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Official Recommendation Thread: Manga

Discussion in 'Books and Anime Discussion' started by Zephyrus, May 24, 2010.

  1. Zephyrus

    Zephyrus Endlessly Tilting Windmills

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    So it's obvious by the anime rec thread and the Naruto manga thread that a lot of DLPers are into manga/anime at least on a casual basis. I'm originally from TFF, so perhaps my passion for it goes a bit deeper that the majority of members here.

    So I'll share my list of favorites.

    Keep in mind that a lot of these manga reflect my personal tastes, which lean heavily towards smut, romantic comedy, and ecchi. There are a few shounen and action manga in there, but not many.

    Zeph's Selections From His Fav List

    Beck

    This is a pretty awesome manga involving a Japanese band's rise from infancy to epic levels of awesome. You'd be surprised how the intensity of the music bleeds through the pages.

    Momoiro Sango

    This is smut, plain and simple. It does have a plot, but it's recently veered away from it. I mostly just keep an eye on it in the hopes that the plot will miraculously reappear, but I think that might be too much to ask for.

    Kyoukasho ni Nai

    High school teacher gets into a rather interesting love triangle with one of his students, the daughter of a yakuza boss, and a female teacher from the school.

    Seishun Pop

    I mostly enjoy the art in this particular manga, though I keep rooting for the protagonist to get with his older sister, an immensely popular singer of an indie band. Yes, I'm an incest freak.

    Caterpillar Operetta

    This combines two favorite subjects of mine: harems and the theatre! Harems are nice, especially when you know there's no way in hell that shit would happen in real life.

    Highschool of the Dead

    Zombies, tits, and ass. I'm not sure if I really need to say anything more.

    Kiss x Sis

    The incest theme rears its head again. Although in my defense, in this particular manga, the twin girls are totally not blood related to their brother.

    Hozuki-san Chi no Aneki

    If you don't laugh at this crack 4 koma manga, you fucking fail. I'm sorry, that's all there is to it.

    Mysterious Girlfriend X

    Nothing is more intimidating than a girl who wears a pair of sharp scissors tucked in her pantyline. Oh, and she has a drool fetish.

    Fullmetal Alchemist

    This is one of the very few manga that I demand that everyone read, at least for a few chapters. The original anime is nothing compared to the win that is the manga. And if you've been following the new anime Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, you might be surprised to learn that the reason it's so epic is because it follows the manga much more closely than its predecessor did.

    Gantz

    This is a pretty epic manga. I'm sure that a lot of you have heard of it in passing as the 'most violent manga in Japan. EVER.'. You've probably heard right. Aliens, vampires, comatose naked guys in black balls...this manga has it all.

    Sankarea

    This is another Zombie manga, though with a bit of a lighter plot. This dude has a serious zombie fetish and accidentally turns this cute girl into a zombie after indirectly killing her.

    ...perhaps the plot isn't as light when you summarize it like that. But give it a try.

    Nana to Kaoru

    For every guy that's had a crush on a girl and longed to tie her up, spank her, and generally degrade her through the gentle ministrations of S&M, this manga is for you. True love can apparently be found through the slap of leather on flesh.

    GE Good Ending

    This is a manga based on a popular dating sim. I admit to being a sucker for romance and this manga has plenty of drama as well as light-hearted romance.

    The Breaker

    This actually isn't manga. It's Korean manwha. But don't let that throw you off. This is a truly epic martial arts manga that features classic shounen cliches like 'FIGHTING SPIRIT', making them look fresh and new. Think History's Greatest Disciple Kenichi, except with more tits and less faggotry.

    Sundome

    For all of you closet submissive guys out there, this is the manga for you. This is about the budding relationship between a girl that wears the pants in the relationship and an incredibly geeky guy that thrives on sexual tension.

    This is all I have for now. Feel free to add what you think are good manga and what you enjoy reading. I'll post more suggestions as I come across them or as they are suggested to me.

    Please, give us a link and a short synopsis, if you can.
     
  2. digitalstorm

    digitalstorm Seventh Year DLP Supporter

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    One Piece

    One Piece is pure awesome.

    The Ravages of Time

    Tells the story of the Three Kingdoms era.

    [​IMG]I second Beck, The Breaker, and FMA.
     
  3. Andro

    Andro Master of Death DLP Supporter

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    I counter-recommend High School of the Dead. About every single character is hateable, and there's that one time where the main character spouted random anti-American pseudo-political babble at which point I pulled the plug.

    Claymore


    Claymore's a good manga in the medieval fantasy vein. It's quite exciting. It has the feel of an epic, with looming threats materializing in your peripheral vision while there is simultaneously in-your-face action happening.

    Unbalance x Unbalance

    This should be right up your alley, Zephyrus. It used some really fail tropes in the romance department which sunk the venture for me, and the main character is the angst machine stereotype, but it was interesting for a while.

    I just don't understand what Gantz is. Could you explain it more? I get that there's a deadly game, but is the plot really that thin? :/

    Full Metal Alchemist is very good.
     
  4. Zephyrus

    Zephyrus Endlessly Tilting Windmills

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    Yeah, I've read that manwha. To be honest, I got rather tired of it quickly. It was amusing, but there was just nothing to keep me hooked on the story.

    Here's the short and sweet version: Gantz is the name of a black ball that resurrects copies of people right after they've died to play in a very odd game.

    The objective of the game is to defeat the alien opponents that Gantz assigns the group and coming back alive. If you reach a certain amount of points, you get several very nice options.

    Is that a better synopsis?
     
  5. Solomon

    Solomon Heir

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    It's worth mentioning that the main focus in GantZ is on the characters, not the overarching plot.
     
  6. Zephyrus

    Zephyrus Endlessly Tilting Windmills

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    He actually said it better than I did. The character development is what keeps me coming back to this manga.
     
  7. Poytin

    Poytin The Arby's Hipster DLP Supporter

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    The Violinist of Hameln

    A traditional adventure manga. Has been my favorite manga since I read it a year and a half ago. Silly in the beginning but gets more serious as the series progresses.

    Negative Happy Chainsaw Edge

    Black Cat

    Ex-assassin becomes an easygoing bounty hunter.

    Majin Devil

    A great story about a nerd fighting demons.

    Parasyte

    Parasitic aliens invade the planet. One hits the main characters hand on accident and takes the hands place.

    My $0.02.
     
  8. Antivash

    Antivash Until we meet again... DLP Supporter Retired Staff

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    Why the fuck is One Piece here? Fucking ... Its Pirate DBZ. I god damned hate this shit. ;-;

    Two I'm surprised to see not turn up are:

    Mirai is an awesome combination of Awesome and Violence. No Bra is just fucking funny as...
     
  9. Zephyrus

    Zephyrus Endlessly Tilting Windmills

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    I dislike One Piece as well. The story isn't so bad but the shitty ass art is what irritates me to death.

    Vash, I see your No Bra and raise you:

    Prunus Girl

    This manga is hilarious. It has a girl pretending to be a guy, pretending to be a girl. I think. Then it has a girl that likes girls, who decides that she likes the trap over any other girl in the school. And then you have the main protagonist, who is pretty damn close to not caring what gender the trap is.

    Mirai Nikki is some messed up shit. I haven't read it in quite some time. The last I remember, the Crazy Bitch had kidnapped the man protagonist, brought him to an empty house, stripped down to her bra and panties, and proceeded to have a conversation with the skulls of her dead parents.
     
  10. Nemrut

    Nemrut The Black Mage ~ Prestige ~

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    Ranma 1/2



    Ranma 1/2 is a great manga, probably my favorite with its great characters, silly martial arts, great fights and hilarious humor.


    Eyeshield 21


    Eyeshield 21 is a sports manga about amercian football and it is just great. You love the characters, the development, the theme and message of the manga and you love fucking Hiruma. I have never seen an american football match and in fact all my knowledge about this sport comes from this manga but I think the matches were intense and well drawn. Just give it a try.Hiruma is just too awesome.

    Death Note is a rather overrated manga but the first half of it deserves every praise its got, even though the second part was a huge letdown. Still, it should be mentioned.


    Death Note

    Monster weaves the riveting story of brilliant Dr. Kenzo Tenma, a famous surgeon with a promising career at a leading hospital. Tenma risks his reputation and promising career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy. Unbeknownst to him, this child is destined for a terrible fate. A string of strange and mysterious murders begin to occur soon afterward, ones that professionally benefit Dr. Tenma, and he emerges as the primary suspect. Conspiracies, serial murders, and a scathing depiction of the underbelly of hospital politics are all masterfully woven together in this compelling manga thriller.

    It is a great manga, really a page turner. The psychopathic villain is just great.


    Monster

    And as a guilty pleasure I would say Captain Tsubasa with its cliché, stereotypes, annoying main character and predictability. I still read it and as far as sports manga go, there are a lot worse out there. As far as story goes, it sucks, enter championship/tournament, people (mostly the goal keepers) get injured, they win. The same thing over and over and over again. Only for football fans who've read/watched it since they were children. It is pretty much the only reason why I am still reading it.

    I second Full Metall Alchemist, Claymore and One Piece.
     
    Last edited: May 24, 2010
  11. Antivash

    Antivash Until we meet again... DLP Supporter Retired Staff

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    Claymore, Eyeshield, and Death Note... awesome.. Never read Monster or FMA. The rest...I find severely lacking. :/
     
  12. JWH

    JWH Unspeakable

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    I second Monster. Haven't read them all, but what I read was very interesting.

    Gantz, eh. It's a bit like Berserk for me : when I'm in a good mood, I see the ramifications and character developement.

    When I'm in a bad mood, I feel like it's just an excuse to show ridiculous amount of gore and shock people into reading it.
     
  13. Zephyrus

    Zephyrus Endlessly Tilting Windmills

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    Love Hina

    One of the classic Harem/Romantic comedy manga, this is the manga that made me a fan of Akamatsu's work.

    Mahou Sensei Negima

    Harry Potter meets Dragonball Z meets Love Hina. Also, hot chinese lolis from the future.

    Neon Genesis Evangelion

    You will fucking read this manga and like it, or so help me, I'll go Gendo on your ass. Nothing like hormonally driven teenagers piloting giant mechanized biohumanoids to save the earth from Angels to put all other manga to shame.
     
  14. Zephyrus

    Zephyrus Endlessly Tilting Windmills

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    Wild School

    Yet another Korean Manwha that I stumbled across today. It really hasn't gone too far plotwise, since currently it only has a handful of chapters. But the premise of a North Korean assassin, in the form of a cute high school girl with the emotional capacity of Rei Ayanami, stranded in South Korea and forced to shadow a young teenaged male so he doesn't blab her secret is...unusual, to say the least.

    And yes, Sree, you do read manwha from left to right. Breaker is just the exception to the rule, apparently.
     
  15. Spanks

    Spanks Chief Warlock

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    Well, let's see . . .

    Alive: The Final Evolution

    A high schooler named Taisuke Kanou is living with his older sister, Youko, after the death of his parents. He lives a relatively quiet life until a massive surge of suicides around the world known as the "Nightmare Week" begins.

    From that moment on, weird phenomena begin to occur around Taisuke. He is victim of space traveling illusions. He sees a smiling girl who jumps to her death from atop a building. His best friend, Hirose, is framed for murder. His classmates are killing themselves for no apparent reason. Furthermore, the police always seem to keep an eye on Taisuke while investigating Hirose's case. At the same time, a psychotic murderer appears, and he sees our protagonist as his "comrade". Will Taisuke succumb to all of these crazy incidents? Or will he be able to someday return to his old peaceful lifestyle that he yearns for?

    It's a really good manga with a great story. It hooked me pretty quickly and I really like some of the abilities the characters can use.


    D Gray Man

    Akuma, monsters born from dead souls mistakenly recalled by their loved ones to the living world, are the weapons of the Millennium Earl, who is intent on the destruction of the world. Allen Walker has been cursed with an anti-Akuma weapon as his left arm and an eye that sees the former soul of the Akuma since his youth. He is also one of the few who contain "Innocence", a substance that allows him to kill Akuma and fight the Earl. With these powers, he joins the Black Priest Organization as an Exorcist and sets out with other Exorcists to stop the Earl's attempts to annihilate the human race.

    Give this one a try. It has a superb story and great characters. Also, Road Camelot <3

    Vagabond

    Shinmen Takezo is destined to become the legendary sword-saint, Miyamoto Musashi--perhaps the most renowned samurai of all time. For now, Takezo is a cold-hearted killer, who will take on anyone in mortal combat to make a name for himself. This is the journey of a wild young brute who strives to reach enlightenment by way of the sword--fighting on the edge of death

    There is a lot of philosophical and spiritual talk in this one. However, the art is phenomenal and it puts an interesting twist on real life events


    Vinland Saga

    It's basically Berserk meets Vikings. Great stuff.
     
  16. Schrodinger

    Schrodinger Muggle ~ Prestige ~

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    ...How many guys like this do you know?
    Also, I second Neon Genesis Evangelion.
     
  17. Rainstorm

    Rainstorm Fourth Year

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    I'll join the list of people recommending Psyren, it's a fun read and the developments from the travelling are done nicely.

    Witch Hunter
    Witches suddenly declare war against humans, causing two-thirds of the world to fall apart. They summon monsters called "Supporters" and devastate human residences... but why?

    Survivors gather people with the power to combat the witches and called them Witch Hunters! Tasha Godspell is one of the strongest nicknamed "The Marksman" along with his "Jack-O-Lantern" looking Supporter. He fights the witches but cannot really bring himself to hate them...

    Little bit more interesting than it first appears, main characters are entertaining and there are signs of overarching plot as well.
     
  18. Antivash

    Antivash Until we meet again... DLP Supporter Retired Staff

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    Off hand? I'd saaaaay... The majority of the site comes to mind.

    Edit:

    Oh! And how the shit did I forget to mention this one....

    Its ten chapters long, completely done, and completely awesome despite being insanely short. One of the best scanlation projects Omanga and Snoopy Cool ever did. You will cum buckets.
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2010
  19. Khazad-Dumb

    Khazad-Dumb Loves the Gay Porn DLP Supporter

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    I followed your advice and read this. I need new pants, I came so much.
     
  20. Krogan

    Krogan Alien in a Hat ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    So I started reading this and I like it I really do but theres this one thing thats really been bugging me about the entire thing so far, in every single fight Tasha gets in, every damned one the second he looks like hes going to pull out a win or get some new ability to crush the opponent either A. The bad guy reveals he was just dicking around before and proceeds to massively fuckstomps Tasha or B. Some new completely unknown enemy appears out of nowhere and massively fuckstomps Tasha.

    Its actually getting a little tiresome and predictable, "Oh your drawing mana from your glove and kicking my ass? HA idiot I was just screwing around." Cuts off his hand
    "Fights over, you lose"
    Im finding it hard to want to keep reading this manga when Tasha seemingly can't even get a single damned win. I mean I want to see him win at least one fight with no bs powerups by the badguys and no outside intervention to steal the win away from him at the last second just kick someones ass and walk away scot free.
     
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