What's your favorite manga jobbs?
It should be stated that I haven't actually *read* a ton of mangas, I have a relative few that I just keep going back to. That's how I learned to draw.
That said, probably Appleseed. not because of the overall story, which I found a bit convoluted/uninteresting (which is often the case with mangas/anime), but I love the drawings and the relationship between a human and a cyborg (Deunan/Briareos). I'm very ADD, so I often find it interesting and motivating as an artist just to pick up an Appleseed book and flip through it, get immersed in his drawings. This was also made before Manamune went "full pervert".
Ie -- If I open one of the later Ghost In The Shell books -- I just feel silly. The technical expertise on display when it comes to the drawings is unsurpassed -- Truly, there's no one better -- But the subject matter and designs are so beyond juvenile that I start feeling a real distance from it, and, in fact, embarrassed to even own it.
I have a GITS book on my shelf right now that basically is completely uninterested in male characters, they almost don't appear anywhere, and environments/tech are barely the focus either. It's basically just a series of pinups of large breasted women in uber-sexualized poses masquerading as a story. At some point Manamune stopped caring about anything other than T&A. If you think I'm exaggerating, go look up his later work.
When it comes to eastern
storytelling, I feel like I really have to go to some of the great movies to really find something that resonates with me. The catch all example is "anything by Studio Ghibli", in particular, Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa, and Castle in the Sky. By the time people get to play Ghost Song I think some Ghibli influence will be evident (not CHANNELING it; more around the margins).
I'm working to move the asthetic of the game *slightly* towards a more animated look (I am careful to keep things generally faithful to the overall idea presented in the KS listing, but I am definitely interested in nudging things around and making improvements and adjustments), and I've even met an animation mentor who's going to help me along with some of the more challenging animation.