setting are meant to allow people to escape from their daily problems. That seems like a rather stupid explaination, probably comming from people who take great pride in their "high art" literature.
I say the setting is really just decoration that's of minor importance to the plot. Much more important is how a work deals with interpersonal relationships, because when it comes to that, it doesn't matter if their are real world students or accountants, or live as a mages apprentice or on a starship. Every character, and every setting, is by their nature 100% fictional, even if modeled after real world places or people. But they are not these places or people, but rather idealized versions from the creators mind.
What really matters is if the characters deal with their situation in a way that seems believable and that you can relate to. You can dress up a serious story in a fantastic setting, but just having something take place in the real world does not make the characters act like they would in real life. In fact, many of the most rediculous and fictionalized plots I've seen take place in the supposed real world.

Which is where this saying comes in, which is gone now. Over there EVERYONE reads manga. Middle-aged businessmen to elementary school kids. It's their [Japanese] thing. Now that I've said that I also want to say that I have nothing against Japan, and would like to go stay there for a while if I can.

Looking back, not sure if my post, this one, makes sense.

[Aroka]

no offense to any Japanese playgrounders but, those crazy Japanese

That's not how words work. You can't make an offensive generalization inoffensive by prefacing it with "no offense."


Over there EVERYONE reads manga. Middle-aged businessmen to elementary school kids.

Japan doesn't have the same nonsense cultural stigma associated to comics as "western" culture does. Why shouldn't kids read kids' comics and adults read adults' comics? The whole "underground comic" scene was entirely for adults, and many big comics - especially in Europe, I suppose - are intended primarily for adults, even if they're not full of sex and violence.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Japan doesn't have the same nonsense cultural stigma associated to comics as "western" culture does. Why shouldn't kids read kids' comics and adults read adults' comics? The whole "underground comic" scene was entirely for adults, and many big comics - especially in Europe, I suppose - are intended primarily for adults, even if they're not full of sex and violence.

And I will quite happily read children's stories if they are good. Some of the best stories (manga or otherwise) on my bookshelf are aimed at children. Some of the really good ones are aimed at both.

[13_CBS]

13 CBS Suggests Manga: The Return of the Recommendation

Genre: Fantasy

(Series with a * by their name denote personal favorites; ** denotes all time favorites)

The World God Only Knows : There's a crisis in the Underworld; evil souls have escaped and have lodged themselves firmly in the hearts of mortals, and only by romancing them can those spirits be exorcised. The Underworld's top officials thus look to a certain Katsuraki Keima, famous for having won the hearts of a thousand girls, for assistance...except that Keima has only done this is Dating Sims, and despises human contact. Nonetheless, they trick him into signing a contract, and thus starts his adventures into not only the supernatural world but also into the real world. Good art and good humor, though the series has an especially sexist undertone to it.
[I]
Sora no Otoshimono [“Otoshimono” means “discarded thing”, while “sora” means “sky” and “no” is the possessive particle. A literal translation of the title could thus be, “The Sky's Discarded Thing”.]: Tomoki is your average, albeit perverted, young teenage boy who loves normalcy and the fairer sex. He also has dreams of a mysterious girl, and every time he wakes up from that dream he discover that he's been crying. One day, he discovers an angelic creature in his home, and ends up beginning a journey of uncovering the truth behind this mysterious being and the world. Excellent art, though Tomoki's perverted antics may easily get on your nerves.

**Yozakura Quartet: In the outskirts of Tokyo is a little town, and in that town live supernatural creatures and their human neighbors. Four teenagers, one of whom is the prefecture mayor, watch over this little community and protect it from threats from within (berserk supernatural creatures) and without (those who would persecute the supernatural) to the best of their abilities, but they and their ideals of peaceful coexistence between humanity and the supernatural are tested as they discover their beloved town's dark past. Noted for its great artwork, humor, and excellent writing.

**Princess Resurrection, aka Kaibutsu Oujou: Young Hiro is one day run over and killed by a truck, and is carted off to the local hospital...but not before a mysterious girl steps out the truck and gives him a drop of her blood. He then wakes up in the morgue, whole and uninjured, and steps into a world filled with vampires, werewolves, the supernatural, and intrigue, all while doing his best to protect the mysterious girl. Great art, humor, and unpredictable and interesting plot are this series' selling points.

*Ama no Iwato Hime and *NEET Princess Terass: It's been Haru's dream to see a princess, a person of beauty, elegance, grace, and wisdom, and to this end he's been trying his best to be part of her royal guard. He pulls it off, but then discovers that the princess is particularly shut in, and desperate for a glimpse he enacts increasingly silly, stupid, and hilarious plans to see the princess...and discovers that the princess that he wanted to see so badly is not quite what he thought she'd be like. One of the funniest manga I've ever read.

*Bloody Cross: Two half angels, each cursed with vampirism, desperately struggle to rid themselves of their ultimately fatal condition. The series' main selling point is how anti heroic the characters are, how they betray, backstab, and double cross anyone and everyone they come across, as long as it furthers their own purposes. The character designs are good, if somewhat reminiscent of CLAMP's “noodle people” aesthetic (which I enjoy but others might not like so much).

*Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou, aka Properly Learned Modern Magic: Koyomi is a young girl who can't do anything, but one day discovers a strange flyer advertising instruction and tutelage in the ways of magic. Curious, she follows the flyer's directions, and discovers that she has magical potential...but also discovers that she can't cast any spell aside from one that converts any and all local spells into one that summons plain metal pans instead. Great art, good humor, and has a rather unique premise.

Rurou no Tabi: Five years ago, a man with a wolf's face rescued a little girl, who decided to follow him on his journey to restore himself back into his human form. Now, the two of them still journey, while the girl also looks for her missing father. A short and lighter series.

Out Code: The young Paranormal Special Investigator Shirogane must solve a supernatural murder case where people are killed near bodies of water. She investigates the prime suspect Kirio, discovers that he has magical control over lightning, and decides to put him to good use as her partner in her line of work. It's been a little while since I've read the series so I unfortunately can't tell you much more about the premise, but it has good character art and a good, if not terribly original, storyline.

*Chikyuu Misaki: Misaki and her widower father inherit a little house in a small town in Japan and decide to move there. One day, she comes across a mysterious creature reminiscent of the Lock Ness monster...and also finds out that he's the little boy next door. Great art, heartwarming.

*Tsugumomo: Kazuya's most favorite object in the world is a traditional robe given to him by his mother, but one day it turns into the strange guardian deity Kiriha, in the form of a beautiful young girl. Thus begins his new life managing the high maintenance and demanding Kiriha while still trying to keep up a normal life. Great art, and excellent humor.

*Shina Dark: According to legend, the great demon lord Satan lives on the forgotten island of Shina Dark. Recently there has been a belief that Satan will not be satisfied unless he is given the young maidens of every country in the world, so a thousand of them are sent to the island, forsaken and given up for dead. Included among these girls are Princess Gallet and Princess Christina, two girls from different countries, both of them sent to the island due to political intrigue. Trouble is, the infamous Satan...turns out to be a rather nice fellow who's baffled by the legend of him demanding the sacrifice of young women, but because he can't send them back to where they came from, he decides to do his best make for the girls a new home, while the princesses Gallet and Christina struggle to settle into their new situation, regain their shattered confidence, find purpose for themselves. Fantastic art, great humor, good drama, though the series does have its fanservice moments.

Murder Princess: Princess Alita of Foreland is fleeing from a coup that killed her father, the king, and usurped his throne when she trips and plunges headfirst down a ravine...straight into the bounty huntress Falis. Somehow they switch bodies, and so the person who appears to be Princess Alita is now one of the best fighters in the world. Thus we have a Freaky Friday scenario where Falis must learn to be a proper princess while still kicking the ass of the usurper, who refuses to let go of the prospect of ruling Foreland. Very good art, though it's also a very short series.


** The Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer: “One morning when I woke up, there was a lizard in my room. We stared at each other, and the first to break the silence... was him.” And thus begins Yuuhi's journey to save the world, save the princess, learn how to use magic powers...except nothing quite goes the way you think it's supposed to, and by time things get into full swing our protagonist Yuuhi decides to help the princess destroy the world. A highly refreshing take on the typical shounen action angle, with good art, fantastic writing, and one of the strongest supporting casts you'll ever see in manga. Ever. By the way, the author also drew and wrote Sengoku Youko, another one of my all time favorites.

[lord_khaine]

Would Fullmetal Alchemist count? It's pretty fantastic, it's got a plot, pretty good characters (in my opinion, anyways) and it's a manga

This one is really good, i would recomend giving it a try.


Sheriff of Moddingham: I'm going to assume that you mean legal sites. Any answers regarding illegal sites (similar to the one you mentioned) are going to earn people Infractions.


Its a bit hard to know what sites a legal, could you say what sites we are allowed to talk about here?

Also, would it be allowed to mention the other sites in a PM?


You can also consider Fairy Tail. It's fantasy shounen with mages that use their fists fighting monsters and other mages.

This one is pretty good as well.


One Piece


This one is very good as well, i cant wait to get my hand on the next chapter.
:smallbiggrin:

A few one that has not been mentioned is Soul Eater, and Witch hunter, both are reasonable new, and pretty decent as well, worth giving a chance.

[Yora]

13 CBS Suggests Manga: The Return of the Recommendation


Wow, I have to say I've never heard of any of these before. That's where they have been hiding. :smallbiggrin:

[Aroka]

And I will quite happily read children's stories if they are good. Some of the best stories (manga or otherwise) on my bookshelf are aimed at children. Some of the really good ones are aimed at both.

Yep. Stories that are just stories without artificial limits tend to be best. This is probably part of why I like M-rated stuff; it often means the artist just wasn't up for artificial limitations on what goes on in the story.

[AtlanteanTroll]

Barefoot Gen. Be careful though.

[13_CBS]

13 CBS Suggests Manga: The Suggestion Strikes Back

Genre: Sci Fi

(Series with a * by their name denote personal favorites; ** denotes all time favorites)

Deadman Wonderland: Ganta goes to school one day to discover that a strange, crimson figure has brutally murdered every one of his classmates. To make things worse, he's tried as the prime suspect in the murders and his lawyer betrays him, landing him in a high security jail where convicts are forced to go through deadly obstacle games to survive. As he struggles to survive this hellish world, he discovers the darkest secrets within the jail...and himself. The series is quite bloody, so reader discretion is advised.

*Ageha wo Ou Monotachi, aka Those Who Search for Ageha: The actress Ageha is convicted of murdering her four roomates, and despite her pleas of innocence, no one listens to her. As she sits in jail, awaiting her execution, the local cop Kyousuke takes pity on her plight and wonders if she's innocent...but before he can come to a conclusion, Ageha uses her skills as an actress to escape prison, and so Ageha searches for the truth behind the murders of her four friends, while Kyousuke searches for the elusive Ageha. The art is a little crude, but the comedy is quite good and it's well written.

*Cloth Road: In a world where technology and textiles have become one and the same, Fergus is an apprentice fashion designer who hates his life. His master is a drunk, the love of his life is a street whore, and the only model willing to buy his clothes is a fat drug popper. Dominating the underground entertainment circuit is War King, a combat sport where gladiatorial combat and modeling runways are combined into a show of beauty and brawn, and one day, while attending to his model, Fergus is treated to the sight of a real fashion model who easily dispenses of Fergus' model. Fergus then sinks into deeper despair now knowing the huge gap that lies between him and the top brands. To make matters worse, his master collapses and is hospitalized that same day. Just when he wonders if life can get any worse, fate conveniently presents to him a long-lost twin sister, Jennifer. Great art, and rather interesting setting.

**C.A.T.: Confidential Assassination Troop: The story of a female supersoldier, and how she rediscovers her shattered and lost humanity while being one of many chess pieces in a great conspiracy. Unique among my recommendations in that the series is written and drawn by a Chinese author, resulting in a relatively sketchy (in a good way) and unique art style.


...and that's kind of it. Not a whole lot of truly Sci Fi manga out there that I like (I'm not a fan of any Gundam series, for example), so my recommendations are limited. Most of my interests tend to be more Slice of Life.

[Teutonic Knight]

Japan doesn't have the same nonsense cultural stigma associated to comics as "western" culture does.
Don't understand. Please explain. I have removed what was deemed offensive.


13 CBS Suggests Manga: The Return of the Recommendation


Sora no Otoshimono [“Otoshimono” means “discarded thing”, while “sora” means “sky” and “no” is the possessive particle. A literal translation of the title could thus be, “The Sky's Discarded Thing”.]: Tomoki is your average, albeit perverted, young teenage boy who loves normalcy and the fairer sex. He also has dreams of a mysterious girl, and every time he wakes up from that dream he discover that he's been crying. One day, he discovers an angelic creature in his home, and ends up beginning a journey of uncovering the truth behind this mysterious being and the world. Excellent art, though Tomoki's perverted antics may easily get on your nerves.

*Shina Dark: According to legend, the great demon lord Satan lives on the forgotten island of Shina Dark. Recently there has been a belief that Satan will not be satisfied unless he is given the young maidens of every country in the world, so a thousand of them are sent to the island, forsaken and given up for dead. Included among these girls are Princess Gallet and Princess Christina, two girls from different countries, both of them sent to the island due to political intrigue. Trouble is, the infamous Satan...turns out to be a rather nice fellow who's baffled by the legend of him demanding the sacrifice of young women, but because he can't send them back to where they came from, he decides to do his best make for the girls a new home, while the princesses Gallet and Christina struggle to settle into their new situation, regain their shattered confidence, find purpose for themselves. Fantastic art, great humor, good drama, though the series does have its fanservice moments.


** The Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer: “One morning when I woke up, there was a lizard in my room. We stared at each other, and the first to break the silence... was him.” And thus begins Yuuhi's journey to save the world, save the princess, learn how to use magic powers...except nothing quite goes the way you think it's supposed to, and by time things get into full swing our protagonist Yuuhi decides to help the princess destroy the world. A highly refreshing take on the typical shounen action angle, with good art, fantastic writing, and one of the strongest supporting casts you'll ever see in manga. Ever. By the way, the author also drew and wrote Sengoku Youko, another one of my all time favorites.

Yes, yes, and YEESSSS!

[AtlanteanTroll]

Don't understand. Please explain. I have removed what was deemed offensive.

It's not as childish. Their are (a lot more) comics aimed at adults. It's pretty simple.

[Aroka]

Don't understand. Please explain.

Helpful article (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AnimationAgeGhetto) (side effects include taking over your life). Basically, Japan never had the comics code, ergo comics never turned from "for everybody" to "kids only" (many earlier US comics were for adults, and many were specifically considered too "strong" for children). There's obviously nothing about comics inherently, as a medium, that makes them childish - it's a cultural view.

[Yora]

Same goes for french comics. I know only very few french comics that appeal directly to children. Of course, we read quite a lot (and I man a lot!) of those when we were small, but mostly because it was grown up stuff. Mostly bloodless crime stories, but also some of the non bloodless one. However, we always got them from the childrens books section in the library. If the librarians put them there on purpose, or because they didn't knew what's inside, I'll never know.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aDL2hf0tHj4/Sh39vh4m2yI/AAAAAAAAD4U/UKGmnkMv7QA/s200/i_cl_fataalspel.jpeg
Loved that one.
In one volume he gets a lethal injection that makes people die from a haeart attack caused by horrible hallucinations.

(Though my younger brother read lots of 400 pages novels in primary school while most of the other kids where still strugling with their early reader books, so we might not be a representative family. :smallbiggrin: )

[13_CBS]

13 CBS & Manga Recommendations!: The 2nd Movie: The Motion Picture II

Genre: Slice of Life

(Series with a * by their name denote personal favorites; ** denotes all time favorites; ^^ denotes a Mature rating--only readers 18 or above should read these)

Before we begin, let me recommend my 3 most favorite manga of all time, all of which I lump under Slice of Life. In no particular order...

Yotsuba&! (http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/festival/2006/images/yotsuba_l.jpg): I think someone might have recommended this one already, but I think it bears repeating.


GO READ YOTSUBA&!. NO, DON'T TELL ME THAT YOU DON'T LIKE READING ABOUT THE EVERYDAY SUBURBAN JAPANESE LIFE OF A ZANY LITTLE GIRL. I DON'T CARE. GO READ THIS MANGA. DROP EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE DOING AND GO READ IT. BY NOT DOING SO YOU ARE DOING A GREAT DISSERVICE TO THE MEDIUM OF MANGA, HUMANITY, AND YOURSELF.

I've read my share of heartwarming series, but Yotsuba&! is the only one that I've ever read that will teach you the meaning of joy. There might be other manga out there that are more cutsey, and others might be funnier (though those are few). But no manga will make feel as much sheer joy from reading it as this one does.

^^Onani Master Kurosawa (http://rikineko.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/afterpost.jpg): Kurosawa is a loner, though only through his own choosing. He quietly looks down on his fellow classmates. He thinks he's smarter than them, better than them. He puts up a polite face to avoid being hated, but it's just a mask he puts on. Kurosawa also has a grim secret; he frequently sneaks into the unused girl's restrooms on the top floor of his school to pleasure himself to his private, dark fantasies of his female classmates.
One day, as he leaves the bathroom from his usual getaway, he runs into a certain bushy haired girl from his class...and begins a long, harsh journey through the realms of love, heartbreak, hatred, betrayal, regret, enlightenment, and redemption.

Hitsugi Katsugi no Kuro - Kaichu Tabi no wa (http://www.comicsreporter.com/images/uploads/flippedtopimg056.jpg), aka Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro: Who is the traveller Kuro? Why does she wear such a big, floppy hat and giant glasses? Why does she shoulder such a large coffin on her back? Who's the witch she's always looking for? And most importantly, why does she always wear a black and white suit no matter the weather or occasion? Shoulder a Coffin is an intriguing, heartwarming manga about the journey of Kuro and her traveling companions, and how they affect the lives of the people they meet as the search for a mysterious witch.



And with those out of the way, here are the rest of my recommendations:

**Prunus Girl (http://a.imageshack.us/img513/6043/e002.jpg): Maki met the enchanting Aikawa Kizuna in a shower of falling cherry blossom leaves one spring, and was at once captivated. As it turns out, the two of them were to attend the same high school, as well...but then it turns out that Kizuna is actually a guy (or so he(?) claims). Prunus Girl thus takes the usual "wacky girl meets stoic guy" romantic comedy formula and gives it a unique twist; what if the "wack girl" claims that she's actually male? The main draws of this series is the rather unique, endearing art style, the great humor, Kizuna's masterful ability to press all of Maki's buttons, and, of course, the ever present question; is Kizuna a guy or a girl?

^^**Honeymoon Salad (http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh314/13cbs/honeymoonsalad.jpg): Minori's in a slump. He's a twenty-something year old bachelor, his new job sucks, his old company still pesters him for more work even though he doesn't belong to them any more, he's been alienated from his parents, and he still just can't get over that one girl, the love of his life who dumped him for apparently no reason in high school. One day, after a curious set of circumstances in which he becomes involved with a domestically abused woman, he comes back home...to find her sleeping on his porch. And so Minori's life turns completely upside down, as he tries to juggle his fluctuating work environment and his feelings for the two important women in his life. Draw points include great character art, great comedy, and the overall tone of frustration, loneliness, and wondering what to do with one's life. Lots of explicit sexual themes, though the series is not hentai.

*Kimi no Iru Machi (http://brianandrew.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/93-0.jpg), aka The Town Where You Are: Haruto's your typical Japanese teen living in rural Japan, surrounded by friends, crushing on his classmate, and with a talent for cooking. Then one day a certain Eba Yuzuki from Tokyo ends up living in his house, and sparks a long series of events that completely shakes up Haruto's life. Excellent art as usual from Seo Kouji, though the general flow of events may feel like something straight out of a soap opera at times.

*My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute (http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh314/13cbs/dark%20messiah/cantbethiscute.jpg): Alright, first off; there is no incest in this manga. Don't worry about it. There's a good bit of fanservice, especially at the beginning, but nothing worse than that. Despite its suspicious title, the series is actually about the teenaged Kyousuke ending up trying to improve his sibling relationship with his sister through supporting her secret manga, anime, and "otaku" hobbies, and how people with such hobbies are often ostracized and scorned in Japanese society. Good art, though the fanservice can get a little heavy at times.

*Hajimete no Aku (http://i28.tinypic.com/kcf4uv.jpg): Kyoko's a perfectly normal suburban teenager whose life is turned upside down by the arrival of two cousins into her house; as it turns out, they're both former members of a (temporarily) disbanded supervillain group. One of the cousins, Jirou, is a mad scientist hell bent on modifying Kyoko into a superior life form. The series' main strength is its very wacky humor, most of which comes from Jirou's "fish out of water" experiences (he hasn't had much social contact before).

Maniac Road (http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh314/13cbs/dark%20messiah/maniac.jpg): Takezou Muto is a homeless otaku down on his luck, when he comes across a bereaved electronics store owned by three sisters whose parents recently died, Using quick thinking and inherent knowledge of what otaku like him enjoy, he swiftly boosts the store's profits and saves the sisters from creditors. The grateful sisters then take him on as the store's visionary, and so we have a story about an energetic, passionate, and zany otaku plow his way through obstacles with his wit and love of all things eccentric. The art is a little crude, but doesn't get in the way of the rather good story.

**Houkago Play (http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh314/13cbs/dark%20messiah/houkago.jpg): A yonkoma (4 panel) series about a boy who likes video games and his obnoxious, equally game loving girlfriend. The main draws of the series are its rather crude yet curiously appealing art, amusing moments of slapstick violence between the lazy, spiteful boy and the demanding, even more spiteful girl, and the adorable schadenfreude of watching two teens awkwardly figure out exactly how much they like each other.

*Nyankoi! (http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh314/13cbs/dark%20messiah/nyankoi.jpg): Junpei is your perfectly average high school boy. He's got a perfectly normal home and school life, a perfectly normal crush on his classmate...but then one day he accidentally damages a cat shrine and discovers that he can now communicate with cats, which assault him constantly with petty and random requests. And, despite his dislike of cats, he can't ignore them since he'll be cursed if he doesn't answer their requests as soon as he can. As he goes about granting the requests of random cats, he ends up being drawn into a love triangle; his current crush, or his attractive childhood friend. Which will he choose? And how's he going to deal with all these damn cats? Excellent character art, great humor, though 30 chapters in one wishes that something interesting will happen aside from Junpei being unable to choose between the two girls.

**Mahoraba (http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh314/13cbs/mahoraba.jpg): Shiratori is a young college student who dreams of being a great children's book author and illustrator, and to pursue his dreams he comes to a private dorm called Mahoraba, owned and maintained by a teen landlady and hosting a variety of completely whacked out people including a teen genius, a drunk booze fairy, a man who only communicates through a hand puppet, and a very..."dull" mother and her surprisingly old elementary school child. Oh, and the land lady is a schizophrenic. Despite this bizarre premise, however, Mahoraba is one of the most heartwarming tales you'll ever read, and has what is quite possibly the best ending in any manga I've ever read. Splendid art, excellent humor, and a beautiful story.

**Otaku no Musume-san (http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh314/13cbs/otaku.jpg): Kouta's an otaku living in an apartment, making money as one of the assistant illustrators for a popular manga artist (who also lives in the apartment complex). Then one day he finds out that he has a 9 year old illegitimate child, Kanau, and suddenly Kouta must learn about responsibility and being a father, while struggling to hold on to his precious otaku hobbies. Kanau, for her part, tries to come to terms with having an otaku as her father and does her best to connect with him despite their radically different tastes and the fact that she first met him when she was 9. Good art, excellent humor, and not a little bit of drama.

*Frogman (http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh314/13cbs/frogman.jpg): Poor old Michiru. He's one of those people who just seem to suck at anything and everything. But one day, as he's watching a certain Haruka swim in the school's swimming pool, he gets invited by Haruka herself to give swimming a try. Enchanted by her passion for the sport (and by her cute looks >.>) Michiru resolves to at least learn how to swim, figuring that if he doesn't learn it now, he never will. Great art and pretty decent writing, though I must warn you of fanservice (consisting mostly of Haruka in a one piece swimming outfit).

**Yandere Kanojo (http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh314/13cbs/yandere.jpg) (Note: the "yandere" in the title is derived from "yankee" (delinquent/punk) and "dere dere" (affectionate), and does not refer to "yandere" in the "crazy possessive stalker" sense.) They met in a flurry of cherry blossoms. Two high schoolers, one a violent girl infamous in the district for her demonic fighting skills, the other a perfectly normal (almost too normal) honor student, get together to become one of the most unlikely couples. The series has simplistic but nonetheless very good character art, fantastic humor, and manages to avoid being cliche.

Megane na Kanojo (http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh314/13cbs/megane.jpg): Multiple short stories about various girls and how their wearing glasses (or not wearing glasses) affects their lives and their relationships. Very good art.


On the next episode of 13 CBS Recommends a Manga:
Action (series focused on action that doesn't neatly fit into either fantasy or sci fi)

I also forgot to include a bunch of really good manga in the Sci Fi and Fantasy categories. I'll include them in the next update.

[AtlanteanTroll]

^ Even though it may be obvious for some, maybe you should include the art style used in the manga.

[13_CBS]

^ Even though it may be obvious for some, maybe you should include the art style used in the manga.

What do you mean? :smallconfused: I don't know nearly enough about the visual arts to describe to you exactly what the art style is like. I could try to link to a page, perhaps, but that's it.

[Yora]

Also, what does it matter?
I think there's the extremely clean and orderly style of Azuma Kiyohiko, and the fancy cluttered style of CLAMP, and everything else just falls somewhere in between.

[13_CBS]

I've added links to images demonstrating the art quality of each series in the recommendations, most of them sample pages. None of the linked websites are illegal, as far as I now.

[Rogue 7]

Man, CBS, you read a lot of manga, don't you?

[AtlanteanTroll]

I just meant say if they were drawn in Shonen, Shojou, etc. What you did works too :smallwink:

[13_CBS]

I just meant say if they were drawn in Shonen, Shojou, etc. What you did works too :smallwink:

Ah. I only ever read shounen or seinen manga, so any manga that I recommend should be assumed to be shounen or seinen.


Man, CBS, you read a lot of manga, don't you?

Is the Pope Catholic? Does a bear poop in the woods? :smallamused:

I've read a lot more than the ones I've listed here, but many of them are fan material, guilty pleasures, acquired tastes, or just plain bad.

[AtlanteanTroll]

Ah. I only ever read shounen or seinen manga, so any manga that I recommend should be assumed to be shounen or seinen.

The finest kind my friend, the finest kind. Though, I must say that JUMP is the best. Well, IMO.

[13_CBS]

The finest kind my friend, the finest kind.


Eh, Shoujo isn't necessarily bad. I tend not to like it since they seem to have sappy "guy sweeps girl off of her feet" moments the same way shounen and seinen use random fanservice.



Though, I must say that JUMP is the best. Well, IMO.

None of my 3 most favorite manga are published on Jump.

>.>

<.<

[AtlanteanTroll]

Eh, Shoujo isn't necessarily bad. I tend not to like it since they seem to have sappy "guy sweeps girl off of her feet" moments the same way shounen and seinen use random fanservice.

I'm a teenage boy, I can't say I can complain :smallamused:


None of my 3 most favorite manga are published on Jump.

>.>

<.<

Who then? WHO!?

[13_CBS]

Onani Master Kurosawa: Weekly Young VIP (though the manga is completed, now)

Yotsuba&!: Dengeki Daioh

Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro: Manga Time Kirara (though the English version is available at Yen Press (http://www.yenpress.com/shoulder-a-coffin-kuro-by-satoko-kiyuduki/).

Note: Onani Master Kurosawa is technically a doujin, as far as I know (an amateur work), whereas Shoulder A Coffin is on hiatus.

[AtlanteanTroll]

Mine are, in no particular order: Naruto, One Piece, Shaman King, and YuYu Hakusho

[13_CBS]

Mine are, in no particular order: Naruto, One Piece, Shaman King, and YuYu Hakusho

Hrm...I've read all of those save for Yuyu Hakusho. Shaman King wasn't too bad, Naruto has some neat ideas, and One Piece is well made, but I can't say any of them are my favorites. >.<


Meanwhile, has anyone tried any of my recommendations yet? >.>

[AtlanteanTroll]

Well, I've been subsrcibing to Jump since 2nd grade.

Can't say I have, I don't have anyway to sample your suggestions.

[Starfols]

Hrm...I've read all of those save for Yuyu Hakusho. Shaman King wasn't too bad, Naruto has some neat ideas, and One Piece is well made, but I can't say any of them are my favorites. >.<


Meanwhile, has anyone tried any of my recommendations yet? >.>

Yuyu Hakusho is the best of the lot, imho. I'd suggest it.

Does having read some of them beforehand count, or is that cheating? :smalltongue:

[endoperez]

Does having read some of them beforehand count, or is that cheating? :smalltongue:

Same for me. There were some I might check up later, and a couple I had read previously. So the suggestions were useful for at least me, 13_CBS, in case you were wondering if anyone found them useful.

[Poison_Fish]

I'm slowly reading through Yandere Kanojo based on your suggestion 13_CBS.

[tsuuga]

I've read and enjoyed about half the stuff 13_CBS lists, and the rest of it is going in the inbox >_>. The following are my recommendations that haven't yet been mentioned:

Violent Seinen
Blade of the Immortal - Manji is an eccentric samurai who killed a hundred of... the samurai equivalent of policemen in a night. A nun infects him with a colony of symbiotic worms that repair his flesh, and she agrees to let him die once he kills a thousand evil men to make up for his deeds. Notably, the art is often done with pencils instead of inks, giving it a soft, dreamlike look.

Future Diary(Mirai Nikki) - Yukiteru is a total introvert. His two hobbies: Darts, and keeping a cell phone diary. The only person he talks to is his imaginary friend, Deus Ex: God of Time and Space. Deus turns out to be not so imaginary, and changes Yukiteru's diary so that it records events up to 3 months in the future. There are 11 other people with such diaries, and the last one left alive gets to be the new god. Lots of mind games as people with incomplete knowledge of the future manipulate and kill each other. Plus a whole mess of crazy people.

Akumetsu - In the near future of Japan, the economy sucks. Shiina Nagasawa's parents sell her into prostitution. During what was to be an orgy for members of the Ministry of Finance, a young man in a demonic mask who is very definitely her friend Shou breaks in. He kills a minister with an axe. Later that night, his head explodes. And the next day, there he is at school. Thus begins a bloody campaign to wright political wrongs in increasingly over-the-top ways.

Seinen Drama
Master of the Sea (Waga na wa Umishi) - Rintarou is a Coast Guard rescue diver, who hates the vulture-like behavior of salvage ships. Unfortunately, his recently-deceased father ran such an operation and left him with a massive debt. He's going to have to swallow his pride and make it work. Fascinating and factual. Plus drama!

Kurosagi - Kurosaki is a con artist who exclusively turns his skills against other con artists. Again, fascinating and factual.

Kaiji - Itō Kaiji is a lazy bastard. He gets stuck with a friend's debt, but is offered the chance to pay it off in a night by gambling; and he falls deeper and deeper into that world. You know the manga where the main character is a step ahead and running schemes within schemes? This is not that manga. You may have to watch the anime to catch most of the first plot arc.

Shounen Sports
Rookies - Professor Kawato is the naive new teacher at school. He gets dragooned into advising the baseball club - whose membership is down to six delinquents, as the team is currently banned from league play after starting a fight on the field. He's just going to have to convince these cynical kids to reach for their dreams. It's basically Great Teacher Onizuka without the grossout humor.

Anything written by Adachi Mitsuru - Anything isn't the title - try H2, Touch, Cross Game, etc. Adachi Mitsuru only writes one story over and over, but he does it really well. High schoolers play baseball, head to nationals, tragedy strikes at some point. I have never played baseball and this still makes me feel nostalgia.

Hajime no Ippo - Dumb kid takes up boxing, messes around with colorful gym-mates, climbs the ranks, and somehow avoids brain trauma despite all the face-punches he takes. Over 900 chapters and still fun.

Shounen Combat
Kekkaishi - Karasumori is an apparently sentient plot of land that grants power to supernatural creatures that come there. In the present day, a school has been built there, and two rival clans of protectors patrol the grounds at night, trying to stop demonic incursions. Also in evidence are gods, morally-ambiguous shadow councils, and a whole lot of other stuff. The main characters' barrier-based powers are versatile, but require creativity, avoiding the "har har I will increase my power number by 50 to win" thing that plagues so many series.

Gamaran - The Daimyo of Unibara is looking for a successor. His 31 sons are each to find a school of martial arts to represent them, and then they're gonna have a big fight to the death, with the sons heads on the line as well. Wa****zu Naoyoshi chooses the Ogame Ryū style, but the only representative available is an admittedly impressive kid. A lot of creativity goes into the various combat styles used here.

Mx0 - Taiga Kuzumi accidentally trespasses onto the grounds of a school that teaches magic. While running from one of the teachers, near misses from the teacher's spells end up making him look like a major bad-ass. When things are finally sorted out, the administration is unwilling to admit they screwed up badly enough to let a muggle in... so they admit him instead. To bad Taiga can't use magic. Atypically for a shounen series, the main character's power level is 0, so he has to think his way around problems while maintaining the illusion of being a magical badass. Unfortunately, cancelled as the plot was going into high gear, so don't get your hopes up =/

Shoujo
Lovely Complex - Risa is much taller than average. Otani is much shorter. They bicker constantly in a style reminiscent of a manzai comedy act, earning them the nickname "All Hanshin-Kyoshin". Despite their mutual dislike, they team up to set each other up with more height-appropriate classmates. It doesn't turn out as planned, and eventually Risa falls for Otani. The series rarely ever gets mushy, it's genuinely funny, and neither main character is particularly good looking.

Ouran High School Host Club - Haruhi Fujioka is the only scholarship student at Ouran High, a school for the ultra-rich. Looking for a place to study, she stumbles into the third music room, where she knocks over an expensive vase. The third music room is actually the clubroom for the Host Club, where six male students entertain female "clients". Ahem. Having mistaken her for a guy, they draft her into the club to pay off the vase. The series parodies shoujo stereotypes, and is hilarious whether you read shoujo or not. Also, the English dub is great.

Comedy
Reform with no Wasted Draws (Mudazumo Naki Kaikaku) - All those politics and treaties you see on TV are just for show - actually all world politics are decided by mahjongg. Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is the main character, and is a master at cheating (for instance, using the friction from rubbing his thumb on the face of a tile to sand off the markings, turning it blank). Playing a successful hand is accompanied by ridiculous shounen-style special attack graphics, overblown "Ow you attacked my life points" style things, and ridiculous parodies of political figures. The series starts off with Koizumi playing against George W. Bush for F-22s and gets at least twice as insane every chapter.

Makaido - Yonezo Yonekura is dumb as a brick. Unfortunately, according to this time traveler who just showed up, he's also going to be prime minister someday and usher in a golden age. Luckily, he's brought future gadgets. Let's use them irresponsibly! By the same guy as Reform with no Wasted Draws. Only 5 chapters translated, unfortunately. Yonezo is easily the dumbest person in the history of ever.

ID_eNTITY (Yureka) - Lost Saga is one of those full-immersion MMORPGs that you see in manga all the time. Jang-gun is one of the top 12 or so players. One day he finds someone else's net ID, and upon logging in as her, finds her character to be hacked. He uses that character (Yureka) to mess with his friends, then logs out. The next time he logs in, Yureka is there, but she seems to be an NPC... and sentient? Notably, unlike most MMOs in a manga, it's not just an excuse to have a fantasy chapter. People act like it's a videogame, talk like it's a videogame, read forums, and PK. The official english translation is hilarious.

1/2 Prince - Again with the full-immersion MMORPGs. Feng Lan is fed up with her brother's assertions that she only got where she is in her current game by leeching off of men. So she switches to Second Life (not that one, it's coincidental), and somehow manages to be the first one to log in. Becaue of that, she's granted one wish which she uses to get a male avatar. The DM thinks she's really cute as a guy, so she messes with Feng's sliders... and she comes out the hottest guy in the game. She assembles a wacky crew/harem, and goes on adventures. Well-written and surprisingly cynical.

Sumire 16-Sai!! - Sumire's the new girl in school. Except she's a puppet, manned by a 40-year-old dude who refuses to break character. The teachers all get this really weird look if you bring it up... All that needs to be said about this one.

[13_CBS]

13 CBS Suggests a Manga While Kicking You In the Face

Genre: Action

(Note: by "Action" I mean "manga with a heavy focus on combat but are not set it or otherwise do not focus on a fantastical setting.)

(Series with a * by their name denote personal favorites; ** denotes all time favorites; ^^ denotes a Mature rating--only readers 18 or above should read these)

**The Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer: “One morning when I woke up, there was a lizard in my room. We stared at each other, and the first to break the silence... was him.” And thus begins Yuuhi's journey to save the world, save the princess, learn how to use magic powers...except nothing quite goes the way you think it's supposed to, and by time things get into full swing our protagonist Yuuhi decides to help the princess destroy the world. A highly refreshing take on the typical shounen action angle, with good art, fantastic writing, and one of the strongest supporting casts you'll ever see in manga. Ever. By the way, the author also drew and wrote Sengoku Youko, another one of my all time favorites.

[I]**C.A.T.: Confidential Assassination Troop (http://fc02.deviantart.com/fs30/f/2008/061/f/7/CAT_Work_in_progress_color2_by_abcdefghijkL0L.jpg)[i]: The story of a female supersoldier, and how she rediscovers her shattered and lost humanity while being one of many chess pieces in a great conspiracy. Unique among my recommendations in that the series is written and drawn by a Chinese author, resulting in a relatively sketchy (in a good way) and unique art style. [Also moved this here, for the same reasons as Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer]

[I]^^*Eden no Ori (http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh314/13cbs/eden.jpg), aka Cage of Eden: High schooler Akira and his classmates are on a plane trip when a freak storm strands them on a deserted island. But the strange thing is...the native fauna and flora are extinct species, those that roamed the world only during Earth's Ice Age. What's going on? Where are they? And most importantly, how will they all survive? Rated Mature for fanservice and gore.

**^^Kure-nai (http://scrumptious.animeblogger.net/images/Kure-nai/manga//kure-nai002_05_resize.jpg): Shinkuro is a mild mannered young man who works as a dispute mediator. One day, his boss tasks him with watching over a young girl from one of Japan's wealthiest families, Murasaki. As he bonds with the little girl, Shinkuro slowly learns more about his lost humanity, and what it is to not be alone, while also discovering the dark secrets about Murasaki's family and himself. Splendid character art, good humor, and character development are the selling points for this series. Mature rating for nudity and gore.

^^History's Greatest Disciple Kenichi (http://www.neccel.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/0310.jpg): Wimp, loser, nobody--that's pretty much how most people at school see Kenichi. He then meets a certain girl named Miu, and discovers how astonishingly skilled she is at martial arts. Encouraged by Miu, Kenichi vows to become stronger, and seeks out the greatest martial art masters in the world...who also happen to be Miu's family. Mature warning mostly for the nudity that comes in the later chapters. Lacks * due to it suffering from what I call the "Why Won't This Story Ever End" syndrome that plagues a lot of shounen combat oriented manga.

**Zero In (http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh314/13cbs/zeroin.jpg): It's the near future, and Tokyo's resorted to privately owned police units to help keep down crime. Shiraishi Kou is the meek son of a detective who is inspired to become a front line police officer after witnessing the ultimate grace and beauty of a certain female cop in action, and realizing that he must be strong enough to protect his family in these violent times. Excellent humor, good action, and likable characters are the main selling points for this manga. Fanservice warning, though.

**Rurouni Kenshin (http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh122/camsibr/samuraix/Kenshin_Manga_19.jpg): Ten years since the beginning of the Meiji Era, when Japan shed its past and looked towards a future without the rule of the Shogunate; ten years since the assassin Kenshin took up his oath to never take another life. A manga classic, Rurouni Kenshin is the story of a wanderer searching for a home and people to be with, and through his eyes the tale of a nation home to people from two different times--the past and the present. It's a little old, but the great emphasis on character development, detailed art, and great action more than make up for it.

I'll have to post the rest tomorrow, I'm afraid; I'm a little mentally worn out at the moment.

[Gralamin]

I am currently reading through: Negima, Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Nurarihyon no Mago, Fairy Tail, D-Gray Man, Hayate, The combat Butler, Mixim, Soul Eater, and Claymore. In the past, I've read through: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, Shaman King, Full metal Alchemist, Mx0, Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro, To Aru Majutsu no Index, and probably a few I'm forgetting.

I'm not sure which are my favorites, to be honest, but I could always use more series. :smallwink:

[endoperez]

History's Greatest Disciple Kenichi - doesn't this series have two slightly different versions? I think I've read one of them. It had some interesting parts relating to how the absurd training Kenichi was put through relates to combat performance, and while the fighting isn't realistic some real-world styles like boxing appear, with the focus on their strong parts.

How about manga who try to have more or less realistic martial arts?

Holyland - a violent manga about a guy who starts beating up thugs, and does it a bit too well for his own psychological health. Handles martial arts in a somewhat realistic way.

Kenji - the manga about Chinese martial arts. It's old (from the 80s) but not ugly, and it introduces real-world styles (baji, xing yi, taiji, tang lang, hung ga...) and people (Li Yuanzhi, Su Yu-Chang). It's written by Ryuchi Matsuda, whose other work includes books such as A Historical Outline of Chinese Martial Arts, and popularizing Chinese martial arts in Japan. It's not perfect, but if you're a fan or practitioner of kung fu, it's a must-read.

Also, Angel Densetsu. I think I mentioned it before in this thread, but it's equal parts action and comedy, and the action stays mostly realistic.

[Danne]

I'm looking for fantasy manga. Stuff with swords, and magic, and people killing monsters. :smallbiggrin:

Try Claymore! Not so much on the magic, but "chicks kill monsters with big swords" is the entire premise. Though it's rather more serious than that description makes it sound. It's pretty epic!


I completely forgot about Berserk. A friend is always telling me I really have to read it.

Meh. The storyline's good, but it's kind of chauvinistic. Casca was awesome in the first arc, but when the TV Tropes pages has pretty much every mention of her including, "Poor, poor Casca!" you know something's up. She basically gets completely destroyed just to give her love interest another reason to hate the bad guys. :smallmad:


[Full Metal Alchemist] should count. It isn't sword and sorcery, but it is definitely fantasy. At least i have never seen people clap their hands and turn a hunk of iron into a working gatling gun or people who make things blow up with their hands.

Technically it's steampunk with fantastic elements. :smalltongue: Not that that's a bad thing. I love FMA. :smallbiggrin:

There's some pretty interesting suggestions floating around here. I'm going to have to check them out!

[AtlanteanTroll]

**Rurouni Kenshin (http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh122/camsibr/samuraix/Kenshin_Manga_19.jpg)[/I]: Ten years since the beginning of the Meiji Era, when Japan shed its past and looked towards a future without the rule of the Shogunate; ten years since the assassin Kenshin took up his oath to never take another life. A manga classic, Rurouni Kenshin is the story of a wanderer searching for a home and people to be with, and through his eyes the tale of a nation home to people from two different times--the past and the present. It's a little old, but the great emphasis on character development, detailed art, and great action more than make up for it.

*twitches* Not to be rude, but who hasn't read, or at least heard of, Rurouni Kenshin? :smallconfused:

[13_CBS]

*twitches* Not to be rude, but who hasn't read, or at least heard of, Rurouni Kenshin? :smallconfused:

Yora hasn't mentioned reading it yet, so I included Rurouni Kenshin just in case.


Action Recommendations: Part II

^^**Gunslinger Girl (http://otakusurf.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/ahenriettakicking1abc.jpg): The Italian Social Welfare Agency; a benevolently named group that secretly scouts orphaned, nearly dead little girls and converts them into brainwashed, cybernetically enhanced assassins. Each cyborg is then paired with an adult handler, forming a "fratello" unit. But of what of the girls? How do live with being government assassins? With not remembering who they used to be? Incredible art and a skillful balance between angst and dealing with hardships are the strongest points of this series. Rated Mature for gore.

^^**Gunsmith Cats (http://us.muttpop.com/var/us/storage/import/95-2-Gunsmith_Cats-original.jpg): There's a little gun shop in Chicago, but Irene "Rally" Vincent doesn't deal in only guns, she deals in gunplay and bounties too. Gunsmith Cats is an awesome, incredibly fun series filled with slick shooting, mind blowing driving, and lots of explosions. Rated Mature for gore and nudity.

**^^Black Lagoon (http://hynavian.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/levyfromblacklagoon.jpg): Explosions. Guns. Badassery. Hot gun wielding amazons. John Woo style action manga at its very best. I could tell you how the manga features a down-on-his-luck Japanese salaryman who somehow ends up getting taken hostage by a group of pirates, joins those pirates, then battles the brutality of the South East Asian underworld with his idealism, or about the excellent art and even better humor, but the action is what's really going to catch your eye anyway.

...aaand I think that's it. All the others I can recall have already been recommended.


Edit: These recommendations have made me want to read all these again. I can't believe I almost forgot just how good Gunslinger Girl was :smalleek:

[Asthix]

2 recommendations for Claymore in the last two days. I'll make it three.

Based on your OP, I think you'd like Claymore.

[Danne]

2 recommendations for Claymore in the last two days. I'll make it three.

Based on your OP, I think you'd like Claymore.

That's what I thought. :smallsmile: Plus, it's one of my favorite manga. Haven't seen the anime, though.

[Delusion]

That's what I thought. :smallsmile: Plus, it's one of my favorite manga. Haven't seen the anime, though.

Anime has two faults: It deviates from Mangas plot in hte end (at the end of battle of pieta.) THe ending was not so good.

And Rakki was atleast twice as annoying as in the manga, and carried the idiot ball most of the time.

The manga however is still my favorite manga. Interesting characters, Amazing fights and non-idiot protagonist, which is very rare in shounen (though am not sure if Claymore counts as shounen)

[13_CBS]

Speaking of Claymore...

Poor Miria. :smallfrown: