What Manga are you reading?

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Hoo boy, lot's of stuff.

20th Century Boys volume 2-The only thing stopping me from tearing through this series as fast as possible is the fact that I have to buy each volume, so that will take me a while. Fantastic, fantastic stuff.

Library Wars: Love and War volume 1-Fun, and I'll continue to read if our library continues to buy the volumes as they come out.

Soul Eater volumes 1-2:Not quite to the really good stuff yet, but also fun.

Tegami Bachi chapter 41 is really awesome and you should all go read it all right now.

[Tamachan319]

Just finished Fullmetal Alchemist vol. 23.
A while ago, I went to a different library than my usual one, and they had Tegami Bachi. I loved the first two volumes, and I can't wait to continue.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

I've been going at the anime hard and heavy, so I thought I'd grab some manga for a change of pace. I am about to read a couple of Tezuka's shorter works, Ode to Kirihito and Dororo.

[Atria35]

Fairy Cube vol 1- interesting premise. For an older age group than Artemis Fowl, but gives off the same vibe. I like it!

[knightlee]

I FINALLY found a manga that caught my interest. Reading Vol. 1 of "Noblesse".

[knightlee]

I'm rereading both MARS [by Fuyumi Soryo], Once Upon a Glashma and Afterschool Charisma, Vol. 1 [ both by Kumiko Suekane]~

I didn't like Mars at first, but the artwork won me over (surprisingly). There is some sort of connection between the artwork and the emotion of the series that really makes those books memorable. Not everybody likes it, though.

[wildpurplechild]

Yotsuba vol 8: Cute, awesome, funny, loved it.

Full Moon O Sagashite vol 7: The last volume! It was very good, and I'm sad there's not more. I wish the author had made it an even 10 volumes.

[ich1990]

The Scarlet Chair vol. 1-3 [complete]

I really liked where this series was going. It had a great plot with lots of mystery, and the art style was so different from mainstream shoujo that it hardly fits within that category. I also liked that the author who made this did so to break out of the school girl romance series that she made a bunch of. I admire someone who can take an artistic risk like that.

....but I also had some difficulties. First of all, the main characters looked the same to me. I know that to the average shoujo fan, they were probably easily recognizable, but for someone who is used to One Piece and JoJo, I could hardly tell them apart (male or female). It wasn't until I wrote down a cheat sheet (such and such has a different handle on his sword, and this other guy has freckles) that I was able to properly read the series.

Second, the series was so focused on the characters that the plot wasn't expressed very well. It was very... poetic in its delivery, with emotion and drama emphasized over plot progression. This led to a lot of vague scenes, followed by large chunks of exposition to tell you what actually just happened. I think that this is an issue that could be remedied with practice, though, so I remain hopeful.

All told, a solid series that is truly exceptional shoujo.

Hotel (one-shot) [complete]

A fantastic sci-fi one-shot. When an author can make something so good with so few pages, I start to wonder why spend a lot of time reading larger series. Maybe I would be better off reading this one through a couple of times instead of yet another volume of something else? I would love to find more pieces like this.

[Atria35]

Taking advantage of the manga collection my new library has to read Lovely Complex vol. 1 (they have almost all of it! WooT!)

[Wyntre Rose]

Currently reading InuYasha, which I'd only ever seen the anime for, and am impressed with how closely the anime sticks to the manga...so far. lol. I'm fully aware that doesn't last. I'm about halfway through the 4th Vizbig volume, which are 3-in-1 collections, so I'm probably reading volume...11?

Also reading Wild Ones, which is about a girl whose mother died and is taken in by her grandfather she didn't know was still alive...who happens to be a yakuza boss. And who assigns a handsome, chivalrous, and princely young bodyguard to her. It's fluff, pure and simple, but it's kind of entertaining. I'm not too fond of the way the artist draws profiles - they seem really disproportionate - but other than that, the art style is pretty. So far, it's a relatively innocent and chaste rom-com that happens to deal with yakuza - though I'm sure not realistically. lol.

[Atria35]

Venus Versus Virus vol. 1-7- Nice gothic feel, about two girls who are hunting "viruses" (sorta like evil spirits) and are connected to a plot to destroy the world. I like it!

Beijing Opera House vol. 1-3 (All)- An interesting look at the Beijing Opera and how hard it was to be in it, and the politics behind it, and the politics of the time it was at it's greatest. Too short for the story it was triying to tell (in fact, the author wrote that it was only 1/3 of the legnth it was supposed to be) but ties things up rather well. A very interesting lok at the Beijing Opera and that time period!

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Ode to Kirihito by Osamu Tezuka

OK, you probably want to take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt, since I am basically a manga novice, but Tezuka's Ode to Kirihito is my favorite manga. For starters, I couldn't put the thing down. That may sund pretty ordinary, but OtK is the first manga that I can say this about. The story is mature, (quite) dramatic, unique (no cliches here), fast-paced, and unpredictable. It is overloaded with memorable, interesting characters. On the surface, OtK is a medical drama with horror/mystery trappings; however, Tezuka's supposed favorite work (and my first Tezuka work to read) speaks on human depravity, prejudice, the sanctity of life. and justice. The artowrk is very well-done and very experimental. Tezuka definately pushes the boundaries of the medium with some of his artwork and panel design/placement. Anyone who can handle the content (PM for details) should definately check this one out.

EDIT* Metropolis by Osamu Tezuka

This is an interesting little one-shot from 1949. This is VERY different from OtK in tone and method of storytelling. For instance, Tezuka throws in lots of jokes that break the fourth wall: "What happened, Detective Mustachio?" (yup, an actual character's name) "If you want the dtails," replies Mustachio, "you'll have to ask the readers of this comic." Those sorts of gags might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I do enjoy them. While the plot is not as tight as it could have been (again, this is from 60 years ago...cut him some slack), there are interesting elements there. The ending, I thought, was well done and a bit powerful. I understand that several of Tezuka's troupe of actors (stock character designs) make their first appearance here, but, having only read OtK previously, I did not recognize anyone from Astro Boy or Black Jack. Michi is obviously a proto-Astro Boy character. They even mention him/her as having "100,000 horsepower." A fun read overall.

[Atria35]

Doubt vol 1-4 Complete- Wow. Amazing, in all it's gorey glory. The twists and mystery were great! But what a downer ending.....

[Wyntre Rose]

Finished Wild Ones. Fluffy and sweet right to the end, and a very satisfying ending, too! The profiles still bug me, and sometimes the hands were drawn freakishly large...but other than that, the art is really pretty.

Also just finished a short little two-fer called Beast Master. Don't think I've ever read so much shoujo in one go before. lol. Beast Master is sweet. Cute art, and fun story. Another sweet and very innocent romance. And am I the only one who thinks Leo looks like L? (click to enlarge) XD What's weird is if they would have left out the "special" unrelated stories at the end, they totally could have fit it all into one volume...*shrug*

[Tamachan319]

Kimi ni Todoke v. 4. Sweet, innocent shojo. I love it! Now I really want to read
v.5.

[Atria35]

Also just finished a short little two-fer called Beast Master. Don't think I've ever read so much shoujo in one go before. lol. Beast Master is sweet. Cute art, and fun story. Another sweet and very innocent romance. And am I the only one who thinks Leo looks like L? *

.... Man, I feel like I"m the only person on the planet that loathes that manga!

Lovely Complex 7- Still good!

[Blacklight]

Recently read InuYasha Volumes 22, 23 and have 24 in my possession.
Sometime before that, finished Petshop of Horrors.
Just today got back into Fullmetal Alchemist. Started with volume 10(Finished today), because I could not for the life of me remember where I left off.

[c.t.,girl]

MPD Psycho. >_>;;;

[Atria35]

[quote="c.t.,girl (post: 1421289)"]MPD Psycho. >_>]

That is a fantastic psychological manga. However, the gore is on the scale of CSI or NCIS- not for the squeamish!

[Cloud500]

20th Century Boys vol. 10

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Dororo by Osamu Tezuka

Dororo, a young orphan thief, falls into the company of Hyakkimaru, a powerful demon-hunting Rounin. Before Hyakkimaru's birth his father, a greedy feudal lord, made a pact with 40 demons and let them each take a piece of his unborn son's body, in return for granting him great power. Hyakkimaru was born without arms, legs, eyes, ears a nose or mouth, a barely human creature, and his father had him thrown in the river. He was rescued and raised by Dr. Honma, who made him artificial limbs and helped him learn to fight the demons - each time he defeats one he reclaims one piece of his body. Now he and Dororo travel together through the war-torn countryside.

This was a tough one to rate: When Tezuka is on, he produces some fantastic, emotional stories, cool action sequences and is able to quickly endear his characters (especially the secondary characters) to the reader. Hyakimaru is a great lead, and you want him to succeed in his quest. It's easy for the reader to identify w/ both he and Dororo, characters who have experienced rejection, are not at home in the world and are on a journey to become whole.

As I say, when Tezuka is doing his thing, Dororo is an engaging 9/10; however, there are a couple of arcs that don't quite measure up to the best of what the series has to offer. Also, anyone familiar with the tricks and treats of shounen with a supernatural flavor (which Dororo predates by decades and probably helped establish) won't find anything too new here. The ending was quite rushed as well, though I believe that this wasn't Tezuka's fault.

So, all in all, I give it a more than solid 8/10.

[Htom Sirveaux]

On vol. 7 of Trigun Maximum. I'd forgotten how good this series really is. (And how violent. Yipes.)

[Blacklight]

That is a fantastic psychological manga. However, the gore is on the scale of CSI or NCIS- not for the squeamish!

"Only" on the scale of CSI or NCIS? I was thinking it would be much worse... I mean, I've HEARD of MPD Psycho... don't really know about it, but I knew it was supposed to be gorey. I'd think something reaching way over CSI.
While CSI has its graphic autopsy scenes and very bloody scenerios, it's still TV-14. (Even though they sometimes stretch it to the limits.) As for NCIS, it's usually not quite as bad as CSI (I'm thinking about NY mostly here), many episodes are only TV-PG, but it's got its own graphic scenes.

[That Dude]

"Only" on the scale of CSI or NCIS? I was thinking it would be much worse... I mean, I've HEARD of MPD Psycho... don't really know about it, but I knew it was supposed to be gorey. I'd think something reaching way over CSI.
While CSI has its graphic autopsy scenes and very bloody scenerios, it's still TV-14. (Even though they sometimes stretch it to the limits.) As for NCIS, it's usually not quite as bad as CSI (I'm thinking about NY mostly here), many episodes are only TV-PG, but it's got its own graphic scenes.

I've read the scanlations of it a while back, and it would definetely be rated R if it were on TV...It has some extremely brutal death and some detailed nudity. It was super duper well written, but it was too dirty for me to keep up with it.

[Atria35]

I've read the scanlations of it a while back, and it would definetely be rated R if it were on TV...It has some extremely brutal death and some detailed nudity. It was super duper well written, but it was too dirty for me to keep up with it.

It depends on the arc. Some of them are CSI (and I'm talking original, they got pretty sadistic a few times on there and was surprised they managed to keep the rating they did) rating, and some of them are R for, as Dude said, occasional sadistic death (but they sometimes actually cut away, which surprised me) and occasional nudity.

[c.t.,girl]

On vol. 7 of Trigun Maximum. I'd forgotten how good this series really is. (And how violent. Yipes.)

FJKDASLJS;ALKFJFSKDALFJSKIH4HWSFJDLAKNVUKGH >8C FOURTEENTH BOOK. WHY?! WHY DID HE HAVE TO JUST GIVE UP?! I felt so betrayed...I LOVE Trigun...but I felt it could have ended better. :/ So betrayed by my favorite mangaka...all because most of his ideas went towards Gungrave.../sobsob

[c.t.,girl]

It depends on the arc. Some of them are CSI (and I'm talking original, they got pretty sadistic a few times on there and was surprised they managed to keep the rating they did) rating, and some of them are R for, as Dude said, occasional sadistic death (but they sometimes actually cut away, which surprised me) and occasional nudity.

i just lol at the nudity or ignore it entirely because i think it's so harshly drawn and over the top. not really a huge fan of the drawing style(except for the eyes and inking style...i like the noir look) so i'm really just reading it for the story. haha it really is like the artist was like, "SOOO I'VE NEVER SEEN A NAKEN LADY...SO I'M JUST GUNNA DRAW HER LIKE THIS. HURR HURR." and i'm all, "...PFFT XD anyway..."

i love the conspiracy of it and all the mystery...83 AND THE KILLINGS/FIGHT SCENES! LOLOLOLOLOL i love weird psychological stuff like that. 83 IF ANYONE HAS ANY RECOMMENDATIONS I'D BE GRATEFUL!

[Atria35]

i just lol at the nudity or ignore it entirely because i think it's so harshly drawn and over the top. not really a huge fan of the drawing style(except for the eyes and inking style...i like the noir look) so i'm really just reading it for the story. haha it really is like the artist was like, "SOOO I'VE NEVER SEEN A NAKEN LADY...SO I'M JUST GUNNA DRAW HER LIKE THIS. HURR HURR." and i'm all, "...PFFT XD anyway..."

i love the conspiracy of it and all the mystery...83 AND THE KILLINGS/FIGHT SCENES! LOLOLOLOLOL i love weird psychological stuff like that. 83 IF ANYONE HAS ANY RECOMMENDATIONS I'D BE GRATEFUL!

Well, the more appropriate post for reccs is in the Manga Recommendations Thread (it's at the top of the page I believe), bcs the mods don't like people gumming up other threads for reccs.

In any case, LoveCom 8. Sooooo cute!

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

20th Century Boys volume three.

You should all go see read now.

[ich1990]

JoJo's Part 1: Phantom Blood vol. 2-5 [complete]

Wow, stepping back from part seven all the way to part one was a rough ride. Let's face it: decades of experience and a hundred volumes of practice make for a much better product. There is a lot of great JoJo-ness here: complicated super-powers, weird violence, and tactical fighting, but there is also errors in its art, disproportionate character designs, and poor pacing. It was definitely worth reading, but when compared with the later stuff it ends up looking pretty poor.

Just for kicks I read the first chapter of Battle Tendency. People, I give you the new face of cool:



Just for reference, in the previous frame he broke a bad guy's trigger finger with the bottle cap.