Looking for a new Manga

[Thrawn183]

So I discovered the beauty that is onemanga.com and have been reading a bunch of manga. The problem? I've read all the one's that I've heard people suggest in passing and am now looking for new ones. Got any suggestions?

I'm looking for something that has a decent story that feels like it might get finished some day (not Inuyasha for example) and isn't depressing. I read manga to enjoy myself, not to get the drawn version of a drama.

I've already read (edited to include ones I read due to suggestions, or just didn't think to post in the first place):
- Naruto
- Bleach
- One Piece
- History's Strongest
- Fairy Tail
- Air Gear
- D. Gray Man
- Zatch Bell
- Claymore
- Kekkaishi
- Hunter X Hunter (mostly)
- Vampire Knight (didn't like it and stopped)
- Deadman Wonderland
- Dragon Quest Dai no Daiboken
- Soul Eater
- Kurozakuro
- Eyeshield 21
- Ravemaster
- Princess Resurrection
- Veritas
- Double Arts
- Karin
- Psyren
- Hajime no Ippo
- to-LOVE-ru
- Black Cat
- Death Note (A must read, I'm so sad it's over :smallfrown:)
- Samurai Deeper Ryo (Just couldn't keep reading after the Nabunaga fight)
- Full Metal Panic
- 666 Satan
- B Reaction
- Maken-ki
- Zero In
- Angel Densetsu
- Code Breaker
- Change 123
- Holyland
- Ares
- Kurogane no LineBarrel
- Defense Devil
- AIKI
- Break Blade
- Sekirei
- Rosario+Vampire
- Black God
- Angel Heart
- Shina Dark
- Mahoraba
- Psych Buster
- B-Shock
- Slam Dunk
- Mysterious Girlfriend X
- Beast Master
- Beauty is the Beast
- Binbou Shimai Monogatari
- Blue Dragon
- Cherry Juice
- Kodomo no Omocha
- Cross Over
- Girl Got Game
- Happy World
- Akumetsu
- Arata Kangatari
- Aflame Inferno
- Akuma Jiten
- Freezing
- The Breaker

[Innis Cabal]

Deadman Wonderland. Its amazing. Don't ask questions, just read it

[Xallace]

Yes! Kekkaishi!

Anyway, Kurozakuro and Soul Eater need to be on that list. They're both high-action, character driven, hilarious (yet serious when need be).

[Thrawn183]

They're both high-action, character driven, hilarious (yet serious when need be).

Why is it I have so much difficulty describing what I'm interested in and someone else who's never met me can nail it in a single sentence?

[13_CBS]

Hmm...

One moment, let me look around. Meanwhile, go to mangafox.com. Its library of manga is colossal (but sadly, half of it is shoujo).

Edit: also, it's not surprising that you don't like Vampire Knight, since it's aimed mostly at girls than guys.

Manga list:

Deus x Makina (http://mangafox.com/manga/deus_x_makina/), a very recent series that I just read today. Quite interesting, seeing how it appears to be a steampunk setting with robots (not mecha, but independent, sentient robots).

If you liked Fairy Tale, you might also like Rave Master (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/rave_master/), which is by the same author.

Break Blade (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/break_blade/) is a fantasy mecha manga that I also just started today. I really like it, but it might be a little depressing for your tastes.

Bamboo Blade (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/bamboo_blade/) is a high school comedy about wacky teenage girls on a kendo team. There's some action, and the characters are fun and interesting.

Hayate the Combat Butler (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/hayate_the_combat_butler/), an action-comedy series about the woobiest butler in the world. The jokes are even better if you're a manga otaku like me.

Zettai Karen Children (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/zettai_karen_children/), where 3 elementary school girls have psychic powers, and hilarity ensues. Basically, Powerpuff Girls in Japan, but better. There's also a bit of dramatic tension between people with psychic powers and people without them.

That's all for now, I'll give you a heads up if I find any more.

[Innis Cabal]

Why is it I have so much difficulty describing what I'm interested in and someone else who's never met me can nail it in a single sentence?

Because your list sums up just what was written to a T.

[SilentNight]

I'm gonna suggest Trigun and Black cat, both very good and both about easy-going, badass gunslingers. Enjoy.

[13_CBS]

I'm gonna suggest Trigun and Black cat, both very good and both about easy-going, badass gunslingers. Enjoy.

Trigun? I thought the anime was excellent, but the manga...might be a little weird.

But Black Cat's also good. The whole series (it's finished) is at onemanga.com.

[Rogue 7]

For online manga scans, I much prefer OneManga (www.onemanga.com) for their much better format and ease of reading.

You seem to be a shonen fighting fan, so I will recommend to you three of my absolute favorites-

Mahou Sensei Negima. Starts out looking like a stupid harem comedy plot, and then actually develops a plot, awesome setting, and great characters, along with phenomenal action. There's a ton of stuff packed into each chapter, and it never fails to bring a grin to my face. Just trust me when I say that until the class goes to Kyoto, it sucks.

Fullmetal Alchemist. While you also have the option of following the new Brotherhood anime series, the manga is pure, concentrated awesome. It's got one of the smartest plots I've read in a good long while, great characters, and its share of good action.

Rurouni Kenshin- an older story, but still very, very good action and characters. Old personal favorite recommended as much out of nostalgia as anything else, honestly.

[Prime32]

Fullmetal Alchemist. While you also have the option of following the new Brotherhood anime series, the manga is pure, concentrated awesome. It's got one of the smartest plots I've read in a good long while, great characters, and its share of good action.
And again, you have the option of the first (alternate continuity) anime - the new one hasn't really delivered so far.


id_Entity is technically a manhwa, not a manga, but I enjoyed it. If you're reading online, it should be under its original title of Yureka. It's like .hack// (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ptitleikxjln2mifoc) meets Slayers (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Slayers).

[WitchSlayer]

Kamen Rider Spirits.

[Thrawn183]

Well, I just finished reading through the chapters of Deadman Wonderland that are posted on onemanga. My thoughts; dark, but intense. Normally I wouldn't enjoy such a dark manga but there is enough hope thrown in and the entire thing is just so awesome that I kept reading anyway. I'll edit my OP to include DW.

[Dispozition]

Mahou Sensei Negima. Starts out looking like a stupid harem comedy plot, and then actually develops a plot, awesome setting, and great characters, along with phenomenal action. There's a ton of stuff packed into each chapter, and it never fails to bring a grin to my face. Just trust me when I say that until the class goes to Kyoto, it sucks.

This. The school festival arc and after is when it's pure win.

[Nevrmore]

What manga should you try next?

None. Go read a book.

[Hell Puppi]

Hey now manga can be awesome and awe-inspiring when done right.

I would recommend my favs, but they're all horribly depressing.

[Xallace]

What manga should you try next?

None. Go read a book.

Isn't a graphic novel still a novel? Or does the addition of pictures make it not literature? Or perhaps a third option I haven't considered! Please, do go on, I'm interested to learn the cognitive processes behind that recommendation.

Also, to keep on topic, I'd also like to recommend YuYu Hakusho. I really like the comics more than the TV adaptation, I gotta say.

[Cubey]

What manga should you try next?

None. Go read a book.

My, aren't you being helpful and informative.

[Cúchulainn]

What manga should you try next?

None. Go read a book.

Sarcastic remark about the helpfulness of this post.


I would recommend my favs, but they're all horribly depressing.

Post them nao! I need my dose.


Anyway to OP: Just go to OneManga (link provided by Rogue) and have a look through the more popular stuff there for something that fits your liking. Seriously though, even if you're a casual manga reader you're robbing yourself of some of the better creations if you don't want to put yourself through a bit of a depressing outlook.

Otherwise Fullmetal Alchemist, can't go wrong.

[WitchSlayer]

Again, Kamen Rider Spirits. You'll have to download it or some such because it's not officially translated. Apart from that it's an extremely uplifting and great story.

[Hell Puppi]

Post them nao! I need my dose.



Well, I seriously doubt that you haven't heard of them before but:
Berserk (http://www.findmanga.com/readmanga/Berserk/)(nowhere NEAR a finished story, but still amazing and still going)
Monster (http://www.onemanga.com/Monster/)


For art alone and a decent story:
Angel Sanctuary (http://www.onemanga.com/Angel_Sanctuary/)

Oh yeah, all contain language, death and nudity. Especially Berserk. It is made of death and nudity and horrible squicky things and yet is still amazing.


Oh yeah...all are depressing. Seriously.

[Thrawn183]

Hey, if you guys want to post your favorites that just aren't what I'm looking for, feel free (I want other people to benefit from this thread as much as possible after all), just tag em with "don't read this if you're a cutter" or something.

[Innis Cabal]

I like sketchbook as well, its good clean fun

[Cúchulainn]

Well, I seriously doubt that you haven't heard of them before but:
Berserk (http://www.findmanga.com/readmanga/Berserk/)(nowhere NEAR a finished story, but still amazing and still going)
Monster (http://www.onemanga.com/Monster/)


For art alone and a decent story:
Angel Sanctuary (http://www.onemanga.com/Angel_Sanctuary/)


Oh yeah...all are depressing. Seriously.

Arigatō. I'd heard of Berserk ages ago, it was all the...rage, but I never got around to looking at it. Other 2 look promising as well, I'll check them out. :smallwink:

[13_CBS]

What manga should you try next?

None. Go read a book.

Oh yes, because people should NEVER read manga, and books are always superior.


Anyhow, some of my absoulte favorites:


Otaku no Musume-san/The Otaku's Daughter (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/otaku_no_musume_san/), another one of my top favorites.

The Little House with an Orange Roof (http://mangafox.com/manga/orange_yane_no_chiisana_ie/), aka The Brady Bunch, Manga Style.

Princess Resurrection (http://mangafox.com/manga/kaibutsu_ojou/), a manga where the supernatural exist and one unlucky kid is forced to serve as an undying warrior for a mysterious mistress.

Double Arts (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/double_arts/), one of my most favorite series of all time...but then got canceled 23 chapters into the story. :smallfurious: A fantasy setting where one boy and one girl are forced to maintain skin contact (usually by holding hands) lest the girl die of a disease.

Karin (http://mangafox.com/search.php?name=karin), where a boy meets the most harmless vampire in the world and hilarity ensues. This one's actually completed.

Zero In (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/zero_in/), a story following a group of eccentric policemen and policewomen.

Kurenai (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/kure_nai/), where a martially skilled teen is assigned to protect a sheltered little girl. Action and heartwarming ensue (I particularly enjoy the art).

Some of my other favs:


The World God Only Knows (http://mangafox.com/manga/kami_no_mizo_shiru_sekai/), where a dating-sim "god" is forced by a supernatural contract to make girls fall for him...except he's extremely anti-social. It's better than it sounds, actually.

Kimi no Iru Machi/The Town Where You Are[/ur], a slice-of-life series in rural Japan. I also enjoy the mangaka's other works, so you can give that a try.

[url=http://www.mangafox.com/manga/hajimete_no_aku/]Hajimete no Aku (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/kimi_no_iru_machi/), where a young teen mad scientist and supervillain is forced to live with a girl and try to live as a civilian.

Cynthia the Mission (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/cynthia_the_mission/), where a petit, balding teenage schoolgirl is an assassin, and deals with having to do her duty and realizing that she's killing people.

xxxHolic (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/xxxholic/), the companion series to Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/tsubasa_reservoir_chronicle/), both of them works by CLAMP and having to do with the supernatural. xxxHolic is more "mundane" (or at least, has much less action), while Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle is action packed.

Shina Dark (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/shina_dark/), which is set in a world that lives in fear of the "evil" Satan. Comedy and heartwarming ensue (but beware of fanservice).

White Album (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/white_album_abeno_chako/), a story about a young man and his girlfriend, who just made her debut as an idol, and how their relationship deals with this. It just started, but it looks like it has potential.

Ga-Rei (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/ga_rei/), a supernatural action series in Japan. Many would say the anime series (which serves as a prequel) is superior to the manga, however.

Soul Eater (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/soul_eater/), another supernatural action series, a bit like D-Gray.Man Lite.


There's a metric ton more manga I can also recommend, but most of them are heavily laden with fanservice or are outright X-rated. PM me if you wish to know more.

[Hida Reju]

Here are a few that I like that have not been mentioned that I see.

Psyren
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle

Tenjho Tenge - Careful this one has a bit of nudity in it

[Mando Knight]

Dragon Half. If you haven't read it already, you can do so on OneManga. Now.

[UltraDude]

I'll throw in a Black Lagoon suggestion.

The only thing it might be missing is the "feels like it will end someday" but that's mostly because it's somewhat episodic. The individual story arcs have continuity, but each one tells a different story. The action is wild and violent though, and the humor is... raunchy in a sort of B action movie sort of way a lot of the time, but very good.

Just... watch out if you like really heroic protagonists. Lagoon is no where near heroic.

[JabberwockySupafly]

No mention of Blade of the Immortal?

Word of caution: Mature content. Not talking hentai or anything like that, but the violence is graphic (though oddly beautiful due to the amazing artwork) and they drop quite a few swear words on a regular basis. Not for the kiddies this one, but it's positively brilliant. Only way to describe it is that it's everything Kenshin isn't, but just as good if not superior.

[Thrawn183]

So I've read Soul Eater now and I have to say, good times. I'm glad everybody recommended I read it.

And I have never seen a manga with such long chapters. I thought I was going to fly through 60, turns out I was wrong.

[Innis Cabal]

Its a monthly, all monthly ones are longer. Its a great one though!

[tyckspoon]

Here are a few that I like that have not been mentioned that I see.

Psyren
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle

Tenjho Tenge - Careful this one has a bit of nudity in it

It's always kinda weird to find out that people are reading the same lesser-known stuff that I am. Seconding Psyren, here.

[Thrawn183]

Well, I remembered to put Eyeshield 21 on the list of already read and finished Kurozakuro which means it goes on the list as well.

Kurozakuro was a fun read. I'll be honest when saying that when it sounds like the thing isn't going to continue being published, I'm not too surprised. While I liked it, I can see how some people would want more character development and humor. Still a fun read.

[Tyracus]

I'll second Double Arts (should not have been canned), Psyren (fun take on psychic powers), and Mahou Sensei Negima (I actually have all 21 volumes that have been released and still lurk on Onemanga to get my weekly fix, also Rogue7's preference is advertised by his Avatar). Break Blade is interesting and I'm wondering where it's going to be heading in time, Ga-Rei is pretty wild and looks like it's gearing up for round 2 by the way the last chapter ended.

I haven't seen a referal for Change 123 yet. It's got some interesting fight scenes to it but some of the ecchi humor can go a little strong at times but it's usually pretty isolated from the action. That and 1 girl with 3 personalities who all specialize in a different style of combat and lots of Kamen Ranger references actually comes out to a pretty interesting manga.

Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer is surprisingly good, and a very quirky manga. I don't really know how to describe it well without spoiling some plot points but I'd recommend it.

The Mai-Hime and Mai-Otome manga are also on my list of enjoyable but maybe a little more on a case by case basis as they can get a little odd at times. Overall though I'd give it a positive rating.

Finally is MxO (I'm 99% sure that's the title, I'm at work and can't check it) is another good manga that was shot down before it's time. To sum up the basic plot it's "Normal guys fails exam for a high school, sneaks in to see what it's like, and get's sucked into a lot of magical hijinks where everyone thinks he's a super advanced mage"

This thread does come at a good time though since I was thinking of picking up one or two more series to read. I'll have to hunt through some of these just to branch out a bit more.

[Thrawn183]

Maybe I should rename this the general manga discussion thread and have everyone start debating the strengths and weaknesses of the various mangas posted now that there is a pretty decent list of them. Heck, why should anime get all the fun?

Oh, I've started on Rave Master now. When I heard it was the same guy who did Fairy Tail I got excited. Then I realized that I'd actually seen some of the anime for it and liked it. Now I have to read the dang thing.

[Myatar_Panwar]

Berserk (http://www.findmanga.com/readmanga/Berserk/)

Thanks for that. Been meaning to read the manga for quite awhile.

Though it is kinda depressing at times, it has some pretty hilarious/priceless dialog among the carnage.
"Don't be poping a boner.... on top of my head!"
Though people getting into should probably be warned of the nudity and sex.

[Lord Seth]

Bakuman.

You wouldn't know it by reading it, but it's actually by the creators of Death Note.

[Ashtar]

I just finished watching the anime version of Sunabozu - Desert Punk and I'm currently looking to pick up the manga. (There's a french version from Glénat, but it doesn't seem to have been adapted in the US yet)

Post apocalyptic world, eke out a living in a Desert. Inspired by Mad max, Tank girl and others of the genre. With the main character an anti-heroic, idiotic, lustful and cowardly mercenary. Fascinating.

[Decoy Lockbox]

Berserk (http://www.findmanga.com/readmanga/Berserk/)(nowhere NEAR a finished story, but still amazing and still going)

Berserk was my first manga...I couldn't get enough of it. It has enough battle to appeal to kids, and enough emotion and character development to entertain more mature readers. Of course, kids have no business reading Berserk, whatsoever!

So assuming the OP isn't a kid, I heartily recommend Berserk.

Recently, I've been reading Vinland Saga, which is pretty cool so far.

[Thrawn183]

A kid? I just graduated from college today!

*sigh* I guess that means I'm unemployed now.

[Decoy Lockbox]

A kid? I just graduated from college today!

*sigh* I guess that means I'm unemployed now.

Yeah, I guess a cursory exam of your profile would have told me that we are the same age...

In that case, you should definately while away your unemployment with Berserk!

Its a shame that you can't count college as past employment for the purpose of unemployment insurance.

[Thrawn183]

Unemployment!? Who do you think I am? I may have had time to read over half of rave master so far, but I still have my.... prade? Prode..... Pride! That's it. Yeah.


Actually, considering that the last time I tried to get a job nobody would hire me to flip burgers, I am more than a little concerned about my prospects.

[Decoy Lockbox]

Unemployment!? Who do you think I am? I may have had time to read over half of rave master so far, but I still have my.... prade? Prode..... Pride! That's it. Yeah.


Actually, considering that the last time I tried to get a job nobody would hire me to flip burgers, I am more than a little concerned about my prospects.

I feel ya. Every job I've ever had, I've gotten though someone I knew. One summer I waited too late to find a decent job, so I just said to my friends "somebody, for the love of god, get me a job!", and one of them did. It ended up being a minimum wage lab assistant job at an astrophysics lab (studying cosmic ray emission), and had nothing to do with my field of study. But sometimes, cash is cash.

[Thrawn183]

Well, I finally got through Rave Master. It's a good thing that someone said it was by the same guy who does Fairy Tail, or I would not have know what to think when I started to see the same characters in each.

I liked it. There was a bit to much of the "incredibly-wounded hero coming back to win unexpectedly" but I knew that going in. It just happens every single serious fight! Anyway, a good fun read, even if it took me way too long to finish the thing.

I'll probably start on Berserk next.

[MagMagus]

I highly recommend Genshiken. You might also want to try Yakitate!! Japan, which is supposed to end soon.

[toddex]

Angel densetsu and Mx0

[SuperMuldoon]

I'll throw down a few reccomendations here:

Veritas - Fun korean (I think) manga bout super martial arts school stuff, its funny and has good action and is updated pretty frequently.

Mr. Fullswing - Hilarious baseball manga, it has actually made me laugh out loud. Probably the funniest manga I've read.

[endoperez]

Angel densetsu and Mx0

Angel Densetsu was a nice surprise. A pleasant read, and it had so much promise... It could've easily been much, much better, but it had some excellent ideas. The situations and the visual jokes made me laugh, even though I think some jokes were lost in translation. Also, It's finished, always a bonus point.

[Wakizashi]

I read or will try most of the stuff posted here. Allow me to make a proposition.

Yo dawg i heard you like mangas so me and my homies got some manga for your screen, yo. ( Or something )

While it's not really action-oriented, Ai Kora ( Found on onemanga ) is a pretty funny harem comedy. It gleefully wallows in most harem cliches and just makes me laugh. It can be summat ecchi, though, so watch out if ya ain't into this kinda thing.

Adios.

[Decoy Lockbox]

Well, I finally got through Rave Master. It's a good thing that someone said it was by the same guy who does Fairy Tail, or I would not have know what to think when I started to see the same characters in each.

I liked it. There was a bit to much of the "incredibly-wounded hero coming back to win unexpectedly" but I knew that going in. It just happens every single serious fight! Anyway, a good fun read, even if it took me way too long to finish the thing.

I'll probably start on Berserk next.

Yes! So far that brings the count of "people I've convinced to read Berserk" up to four :smallbiggrin:

...God, I feel like such a fanboy.

[13_CBS]

No one has any thoughts on the other manga I recommended? Drat.

[Fri]

Well, just saying that Rave Master is actually Hiro Mishima's debut manga, and in my opinion, better than fairy tail. I wonder why people always got fairy tail first.

He recycles a lot of characters from Rave Master. But since you guys read Fairy Tail first, I guess you'll feel that he recycles a lot of characters from Fairy Tail.

Rave Master's characters are the original one, dammit :smalltongue:!

[13_CBS]

Rave Master's characters are the original one, dammit :smalltongue:!

To his credit, Fairy Tale's protagonist isn't quite the same as Rave Master's protagonist. The former has more of a lust for battle and less interest in heroism.

Can't same the same for the rest of the cast, though (ice mage = Musica, Erza = Let, Lucy = Elie, etc...)

[Decoy Lockbox]

I don't mean to be facetious, but is rave master about a guy who is really, really good with glow sticks?

[Innis Cabal]

To his credit, Fairy Tale's protagonist isn't quite the same as Rave Master's protagonist. The former has more of a lust for battle and less interest in heroism.

Can't same the same for the rest of the cast, though (ice mage = Musica, Erza = Let, Lucy = Elie, etc...)

I'd disagree with this part here. The main cast is pretty unique and not at all like the main cast of Rave Master. Not even in looks...well Gray and Musica might have a small shred of truth....and Lucy/ Elie...but only slightly.

I think what he was talking about was the over use of the Orcian Sies and Mistgun/everyone else who looks like whats' his name the elemental mage

[Atelm]

Here are a few that I like that have not been mentioned that I see.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle



This, a most excellent one (ignore the anime adaption by Bee Train, if you wish to see this in any sort of anime format consider the OVAs by I.G)

Also, seconding (thirding, whatever) all suggestions for Fullmetal Alchemist.

And then placing the following suggestions, which I haven't spotted in this thread yet.

Chrono Crusade
School Rumble
Yotsubato!
Azumanga Daioh

[Thrawn183]

Well, it would appear that onemanga took down berserk. I've been reading Mahou Sensei Negi and I may put it on hold for a little while. I'll get back to it eventually, I just think I'm going to look at other stuff first.

[13_CBS]

For Berserk, you'll have to try mangafox.com.

[Callos_DeTerran]

I'm practically obliged to mention Hellsing. It's violent, darkly humorous at times, and goes into 'what makes a man, a man'. Other then, no real advice.

[Thrawn183]

So I finished Princess Resurrection. It was pretty good. It's been a little slow on the character development, even if the plot is moving along quickly. *shakes hands at computer scree* I just want to know what's so special about the main character!

I also read double arts and I agree. It's a shame that it got cancelled. Definitely a creative idea.

Oh yeah, and veritas. It's pretty funny. I have a hard time reading veritas now because I've become conditioned to read right-to-left instead of left-to-right. Took me a couple of chapters to get comfortable doing that again.

And now Karin has fallen to my newly-post-college-level reading!

[Thrawn183]

I'm making this a new post because it's important. I've finished reading Psyren and holy cow! This may very well be my new favorite manga. This thing's awesome to read! That is all.

[Fri]

Anyway, I've been reading this thread and haven't recommended anything. My current favourite manga, Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer, had been recommended, so I suggest you read that. It's a... rather quirky manga.

To sum it without spoiling anything:

One day the main character woke up and found a talking lizard on his bed. Apparently, earth's going to be destroyed by the titular 'biscuit hammer,' that is a moon sized toy mallet. He's been chosen to be the 'lizard knight' and it's became his responsibility to prevent earth's destruction.

Another interesting unmentioned manga... Mirai Nikki/future diary. Deus Ex Machina, the god of time is dying, and he chose a few people to be his successor. Each of them were given the titular future diary, each based on their own diary, and must kill each other until there is only one.

It's an interesting manga, since the only supernatural point in their fight is the future diary, other than that, they must use their wits and own power to fight each other.

For example, the main character used to write useless things around him on his diary. So his future diary write things that will happen arround him, but won't give ANY info that's related on himself.

Another character, a policeman have a future investigation diary, that's basically will tell him anything related to his case in the future as if he's investigated it himself.

The main character is the most pathetic thing ever graced the 'protagonist' title since evangelion ended. Seriously. But calling his partner/girlfriend bat**** insane is an insult to all bat****'s sanity. So your mileage might vary. But as expected, the main character will snap and gain a few level in badass later though. Much, much later.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Totally Azumanga Daoih.

And I'm totally joking.

Spare yourself the brain-melt.

[Coplantor]

Full Metal Alchemist was'nt on that list? You should read it, I prefer it a lot more than the anime. You already read claymore, good for you.

Also, you should check Mahou Sensei Negima, is really stupid at the begining, but somewhere after the first arc it transforms into something different, it resembles a typical shonen now, and is good actually, and it teached me that there is actually, too much nudity, seriously, what's up with that?

[Holammer]

Bokko. Man in ancient china defends a town from invasion for various reasons, realistic and brutal as hell.
Ichinensei ni Nacchattara. Guy turns into girl AND a first-grader, wacky hi-jinks ensue.
Hajime no Ippo. I thought boxing was boring before I read this one.
Ghost Sweeper Mikami: Ghost busting manga style.
Pretty Face. Guy has his face surgically "restored" by a pervert surgeon to that of his secret love interest. Massive amounts of cross-dressing.

I pride myself in offering a broad spectrum of suggestions. Hope you get to enjoy some of them. I suggest stoptazmo.com for downloads.

[Cúchulainn]

Pretty Face. Guy has his face surgically "restored" by a pervert surgeon to that of his secret love interest. Massive amounts of cross-dressing.

Mother of god.

[13_CBS]

Ichinensei ni Nacchattara. Guy turns into girl AND a first-grader, wacky hi-jinks ensue.

I hope you like lolicon.

[Thrawn183]

I've been working on sensei negima and it's taken me this long to wade through to the end of the festival. I've only kept going this long on your recommendations, hope it's worth it.

I've also been reading Mx0 and I think I understand why it was cancelled. It was a lot better in the beginning. It started out hilarous. I mean, side-splittingly hilarious.

I haven't touched FMA because I watched a lot of the anime and it was so depressing I couldn't take it. My friends love it but.... urgh. It's just like the end of trigun, "Waaah, I can never make up for the mistakes I made."

Yeah, I'm still working on this list, but it does take some time to read through hundreds and hundreds of chapters of manga.

Edit: ....and I just looked and Hajime no Ippo and.... over 850 chapters!? This is madness!

[Erts]

Has anyone mentioned Death Note yet?

[Thrawn183]

So, I'm 150 chapters into Hajime no Ippo, that only leaves.... 700! :smalleek:

[Xondoure]

Bakuman. It's written by the guy who did death note, and its about these kids who want to become famous manga artists. Not only is it a good read, but it gives you an idea of where all these fantastic stories are created.

Shaman King. Until recently, it seemed we would never know the ending, but we know have the wonder that is Shaman King KZB. If you like your action and spirits, this is a really good one.

[Xondoure]

I haven't touched FMA because I watched a lot of the anime and it was so depressing I couldn't take it. My friends love it but.... urgh. It's just like the end of trigun, "Waaah, I can never make up for the mistakes I made."


If your basing your expectations of the manga, off of the anime, your in for a surprise. Still, FMA is not for everyone, despite its godlyness.

Edit: apologies for the double post.

[Lord Loss]

That depends on what is depressing to you. i suggest Death Note (It's actually NOT depressing, and Ryuk is hilarious believe me). It's a mystery-genre manga that displays the battle between the legendary detective L and Light Yagami -Kira. A bit of a supernatural side to it, too.

If that's too melancholy styled for you, I reccomend One Peice or Claymore.

One Peice is a funny manga about pirates, and Claymore is an action-packed battle between Yomas and Claymores. good manga.

[Robert_Frazer]

Everyone, I'd like you to meet Fire Investigator Nanase.

http://www.kingscomics.com.au/catalog/images/prodimg/img16169.jpg

She's an idealist!

http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/9407/nanase2.th.jpg (http://img387.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nanase2.jpg)

She's an idealist who fights crime!

http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/3527/nanase3y.th.jpg (http://img387.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nanase3y.jpg)

She's an idealist who fights crime by invoking her profound understanding of chemistry!

http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/5991/nanase4y.th.jpg (http://img387.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nanase4y.jpg)

She's an idealist who fights crime by invoking her profound understanding of chemistry while clad in naught but her undercrackers!

http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/9462/nanase5.th.jpg (http://img387.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nanase5.jpg)

God, I love manga.

[littlequietguy]

DEATH NOTE DEATH NOTE DEATH NOTE
I'm required to mention my favorite right?
give it a try at least.
you might not like it.
But that would be your fault.

[Lord Loss]

Yuyu hakush is good. I warn you the beggining is horrible, but it gets good at the tournament. You might want to skip the spirit detective part and skip right to the tournament.

[nothingclever]

Everything I enjoyed and would recommend:

Crying Freeman
Strain
Berserk
Ichi the Killer
Hajime no Ippo
Bokko
Eden
Battle Royale
Samurai Executioner
Vagabond
Riki-Oh
Pluto
Zetman
Shamo
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
Blade of the Immortal
Homunculus
Araragi Express
Fist of the North Star/Hokuto no Ken
Fist of the Blue Sky/Souten no Ken
Shin Angyo Onishi
Glaucos
Bio Meat
Tough
Shigurui
Sanctuary
Mother Sarah
Bestia
Vinland Saga
Project Arms
Parasite
Rokudenashi Blues
Zettai Karen Children

A good chunk of what I read has gore and excessive violence but it's the type of stuff you end up laughing at because of how over the top it is. A lot of it is has very detailed and realistic art. I usually can't stand reading manga with plain/simply drawn surroundings and characters. Characters in Strain and Sanctuary look like they are photographs of real people at times. Characters drawn with big eyes and exaggerated expressions are in very little of the stuff listed. I hate generic shonen stuff like Naruto, One Piece and Bleach as well as typical slice of life so none of that is on the list.

[Thrawn183]

Wow, you certainly didn't hold back. Oh... and thanks. :smallwink:

Less than 100 chapters of Hijame no Ippo left! And can I say that that boy seriously needs to learn how to talk to women?

[latwPIAT]

Everything I enjoyed and would recommend:

Eden

A good chunk of what I read has gore and excessive violence but it's the type of stuff you end up laughing at because of how over the top it is.

Since these are recomendations, I think I am in my right mind when I warn people that "over the top" could describe the violence is "Eden: It's an Endless World!" but the violence can also be described using such terms as "horrifying" "gruesome" "vomit-inducing" and "nauseating"

[Thrawn183]

I've been reading Death Note and.... awesome! I totally recommend this to everyone. Though I have to admit the story has taken a turn I didn't expect

*I'm on chapter 41 for spoiler alerts* I didn't expect the main character to just give up his Death Note. I'll admit I cheat and look at how many chapters are left to occaisionally hazard a guess at where a story is going, and I totally expected him to throw the suspicion off of himself for a long time after the showdown with the second Kira.

[UltraDude]

I've been reading Death Note and.... awesome! I totally recommend this to everyone. Though I have to admit the story has taken a turn I didn't expect

*I'm on chapter 41 for spoiler alerts* I didn't expect the main character to just give up his Death Note. I'll admit I cheat and look at how many chapters are left to occaisionally hazard a guess at where a story is going, and I totally expected him to throw the suspicion off of himself for a long time after the showdown with the second Kira.

Haha. I freaking love Light. You'll see why.

[Thrawn183]

Ok up to chapter 89 as far as spoilers and such go. I have to agree UltraDude. Light is... I don't think I've ever seen a literary figure that can match up to him.

Edit:
OMG NooOOOOOoooooo he killed Takada!

[Rogue 7]

I've been working on sensei negima and it's taken me this long to wade through to the end of the festival. I've only kept going this long on your recommendations, hope it's worth it.


If you're that far into Negima and you haven't gotten that into it, I'd say you're not going to like the rest- by that point, the manga's pretty much hit its stride.

[Oslecamo]

Ok up to chapter 89 as far as spoilers and such go. I have to agree UltraDude. Light is... I don't think I've ever seen a literary figure that can match up to him.


Lelouch Vi Brittannia laughs at Light's efforts to create a perfect world by killing criminals instead of retraining them to be usefull to society (aka himself).

Ok, Lelouch technically isn't a literary character.

Yet. They'll finish the manga version sooner or later.

Almost finishing Death Note now, but I must say that Light wouldn't be in such a struggle if he just had been a little more discrete than leaving a trail of dead cold detective bodies pointing at him during his career.

[Thrawn183]

Well, yeah, but wasn't the whole point that he needed people to know that criminals were getting killed otherwise he wouldn't change society itself? He wasn't about being a shadow that quietly cut away the undesirable elements, he wanted everyone to know the consequences of serious crime while he was around.

Edit: And if there's any person who could ever complain that it's tough to find good help these days, it would probably be him.

Double Edit: And where does this guy you speak of show up? I'm intrigued.

[Mando Knight]

Double Edit: And where does this guy you speak of show up? I'm intrigued.

Lelouch vi Britannia? He (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CatchPhrase)commands (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Brainwashed) you (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CatchPhrase) to watch Code Geass (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CodeGeass). (Season 1 available here (http://www.youtube.com/user/bandaientertainment?blend=1&ob=4))

There are also several alternate reality spinoff manga.

*Serious Spoilers*
ALL HAIL LELOUCH! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOP0ykpYjA4)

[Oslecamo]

There are also several alternate reality spinoff manga.

Lelouch Vi Brittannia commands you: read Lelouch of the Rebellion! All the anime plot with just with zero mecha!


All profits will be given to Lulu's personal loli harem rebellion of justice!

Also I have to point out that Suzaku is basically Syaoran from CCS and TRC, finally given his chance of glory, fame and fortune after two mangas using his badass fighting qualities protecting girls from random threats and still being forced to dress as a girl every other week.

[Jinura]

Haven't seen Yu-Gi-Oh or Dragonball mentoined yet,( or i just didn't notice it ) althought these might be to.. Overrated since they're some of the most mainstream mangas, ( atleast where I live ) But those two seems to fill your requirement

[Thrawn183]

Well, I just finished full metal panic, and I'm interested to read more. I looked on wikipedia but couldn't really figure what might be a sequal series (if there even is one) Anyone know? Sorry, I'm just terrible at figuring this stuff out, it's why I've never managed to get into comics.

Edit: You rock 13 of CBS

[13_CBS]

Full Metal Panic! Sigma (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/full_metal_panic_sigma/) is what you're looking for.

Full Metal Panic! Overload (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/full_metal_panic_overload/) is NOT what you're looking for.

[Thrawn183]

Alright, I've now finished 666 Satan. Fun times were had. I recommend it to anybody interested. I never felt like there were huge ups or downs, or any single moment that stood out, for better or for worse, but it was a quality ride the whole way.

[Fri]

If you like death note that much, there are two things that I absolutely recommend.

first, you much watch Code Geass. Basically, it's Death Note with Mech.

If you don't have time to watch anime, you must read Liar Game. It's a psychological mind game thriller about a mysterious game without any supernatural thing. For example, the first game goes like this. It's a one on one duel. You're given a briefcase with 100 million yen inside it and your opponent's address. after 30 day, the 100 million yen will be taken back, but anything else is for you.

The heroine seems like an idealistic idiot at first. She is an idealistic idiot. But she'll get a crowning moment of awesome later.

[13_CBS]

If you don't have time to watch anime, you must read Liar Game. It's a psychological mind game thriller about a mysterious game without any supernatural thing. For example, the first game goes like this. It's a one on one duel. You're given a briefcase with 100 million yen inside it and your opponent's address. after 30 day, the 100 million yen will be taken back, but anything else is for you.

The heroine seems like an idealistic idiot at first. She is an idealistic idiot. But she'll get a crowning moment of awesome later.

I read it for all the exaggeratedly stupid :smalleek: expressions. :smallbiggrin:

[Thrawn183]

So uh, *brushes dust off shoulder* what do you think of my list so far?

[Oslecamo]

first, you much watch Code Geass. Basically, it's Death Note with Mech, moar fanservice, people who actually use personal guns and big explosions



Hope you don't mind the fixes:P

[13_CBS]

So uh, *brushes dust off shoulder* what do you think of my list so far?

You are...initiated in the dark ways of Man'ga. We welcome you as a novice into the Brotherhood.

But you are only that, a mere novice. Go forth, young one, and return once you have scoured mangafox.com's 5000+ manga series and read at least a quarter of them. Then you shall be fully blooded, an equal among us.

(Edit: just wondering, but what did you think of Zero In? You're the only person I know who's actually read it before.)

[Mando Knight]

first, you much watch Code Geass. Basically, it's Death Note with Mecha, moar fanservice, people who actually use personal guns and big explosions.
And pizza.
Fixed it more! :smalltongue:
If any series makes you want a Cheese-kun doll, this one will.

Also, pizza.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ac/Codegeass0616LG.jpg

[Fri]

CC is all love and Pizza :smallredface:

[Lord of Rapture]

CC is all love and Pizza :smallredface:

And enough snark and wit to bring Lulu's huge ego down to earth.

Seriously, weren't the writers smart enough to pair her with him?

Admittedly, I have a soft spot for Kuuderes, (Saber is my favorite character from Fate/Stay Night), but still, they go perfectly together.

[Mando Knight]

Seriously, weren't the writers smart enough to pair her with him?

Admittedly, I have a soft spot for Kuuderes, (Saber is my favorite character from Fate/Stay Night), but still, they go perfectly together.

As perfectly as the rest of Lulu's harem.

...Which is another bonus Code Geass has over Death Note: it's pretty much every single type of anime stuck together in one two-season show. It's got a high school student protagonist with a harem, giant mecha fights, a convoluted conspiracy lying beneath the surface of the plot, supernatural beings, subtext for almost every kind of shipping ever, fanservice...

[13_CBS]

As perfectly as the rest of Lulu's harem.

...Which is another bonus Code Geass has over Death Note: it's pretty much every single type of anime stuck together in one two-season show. It's got a high school student protagonist with a harem, giant mecha fights, a convoluted conspiracy lying beneath the surface of the plot, supernatural beings, subtext for almost every kind of shipping ever, fanservice...

No epic potato chip eating. You lose.

[Mando Knight]

No epic potato chip eating. You lose.

I say it again. P (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ProductPlacement)i (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ptitle8px80d2wm3pd)zz (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BigEater)a (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MemeticMutation).

[Fri]

You give epic potato chip eating.

I counter with epic making pizza with giant robot.

[13_CBS]

You give epic potato chip eating.

I counter with epic making pizza with giant robot.


Sorry, but potato chip eating beats pizza making.

[Mando Knight]

Sorry, but potato chip eating beats pizza making.

*thinks about pizza*
*thinks about potato chips*
*pizza comes in and kills potato chips with its pizza-y goodness*

I'm sorry, what was that? An angsty kid eating potato chips beats Suzaku making the World's Largest Pizza with a decommissioned war machine (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HumongousMecha)? And beats attractive females eating pizza obsessively?

[13_CBS]

I'm sorry, what was that? An angsty kid intellectual mastermind eating potato chips to epic, Ominous Latin Chanting while writing off the fates of pathetic mortals beats Suzaku an angsty kid making World's Largest Pizza with a decommissioned war machine an embarrassment of himself with a bucket of bolts?

Fixed it for you. Can't have kids running around with bad information in their heads, you know. :smallamused:

[Mando Knight]

Fixed it for you. Can't have kids running around with mad information in their heads, you know. :smallamused:

Suzaku's not the angsty one. Usually. And then there's C.C. with pizza. And Kallen (http://i37.tinypic.com/2yor902.jpg) with just about anything. Including beating up Suzaku (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0FaJirNvWg).

[13_CBS]

And that's all true, except that pizza making fails to the might of potato chip eating. Sorry mate, but it's a fact of life.

[LurkerInPlayground]

I find anything by Naoki Urasawi is generally made of win, as he is easily one of the finest comic artists slash writers I've seen and is very highly lauded. Too bad most of his stuff never seems to keep on the shelves for very long. No, instead we get generic tweenie junk about gender-bending dudes. Oh well.

Pluto: It's basically a hardboiled reinvisioning of a major Astroboy story arc. One might say a grimdark reinvisioning. Rather, it follows the perspective of a robot detective, Gesicht. Cue some light cyberpunk themes and some "I Robot" stuff.

Monster: Good stuff. Read it, you savages. I've sung its praises before so if you haven't read it, you should be put swiftly to death. Dr. Tenma, a Japanese surgeon studying in Germany, who chooses his conscience and saves a boy (his hospital is rather corrupt). This leads to some unexpected consequences.

Twentieth Century Boys: It involves a bizarre cult led by a mysterious figure known enigmatically only as "Friend." The story follows the perspective of the Friend's childhood friends, whose past with him appears to be key to his oddball plans and murders.

Some non-Naoki Urasawa stuff:
Parasyte: Shapeshifting aliens invade the population, taking over their heads and hitching a ride on normal human bodies. Enter Shinichi, our hero, who has one of these things implant on his arm instead. Our other hero, Migi, the unfortunate "failure" parasite must now protect Shin from other parasites (Migi is latched to a live human brain and is therefore an unacceptable risk to most parasites) but won't permit his existence to be revealed by Shin (for fear of being killed or compromised). Interestingly, the themes of predation and animal ladder-climbing is expanded beyond the parasites to the humans of the story and the parasites themselves develop into significant characters in their own right. The "might makes right" theme evolves into a kind of cooperative altruism that develops between Shin and Migi.

I'll write more if I'm in the mood, but this post is getting to be pretty long.

[Fri]

you guys are all wrong. cereal (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXGWZxI9lAs) is where it is.

20th century boy started as psychological thriller, turned into big brother-y sci fi, and then to something really mindscrewy bat**** insane.

And the end is the most bizzare end since the end of 'The Prisoner.'

[LurkerInPlayground]

Mother of god.
That was approximately my reaction to Pretty Face.

Or rather, it was a resigned disgust that my demographic was getting pushed aside while generic artists draw Yaoi and *yet another* genderbending adventure. Apparently this makes money? I don't know.

But I haven't gotten to complete my collection of Monster yet.

[Lord of Rapture]

I find anything by Naoki Urasawi is generally made of win, as he is easily one of the finest comic artists slash writers I've seen and is very highly lauded. Too bad most of his stuff never seems to keep on the shelves for very long. No, instead we get generic tweenie junk about gender-bending dudes. Oh well.

Exactly. He's the best manga writer there is on the market today, because he consistently churns out high-quality works all the time. I've only read Monster, and I loved it to death, but I plan to check out the other ones later. After my exams.

And to the above, pizza making with giant robot beats epic potato chip eating. Because pizza is always awesome, while potato chips are only sometimes awesome.

[Lord of Rapture]

That was approximately my reaction to Pretty Face.

Or rather, it was a resigned disgust that my demographic was getting pushed aside while generic artists draw Yaoi and *yet another* genderbending adventure. Apparently this makes money? I don't know.

But I haven't gotten to complete my collection of Monster yet.

Just read it online, like the cheap backstabbing pirate parasite that I am.:smallbiggrin:

[Fri]

his new manga is out. And it's just as brilliant and bizarre as everything else he'd wrote.

Billy the bat. It's about a japanese comic artist in america. Someone told him that he'd seen his prize character, the hard boiled anthromorphophic detective billy the bat, in japan, from way before. Not wanting to accidentally plagiarize something, he set his way to japan, and got involved to weird, weird stuff.

[LurkerInPlayground]

Just read it online, like the cheap backstabbing pirate parasite that I am.:smallbiggrin:
I have. I want to own the whole thing in print.

[Fri]

his debut manga (I think) is actually just as cool, though somewhat under read. Dunno where you can read it, It's even out of print a long time ago in my country.

Master Keaton

It's about a half japanese insurance investigator/private detective, that is an ex SAS survival trainer and a falkland war veteran. Way more tough than most manga detective. The cases are also somewhat more realistic. It's way less mindscrewy than his newer work.

[Lord of Rapture]

I have. I want to own the whole thing in print.

:smalleek::smallconfused::smallannoyed::smallsigh: :smallamused:

Man, I have no idea why you would need to do that.

Still, whatever floats your boat.

Oh, and as a warning for Code Geass...don't watch the second season. Under no circumstances must you watch the second season if you don't want your enjoyment of the series to be ruined.

[LurkerInPlayground]

There was this one manga I read today whose name escapes me.

But the gist of it is this:
It's a one-shot story that's best described as an "Indie" fantasy comic. It's artsy and minimalistically sparse about setting details. Needless to say, the setting involves some sort of Songstresses that must keep the land safe with their singing in service to a king.

The twist is that the story is about a male Songstress, which are unheard of, as the ability never passes to a male descendant of a Songstress. Moreover, this is occurring concurrently with the birth of a female Sovereign (also unheard of).

The has less of a feminist undertone than you might expect. Although it definitely has a situation where tradition has created a sort of dead-end Prisoner's Dilemma for everybody involved -- bucking tradition is generally of no benefit to nobody.

[LurkerInPlayground]

:smalleek::smallconfused::smallannoyed::smallsigh: :smallamused:

Man, I have no idea why you would need to do that.

Still, whatever floats your boat.

Oh, and as a warning for Code Geass...don't watch the second season. Under no circumstances must you watch the second season if you don't want your enjoyment of the series to be ruined.
Translations from pirated copies generally tend to suck or are incomplete or require the work of multiple translators doing completely different issues because one or more of them went dead in the water. Paper doesn't strain the eye. Etc. Etc.

Normally I don't buy comics unless I really like them. And so far, there are maybe two or three comics I'd like to own hardcopies of in their entirety.

One of those would be the Sandman collection -- although the language barrier is no issue, I like Neil Gaiman enough that I'd throw money at his comic masterpiece.

[nothingclever]

Exactly. He's the best manga writer there is on the market today, because he consistently churns out high-quality works all the time. I've only read Monster, and I loved it to death, but I plan to check out the other ones later. After my exams.

You know he's the best... by only reading one thing he's done? Plus I hate that manga because it is so ridiculously lacking in content. It is pretty much objectively bad in multiple major parts. My brain hurts. He hasn't even written a huge amount of stuff. Like really, how do you get best current manga writer from that? I suggest reading more.

[Fri]

:smalleek::smallconfused::smallannoyed::smallsigh: :smallamused:

Man, I have no idea why you would need to do that.

Still, whatever floats your boat.

Oh, and as a warning for Code Geass...don't watch the second season. Under no circumstances must you watch the second season if you don't want your enjoyment of the series to be ruined.

I also collect things in print. I never read online what's been published in my place.

[Lord of Rapture]

Translations from pirated copies generally tend to suck or are incomplete or require the work of multiple translators doing completely different issues because one or more of them went dead in the water. Paper doesn't strain the eye. Etc. Etc.

Normally I don't buy comics unless I really like them. And so far, there are maybe two or three comics I'd like to own hardcopies of in their entirety.

One of those would be the Sandman collection -- although the language barrier is no issue, I like Neil Gaiman enough that I'd throw money at his comic masterpiece.

The problem is that I live in Hong Kong, where people besides schoolkids apparently seem to loathe manga in all forms, and don't sell them.

So I have to stick to the pirated versions instead to get my share.

@nothingclever: When I said I haven't read the others yet, I meant I didn't completely finish his other works. I read mainly the introduction to the early middle of some of his other works, and let me tell you, not a single one of them has let me down.

There is nothing that can be said is objectively bad in a work of fiction. If you don't like it because you think there is not enough content, fine. Personally, I thought there was loads of content there, and I loved it. Don't say that I'm objectively wrong just because you thought there were a lot of bad parts in there. No one can say that a work is bad for everyone.

Dude, I read a lot manga over the past year and a half, and let me tell you, few of them came close to the author of Monster.

[Oslecamo]

And that's all true, except that pizza making is pure win compared to the epic fail of potato chip eating. Sorry mate, but it's a fact of life.

Geez, having to fix all of this posts, worck, worck.


Your intellectual mastermind got OWNED by some random preteen otaku wich with no social life and who can't even walck straight.

Suzaku on the other hand gets to be the world's greatest hero, plus he's popular with the ladies, so screw it if he's angst, he's got girls, power, and, best of all, is still breathing.

Not to mention that it was probably Light's lack of angst that killed him, thinking that nothing could go wrong with his plan and cornering himself into his own trap. Spinzaku would've just beat the crap out of everybody in that room with his Chuck-Norris grade roundhouse kicks.


Lord of Rapture: I understand that some people dislike the second geass season, but personally, I liked it quite a lot.

[Lord of Rapture]

Lord of Rapture: I understand that some people dislike the second geass season, but personally, I liked it quite a lot.

I guess so... it's just that everything took a turn from almost everything I like about anime to almost everything I don't at the second season.

[nothingclever]

@nothingclever: When I said I haven't read the others yet, I meant I didn't completely finish his other works. I read mainly the introduction to the early middle of some of his other works, and let me tell you, not a single one of them has let me down.

There is nothing that can be said is objectively bad in a work of fiction. If you don't like it because you think there is not enough content, fine. Personally, I thought there was loads of content there, and I loved it. Don't say that I'm objectively wrong just because you thought there were a lot of bad parts in there. No one can say that a work is bad for everyone.

Dude, I read a lot manga over the past year and a half, and let me tell you, few of them came close to the author of Monster.
What I'm saying is that if it were possible for art to be objectionably bad then Monster would be awfully close to such status in multiple parts.

Why and where? Easy.
Johan has a very underwhelming mission and backstory.
The story feels like it's gone on for far longer than it should when everything is basically explored and wrapped up well before the end and the end has no big reveal or action.
There's no real explanation for what Johan does and how people perceive him. According to the manga if a handsome young man smiles and acts calm he can magically cause people to put pencils through their brains or make them think he's the next Hitler. Oh wait sorry, if you raise the kid in an orphanage and read him spooooooky books that justifies everything. We don't ever see what makes him so different from everyone else besides spooky book sitdowns at Kinderheim 511. It's implied other stuff is done to the kids but none of it is even vaguely listed. The way some people speak of Johan doesn't even make sense since they've never seen him before. Come on, next leader of the Reich and the Antichrist? What did he do to warrant these opinions? Nothing. People try to defend this stuff by telling me less is more but this looks like clearly a case of less is less.

I read way too many "Omg Johan is the scariest and most epic character ever!" posts on this forum. It's not hard to make a Johan character. Draw someone that smiles all the time, never show him with any emotion on his face, have him act calm while something bad happens near him and give him a vague past of experimentation. Never let him speak clearly for more than a few panels in the entire story. Gee, always draw the same facial expression, barely write any lines for him and use a vague generic backstory... That just sounds like being lazy to me.

Pluto is vastly better because it doesn't have a Johan.

[Lord of Rapture]

What I'm saying is that if it were possible for art to be objectionably bad then Monster would be awfully close to such status in multiple parts.

Why and where? Easy.
Johan has a very underwhelming mission and backstory.
The story feels like it's gone on for far longer than it should when everything is basically explored and wrapped up well before the end and the end has no big reveal or action.
There's no real explanation for what Johan does and how people perceive him. According to the manga if a handsome young man smiles and acts calm he can magically cause people to put pencils through their brains or make them think he's the next Hitler. Oh wait sorry, if you raise the kid in an orphanage and read him spooooooky books that justifies everything. We don't ever see what makes him so different from everyone else besides spooky book sitdowns at Kinderheim 511. It's implied other stuff is done to the kids but none of it is even vaguely listed. The way some people speak of Johan doesn't even make sense since they've never seen him before. Come on, next leader of the Reich and the Antichrist? What did he do to warrant these opinions? Nothing. People try to defend this stuff by telling me less is more but this looks like clearly a case of less is less.

I read way too many "Omg Johan is the scariest and most epic character ever!" posts on this forum. It's not hard to make a Johan character. Draw someone that smiles all the time, never show him with any emotion on his face, have him act calm while something bad happens near him and give him a vague past of experimentation. Never let him speak clearly for more than a few panels in the entire story. Gee, always draw the same facial expression and barely write any lines for him... That just sounds like being lazy to me.

Quite frankly, if you feel that way about the main antagonist, there's nothing I can do to change your mind.

Look, just accept the fact that not everything in the world is geared towards your tastes, and that people like different things. Let me repeat: there is no right and wrong in art.

Quite frankly, I just started reading Jojo's Bizzare Adventure, and I feel the author takes Dio Brando waaay too far in the other direction that it becomes too silly for my tastes and I stop reading it. But I don't hate it. Why? Because I know it's not the kind of thing I like. So I don't hark on about it like a chimpanzee.

Seriously, I know how you feel, but you gotta chill.

[UltraDude]

Quite frankly, I just started reading Jojo's Bizzare Adventure, and I feel the author takes Dio Brando waaay too far in the other direction that it becomes too silly for my tastes and I stop reading it. But I don't hate it. Why? Because I know it's not the kind of thing I like. So I don't hark on about it like a chimpanzee.


To be fair, Dio's supposed to be kinda silly, and I love him for it.

[nothingclever]

Quite frankly, I just started reading Jojo's Bizzare Adventure, and I feel the author takes Dio Brando waaay too far in the other direction that it becomes too silly for my tastes and I stop reading it. But I don't hate it. Why? Because I know it's not the kind of thing I like. So I don't hark on about it like a chimpanzee.

Seriously, I know how you feel, but you gotta chill.
I'm so chilled I'm glacial. Dio Brando is purposely a silly character just like every other character in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. I think most people can mutually agree he is supposed to be silly, especially if they read his origins. He literally kicks a dog early on and then kills it later along with doing many other cliche evil things. People like the comedy of his actions.

Johan is often liked because supposedly he does so many cool things when in reality he spends most of his time standing around and being gawked at or described by other characters while offstage. He's liked for things he does not do or have. It's not a matter of X type of story isn't for me. It's a matter of a certain level of a lack of a story not being for me. Vagueness isn't for me. If more was filled in or people did not act like there was more to it than there was I wouldn't have a problem with Monster. Other people call the story a literary masterpiece so I don't see why I can't calmly call it literary suck. Apparently it's ok to sing never ending praises of something but oh no, don't dare do the opposite. I can "hark" (I think you meant harp) on something while being emotionally and mentally stable and without trolling either.

[13_CBS]

Your intellectual mastermind got OWNED by some random preteen otaku which with no social life and who can't even walck straight.


...which has what to do with epic potato chip eating? :smallconfused:



Suzaku on the other hand gets to be the world's greatest hero, plus he's popular with the ladies, so screw it if he's angst, he's got girls, power, and, best of all, is still breathing.


That's great. Too bad he was making pizza, and not eating potato chips.


(I should mention that I've actually never seen nor read either Death Note or Code Geass. I'm just doing this to give you guys a hard time. :smalltongue:)

[LurkerInPlayground]

Johan is often liked because supposedly he does so many cool things when in reality he spends most of his time standing around and being gawked at or described by other characters while offstage. He's liked for things he does not do or have. It's not a matter of X type of story isn't for me. It's a matter of a certain level of a lack of a story not being for me. Vagueness isn't for me. If more was filled in or people did not act like there was more to it than there was I wouldn't have a problem with Monster. Other people call the story a literary masterpiece so I don't see why I can't calmly call it literary suck. Apparently it's ok to sing never ending praises of something but oh no, don't dare do the opposite. I can "hark" (I think you meant harp) on something while being emotionally and mentally stable and without trolling either.
That's sort of the point of Johan. He isn't terribly special other than that he has some undefinable reputation or charisma. People heap expectations and sinister motives where there are none. Johan is himself a largely fictitious entity made by other people. He's the Boogie Man. And more than that, people want to be like him. That's the important thing to understand about Johan: his legend and reputation are a large source of his power.

People have no problem believing Light Yagami has a radical mission to reform the world and can win with a magical master plan that never fails. Same with Lelouch.

Johan is their opposite in that he simply can't be motivated to really care about world domination. He may be an amoral genius but he bucks the stereotypical ambitions laid at the feet of his kind -- he wants a "normal" life. Furthermore, his masterstrokes are much simpler than the kind of magic than either Light or Lelouch spins: the people who do things for Johan are really just projecting themselves onto Johan.

The spectacle isn't so much in Johan himself, but what other believe they're doing to or for him. The only real handwaving really occurs when we simply say that Johan has a reputation for being a genius leader. Of what kind specifically, is usually up to the imagination of the people trying to exploit him. Which frankly, is much more understated than the flagrant Xanatos Gambits or "Just According to Plan" nonsense that Code Geass or Death Note pulls. People literally kill each other and get themselves killed trying to control or please Johan, whereas Johan wants to be invisible and is willing to kill to keep things that way.

Everything about Johan's backstory is not about finding the secret formula to creating superhumans or finding some sordid tale (although there is that), it's getting you to realize everything I've just written here.

Naoki Urasawa is really masterful at telling the stories about the lives affected by Dr. Tenma and Johan. Which is where the real content of Monster lies anyway. Johan's presence provokes an endless slew of crimes, victimless or otherwise, where Dr. Tenma's presence humanizes those around him.

[tyckspoon]

Quite frankly, I just started reading Jojo's Bizzare Adventure, and I feel the author takes Dio Brando waaay too far in the other direction that it becomes too silly for my tastes and I stop reading it. But I don't hate it. Why? Because I know it's not the kind of thing I like. So I don't hark on about it like a chimpanzee.

Seriously, I know how you feel, but you gotta chill.

FWIW, if you really want serious villains the antagonists of some of the later JoJo series are far more sinister. Stone Ocean has some seriously creepy ****... although that may be because it's one of the stories where Brando himself is far more of a background driver for the plot.

[Trizap]

........and here I thought I was anime-crazy...........it seems I don't even compare to most of the people on this thread........

[13_CBS]

........and here I thought I was anime-crazy...........it seems I don't even compare to most of the people on this thread........

As I said to Thrawn: you are but a novice. :smallamused:

[LurkerInPlayground]

To follow up my post about Johan:
Naoki Urasawa is a good artist because compared to just about any manga artist alive, because his style is actually distinct. It doesn't look like what somebody thought anime or manga should look like. So it demonstrates that he's his own man as an artist.

Furthermore, more than being able together lines with the same precision, his art style actually can include children, elderly, youths, fat people, ugly people, middle-aged people, etc. Which is to say that Naoki Urasawa draws people, rather than copy-paste templates of bishounen and bishoujou.

To use an example, Code Geass art is technically apt. Which is to say that it's consistent-looking. But what's the difference between Lelouch and Suzaku? One is a sophisticated, if unathletic, super-genius while the other is a super soldier. Would you be able to tell from looking at them?

While we could argue about the realism/idealism spectrum in art, the simple fact of the matter is that Naoki Urasawa's art can convey personality. This is a boon to his works. This is part of the reason why Naoki Urasawa is one of the better manga artists alive. It also doesn't hurt that he doesn't seem to have problems evoking a sense of setting through his art.

[Myatar_Panwar]

So I just finished reading Berserk. Good stuff. Anyone know how often it updates?

Also, can anyone recommend some similar manga?

[Mando Knight]

Ooh. 'Nother suggestion:
Rosario + Vampire. If you liked to-LOVE-ru and shonen manga, then it should be right up your alley.

[13_CBS]

Similar as in GRIMDARK sword swinging action? Hrm...

Offhand, the closest I can think of is Ubel Blatt (Evil Blade) (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/ubel_blatt/). I would give it a stern NSFW warning, but if you've already read Berserk...

I should note that it's somewhat lighter in tone than Berserk (no squicky rape scenes anyway :smalleek:), but it's still fairly GRIMDARK and set in a fantasy world.

Edit:

Ooh. 'Nother suggestion:
Rosario + Vampire. If you liked to-LOVE-ru and shonen manga, then it should be right up your alley.

Rosario + Vampire? Eh...I thought it had potential, but much of it was ruined by the girls, who I thought weren't all that interesting and somewhat annoying (they seemed to whiny to me). If you want a Harem manga series, you might want to try Love Collage (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/love_collage/). It doesn't focus quite as much on the fanservice as most other harem series do, partly because the author's art style isn't all that photorealistic.

If you like romantic comedies, Midori no Hibi (Midori Days) (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/midori_no_hibi/) is made by the same author as Love Collage. It's a nice funny story with a bizarre premise (boy wakes up one day to find that his right hand is a cute girl, hilarity ensues).

[Myatar_Panwar]

Man I love me some grimdark. And swords! Can't forget the swords. :smallwink:

But yeah, thanks. I'll check it out

[Thrawn183]

You are...initiated in the dark ways of Man'ga. We welcome you as a novice into the Brotherhood.

But you are only that, a mere novice. Go forth, young one, and return once you have scoured mangafox.com's 5000+ manga series and read at least a quarter of them. Then you shall be fully blooded, an equal among us.

(Edit: just wondering, but what did you think of Zero In? You're the only person I know who's actually read it before.)

Sorry about being out of contact for so long. I just moved and had some issues connecting to le internets. While my manga-fu is getting stronger, my computer-fu appears to be weakening.

Anyways, I really liked Zero In. I felt like the artwork was decent. I felt that while the characters developed, they stayed true to who they were. Granted, this is easier to do with a shorter work then with a longer one, but still. I have seen too many manga where 200 chapters in, the main character is literally exactly the same or so different as to be unrecognizable (yes, there can be perfectly justifiable reasons for this, but usually there aren't). At a certain point in the story you realize that the artist has made you actually care about the characters, and frankly, that means that he did a good job.

I've also been working away at Tsubasa, but I think that it's currently something of a long term project, right now I'm making dental school apps and getting a job a bit of a priority. As a result I might be checking this thread every couple of days rather than obsessively; but, never fear for my creation shall live on!

[GolemsVoice]

I didn't read all the posts, but how comes no one has mentioned Fullmetal Alchemist yet? I can only judge from the anime and the movie, but those were both really great (and I normally don't watch much anime), and from what I've read on Wikipedia, the mangas are at least equal, if not better.

Oh, well, FMA HAS been recommended. In this case, I second this.

[Thrawn183]

I've added Change 123 to the list.

Let's see... a bit of fan service and dei ex machina but I liked it. I'm not really a fan of the harem type manga, but this one seemed a bit different. A good read.

Code breaker wasn't bad. I find the main character's actions a little dubious but that's to be expected sometimes. To be honest, if you're really desperate for something to read, this'll do in a pinch, but I wouldn't put it very high on a list of "must reads."

[13_CBS]

Have I recommended Hajimete no Aku (http://www.onemanga.com/Hajimete_no_Aku/) yet? If not, here it is!


Basically, evil teen genius/diabolical mastermind moves into a regular high school girl's room. Hilarity ensues. It's a good read if you like wacky romantic comedies.

[Innis Cabal]

I didn't read all the posts, but how comes no one has mentioned Fullmetal Alchemist yet? I can only judge from the anime and the movie, but those were both really great (and I normally don't watch much anime), and from what I've read on Wikipedia, the mangas are at least equal, if not better.

Oh, well, FMA HAS been recommended. In this case, I second this.

Manga is always better then anime if it came first. Always. FMA Anime is utter garbage. Do not watch the old one, it was competly retconned by the author. Its only great because you don't watch much anime. Honest truth

[13_CBS]

Manga is always better then anime if it came first. Always. FMA Anime is utter garbage. Do not watch the old one, it was competly retconned by the author. Its only great because you don't watch much anime. Honest truth

The movies, maybe, but the old anime series wasn't that bad, was it? I liked it. Maybe not as great as the manga (although that's quite a standard to overcome), but it was a lot better than most of the stuff I've seen.

Obviously, it took a different plot route than the manga, and there were a few questionable things in the plot, but overall I liked it (especially the soundtrack).

[LurkerInPlayground]

So I just finished reading Berserk. Good stuff. Anyone know how often it updates?

Also, can anyone recommend some similar manga?
Finish?
Isn't the series still ongoing?

[Lord of Rapture]

Manga is always better then anime if it came first. Always. FMA Anime is utter garbage. Do not watch the old one, it was competly retconned by the author. Its only great because you don't watch much anime. Honest truth

What?

Both are utter masterpieces. The author requested that the anime be completely different than the manga.

[Fri]

Manga is always better then anime if it came first. Always. FMA Anime is utter garbage. Do not watch the old one, it was competly retconned by the author. Its only great because you don't watch much anime. Honest truth

Nah, I can think at least one example. Planetes. The manga is good, but the anime is the best example of adaptation distillation. It basically distilled and expanded the unfocused manga into something interesting without sacrificing things.

[13_CBS]

Hmm...found this (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/kurogane/) little number just now, Kurogane (Black Steel). It's historical fiction set in Japan, and it's pretty interesting. The main character is...also interesting. :smallwink:

[Myatar_Panwar]

Finish?
Isn't the series still ongoing?

Yes. I finished it in the sense that I got to where it currently is.

[Innis Cabal]

Nah, I can think at least one example. Planetes. The manga is good, but the anime is the best example of adaptation distillation. It basically distilled and expanded the unfocused manga into something interesting without sacrificing things.

Ah, well thats good. A very rare example, but always a good one if you can find it!

[Lord of Rapture]

Ah, well thats good. A very rare example, but always a good one if you can find it!

Like FMA. And Berserk. And Monster. And Elfen Lied.

I could go on, if you like.

[Innis Cabal]

Like FMA. And Berserk. And Monster. And Elfen Lied.

I could go on, if you like.

The FMA anime(old one, not seen new) was awful compared to the manga. Pure and simple. So was Beserk. So was Elfin Lied. What was your point again?

[Fri]

but why? that's my question. is it because it's different than the manga?

[Lord of Rapture]

The FMA anime(old one, not seen new) was awful compared to the manga. Pure and simple. So was Berserk. So was Elfen Lied. What was your point again?

In your opinion.

In my opinion, the old anime was a different feel from the manga, and an entirely great one at that, and Elfen Lied anime didn't have an ending that totally blew the entire premise to smithereens.

Berserk was just the Golden Age arc copied pasted into anime format, and it was great too.

[Innis Cabal]

No, actually.

To be fair, Elfin Lied and Beserk were not -terrible-. Just...not full. And thats annoying, When you watch a show, you want it to end. We always knew Beserk wouldn't. I mean...just look at the manga. It's taking years to end -that-. Let alone a show. Elfin Lied has no excuse. Are they as good as the manga? No. And thats my point.

On to FMA.

1. The fights in the anime. There is none.

2. The "its a parallel world" thing....boring. Trite, stale..call it what you will it dosn't change what it is.

3. The Characters. See....I saw the anime first, and thought it was sub par. Then I saw what the characters were meant to be. This is the one place i'll say ya its the difference that kills it. But its a -MAJOR- difference. The characters are almost totally different. The level of angst is....terrible. Yes its a sad show, but its an even sadder manga and they leave the angst almost completly out. Also....where is the Xing.....I hate them for taking Ling out. Yes. Hate them. No Briggs? Shame on them again. The side cast of the manga is what -makes- it so good. The side characters of the anime? They are flat, boring, and mostly background art for the main two characters who really are just as boring and flat as the rest of the tepid series.

4. The art. Sure, FMA the anime is drawn ok. Even at parts, pretty dang good. But on average? The manga is better. And thats a shame, as digital media has the possiblity to be so much better.

5. Just the over all feel. The anime just felt....dragged down by needless story plots that really...just weren't that good. Wrath as the miscarried boy of the Teacher? Why? Sloth being the mother? Again why? Both of those points are needless. They don't -do- anything for the story. And sure, at this point your thinking "No Innis! It added tension!" but no...no it didn't. Not only did it now add tension, it took away from what could have been a neat villian cast. Instead they focus on the DRAMA! of the mother and kid being baddies, and the angst that it brings is boring when it first shows up.

6. Dante. Terrible villian. Worse then Aizan from Bleach. Worse then Buu from DBZ. She was uninspiring, whiney and selfish. Not really all that evil. She didn't have a grand plot to blow up a country, just a city. Really in the scale of EVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVILLLLLLLLLLLLL she's small change

[Lord of Rapture]

No, actually.

To be fair, Elfin Lied and Beserk were not -terrible-. Just...not full. And thats annoying, When you watch a show, you want it to end. We always knew Beserk wouldn't. I mean...just look at the manga. It's taking years to end -that-. Let alone a show. Elfin Lied has no excuse. Are they as good as the manga? No. And thats my point.

On to FMA.

1. The fights in the anime. There is none.

2. The "its a parallel world" thing....boring. Trite, stale..call it what you will it dosn't change what it is.

3. The Characters. See....I saw the anime first, and thought it was sub par. Then I saw what the characters were meant to be. This is the one place i'll say ya its the difference that kills it. But its a -MAJOR- difference. The characters are almost totally different. The level of angst is....terrible. Yes its a sad show, but its an even sadder manga and they leave the angst almost completly out. Also....where is the Xing.....I hate them for taking Ling out. Yes. Hate them. No Briggs? Shame on them again. The side cast of the manga is what -makes- it so good. The side characters of the anime? They are flat, boring, and mostly background art for the main two characters who really are just as boring and flat as the rest of the tepid series.

4. The art. Sure, FMA the anime is drawn ok. Even at parts, pretty dang good. But on average? The manga is better. And thats a shame, as digital media has the possiblity to be so much better.

5. Just the over all feel. The anime just felt....dragged down by needless story plots that really...just weren't that good. Wrath as the miscarried boy of the Teacher? Why? Sloth being the mother? Again why? Both of those points are needless. They don't -do- anything for the story. And sure, at this point your thinking "No Innis! It added tension!" but no...no it didn't. Not only did it now add tension, it took away from what could have been a neat villian cast. Instead they focus on the DRAMA! of the mother and kid being baddies, and the angst that it brings is boring when it first shows up.

6. Dante. Terrible villian. Worse then Aizan from Bleach. Worse then Buu from DBZ. She was uninspiring, whiney and selfish. Not really all that evil. She didn't have a grand plot to blow up a country, just a city. Really in the scale of EVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVILLLLLLLLLLLLL she's small change

Well, for Berserk and Elfen Lied, I thought they were both sufficient. Not as much content as the manga, but good enough. By doing so, they assured that I wouldn't get tired and forget about them, and that there was less room for the creators to mess up, which is what happened in Elfen Lied, and most recently, Berserk, but I won't talk about the latter, since it's kinda minor.

Elfen Lied ended on one of the most tearful endings I had ever seen in anime. I was literally bawling on my laptop when I saw Lucy make up to Kouta.

While the manga ended with the humans wiping out the Diclonius... after the manga establishes so much time that not all of them are evil, and that they deserve to live too. And this is presented as a good thing.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

FMA:
1. There was the fight with Greed. And the fight with Scar. And the homunculus. And Dante. And so on. Sure, they were short, but I get tired of excessive fight scenes veerrrryy quickly, so they were used to move the plot and characterization instead. And it was great. Sure, they were few, and they were short, but they served a very important purpose, and the fact they weren't thrown about the series in every episode, or heck, every one out of two episodes, made them feel refreshing and entertaining. The repetition of fight scenes is what make Naruto and One Piece god awful to me, among other things.

2. I dunno, I thought it was a good explanation. Not the most original explanation by far, but it was an interesting take on alchemy, which further reinforces the point of equivalent exchange and the ghastly hidden nature of alchemy. Sure, they didn't expand on it as much as they could, but it was enough.

3. Xing and Briggs aren't necessary. Sure, they are badass, but come on, we've got a whole series of badass characters, who needs them. And the angst is what makes the anime great. It shows that the characters are still human and fragile deep down inside, and that they all have to live with the consequences with their actions like human beings. One of the few problems I have with the manga is that it resolves it angst too quickly, and that much of the emotional tension that could be shown is lost. The side stories again serve different purposes in the manga and anime, and the anime did very well in building the characterization of the characters, mainly the main ones, but also of the villains as well. Take Lust, for instance. There was this one episode where she meets this man from the past, and after a whole episode of petting the dog and showing her human side, she ruthlessly kills him. Brilliant. Her lust for an identity brings out both the best and worst of both worlds. And the interactions between Al, Ed, and the other characters in the series really helped me connect to them all the way to the end.

4. Really? I don't see any difference at all. Zilch. This is the first time I heard of the art being a complaint. I got nothing more to say other than what? Moving on.

5. The overall feel to me was gothic, tragic, like a Shakespearean play, and I loved it. It really had that atmosphere that sucked me right into the anime. I really felt for all the characters, even the minor ones, because of their struggles to make their lives better and atone for their past. Having them all related to another in some way made for some great twists, not because of the surprise factor, but because it really added to that atmosphere. In the end, not everyone can make up for their mistakes, which I think makes for a much more realistic message, since not everything in the world ends happily.

6. Of course she's small time. That's what made her a compelling villain. She's just human. She doesn't care for world domination or any other grand vision. She's like the villains that surround our world today. She cares only about herself, and doesn't care about how much damage she does to the world around her. Sure, immortality is small compared to ruling the world or becoming a god, but compare her rather neutral goal to how much damage she does to the world. She killed off an entire race. She created a military dictatorships that make noble people like Roy commit atrocities that haunt them for the rest of their life. She forced the protagonists and their mentor to fight the twisted mockeries of the people they cared the most about. All because of her own selfish desires. In a way, it reflects the Elric brothers themselves, who feverently chase their dreams of returning to their bodies to the very end, only unlike her, they realize the ghastly price of their dream, and stop to help others, unlike her, who just doesn't care.

[Innis Cabal]

FMA:
1. There was the fight with Greed. And the fight with Scar. And the homunculus. And Dante. And so on. Sure, they were short, but I get tired of excessive fight scenes veerrrryy quickly, so they were used to move the plot and characterization instead. And it was great. Sure, they were few, and they were short, but they served a very important purpose, and the fact they weren't thrown about the series in every episode, or heck, every one out of two episodes, made them feel refreshing and entertaining. The repetition of fight scenes is what make Naruto and One Piece god awful to me, among other things.

The fight scenes in the manga are short, and wonderful. The only fight that could be called a fight is the one with Greed, and it was good. The rest are hardly more then verbal confrontation. And it was boring. I'm sick of abriged 8th grade philosophy. See point 2


2. I dunno, I thought it was a good explanation. Not the most original explanation by far, but it was an interesting take on alchemy, which further reinforces the point of equivalent exchange and the ghastly hidden nature of alchemy. Sure, they didn't expand on it as much as they could, but it was enough.

No, it wasn't. In fact, it makes no sense. Whats going back to the WW1 world? Nothing. Nothing -what so f*@$ ever. Its a pile of crock. Human souls from the WW1 world go in, make Alchemy. What goes back to their world? You could presumably say the souls from the other world. But do they ever state that? I honestly can't remember, I blocked out the bogus crap as soon as it came on the screen.


3. Xing and Briggs aren't necessary. Sure, they are badass, but come on, we've got a whole series of badass characters, who needs them. And the angst is what makes the anime great. It shows that the characters are still human and fragile deep down inside, and that they all have to live with the consequences with their actions like human beings. One of the few problems I have with the manga is that it resolves it angst too quickly, and that much of the emotional tension that could be shown is lost.


This is competly untrue. You do need them, or as we see. The story needs to be changed COMPLETLY. And thats just silly, making it completly non-canon(As it has been struck) and a complete waste of time. And honestly, you don't need angst to show humanity. Sorrow and sadness are ok. But they are not really always needed. Its a crutch alot of people use. The author of the anime seemed to need two to get around.


The side stories again serve different purposes in the manga and anime, and the anime did very well in building the characterization of the characters, mainly the main ones, but also of the villains as well. Take Lust, for instance. There was this one episode where she meets this man from the past, and after a whole episode of petting the dog and showing her human side, she ruthlessly kills him. Brilliant. Her lust for an identity brings out both the best and worst of both worlds. And the interactions between Al, Ed, and the other characters in the series really helped me connect to them all the way to the end.

Brilliant? No....once again its trite. One more villian to feel compassion for. Fine, ok. Thats great. Oh look, she's done the same thing almost every other anti-hero has done before her. /snore. Moving on.


4. Really? I don't see any difference at all. Zilch. This is the first time I heard of the art being a complaint. I got nothing more to say other than what? Moving on.

Look harder, its there.


5. The overall feel to me was gothic, tragic, like a Shakespearean play, and I loved it. It really had that atmosphere that sucked me right into the anime. I really felt for all the characters, even the minor ones, because of their struggles to make their lives better and atone for their past. Having them all related to another in some way made for some great twists, not because of the surprise factor, but because it really added to that atmosphere. In the end, not everyone can make up for their mistakes, which I think makes for a much more realistic message, since not everything in the world ends happily.

The minor characters have so little to give us a feel for them. They appear, fill their mission, and are carted off. The rape and whole storyline with Rose was distasteful and un-needed as well. Ed is way different then his manga persona, and not that its a problem, but he's not sympathetic at all. He's actually pretty flat. And Al is even worse, having a moment of character growth only to be quashed as soon as it started in an episode or two by the power of BROTHERLY LOVE. Trite. Stale. Rise, repeat.


6. Of course she's small time. That's what made her a compelling villain. She's just human. She doesn't care for world domination or any other grand vision. She's like the villains that surround our world today. She cares only about herself, and doesn't care about how much damage she does to the world around her. Sure, immortality is small compared to ruling the world or becoming a god, but compare her rather neutral goal to how much damage she does to the world. She killed off an entire race. She created a military dictatorships that make noble people like Roy commit atrocities that haunt them for the rest of their life. She forced the protagonists and their mentor to fight the twisted mockeries of the people they cared the most about. All because of her own selfish desires. In a way, it reflects the Elric brothers themselves, who feverently chase their dreams of returning to their bodies to the very end, only unlike her, they realize the ghastly price of their dream, and stop to help others, unlike her, who just doesn't care.

How is she a compelling villian? She's doing what almost every villian does in almost every manga who are small time. She's almost...so generic she's inventive. She's a chess master. Whooo. We've only seen that in almost every cartoon and movie since the early 80's.


All in all. FMA is just so generic and boring it can be put on a shelf with the rest of the sub-par shounen. Where it belongs. Dusty and forgotten

[Lord of Rapture]

The fight scenes in the manga are short, and wonderful. The only fight that could be called a fight is the one with Greed, and it was good. The rest are hardly more then verbal confrontation. And it was boring. I'm sick of abriged 8th grade philosophy. See point 2

No, it wasn't. In fact, it makes no sense. Whats going back to the WW1 world? Nothing. Nothing -what so f*@$ ever. Its a pile of crock. Human souls from the WW1 world go in, make Alchemy. What goes back to their world? You could presumably say the souls from the other world. But do they ever state that? I honestly can't remember, I blocked out the bogus crap as soon as it came on the screen.

This is competly untrue. You do need them, or as we see. The story needs to be changed COMPLETLY. And thats just silly, making it completly non-canon(As it has been struck) and a complete waste of time. And honestly, you don't need angst to show humanity. Sorrow and sadness are ok. But they are not really always needed. Its a crutch alot of people use. The author of the anime seemed to need two to get around.

Brilliant? No....once again its trite. One more villian to feel compassion for. Fine, ok. Thats great. Oh look, she's done the same thing almost every other anti-hero has done before her. /snore. Moving on.

Look harder, its there.

The minor characters have so little to give us a feel for them. They appear, fill their mission, and are carted off. The rape and whole storyline with Rose was distasteful and un-needed as well. Ed is way different then his manga persona, and not that its a problem, but he's not sympathetic at all. He's actually pretty flat. And Al is even worse, having a moment of character growth only to be quashed as soon as it started in an episode or two by the power of BROTHERLY LOVE. Trite. Stale. Rise, repeat.

How is she a compelling villian? She's doing what almost every villian does in almost every manga who are small time. She's almost...so generic she's inventive. She's a chess master. Whooo. We've only seen that in almost every cartoon and movie since the early 80's.

All in all. FMA is just so generic and boring it can be put on a shelf with the rest of the sub-par shounen. Where it belongs. Dusty and forgotten

Hmmm. Quite frankly, I liked the verbal confrontation between the fighters. Scar's fight wasn't all talking. Neither was the fight in the warehouse between the homunculus and Ed, near the end. Both the manga and the anime fights are quite enjoyable, and quite frankly, if you don't at least some deeper themes in your story besides "good guys are good, bad guys are bad", I'm going to snore very quickly.

The point is that the energy from alchemy has to come from somewhere in order to rearrange the atoms in the structure they're changing. Where does it come from? It has to come from somewhere. The souls in that world are used up to power alchemy. Nothing has to go to our world in order to make sense.

A completely different story makes for a different experience. I, quite frankly, enjoyed the experience. Briggs is boring. Yay, a bunch of badasses that can kick even the main characters' asses. Oh, and here they are completely trouncing Central. Tell me again, where's the tension in this arc? Where's the possibility that the bad guys have a chance against these walking one-man armies? Where's the emotional payoff when these guys win? None. Xing's insertion thankfully ruined none of the plot, but I have nothing but antipathy for Briggs. Sure, some of minor (filler) characters never returned, but at least they had the sense to not undermine the plot.

Which brings me to the subject of minor characters. At the start, I admit the series did have some troubles with the minor characters (Psyren, you do not exist). But as time went on, as the minor characters started to reappear, like Archer and Tucker, I grew more attached, or at least more engaged to them. Kimblee is delightfully psychotic in either version, Archer establishes the sliminess of those power-seeking bastards that run the military, Scar's brother becomes important as part of the main plot and the birth of Lust, etc. I felt really compelled by these characters as much as I do by the manga's characters. Actually, in the case of Roy, more so. Roy's flaws make him make me connect to him, while manga Roy, while a perfectly awesome character in his own right, borders Mary Sue at times when he overshadows the main characters.

Without tragedy, where's the payoff that comes with a happy, or even a bittersweet ending? What makes Berserk, Monster, Type-Moon, and Elfen Lied great is that no matter how hard life gets you down, you just keep on getting back up and succeed. That's what I love about the anime. Shows you enough dark to make the light seem really precious, and really makes your heart leap once they reach repentance and happiness, or continue on their journey to reach their knowing that the path is laid before them now. If there is no darkness, what value is there in the light?

You missed my point entirely. My point was that she was an unsympathetic character, that despite showing humanity, she was a villain to the core. No matter how much sympathy you were tempted to show, she was undeserving of it. The anime writers did a great job in creating a character you wanted to pity, but hated at the same time.

What sets Dante apart from other villains is that she already runs a country, she already is the most powerful alchemist in the world, she already has conquered death... and yet she's content with her existence as a body snatcher. Her life is made. Already, she has achieved her goal, which what makes her so hateable in my eyes. She's exactly like the villains in everyday life, those that don't have the loftiest goals, but win anyway, and didn't suffer karmic punishment before bringing suffering to many in pursuit of their selfish goals.

Overall, I feel that the anime is a much more realistic series than the manga, and I praise it for taking a completely different direction and atmosphere. Sure, fans of the manga don't like it, but I like both, so I don't let it bother me.

Innis Cabal, I seriously feel we are at an impasse ion this issue, and that we should let it slide, because we're not going to budge a single inch on this issue.

[Thrawn183]

So I got about half way into Flame of Recca (~150 chapters) and have lost interest.

I dunno, it's like yu yu hakusho, but not as good. I'm serious, it's soooooo similar.

I think I'm going to try out that Midori no Hibi as a break from my usual martial art manga spree and see if that gets me back in the groove.

[13_CBS]

Just found another one: Kamunagara (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/kamunagara/). It's another "boy meets girl, realizes that freaky supernatural stuff is going on, becomes demonslayer" type of manga, but it's been interesting so far. Give it a read.

[Thrawn183]

I'm also working on Kurogane no LineBarrel. I really like it. I'm a huge fan of mecha, but I hate the drama and angst that gernerally goes along with Gundam, hence why I loved the first half of 08th mobile suit and was even able to tolerate the second half.

I like that the main character has the qualities of a hero while still being flawed. I like that he is improving himself, while not instantly solving all of his issues. I've had a little bit of trouble following the action sequences, but this isn't too surprising because I always have a little trouble with that in manga. The mecha are more diverse than I expected, usually while mecha concentrate on different things they still rely on the standard swords, beam swords, beam rifles etc. In this case, the mecha tend to rely on totally different froms of combat, at least so far as I've gotten of course. Anyway, there's been enough humor mixed in that I have literally laughed out loud ever few chapters and as a result, I really rate this one pretty highly.

Edit: I've been looking at a new manga called Defense Devil. I'm holding off on it for now because it's only 11 chapters old, but I think it has potential.

Double Edit: I finished AIKI. While it starts out very NSFW, it surprisingly becomes much less so with time. I think it did a very good job of breaking the mold for fighting manga, I felt like the characters were actually different from each other.

Triple Edit: I finished Sekirei. Rather NSFW throughout. I'm usually not a fan of harem manga for 2 reasons: first; the relationships never seem to go anywhere (clearly that would have problems with ending the manga) and second; their isn't much of a story. Sekirei managed to have enough fighting and gerneral....plotness, that I was entertained. Mahou sensei nejima came close in this respect, but I think the badassness of Sekirei was able to hook me while MSN wasn't. (Though I still haven't given up on MSN, it's just on hold for a while.)

[13_CBS]

Got a new recommendation...

Has anyone read Mahoraba (http://www.onemanga.com/Mahoraba/)? It's one of my most favorite series of all time.

It's a romantic comedy (marketed towards boys, so no overly sappy shoujo stuff here) that starts off looking a bit like a harem manga: young college kid moves into a dorm populated almost entirely by women. Luckily, there's almost no fanservice in this series, nor are there any real harem situations.

Mahoraba's a very heartwarming tale about how a eccentric group of kids and young adults deal with their personal issues and, most importantly, learn to enjoy life. It's a warm and fuzzy series, but never saccharine (or at least that's what I think), and the ending is beautiful. As I said before, no fanservice or harem situations, just good, clean, romantic-comedy fun. One of my absolute favorites of all time.

Edit: Alright, looking through the series again, there's a teensy bit of fanservice. Hardly any. It's technically there, but hardly noticeable in the long run.

[Thrawn183]

Well, I'm currently working on Shina Dark, but I'll give it a shot and as soon as I'm finished. After all, it comes rather highly recommended.

[13_CBS]

Ooh! Shina Dark! One of the more interesting series around (although the fanservice gets to be at times :smallannoyed:) Any thoughts on it?

[Thrawn183]

Well, the non-central characters are very simple, at least at this point in the story and frankly I could see that changing. The story about the doll house, man, I could tell what was going on from the very beginning, but the end was still kinda chilling. I don't know why, but it was.

I like stories that try and turn a concept on its head, regardless if it's a real world concept or an in....story(?) one. Clearly, I like what's going on with Satan and the island of Shina Dark, and I think the story is pretty funny.

I would like to see a bit more character backgroung or development for characters other than the two princesses. I understand that the focus will probably be moving away from them now, but I feel like I know nothing about the maid, the butler, why satan is even around, or anything about anyone in the town except for the dancer. Again, I'm fine with some non-important characters being one-dimensional (for example the evil queen), I just wish I knew a little bit more about the people on the island itself.

Uh.... I like that in the moments of fan service, the characters don't hate on satan too hard. Usually the stuff really isn't his fault and it's refreshing to see a case where the other characters don't freak out and require a whole chapter for the guy who really meant no harm to settle things down again.

I think the treasure vault is hilarious. In fact, satan's interactions with pretty much everybody are hilarious whether he's awake for them or not.

Anything else you're interested in hearing my opinion on? (Oh, and I'm getting started on Mahoraba)

Edit: I should mention about the character development/exposition thingy, I'm not pissed that I don't know about these characters, I'm just drawn into wanting to know more.

Double Edit: I'm also thinking about reading Team Medical Dragon just because the name sounds cool. Seriously.

[13_CBS]

Cool! Glad you liked it. :smallbiggrin:

[Thrawn183]

Got a new recommendation...

Has anyone read Mahoraba (http://www.onemanga.com/Mahoraba/)? It's one of my most favorite series of all time.


Man, this is amazing. Unfortunately the sad parts are literally bringing me to tears. Poor Asami.

Edit: This may be the cutest manga I've ever read.

[13_CBS]

And the nice thing is that people don't go all overly emo/sad on us (or if they do, it's never seen), and the sad parts aren't there to make you cry as much as they're obstacles for you and the characters to overcome. The tearjerkers don't take away all that much from the series' "Enjoy life" theme, only enhances it, the way saltiness enhances sweetness.

Edit: if you think Asami's stuff is sad, check out this: http://www.onemanga.com/Mahoraba/46/extra-01/. A bit of backstory for one of the main characters.

But again, it's sad, but not the kind of "BOO HOO HOO WOE IS ME" kind of sad, it's much more a quiet, lonely suffering kind of sad.

[13_CBS]

Yet another series to recommend:

Everything by Mori Kaoru. (http://www.mangafox.com/search/author/MORI+Kaoru/)

No, really. Mori Kaoru is the author of series such as Emma (and its spin-off sequelish deal, Emma Bangaihen), Shirley (spin-off series to Emma), and Otoyomegatari (something a bit different). The Emma and Shirley series are Victorian England slice of life series, with Emma being focused on romance.

The "primary" series, Emma, is a take on the classic "forbidden love between two people of unequal social status". I think it's technically Josei (marketed towards young adult women), but it's so well written and beautifully drawn that it easily appeals to other folks (like me!). The author's apparently done her research into the Victorian-era lifestyle as well. The characters are interesting, there's plenty of drama, and, well...it's just not often that you get to see a manga about Victorian England, eh? Bangaihen is a collection of short stories set in various times before, after, and occasionally during the main Emma series.


Shirley is, as I said, a spin-off series from Emma, this time about the little servant girl Shirley who takes up a job as a maid. It follows her story as she learns how to become a proper maid (and an adult). Shirley Madison is its sequel.

Otoyomegatari is about a curious marriage set in the 19th century, this time in...Central Asia, near the Caspian Sea. That's right, it's a manga that has a setting pretty much unvisited by any other manga series in existence. For that reason alone it's worth checking out. But it's also got an interesting premise: 12 year old boy gets married (via arrangement) to a 20 year old woman, and they figure out how to live their new lives as husband and wife. They get along very well, if a bit distantly, yet the series comes out to be an interesting read. Oh, and the art is MINDBLOWING. (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/otoyomegatari/v01/c002/6.html)

[Thrawn183]

Man, you weren't kidding about the art! That alone is putting on my list of must reads. I mean.... 0_0

Edit: And I was watching naruto the abriged series before reading the part where they try and kidnap asami. Suddenly I was "hearing" the old guy's voice as one of the voice actors from the abriged series. The fact that it worked, is boderline terrifying.

Double Edit: didn't see the quadruplets coming, yet it's perfect.

[13_CBS]

New manga recommendation...

But before I begin, a warning: the following manga will not be enjoyable to many of you. It's rather hit or miss, I think.

My next recommendation is Houkago Play (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/houkago_play/) (Afterschool Play). It's a slice of life romantic comedy featuring two high school students, a girl and a boy, who love video games. It's a yonkoma style comic, meaning that the manga is arranged into 4 panels, each set of 4 panels telling a chunk of the story (much like Calvin & Hobbes or Peanuts).

So why am I warning you guys about this manga? As I said, it's rather hit or miss. As to why it is so, let me make an analogy:

Imagine a little dog. It's filthy, flea-bitten, and ugly, and it smells godawful. It has this annoying tendency to eat anything it sees, even if it's completely rotten (or even if it's not edible :smalleek:). It's not always nice, either.

But it's a very charming dog. At first glance, it's a horrid abomination, but the more you look at it the more you want to keep looking at it, until you just can't stop watching and laughing at the little dog's antics. Even its ugliness transforms into a sort of charming little gritty look, and its rough mannerisms become more like a cute kind of gruffness.

Houkago Play is that ugly little dog.

The art is...not entirely refined. Crude, even. Or if you're feeling mean, pretty bad. The lines are all squiggly and there's almost no background to speak of, it's always just a blank white space behind the heads/upper torsos of the characters. The characters also start of being pretty flat and the plot is repetitive. The guy tends to do things that annoy his girlfriend, and the (rather short tempered) tsundere girl kicks him in the face. Rinse, lather, repeat for the next dozen or so strips.

But...as I found out after toughing out the first several pages of Houkago Play, it kinda grows on you. You start chuckling more as the guy gets smacked in the noggin by his girlfriend, and you really get pulled in as the relationship between them starts to go places. And the ending is a nice climax (in more ways than one! :smalleek:), bringing a nice closure to the budding relationship of a young couple.

I thought it was a very fun read, and fairly unique given its medium. A refreshing break from all the harem romantic comedies, I think.

[Fri]

Houkago Play is cool. I like that :D. And I don't really care about the art, since I'm used to other humour manga like that. You're used to beautifully drawn manga, but there are a lot of rough looking manga that is really popular here. And the two characters are really cute.

On the topic of relationship between two character, one of my favourite manga now is Sajo no Kanojo X. You could find it in Onemanga. I haven't recommended it because I thought it might be rather fetishistic, but hey, since when I care about what other people think about me.

It's a slice of life manga about the growing relationship between a boy and his rather mysteriously eccentric and quirky girlfriend who wield scissors as deadly and precise weapon and have some sort of psychic power with her... saliva... as the medium. She can read people's mind by tasting their saliva. Yeah. It's really cute.

[RMS Oceanic]

I recently found an interesting new Manga: Ikigami.

It goes like this: At the age of six in this society, all children are vaccinated against some diseases. However, 0.01 percent (1 in 10,000) of these vaccinations has a nanocapsule inside it. This capsule eventually rests in the child's pulmonary artery. At a predetermined time between the child's 16th and 24th birthday, this capsule bursts the pulmonary artery and kills them. The point of randomly killing 1 in 10,000 of the population is to remind them that life is sacred, and they should live life to the full in a responsible and morally correct way.

The victims of this system are given notice of their death: the titular Ikigami, usually delivered 24 hours ahead of the time of death. What the manga has been doing so far is following these people and showing how they react in their final hours. It's really interesting so far.

[13_CBS]

Houkago Play is cool. I like that :D. And I don't really care about the art, since I'm used to other humour manga like that. You're used to beautifully drawn manga, but there are a lot of rough looking manga that is really popular here. And the two characters are really cute.

On the topic of relationship between two character, one of my favourite manga now is Sajo no Kanojo X. You could find it in Onemanga. I haven't recommended it because I thought it might be rather fetishistic, but hey, since when I care about what other people think about me.

It's a slice of life manga about the growing relationship between a boy and his rather mysteriously eccentric and quirky girlfriend who wield scissors as deadly and precise weapon and have some sort of psychic power with her... saliva... as the medium. She can read people's mind by tasting their saliva. Yeah. It's really cute.

Ooh! Mysterious Girlfriend X! Love that one. :smallbiggrin:

[UltraDude]

Houkago Play (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/houkago_play/)


It was strangely charming (and hot).

[Fri]

It was strangely charming (and hot).

It was indeed. How long do I have to be a shut in to got a girl like her or Misaki (from welcome to NHK).

[13_CBS]

It was indeed. How long do I have to be a shut in to got a girl like her or Misaki (from welcome to NHK).

So...you want to be kicked in the face by a high-maintenance and obnoxious girl every day?

...

...well, I guess if you're the kind of person who likes C.C...

[UltraDude]

So...you want to be kicked in the face by a high-maintenance and obnoxious girl every day?

...

...well, I guess if you're the kind of person who likes C.C...

...I could dig it.

[Fri]

...kicked in the face by a high-maintenance and obnoxious girl every day?

...

... C.C...

You mean you never wanted that :smalltongue:?

But yeah, maintaining a psycho tsundere girl like that is a lot harder in real life. Believe me, from all people, I should know.

Actually, girls like that are my second favourite type of girl. My ultimate dream girl is Luna Lovegood.

[Thrawn183]

I've finally broken down and just started going alphabetically through all the completed manga on onemanga that look interesting. So if you see one that hasn't been suggested pop up on the list, check it out!

Edit:
- Slam Dunk: good story, fun characters, good ending. Will make you laugh, though the final basket ball game takes like... 70 chapters. It was almost like the mangaka was trying to describe the entire second half with pictures instead of video.

- Mysterious Girlfriend X: interesting. Honestly, about half of what I read made me really sad, thinking about past relationships, or I didn't like the attitude of the characters. On the other hand, both the main characters were pretty cool with what's going on. Anyway, I can see how this would be quite enjoyable if you are someone other than me.

- Beast Master: A short and to the point romance. Not bad.

- Beauty is the Beast: An interesting romance. An interesting comment on trying to be with people that you enjoy being around rather than all the other reasons people get together.

- Blue Dragon: Lost potential I'm afraid. A boy who has been imprisoned in total darkness for the first 15 years of his life and is basically one of the 5 most powerful people in the world? Could have been great. The ending was also hella rushed.

- Brilliant Magic: The biggest eyes I have ever seen 0_0 -_- 0_0

[Thrawn183]

Cherry Juice: A new for me. Girl loves guy. Girl's adopted brother loves girl. Drama ensues. Adopted brother's half brother shows up. Things get crazy. Girl realizes she loves adopted brother. Happy ending. Oh, and the girl is competing for "largest eyes ever" award.

[13_CBS]

I already suggested this before, but upon reading it again, I must make a second recommendation:

Kure-nai (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/kure_nai/) (Crimson)

It's about the 16 year old Japanese high-school student Shinkurou whose occupation (aside from school) is being a "mediator"--that is, people hire him for various odd jobs when they can't or don't want to contact government authorities. One day, he is tasked to be the bodyguard and unofficial caretaker to a little girl, Murasaki (her name meaning "violet" or "purple"). As time passes, Murasaki and Shinkurou get closer (though, to Shinkurou's credit, he never ever thinks of Murasaki as anything more than a little sister), and they must deal with Murasaki's supremely wealthy and powerful family.

The manga series is actually an adaptation of the original Kure-nai light novels. I like the premise, the setting, and the characters a lot but what really gets me into the series is the character designs. I don't know why, but I just think the characters are extremely well-drawn.

[Thrawn183]

Well, I just read Kodomo no Omocha, and while it may not be quite on the level of Mahoraba, it is still a very touching story that I think anyone who loves Mahoraba would enjoy.

[13_CBS]

Hrm...Shoujo series...that makes me suspicious. :smallannoyed:

[Fri]

There's another one, one of my favourite manga!

How can I forgot it until now...

Sexy Voice and Robo.

A quirky series with a distinctive art style.

It's about a girl, code named herself 'sexy voice.' She's a quirky highschool girl who spent his time watching people and pretending to be older woman in phone to tease men. Because of that, she got a keen understanding of human mind, ability to manipulate her voice and understand other people based on their voice.

Robo is... an otaku who collect robot plastic model. He was one of her past victim, and for some reason, the two became an unlikely partner.

[Thrawn183]

I just finished reading Power and.... why the heck do so many manga have to have weird endings!?

[13_CBS]

Which one? :smallconfused: I can't find a manga called "Power" in mangafox.

[Thrawn183]

It's called Power but it's technically listed as Girl Got Game? Sorry about that. I'll change the OP. (And thanks for the catch!)