Zeouterlimits
Member
*sees MW and Solanin*
*smiles and nods*
*smiles and nods*
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A List of Lesser Known Manga: Because there's More to Manga than Monster and Berserk
- Thread starter flawfuls
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I'd love to read some of the manga suggestions on the first page, but for some reason while loading the images, the scroller disappears and I can't even look at the whole first post.
I wonder why that is.
Edit: could see the first page with chrome. Man Opera failed me badly this time =(
I'm happy to see someone suggested Gokusen, as well as all the suggestion flawfuls made.
Some great titles in here.
I wonder why that is.
Edit: could see the first page with chrome. Man Opera failed me badly this time =(
I'm happy to see someone suggested Gokusen, as well as all the suggestion flawfuls made.
Some great titles in here.
Dedication Through Light
Member
Kamaki said:
Ive been meaning to get that one from the story. I like the cover designs that they use
FreedomFrisbee
Member
My advice: don't read the Welcome to the NHK manga. There's an anime and a book that are both better.
It would be nice to see this thread (and some of the descriptions) cross-posted in the Official Comic/Manga Recommendation Thread.
DrForester
Kills Photobucket
Mumei said:
you mean that thread that had 3 posts since 2008 and most of those were 5 months ago?
God - fucking - damn @OP. I was going to suggest something, but since you cover freaking every single good not known manga on existence, I don't know what to contribute with. I just want to confirm that yes Dragon Head and Ode to Kirihiro are awesome, and that you should all read this:
Ikigami
One of the most interesting dystopies that I have ever read. In a not so distant future, there's one opressive goverment in Japan. However, its opression is very, very sutile. You will not see nazi - like uniforms nor big brother-esque monitorization. It is like any of our sweet democracies. Except for one little, tiny dettail: the prosperity law. A law created in order to instill the value of life on the citizens, it mandates a vaccine to be injected into every children. Once they reach 26 years old, one of each 1000 citizens will discover that he only have 24 hours left on this world, for his vaccine was really a poison with a retardation mechanism. The advice note or "Ikigami" is delivered 24 hours before the death, and its deliverance is a hell of a job. This story is about the ones that have to deliver Ikigamis and their stories. Pure. Awesome.
Monster Collector
A manga about a trading card game called "Monster collector" made by its illustrator. It seems poised to be a shitty manga, right? WRONG! A short, 6 tomes story, it is incredible how the author manages to create such a rich world in such a short space. One of the best adventure mangas around, lighthearted but with lot of heart, it oozes charisma and wonder, not to mention that it has one of the best designs that I have ever seen. Ever. Period. No contest. The llustrations of humans, architecture, creatures... they are all vivid, stylish yet realistic, graceful yet with texture. Seriously, it will make sweet, sweet love to your eyeballs, and this shitty pic, the only thing that came out of google, does not make it justice, better check this link in order to see some of its pannels:
http://crystal-energy.blogspot.com/2009/02/monster-collection-totalmente.html
My year
A story about Capuccine, a little girl which has a very rare condition... I won't spoil it since it is quite awesome to figure it out by yourself before the author reveals it to us. Let's say that it is a very heartwarming, but realistic, human story, and that the author is really incredible at showing the reader how Capuccine sees the world... and how the world sees her. Not to mention the fact that it is wholly pencil - coloured, making it almost an artisan - made book.
Ikigami
One of the most interesting dystopies that I have ever read. In a not so distant future, there's one opressive goverment in Japan. However, its opression is very, very sutile. You will not see nazi - like uniforms nor big brother-esque monitorization. It is like any of our sweet democracies. Except for one little, tiny dettail: the prosperity law. A law created in order to instill the value of life on the citizens, it mandates a vaccine to be injected into every children. Once they reach 26 years old, one of each 1000 citizens will discover that he only have 24 hours left on this world, for his vaccine was really a poison with a retardation mechanism. The advice note or "Ikigami" is delivered 24 hours before the death, and its deliverance is a hell of a job. This story is about the ones that have to deliver Ikigamis and their stories. Pure. Awesome.
Monster Collector
A manga about a trading card game called "Monster collector" made by its illustrator. It seems poised to be a shitty manga, right? WRONG! A short, 6 tomes story, it is incredible how the author manages to create such a rich world in such a short space. One of the best adventure mangas around, lighthearted but with lot of heart, it oozes charisma and wonder, not to mention that it has one of the best designs that I have ever seen. Ever. Period. No contest. The llustrations of humans, architecture, creatures... they are all vivid, stylish yet realistic, graceful yet with texture. Seriously, it will make sweet, sweet love to your eyeballs, and this shitty pic, the only thing that came out of google, does not make it justice, better check this link in order to see some of its pannels:
http://crystal-energy.blogspot.com/2009/02/monster-collection-totalmente.html
My year
A story about Capuccine, a little girl which has a very rare condition... I won't spoil it since it is quite awesome to figure it out by yourself before the author reveals it to us. Let's say that it is a very heartwarming, but realistic, human story, and that the author is really incredible at showing the reader how Capuccine sees the world... and how the world sees her. Not to mention the fact that it is wholly pencil - coloured, making it almost an artisan - made book.
BudokaiMR2
Member
No tezuka listed brings a lot of sadness to my heart.
He was an absolute genius in his art/writing/paneling/everything and there are still very few people that can compare in the manga industry.
He was an absolute genius in his art/writing/paneling/everything and there are still very few people that can compare in the manga industry.
QuiteWhittle
Member
Dude, he posted multiple manga by Tezuka..look again.BudokaiMR2 said:
There are three series from him in the very first post.BudokaiMR2 said:
Great thread.
I know by every angle it technically shouldn't count in a thread with all these obscure indie titles, considering it's a long-running Shonen Jump series with a 200-some episode anime, but somehow I don't feel that Eyeshield 21 has ever actually been as popular as these metrics would seem to let on, especially with Western fans that generally seem to poo-poo sports manga as a rule. Sure, it's pretty much got every cliche in the book for a shonen series, but the art is damn well the most energetic and dynamic I've ever seen from the medium, the individuality given every character in a cast of hundreds is peerless, and goddamnit the series is just fun as all damn hell.
I'd also like to express my love for Makoto Kobayashi's work (What's Michael, Club 9). Nobody in comics does (hilarious) facial expressions better.
FreedomFrisbee
Member
Lain said:
Well, having consumed all 3 media representations of this, I can say that the manga isn't what you should be looking for. Read the book or watch the anime, as they're more or less the same thing. The manga screws up the end in a spectacular manner, so don't waste your time on it.
DrForester
Kills Photobucket
icarus-daedelus said:
If you liked the show up until it fell apart you'll probably enjoy the manga. I don't see why you wouldn't. It has a very nice and conclusive ending characters get very flushed out.
I'd say it's only real fault (and this could be said of many anime/manga) is that the cast gets pretty big. I enjoyed the side characters but there is a a lot of attention given to other characters in the series.
Heh I was just about to say that, I like Samura's shorter work but Blade of the Immortal is something else. The art quality is getting absurd at this point too, the best there is with action and movement as far as I'm concerned.AFreak said:No Blade of the Immortal in all of that? I am depressed
I thought Tokyo Zombie was pretty awesome.
Drawn with purposely bad art, the dead bodies dumped on Mt. Fuji come alive for a zombie apocalypse and the rich survivors make the poor fight zombies in arenas. Here's a brief look.
FreedomFrisbee said:
As someone who has both read the manga and watched the anime, I have to admit that I'm just amazed at the thought of the anime being considered better than the manga.
The end in the manga didn't particularly set me ablaze, but it was still good, and it certainly didn't invalidate the spectacular job that was done in every volume before it.
I can't say the same thing for the anime.
But I'll say this, maybe I'll track down the novel to read it, seeing as it was published in a language I can read.
RadioHeadAche
Member
Jangaroo said:
I will have to remember to do so. That was one of the few that stood out as I looked though that list.
Lain said:
I think every medium of Welcome to the NHK has its merits. I do kind of like how the manga ended. Rushed certainly but the take on things wasn't a bad idea. The mood of the manga felt much less depressing than the other mediums and at times offered a sort of comedic insanity.
suzu said:Nice list! Missing these two though.
Emma (aka Victorian Romance Emma) by Kaoru Mori (Licensed)
]http://i43.tinypic.com/2gu0dn4.jpg[/IMG]
Otoyomegatari (Young Bride's Story) by Kaoru Mori
http://i43.tinypic.com/2nhlx1t.jpg[/IMG]
I noticed the omissions too I was about to post them. I'm also wondering why Blade of the Immortal was left out. its probably just as popular as Vagabond and Vinland Saga,
Seconding Solanin, Goodnight PunPun, Undercurrent and Onani Master Kurosawa.
Oh, I just thought of another one I like. It's pretty hilarious (and maybe a bit sacrilegious lol).
Saint Young Men by Nakamura Hikaru
Also I suggest everyone take a look at Dorohedoro if they dig action, comedy, gore, horror(?). It's one of my favorite series! I think the first volume is out in english now.
Saint Young Men by Nakamura Hikaru
Also I suggest everyone take a look at Dorohedoro if they dig action, comedy, gore, horror(?). It's one of my favorite series! I think the first volume is out in english now.
Thanks for this thread. I stopped reading many comics after the last time I moved out of Japan back in 1996 or so. The last thing I remember reading was Detective Conan, but stopped on that since it was no longer readily available at my new home (I can't believe it's still going!). I've been looking at stuff again recently, but have found it very hard to find recommendations that fit my taste. It seems like everybody is all into those shounen action comics like Naruto, which I don't like. I'm currently in the middle of Fruits Basket, and love it to death. I'd love to find some more stuff along those lines. I'll definitely be checking out some of the stuff in the first posts, too.
grandjedi6
Master of the Google Search
You hate shonen action comics but love Fruits Basket? Yeah, I think its safe to say you'd like most shojo comics. Fruits Basket is the 2nd most popular shojo in Japan and one of the most popular mangas overall in America. So you'd probably like stuff such as:Aeana said:
Ouran High School Host Club
Kimi ni Todoke/Reaching You
Nana
Kimi ni Todoke/Reaching You
Nana
I could also recommend other popular stuff like Skip Beat and Maid Sama but I won't since I hate them for being shitty and sexist. There's alot more stuff out there, however, its hard to recommend anything more niche without knowing what you like about Fruits Basket exactly (plus my knowledge of shojos isn't the greatest). This is the 'lesser known manga' thread though, so someone should have a list of niche shojos to recommend.
And since I've mentioned Ouran Host Club, I fully expect Shintoki to pop in here again
RadioHeadAche
Member
I guess it's about time to visit my local Borders.
Thanks, I'll look into those!grandjedi6 said:
As for what I like about Fruits Basket, well... the romance stuff, and female lead character are probably the biggest draws. I haven't really thought about it other than that. I can say with certainty, some things I don't like are fighting that takes more than a few panels, brutality, gore, and giant robots. I love adventure stories, and drama, and stuff like that. I don't have a lot of experience with comics, but I can say that I've really enjoyed some shows that aired on noitaminA recently, like Library War, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, Eden of the East. I also liked Daughter of Twenty Faces (though I didn't finish it). I guess that about sums up the stuff I've enjoyed in the last few years. I don't know if it's good enough to glean recommendations from, but I'm grateful for anything.
duckroll has been trying to get me to read Pluto, so I think that's what I'll check into next.
Antimatter said:Heh I was just about to say that, I like Samura's shorter work but Blade of the Immortal is something else. The art quality is getting absurd at this point too, the best there is with action and movement as far as I'm concerned.
I thought Tokyo Zombie was pretty awesome.
Drawn with purposely bad art, the dead bodies dumped on Mt. Fuji come alive for a zombie apocalypse and the rich survivors make the poor fight zombies in arenas. Here's a brief look.
It's been my favorite art since I stumbled across it in a Books-A-Million down in the south. I bought the first 5 volumes Dark horse released and then I'm up to chapter 152 now(how many chapters are released, is he still doing it, the place I get the manga hasn't updated in forever). Anyway, it's definitely my favorite manga of all time. The art is just too good, the stories and characters are extremely well written (the antagonist Anotsu Kagehisa is a standout) and I love that most of the "evil" characters aren't just drawn purely evil(except for one of the most badass evil characters ever made, you know who that is
.Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, Blade of the Immortal is the best manga ever.
Rahxephon91
Banned
Is Vagabond on this list? If not, it needs to be.
grandjedi6
Master of the Google Search
Stay the hell away from Berserk then. :lolAeana said:
Actually, most shonen and seinen manga will probably not be to your taste. However there are some stuff like Yotsuba and 20th Century Boys that you should enjoy. Throw them in with the shoujos I listed and you will hopefully find something you like.
Pluto's great, astonishing really.
Nausicaa valley of the wind fits the bolded. Read it now!Aeana said:
Some other recommendations from me would include yotsuba, kare kano, 20th century boys. And as someone said earlier, yeah i would avoid berserk, and probably stuff like blade of the immortal, eden it's a endless world too.>_>
Pluto is easily the authors best and most "mature" work. You should probably read monster and 20th century boy first IMO though.
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