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A List of Lesser Known Manga: Because there's More to Manga than Monster and Berserk

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East Lake

Member
Also for anybody who likes some of the repulsive horror manga has to provide (like Uzumaki but worse), check out samehat.blogspot.com, very NSFW! Some normal manga mixed in there too

Edit:
AFreak said:
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)
You wondering if it's still ongoing? If so yeah, as far as I know. I haven't seen a new chapter in a while though.
 

Kite

Member
suzu said:
Nice list! Missing these two though. :)

Emma (aka Victorian Romance Emma) by Kaoru Mori (Licensed)

Otoyomegatari (Young Bride's Story) by Kaoru Mori
2nhlx1t.jpg
+1 for Victorian Romance Emma, check out Shirley by the same artist. I never heard of Otoyomegatari but since it is also by Kaoru Mori I will check it out for sure.
 

Lafiel

と呼ぶがよい
Jexhius said:
Everyone should go out and buy Pluto. Now.

Maybe then we can get a totally faithful anime version of it, like Monster.
We still haven't got a anime version of 20th century boys though.

Although i guess pluto would be more suited to the medium.
 

Celine

Member
Ikael said:
Monster Collector
Ah memory.
I remember reading it ten years ago.
Nothing spectacular but still enjoyable.

I suggest Keiko Ichiguchi America.

America1.jpg


It's the drama about six young friends, that share the desire to go to America to realize their dreams, that meet every night at Jeremy's Bar in Osaka to listen to american music.
 

Jex

Member
Lafiel said:
We still haven't got a anime version of 20th century boys though.

Although i guess pluto would be more suited to the medium.

I think both would do fine, even though 20thCentury is super-long form. I want BOTH damnit but after they invested all that money making the frankly sup-par live-action 20thCentury I doubt they will also go make it into an anime.

There's just no need. Accept that it would be totally sweet.

It would also stop people saying "Bu-bu-but there's been no great anime since Monster!"
 

faridmon

Member
Jexhius said:
Everyone should go out and buy Pluto. Now.

Maybe then we can get a totally faithful anime version of it, like Monster.
I am reading the 4th volume as we speak.

and the 6th and 7th Volume is on the way from Amazon.:D

awsome Manga, but i think its one of thiose Mangas that don't need Anime.
But again I said the same thing about Death Note, and the Anime was in many way, better than the manga.
 

mehdi_san

Member
Wow this thread is awesome! Excellent choice of books and authors, especially my personal trinity of manga-ka: Tezuka, Taniguchi, Urasawa. You can read anything from these 3 authors, you will never be disappointed :D
 

Fuzzery

Member
Fucking awesome. I like how you included Dragon Head, it's one of my post-apocalyptic faves that no one else seems to have read.:D
 

AFreak

Banned
Antimatter said:
Edit: You wondering if it's still ongoing? If so yeah, as far as I know. I haven't seen a new chapter in a while though.

Yeah, it's been a long time since I saw a new chapter.
 
suzu said:
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
1z4bm9u.jpg

i'm not super-into manga and i've only read this one in japanese so lord knows about translations, but i really like this! nothing really happens, it's just jesus and buddha chilling in japan. recommended for anyone who wants something funny that's the opposite of epic.
 

flawfuls

Member
7Th said:
River's Edge is a pretty big omission, OP; specially considering that you listed the spin-off/sequel Helter Skelter.

I knew about it haven't read it yet so I didn't put it on. Didn't know that it was connected to Helter Skelter though. Will check it out soon.

zoku88 said:
Nice list, but some of these are preeeeety famous.

Yeah it just sort of turned out that way. Oh well, it's fine as long as they're good and not crazy popular. It's kind of hard to gauge popularity anyways.
 

flawfuls

Member
Jexhius said:
I'm only reminded of him because of the sheer volume of manga he has read. He went out and wrote a book called 'Manga : The Complete Guide'. To do that he read every single work that had ever been licensed in English.

Psst only licensed series? :lol

But really I mainly only read short obscure seinen so it probably seems like I've read more than I have. I don't read very much shounen or shoujo. I haven't read a lot of the longer seinen either like Blade of the Immortal and Lone Wolf and Cub.
 

Jex

Member
flawfuls said:
Psst only licensed series? :lol

But really I mainly only read short obscure seinen so it probably seems like I've read more than I have.

Well, compared to mere mortals...

flawfuls said:
I haven't read a lot of the longer seinen either like Lone Wolf and Cub.

Well that's fine because we all know his real masterpieces are Crying Freeman and Wounded Man.
 
Holy hell, this thread is just what I needed.

Thanks! I will have fun trying to choose from the list (if I don't end up trying them all)
 

selig

Banned
OP, you´re acting as if Berserk was such a wide-spread manga. Do you have any numbers to back this up? Afaik, Berserk is just as ignored as many of your listed mangas. Really, more people should read Berserk.
 

Jex

Member
I'm also going to recommend 2001 Nights to people. I have no idea how popular or well know it is, but people should read it anyway.
 

Joule

Member
Throwing in a few of my favourites:

Mahoraba by Kojima, Akira
mahorabacover.jpg

Shiratori Ryuji wants to become a picture book writer, and he moves to an apartment, Narutaki-So, in order to go to an art school in Tokyo. The Narutaki-so is an old Japanese style one-story house which doesn’t fit in with the urban scenery. It's owned by the cousin of his mother, but the manager of the apartment is Aoba Kozue. She is his second cousin, and they met with each other when they were children although he doesn’t remember her much. She is in the second year of a high school attached to Aoba Junior Collage.

There are five people living in Narutaki-So. First, Chanohata Kotomi is living in the room #1. She is a best friend of Kozue. Then, the resident of the room #3 is Momono Megumi. She is a kind of person who goes her own way. In the room #5, Kurosaki Sayoko and her daughter Asami are living. Asami is in the first year of a junior high. Finally, in the room #6, Haibara Yukio is living with his puppet, “Johnny”.

They are all characteristic and eccentric persons. However, in fact, the most eccentric person is Kozue. She has a secret; when she is shocked at something, she changes her personality. Not knowing this, Shiratori moves to Narutaki-So to realize his dream. What kind of a new life will be waiting for him?
One of my favourite feel good slice of life/comedy/romance series. It's really a shame it hasn't been licensed.

Shigurui by Yamaguchi, Takayuki (Story), Nanjo, Norio (Art)
Shigurui_cover.jpg

The story begins in 1629 Shizuoka during Tokugawa Tadanaga's rule. The daimyo staged a tournament where the participants fought with real steel Japanese swords rather than bokken, against his vassals' strong objection. The story revolves around the first match between the one-armed swordsman Fujiki Gennosuke and the blind samurai Irako Seigen and deals with the circumstances that led the two to participate in Tokugawa's tournament.

Gore, guts and sword fighting in a pseudo historical drama.

King of Thorn by Iwahara, Yuji (Licensed)
KingofThornscover.jpg

Two twins, separated by fatal illness and a selective cure. Kasumi and her sister, Shizuku, were infected with the Medusa virus, which slowly turns the victim to stone. There is no cure, but of the two only Kasumi is selected to go into a sort of cryogenically frozen state along with 159 others until a cure is found. At some point in the undetermined future, Kasumi awakens to find herself and others who were in suspended animation in an unfamiliar world with violent monsters. Resolving to unlock the mysteries of her current situation and the fate of her twin sister, Kasumi struggles to survive in a treacherous world.

SF action-suspense that's fairly well done.

Chatting over at the Amber Teahouse by Fujieda, Miyabi
chatting_at_the_amber_teahouse_ch1_.jpg

Set at a shop called The Amber Teahouse, this is a very heartwarming story that focuses on Seriho, the proprietor of the teahouse, and Sarasa, the high school student who works there part-time. It'll set your heart aflutter!

Very cute yuri romance series that's just relaxing to read. Warning however that the releases are quarterly ie 4 times a year D:
 

flawfuls

Member
selig said:
OP, you´re acting as if Berserk was such a wide-spread manga. Do you have any numbers to back this up? Afaik, Berserk is just as ignored as many of your listed mangas. Really, more people should read Berserk.

I don't have any sales numbers or anything, but I'm pretty sure Berserk is very popular. Apparently there was a GAF's favourite manga thread and it was voted number one. There is an anime and video games based on it. I can't even think of a single seinen manga that is more popular in the west. Is there anyone here who hasn't heard of Berserk?
 

East Lake

Member
Jexhius said:
Well that's fine because we all know his real masterpieces are Crying Freeman and Wounded Man.
Lol.

Lone Wolf and Cub can be hard for people to get into though. It can be really dry early, the chapters are long and episodic. Even though it's my favorite manga now (along with Blade of the Immortal) at times early on it was hard to get through, once it starts tying everything in it's awesome though.
 

Dresden

Member
flawfuls said:
I don't have any sales numbers or anything, but I'm pretty sure Berserk is very popular. Apparently there was a GAF's favourite manga thread and it was voted number one. There is an anime and video games based on it. I can't even think of a single seinen manga that is more popular in the west. Is there anyone here who hasn't heard of Berserk?
selig is trolling you.
 

Mumei

Member
flawfuls said:
I don't have any sales numbers or anything, but I'm pretty sure Berserk is very popular. Apparently there was a GAF's favourite manga thread and it was voted number one. There is an anime and video games based on it. I can't even think of a single seinen manga that is more popular in the west. Is there anyone here who hasn't heard of Berserk?

According to Dark Horse's website, Berserk has sold about 500,000 copies - I'm not sure how up-to-date that is. That obviously doesn't account for all the people who just read it online, either.

And I'd like to repeat the Pluto recommendations. :D
 
This thread dropped to the third page.

Surely, a mistake that won't occur again.

At any rate, once I get a job, I'll probably find myself purchasing a few series here and there. Loved Town Of Evening Calm.
 

faridmon

Member
actually waht we need is to filter the licensed ones. after finishing Pluto and still waiting for SZS ones, i need another series to tie me over.

apparntly i heard i shouldn't consider getting Welcome to NHK one.
 

Shiv47

Member
Don't think I saw this listed, but Drifting Classroom is awesome. Completely batshit insane futuristic Lord of the Flies type stuff, but more over the top.

518BR9JAANL._SS500_.jpg
 

flawfuls

Member
Has anyone here read Banana Fish?

faridmon said:
actually waht we need is to filter the licensed ones. after finishing Pluto and still waiting for SZS ones, i need another series to tie me over.

apparntly i heard i shouldn't consider getting Welcome to NHK one.

I thought Welcome to NHK was pretty good. I haven't read the novel but it's better than the anime at least. The anime only covers about half of what the manga does.
 

Blackhead

Redarse
flawfuls said:
Has anyone here read Banana Fish?
I, too, am reading Banana Fish at the moment. I'm liking it so far. It also kinda fills the yaoi blind spot of this thread (yuri is also missing)... *shrug*

Love Roma (licensed)

jD1pM.jpg

Publishers Weekly said:
An honest portrayal shows something that is what it is, with acceptance if not understanding. That's the underlying theme of this manga that feels like a minicomic. Hoshino confesses his love to Negishi in a classroom full of students, although she doesn't even know his name. He's oblivious to many of the niceties of interpersonal relations, single-mindedly pursuing his goal without consideration of reality. Hoshino has no pretense, and he doesn't care what anyone thinks of him. He says he loves Negishi because around her he can be himself, but he doesn't seem to have much trouble any other time. The simple, flat faces and two-dimensional drawings are reminiscent of the works of American indie creators like John Porcellino or Jeffrey Brown, but with more shading. Paradoxically, the simplified art style, combined with Hoshino's unthinking exposure of himself, creates a perception of depth. One of a small but welcome number of naturalistic manga coming to America, this book follows the clumsy procession through dating, first kiss, first fight, meeting the parents and so on, with a simple charm that anyone can relate to.
 

Vinci

Danish
Poking my head in here to read through the OP - and it is filled with class and taste. Seriously, man, you have wonderful taste in manga.
 
One of my favorites...

Phoenix by Osamu Tezuka

Phoenix_%28manga%29_volume_1.jpg


Phoenix is about reincarnation. Each story generally involves a search for immortality, embodied by the blood of the eponymous bird of fire, which, as drawn by Tezuka, resembles the Fenghuang. The blood is believed to grant eternal life, but immortality in Phoenix is either unobtainable or a terrible curse, whereas Buddhist-style reincarnation is presented as the natural path of life.

The stories spring back and forth through time; the first, Dawn, takes place in ancient times, and the second, Future, takes place in the far future. Subsequent stories alternate between past and future, allowing Tezuka to explore his themes in both historical and science fiction settings.
 

flawfuls

Member
Charred Greyface said:
I, too, am reading Banana Fish at the moment. I'm liking it so far. It also kinda fills the yaoi blind spot of this thread (yuri is also missing)... *shrug*

Is Banana Fish technically yaoi?

Aoi Hana and Octave are both on the list and they're yuri. A few days ago a great new yuri series called Gunjo started getting scanlated. It's seems pretty amazing so far, but I don't want add it to the list until more chapters come out. Viz should really pick it up, it was published in Ikki.

I'm going to have to add new stuff to the list every few months. I've already found 3 great new manga since I've made this list. :lol

Vinci said:
Poking my head in here to read through the OP - and it is filled with class and taste. Seriously, man, you have wonderful taste in manga.

Thanks. :D
 

East Lake

Member
I don't know if it would be classified as yaoi but apparently there's some discreet yaoi events in there. Kinda why I'm hesitant to read it. :lol

Not homophobic but you know, not sure how much I'd enjoy that. I'll read it eventually though, as long as it's not a dominant aspect I think I'd be alright.
 

lastendconductor

Put your snobby liquids into my mouth!
Just dropping by to recommend one of my favourites

2vamb6g.jpg


The English localization by Dark Horse is fucked up though. Avoid it; it has stuff edited/censored and they didn't even finish it. They licensed it without realizing what they were getting into. Yeah, the cover art is very misleading...
 

Oyashiro

Member
Fucking bookmarked.

Also, you are the shit for recommending Parasyte. My friend found it at his local library and loved it, then told me about it. I bought the first volume, fell in love with it, and proceeded to buy every other volume. Probably my favorite manga.
 

Clevinger

Member
Linkhero1 said:
I love Monster so much. I love psychological thrillers. I'm reading through Monster right now but I've already watched the anime. I need something just as good as soon as I finish that's also in the psychological thriller genre.

20th Century Boys and Pluto are both pretty similar and by the same author/artist. And they're both excellent as well.
 

faridmon

Member
flawfuls said:
H
I thought Welcome to NHK was pretty good. I haven't read the novel but it's better than the anime at least. The anime only covers about half of what the manga does.
maybe, i should invest in that one then.
 

Blackhead

Redarse
Amakusa said:
wow
very good thread

...to bad I don't read Manga's all that much.. : (
Maybe I'll pick one up.
Erm, these mangas are obscure for a reason. If you haven't read that much yet, check out the more popular threads first.
 

Jacobi

Banned
Thanks for the list. I've finished Sanctuary recently, it's great as hell.

Planetes though is overrated as hell
 
DKnight said:
Just dropping by to recommend one of my favourites

2vamb6g.jpg


The English localization by Dark Horse is fucked up though. Avoid it; it has stuff edited/censored and they didn't even finish it. They licensed it without realizing what they were getting into. Yeah, the cover art is very misleading...


This is always surprising since its fucking Dark Horse of English Berserk and Hellsing fame.

Guess they were not as bold in the beginning.


As for the manga i recommend it also but boy was it depressing (especially near and at the end)
 

faridmon

Member
Pluto is still so good. Different approach to Monster which I arpreciate.
Can't wait to finish this and start 20th Century Boys :D
 
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