What Manga are you reading?

[Atria35]

Escaflowne v 1-8 (complete)- Nothing like the anime. Nothing. Like. The anime. I think this has benefits of it's own, but... it really feels like it fell into generic shounen category with this.

[blkmage]

I started Shingeki no Kyojin. I think a lot of people talked about this already so I'll just include my impressions.

The thing that struck me the most about the series was how similar the Titans are to the BETA in Muv-Luv Alternative. Both are monsters who come out of nowhere and are singlemindedly devoted to wiping out humanity and manage to push humanity to the brink of annihilation. Mankind is absolutely powerless to stop these things and requires massive casualties just to take down a few. Both completely baffle humans, both in terms of biology and behaviour. Both are horrific and mangle humans.

Some quick googling shows that the mangaka actually put out a statement in one of his recent volumes saying that Shingeki no Kyojin is indeed fairly heavily influenced and inspired by Muv-Luv Alternative, so there you go.

Of course, this desperate situation gives rise to some fairly similar dynamics amongst the human characters, where people have to weigh their lives based on the utility they bring to the team when a choice needs to be made about who has to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. And there's the same hopelessness of throwing a bunch of guys up against the impossible to defeat monsters. Or the same sorts of plans where there's really only a 1% chance of something working but it's better than nothing, so everyone banks on it. Or even the same relying on an extremely unreliable wildcard but there's literally no other option and of course, things go wrong.

So Shingeki no Kyojin offers a lot of the same sorts of dilemmas and situations that Muv-Luv Alternative puts its characters through. But unless the main themes and mechanics of Shingeki no Kyojin changes extremely drastically, I can't see it becoming a carbon copy of Alternative. And that is surefine, because I love Alternative and would love to get into something similar to it again.

[Neane]

Well, since I am off from my college now in Winter Break I have been trying to finish my manga load. Finished all 9 volumes of Sanctuary . It was full of MANLY TEARS. I greatly enjoyed the main characters of this manga and they were extremely ambitious, intellegent and very cunning and it was a tale about rising to power after living through hell on Earth.

The objectionable content in this manga:

Very High.

[Atria35]

Finished Fushigi Yugi- This was a lot stronger in it's second half when the ball got rolling on what was happening.

Kare First Love (complete)- Hrm... Not quite sure how I feel about this. Better than average, but not a great manga.

[the_wolfs_howl]

Gin no Saji chapters 21-24

[CrystalChalice]

Fairy Tail chapter 263: [spoiler]Crime Sorcière! I knew it had to involve Ultear and Meredy, but I didn't expect Jellal to come in the picture. Raven Tail is a legal guild now? This does not look good. And I wonder what Erza thinking at the last part of the chapter.[/spoiler]

Bakuman chapter 160: [spoiler]Finally, Hiramaru proposed to Aoki Ko, and she said yes! [/spoiler]

Kimi ni Todoke chapter 63: While I'm not really sure if Chizuru reciprocated Ryu's feelings at the end, the continuation of their childhood flashback nearly brought me to tears.

LIFE: I only read through the last few chapters there, but it quickly became one of the most disturbing things I ever read.

[MangaRocks!]

Gin no Saji, a.k.a. Silver Spoon, chapter 24: One of the better chapters so far!


Bakuman vol. 8: This volume was crazy!!


Natsume's Book Of Friends, a.k.a. Natsume Yuujinchou, vol. 10: Some good multi-chapter stories this time.


The Boredom Of Haruhi Suzumiya (novel #3): I thoroughly enjoyed this. While the first short story was sort-of just okay, the rest were fantastic (particularly the second one, which tied certain plot points together in a really awesome way!). ...Also, I am absolutely going to find a way to somehow work [spoiler]Kyon's "It looks like something left by..." comment about the emblem and Haruhi's "sophistry" retort (both from the beginning of the third story)[/spoiler] into a conversation someday, be it in real life or online.


And last but not least, Fullmetal Alchemist's BIG FINALE (vol. 27)! What a great end to a fantastic series. I mean, sure, you can always wish for more detail on [spoiler]some of the other characters' later lives, but a lot of that was hinted at by those photos at the end, so that's fine.[/spoiler] In all, I thought it was pretty satisfying.

[the_wolfs_howl]

Tsubasa Chronicle chapters 134-138

[Atria35]

Dawn of the Arcana v 1- I'm wondering where this is gonna go. I'm already calling which guy she ends up with, but plot-wise, have no idea.

[CrystalChalice]

Fairy Tail chapter 264: Mashima, you tease. [spoiler]You made 6 pages making it look like Jellal and Erza are about to kiss, and then you made Jellal lie(horribly, if I may add) about having a fiancee. It's a good thing she saw through it, though. The last panel with Happy was hilarious.

And for those who were upset about that Second Origin power-up, I hope that the excruciating pain the characters experienced made up for that.[/spoiler]

Silver Spoon chapter 25: Hachiken's gonna use his summer money on Pork Bowl. I admit I didn't expect that. Also,I hope Tokiwa learned his lesson about what happens when one assumes.

[Atria35]

Picked up some amazing ones from my local library!

Arisa v 1-5- Okay, I don't normally do shoujo, but this has caught my attention. There's mystery, intrigue, danger, and cute guys. I can totally get behind that!

After School Charisma v 1-2- I like this. Clones, how to determine fate or free will, conspiracies, and a very nice shock at the end of the second volume. Also- Marie, I heart you and am so sad.

Arata: The Legend v 1-2- More Yuu Watase. Not too shabby! I was surprised that she picked to do a shounen, but this has a great premise and some awesome action.

As for my own manga, I read
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 1-7 (all)- Captivating. Utterly captivating. Incredibly intense, and all the political complexity that one should expect from a manga like this.

[Smileloviene]

I also started Dengeki Daisy]

Okay, it does have some suggesting things... but if you can look over that, it's DEFINITELY worth the read. I've loved every chapter I've read so far

Decided to check out Dawn Of The Arcana (a.k.a. Reimei no Arcana) vol. 1, and... well, it wasn't bad. Not great-- there were plenty of little nitpicks I had with it-- but not bad. Though pretty much the only two reasons I'll continue reading it via library (at least for a few more volumes, anyway) is, #1, to see more of the Ajin, particularly Loki (I always did have a soft spot for people with animal traits! ]power-to-see-through-time stuff[/spoiler] is going to get a bit more of a focus as it goes on. If it weren't for those two things, however, I probably wouldn't care very much right now.


Moving on...

Dengeki Daisy vol. 7: Another great volume in this series, and with only a minimal amount of edginess, too. :thumb: [spoiler]The hacker/conspiracy stuff is continuing to ramp up a bit as well, which is always a plus; and the end of this volume finally employs a certain dramatic plot device that I figured would probably happen at some point. One of the great things about this manga, however, is that even when a well-used plot device has been included, there's always been a really nice twist on it (and this one was no exception). Looking forward to the next volume![/spoiler] Finally, Kimi ni Todoke vol. 11: Oh man, what more can I say about this series than has already been said? It's clean, and sweet, and funny, and romantic, and really just plain great!

Okay, first...yes, I'm basically with everything you said about Dengeki Daisy. And also Kimi ni Todoke both awesome series. Second, I would say give Dawn of the Arcana a chance. It really picks up and gets better. I've enjoyed it a lot so far, anyway

LIFE: I only read through the last few chapters there, but it quickly became one of the most disturbing things I ever read.

Hahaha, I tried ready that once too... It just kinda made me feel... then then haha, and I pretty much just didn't read any more then a few pages before tossing that out of my manga reading life forever hahaha

[Atria35]

Phantom Dream - Furuba set the bar high for this mangaka. And what do I get in the first few pages of this? Boyfriend hits his girlfriend, she laughs it off because he has some hard times, and from her friends we discover that it happens rather often (as they also laugh it off).

Abuse is not cool or romantic, kids.

EDIT: Have also read A Drunken Dream and Other Stories, which is a lot better than most reviews hae led me to believe. There was only one short (A Girl and Her Puppy) that I didn't care for. The rest ranged from good to excelent, with some wonderful stories about how we as people deal with grief and loss. Poigniant, I would call them. I think Iguana was the stand-out in it- I thought it was completely fascinating.

I've also started Me and the Devil Blues, which is absolutely fascinating in subject matter. I've always loved it when people take on modern myths and legends, and how the Blues began is definitely one that needs more attention.

Edit x 2- Me and the Devil Blue is one of the most amazing manga I have ever read- this stands up to works from Urasawa and Tezuka easily in terms of storyline and how brilliant it is. Lost time, Prohibition, Bonnie and Clyde... I don't even know where to begin singing my praise, just know it's being sung!

[MangaRocks!]

Bamboo Blade vol. 11: Eh, still decent.

Akagami no Shirayuki Hime chapter 28: LOL! I love these characters so much. :hug:

And last but not least, The Disappearance Of Haruhi Suzumiya (novel #4): Everyone's been saying that this particular entry in the Haruhi series is fantastic. And now that I've finally read it, I can confirm that yes, it is just as fantastic as I'd heard! Seriously-- Kyon is awesome, Yuki is awesome, Haruhi is awesome, connections are awesome, twists are awesome, [spoiler]time travel[/spoiler] is awesome... etc. I absolutely cannot wait to see its movie adaptation!

[AngelicTotoro]

I've done quite a lot of manga reading as of late,

I'm now up to date on these as far as translated releases go:

Akagami no Shirayuki Hime (Red-haired Snow White). I adore this one, the clothing designs are one my favorite things about it,
the first fav being the main couple. I also really like Obi, he's my 2nd favorite character. (Zen is my first, 3rd goes to Mitsuhide.)
What can I say? I usually go for male characters as my fav over females.
(I'm also hoping that Mitsuhide and Miss Kiki offically become a couple. ;D)
Dengenki Daisy. While the humor is a little dirtier then what I prefer, I really love this one. Both the leads are hilarious and the two of them together is super sweet.
Skip Beat. I love this series, really I do. However, I would like for this arc to end soon.
(The 'sibling' love thing that Kyoko and Ren are doing together is so creepy. D: At least Kyoko is realizing her feelings... kind of.) Also, I hope that Ren didn't actually kill that guy. That would be really awful. 0_0
Ookami Heika no Hanayome (The Wolf King's Bride). I wish they would release this one more quickly, I find the 'Wolf' side of Haku to be absolutley wonderful, and really I want Yuulin to discover that he isn't acting. ><

[Atria35]

With the Light v. 1- This lives up to everything I've heard about. This really goes into the trials and difficulties that parents of children with autism go through, and is very educational about autism and how to deal with it- and a good story to boot. My only issue is that everything is so black and white. The dad changes overnight, schools are either absolutely terrible or the best things ever, people who oppose them change their minds and behaviour pretty much on the turn of a dime. I would like to see some more depth to these, where there was some in-between in the school issue, or maybe someone who encountered his issues but didn't change. As it is, the lack of this makes it seem somewhat shallow.

[Vii]

I just bought the last two volumes of Fullmetal Alchemist and read them.
I saw the ending to Brotherhood before I bought these so I knew what was going to happen, but it was still awesome to read.
I've also put a whole bunch of the earlier volumes on hold at the library, so I'll be reading those too. ^_^

[Neane]

Started reading 7 Billion Needles Volume One. It's was inspired by Hal Clement's Needle. So naturally I feel a need to check it out.
Thus far, I like it.

[MangaRocks!]

The Bride Of The Water God manhwa vol. 9: Well, well... [spoiler]as if it needed to be any more complex , now a certain character has supposedly been resurrected for real?! [/spoiler]

Also, Dengeki Daisy vol. 8: Wow-- absolutely the best volume of this series yet! [spoiler]Finally, the backstory of Kurosaki and Soichiro is revealed, and-- as expected from the hints we had gotten before-- it's full of technological and political conspiracy.

And man... I knew Soichiro was awesome from the previous flashbacks (and his apparent entering of Teru's dreams ), but now that we got almost an entire volume's worth of flashback with him, it really drives home just how awesome he was. That was some beautiful stuff.[/spoiler]

[Atria35]

The Legend of Princess Sakura v 1- I admit, my impressions of this are tinged with how terrible the first chapter was. It was loaded with too much information, which made the writing completely disjointed, going from one subject to the next with no transition. It was sloppy, sloppy writing.

The rest of it I'm still incredibly less than impressed with. It's a completely mediocre shoujo romance. There is *nothing* to distinguish itself from the pack. Two people who instantly fall in love with eachother even though they have more reason to be completely indifferent to eachother- or even hate eachother? Check- and double check to shallow and meaningless relationship development that will be occuring because of it. Hard-headed, stubborn femal lead? Check. Guy who is equally hard headed? Yeah, got that, too. Magical girl costume that is totally out of place? mmmhmm (okay, I could be a little more forgiving about this. However, I have seen others that use the traditional outfits to their advantage, which means that this manga uses it just because they wanted to draw a magical girl costume).

[blkmage]

Against all odds, I've found a new shoujo manga that I actually enjoy reading called Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun. It's about a girl who is obsessed with studying and a guy who seems violent but is actually just nice and acts rashly and has basically no social skills. That sounds kind of like Kimi ni Todoke, Yoshida's lack of social awareness is the exact opposite of Sawako's social paralysis, so that moves the story along at a nice clip instead of Kimi ni Todoke's plodding pace.

[the_wolfs_howl]

Tsubasa Chronicle chapters 139-145

Gin no Saji chapters 25-26

[wildpurplechild]

Siesta: I just started reading this one. It's a manhwa by the same author of Moon Boy, which I loved, so I hope this one is just as good. So far it's interesting. It's about a girl, orphaned as a child, who lives with a foster family. She is a bullet-user, a special people with some sort of power who are discriminated against.

[MangaRocks!]

Akagami no Shirayuki Hime chapters 29-30: I really cannot say enough good things about this series! These two chapters contained some more great character and relationship development, and a nice double cliffhanger there at the end, too. Can't wait for more!

[gimin1294]

Azumanga Daioh omnibus and K-On (all volumes one at a time)

since they're my only english-translated mangas left.

[Atria35]

Revolutionary Girl Utena 1-5- Posted a review on my blog. Short words to say here: Interesting, not as in-depth as the anime, but actually does clarify a few things from it.

[wildpurplechild]

Arisa vol 1 and 2. It's so good! I can't wait for the next one!

[samueldayton]

:rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock:

IM READING ONEPIECE

[Neane]

Just Finished Omoide Emanon . It was really good.

Also I have been reading Oyasumi Punpun and it is excellent.

[the_wolfs_howl]

Tsubasa Chronicle chapters 146-152