What Manga are you reading?

[AngelicTotoro]

Just finished reading the latest Tegami Bachi chapter.
I'm liking it much better then the anime.

[Atria35]

Just finished reading the latest Tegami Bachi chapter.
I'm liking it much better then the anime.

I saw your rant- glad the manga makes up for it!

Land of the Blindfolded v. 3- More drama. But I rather like how instead of always being rivals, the two guys work together to make their gal happy. The one-upmanship is far less. Though the plot drama is the same as expected.

[Nami]

Vampire doll Wasn't bad at all!! My sis freaked over nothing. There was no fan-service at all. I look forward to continuing this hilarious series.

Looking into; Comic a Manhwa that looks funny and looking to get the last volumes of Love*Com 15-17!

[Atria35]

Moyashimon v.2- It finally came! And I'm still lovin' it!

EDIT: Also, just finished Spiral: Bonds of Reasoning v. 2- This calls a lot on clues that the reader doesn't have, and can't have- it's all brought into play by the main characters. Not sure I like that part of it- it makes the mysteries very frustrating. Of course, I suspect that in the grand scheme of things the minor mysteries are inconsequential.

[MangaRocks!]

...just finished Spiral: Bonds of Reasoning v. 2- This calls a lot on clues that the reader doesn't have, and can't have- it's all brought into play by the main characters. Not sure I like that part of it- it makes the mysteries very frustrating. Of course, I suspect that in the grand scheme of things the minor mysteries are inconsequential.

They are. However, the nice thing is that you're already nearly done with them-- in fact, I believe there's just one more, and even that one ties directly into the next phase of the story (which features intricately-planned battles of wits, courage and willpower rather than just deductions).


As for what I've been reading:

MeruPuri (complete): Yes, this was TOTAL fluff... and had logic holes... and was often silly. In the end, though, I still enjoyed it anyway. I also liked the fact that since [spoiler]the two main characters end up already married by the end of volume 2, the romantic tension that occurs between them physically is in a far more appropriate context than you usually see in most entertainment (including manga) nowadays. And the seriousness of the commitment of marriage is emphasized, too (because in that world not only is marriage literally permanent and unbreakable, their very lives are actually staked upon it as well).[/spoiler] Also read Pluto (complete), and this one was interesting on several levels. You see, while I had of course seen an image of Atom before, I had never actually read Astro Boy or seen any footage of the show. (Indeed, I never even knew Astro Boy was Japanese until I started getting into anime and manga!) So, when reading Pluto, the little bits of cultural context and background about AB (particularly "The Greatest Robot On Earth" arc, of course) in the interviews and essays in the back of the volumes were both helpful and interesting. As for the story itself, it was fairly dark at times, but really quite good. (...And that final page...! *stare*)

[wildpurplechild]

Wild @ Heart vol 1-3. It's a cute story with a girl and a boy from the jungle. It reminds me of this other manga Beast... something.... I can't quite recall the name. It's a very short series and I got the feeling the author was newer to the manga business.

D-Grayman vol 12-14. I love this series it's so interesting! This ark was a bit of a shonen cliche, but itr was still action packed and creative.

[Atria35]

Wild @ Heart vol 1-3. It's a cute story with a girl and a boy from the jungle. It reminds me of this other manga Beast... something.... I can't quite recall the name.

Beast Master? Yeah. I might have to check this one out sometime, but I hated Beast Master.

[wildpurplechild]

Yes, Beast Master, that's the one. If you didn't like that though, you probably won't like Wild @ Heart. I found them quite similar.

[Atria35]

Yes, Beast Master, that's the one. If you didn't like that though, you probably won't like Wild @ Heart. I found them quite similar.

..... *strikes off of 'to-read' list*

[GeneD]

Volume 6 of The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer and volume 14 of Fullmetal Alchemist.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

I read the first volume of Sengoku Youko, and I really liked it. It's about these two demons who are traveling on a quest to better the world. The younger demon tries to preach to whoever they encounter to live a kind life of sharing with those who need it and living as a pacifist, while her companion hates humans and wants to kill all of them. There's more to it, but it's a pretty solid shonen title by the guy who wrote The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer, so if you liked that, this is more great stuff from the same guy.

[Atria35]

Alive! The Final Evolution 1- Decent start. Surprisingly little ecchi from a series that it rated OT. And... I'm intrigued.

[AnimeGirl]

Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol.3: They just found out what the Philosopher's Stone is made of! *gasp*

Kimi Ni Todoke, Vol.4: I know I already read this, but I finally bought it so I read it again. That scene between Kurumi and Pin still gets me XD!!!

Black Cat, Vol.7: I know I am getting these out of order, but WOW! The manga is rather different from the anime. This volume was about a boy who wanted revenge on a man who killed his father! Train knows how that feels...

xxxHOLiC, Vol.3: Excellent! I think I honestly like the manga better than the anime because the Tsubasa contacts are intacted! That makes it more awesome!! The story of the girl and the Monkey's Paw was pretty....scary. The scene when she unintentionally made a wish at the train station was also more violent compared to the anime.

[Sapphire225]

Black Cat, Vol.7: I know I am getting these out of order, but WOW! The manga is rather different from the anime.

Don't need to tell me twice. Wow. I'm reading Black Cat too, as well as Absolute Boyfriend and Haruhi Suzumiya.

[ich1990]

Buddha vol. 1-14 complete

Reading a Tezuka series for the first time is as much about getting into Tezuka's style as it is about getting into Tezuka's story. That is why, I think, only a few of his many, many series are ever noticed by the average manga reader. It takes a great story in order to get past the style and only a few of his stories rise to such a level. One of those stories is Buddha, which follows the great monk's journey from frail child to spiritual legend.

Tezuka's style is the first thing most people notice, so I should state right away that it isn't as hard to get used to as most people assume. The artwork is "childish", yes, but only because we have been conditioned to see that way. After seeing a few people get murdered, one's mind quickly adapts and can see it as a "serious" art style. The breaking of the fourth wall, the idiosyncrasies, and the cross pollination of characters is a little more difficult to take, especially within the context of historical drama. While those events do break the realism and immersion, they don't often come during heavy-hitting moments, so not too much is lost.

The story of Buddha was fully above average. There were a few details, such as under and over used characters that bugged me, but it was largely engrossing. As a Westerner I wasn't that familiar with Buddha (aside from knowing him as a fat man with funny ears) so it was great to see his historical background. After reading the series I could finally respect him as the wise man that he was and understand the huge following he gained. His life is impressive and exciting, and I didn't really understand that until Tezuka showed it to me.

Buddha was a very good manga that was only a few short steps from being a masterpiece. I can easily recommend it to someone who wants to start reading Tezuka's material but wants something more serious than Astro Boy, or to fans of historical manga in general. 9/10

[Blacklight]

Recently picked up The Record of a Fallen Vampire volume 1. I came across this title at random, and found the first volume interesting enough to continue, so I'll keep reading.

[ich1990]

One Piece vol. 6-13

One Piece makes me grin in a way that no other shounen has. It captures the sheer adventure of sailing and shows it to the reader through handfuls and handfuls of awesome and bewilderingly strange characters. I can see how it could get repetitive if the next 50 volumes are the same, but for now I am really happy to continue reading the series.

The Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer vol. 1-2

Interesting premise but moves without focus. The main characters are supposedly going to save the world and then destroy it, but they haven't done anything at all to attempt to pursue that goal. It takes time to setup the characters I realize, but the author should have them doing something while he is setting them up.

Tegami Bachi vol 1-2

The second volume didn't really change my opinion of Letter Bee. It is a refreshingly different series but not engrossing.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

The Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer vol. 1-2

Interesting premise but moves without focus. The main characters are supposedly going to save the world and then destroy it, but they haven't done anything at all to attempt to pursue that goal. It takes time to setup the characters I realize, but the author should have them doing something while he is setting them up.

You need to just keep on reading. They are furthering their goal, but the only way for them to save the world is to defeat the mage and his golems. I guess it might not be obvious right now, but the golems have been getting ridiculously more powerful with every new one the mage creates, and as they are right now, Yuuhi and Samidare can't just go charging in to kill the mage. Samidare also notes that she isn't strong enough to crack the world in half(yet!), so it's not as if they can really go about their goals yet beyond continuing to slay the golems.

Also, speaking of Biscuit Hammer.

Sengoku Youko volumes 2-5

Continuing with its awesome premise, Mizukami Satoshi proves that he isn't just a one hit wonder with Biscuit Hammer. Characters do awesome things, Satoshi still has really awesome artwork, and the plot continues to move forward. Characters are introduced but not too quickly as for them to not be well-established, the villains are either despicable or charismatic, but either way are memorable.

[spoiler]And, as always, deaths are like getting hit with a truck, though this wasn't as sad as either of Biscuit Hammer's.[/spoiler]

[Atria35]

Since I discovered my library has the missing volumes of Rozen Maiden I don't own, I've been determined to finish the series.

So far I've read v. 1-6

Definitely WAY different from the anime. I think it's a tad darker, but self-sacrifice always seems that way.

[Blacklight]

Last night read Fullmetal Alchemist volume 22.

[AnimeGirl]

Read volume 1 of "Hero Tales". I am REALLY liking this series and plan to buy more volumes!! I wonder how long it's running/ran for. But I just love Hiromu Arakawa's style! The story is interesting, the art is nice, and I loved the humor scenes. Some of the action scenes were a bit hard to follow though. And I can totally imagine Vic Mignogna voice over Taitou and Cheremi Leigh over Laila! This would make a good anime!

EDIT: Hey wait, does an anime of this already exist? 'Cause when I look this series uo on Wikipedia, in the list of characters, it lists Japanese and English voices. Oh well, if I ever do watch the anime if it exists, I'll have to readjust the voices I think of in my head XD!!!

[wildpurplechild]

Vol 17 of D Grayman. Awesome series, first off! I love the character designs and story arcs except in vol 16(?) [SPOILER]Okay the zombie thing was a bit too ridiculous and felt fillerific.[/SPOILER] Vol 17 was quite good and shows us yet another exorcess prospect.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Sengoku Youko volume 6 - afadgfdhdfhdfhdfh updates where?

Edit: To ease the pain of whoever is on hiatus, I read Psycho Staff, another Mizukami Satoshi work, this time only one volume. It was pretty alright for what it was. I can see the comparisons between it and The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer, but it was less proto-version than I thought it would be. I liked that it dealt with the whole hard work vs. natural talent better than most things do.

[blkmage]

There was a recent Punpun push.



I'd forgotten how depressing this manga is.



And how amazing Asano Inio's art is.

[AtmosBreak]

Light Wing

It's a soccer/football depending on what part of the world you're from, which I've gotten quite into if there's any soccer fans here, I find it quite enjoyable and soccer focused which is a plus for me, being latino and all xD


1/2 Prince

Recently discovered this and loving it so far, I find nyself chuckling out loud at times and wanting more and more of it. Though, the bad thing is that it's bimonthly so the wait is a little frustrating but other mangas can make the wait a little more bearable.

[Atria35]

1/2 Prince

Recently discovered this and loving it so far, I find nyself chuckling out loud at times and wanting more and more of it. Though, the bad thing is that it's bimonthly so the wait is a little frustrating but other mangas can make the wait a little more bearable.

I'm such a huge fan of this one! So glad you enjoy it as much as I do!!

[AtmosBreak]

I'm such a huge fan of this one! So glad you enjoy it as much as I do!!

Haha well I'm glad, meatbun is. My favorite character and I wonder if there's any others by the author ir any mangas similar to this. It should really be updated more frequently than just every two months.

Also started reading Bakuman again

[Atria35]

Haha well I'm glad, meatbun is. My favorite character and I wonder if there's any others by the author ir any mangas similar to this. It should really be updated more frequently than just every two months.

Well, part of the issue is that 1/2 Prince was originally a series of light novel. And I'm pretty sure it's still being published, so if you prefer it to follow the storyline...

And the author has actually done more work. Legend of the Sun Knight is another one of his that he's done the story for.

[AtmosBreak]

Well, part of the issue is that 1/2 Prince was originally a series of light novel. And I'm pretty sure it's still being published, so if you prefer it to follow the storyline...

And the author has actually done more work. Legend of the Sun Knight is another one of his that he's done the story for.

Oh wow really? Then I'm so off to read both of them. Haven't read a light novel before, and was reading the plot summary thingy on LOTSK and sounds... interesting, I think so yeah, will definitely give it a read.

[mouse]

Currently reading Death Note. Still just getting started -- L hasn't even been introduced yet.