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Manga?

FirebrandFirebrand Registered User regular
edited April 2007 in Graphic Violence
So I realized I'm a bit odd in that I enjoy art and I take Japanese classes, yet I'm not really into manga or anime. I thought I'd fix that by picking up some manga (in English, my Japanese in not quite that good yet for most stuff). However... I walked into the sci-fi/manga book store here and was greeted by row after row of ultra-generic-looking cutesy, robot and ninja manga, as well as an high amount of pretty boys holding eachother. I started browsing through the shelves but soon gave up as it didn't seem to be organized into categories.

So what I'd like are some recommendations on manga you've enjoyed. I'm pretty flexible when it comes to genre and setting, but I'd like to avoid action and overly pretentious, philosophical stuff. I recently enjoyed the Phoenix Wright games, which featured mystery, spirits, drama and comedy, if that's any help. I also like horror / haunting stuff in my movies and books.

So far I've been recommended Uzumaki and Monster which I'll order when I get around to it. Anything else you'd recommend?

And oh, the artwork is pretty important to me as well, otherwise I'd just be reading books. :)

Firebrand on
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Posts

  • Garlic BreadGarlic Bread i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a Registered User, Disagreeable regular
    edited February 2007
    Firebrand wrote: »
    So I realized I'm a bit odd in that I enjoy art and I take Japanese classes, yet I'm not really into manga or anime. I thought I'd fix that by picking up some manga

    See, you're trying to fix something that wasn't broken.

    Garlic Bread on
  • Sars_BoySars_Boy Rest, You Are The Lightning. Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Um

    Monster is pretty good.

    I don't really remember much manga from when I was into it.

    Oh, Planetes

    that shit is excellent, regardless of having been made in Japan

    Sars_Boy on
  • ZeromusZeromus Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    You're not going to find a ton of manga love on these boards, especially given that "weeaboo" is an increasingly popular meme to bash Japanophiles. Perhaps there's a reason for that, though. I used to buy and read manga pretty often, but as time went on I felt that the obnoxious anime dweebs that would clog the aisles and actually drive stores to carry hideous Naruto plushies were indicative of the overall quality of the products they were consuming. Maybe it's a translation issue, or maybe it's something else, but I find that the writing in manga tends to be a lot lazier, generic, and less interesting than other comics, and the art is, of course, rather derivative.

    But hey, there are still a few series that I enjoy and would whole-heartedly recommend to you:

    Great Teacher Onizuka - Unique art, hilarious and often moving stories, GTO really does have it all as far as manga is concerned.

    Neon Genesis Evangelion - This is the big one that, for better or worse, everyone thinks of when they hear "anime" or "manga." Giant robots and teen angst abound!

    FLCL - The anime's better, but I also like the manga. Again, unique, interesting artwork and a crazy story that defies explanation. It's only two books long, too, which is nice.

    Death Note - Unfortunately, the series is now succumbing to the all-too typical transformation into a cash cow common in popular shounen series. It had an amazingly strong start, though, and as an artist, you'll probably appreciate its stylistic merit.

    Yotsuba&! - Cheerful and nostalgic! Definately worth checking out, along with its predecessor, Azumanga Daioh.

    Akira - This is probably kind of self-explanatory.

    Zeromus on
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  • Garlic BreadGarlic Bread i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a Registered User, Disagreeable regular
    edited February 2007
    Keith wrote: »
    See, you're trying to fix something that wasn't broken.

    To clarify, I'm not being all "lol wapanese" on you. You said you're not really into it, but you think you should read it because you're learning Japanese.

    If it doesn't interest you, then don't go forcing it on yourself.

    Garlic Bread on
  • ZeromusZeromus Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Keith wrote: »
    To clarify, I'm not being all "lol wapanese" on you. You said you're not really into it, but you think you should read it because you're learning Japanese.

    If it doesn't interest you, then don't go forcing it on yourself.

    This is also a good point. Your money would be better spent on other comics, especially from an artistic standpoint! :P

    Maybe that's just me being slightly bitter. I also think that the manga market is entirely flooded, which probably contributes to the overall feeling of disdain.

    As I said in my above post, though, there definitely are some things worth checking out.

    Zeromus on
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  • hughtronhughtron __BANNED USERS regular
    edited February 2007
    Anything by Osamu Tezuka is worth checking out. His Buddha books are great, and what I've read of Ode To Kirihito was insane and neat. His art is really crazy and retro, but at the same time amazing. He's basically the Jack Kirby of Japan, but his work was much broader in scope and subject than Kirby. I've just started picking up his Phoenix volumes, and they are so crazy and weird and beautiful.

    Manga is just like American comics in a lot of ways. It's dominated by noisy, loud action stories for boys like Naruto or Bleach. One thing I really like about manga is that when you pick up a ten dollar trade you're usually getting a nice satisfying bit of story, whereas I find most single issues of american comics to be less and less satisfying as stand-alone issues.

    I hardly read any manga myself. I do really like the digest format though. It makes for perfect little pocket-sized pop objects. Scott Pilgrim is like my favorite thing ever.

    hughtron on
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  • Target PracticeTarget Practice Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    I've enjoyed the Nausicaa manga. It's a lot more robust than the movie (which basically encompasses the first book and a half).

    Target Practice on
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  • hughtronhughtron __BANNED USERS regular
    edited February 2007
    What I find really exciting is this new generation of creators like Kazu Kibuishi and the kids from Flight. A bunch of creators from aroud the world who take their from manga, euro-comics and american comics all at once.

    hughtron on
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  • hughtronhughtron __BANNED USERS regular
    edited February 2007
    Target, do you still have your 'now-reading' list? I used to raid it for book ideas.

    hughtron on
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  • Target PracticeTarget Practice Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    hughtron wrote: »
    Target, do you still have your 'now-reading' list? I used to raid it for book ideas.

    It's actually a "books I've finished reading recently" list :razz:

    I guess homepage links didn't get transferred in the move to vBulletin.

    Here it is:

    http://jsilver42.googlepages.com/lastten.html

    Oh, I'm reading Flight vol. 2 right now. (The library didn't have Vol. 1.) I'm enjoying most of it, though I really don't understand why there's a stick-figure comic in it.

    Target Practice on
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  • TehChowdTehChowd Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    The only thing that I can think to recomend is "Scott Pilgrim." It isn't Japanese, but it's definitely in a heavy manga style. It's also a completely rad book, and if you haven't read it, you're kind of doing yourself a disservice. Seriously, it's really good. Go read it. Now. Or maybe yesterday. (DO IT!)

    TehChowd on
  • FirebrandFirebrand Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Zeromus: Nice list, thanks! Yotsuba is especially interesting as I enjoyed the crazy Azumanga anime show and Yotsuba apparantely is low on kanji if I'd want to try it in Japanese.
    Keith wrote: »
    To clarify, I'm not being all "lol wapanese" on you. You said you're not really into it, but you think you should read it because you're learning Japanese.

    If it doesn't interest you, then don't go forcing it on yourself.

    Good point. It's less about fitting in with the guys I go to class with though, more about not wanting to dismiss it altogether without sampling it. Also, I'm a bit dry on inspiration at the moment when it comes to making art besides practicing, and I thought getting into comics would be a good source for some. :)
    hughtron wrote: »
    One thing I really like about manga is that when you pick up a ten dollar trade you're usually getting a nice satisfying bit of story, whereas I find most single issues of american comics to be less and less satisfying as stand-alone issues.
    Ah yes, I'd like stories that get a satisfying ending within a few volumes.
    hughtron wrote: »
    It makes for perfect little pocket-sized pop objects. Scott Pilgrim is like my favorite thing ever.
    Funny you should mention Scott Pilgrim, I added it to my shopping list just last night after seeing somebody's SP sig and being intrigued by the artwork. I don't know all that much about the actual plot, I'll just have to see for myself. :)
    hughtron wrote: »
    Anything by Osamu Tezuka is worth checking out.
    Ah, yes, I recall reading a bit about him, but I don't know much about his work beyond Tetsuwan Atomu / Astro Boy. I'll see what I can find amongst the one you mentioned, cheers. :)

    And oh, if you're more into American comics, by all means, recommend away. It's just that most of what I get in contact with is the old superhero / "I shoot your face" stuff I don't care very much for. "The Sandman" (Neil Gaiman, writer), any good?

    Firebrand on
  • AzraelAzrael Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Manga is, like all comics, too diverse for it to be easy to arbitrarily recommend stuff. Seriously, best bet is to go to Barnes an Noble or Boarders or whatever book shop you got near you that leaves seats by the comics and leaf through a bunch.

    That said, you might want some names to look out for whilst you do so, Im just saying don't part with cash until you have a look and decide you're interested. My picks:

    Naruto
    Bleach
    Hellsing
    Trigun
    Deathnote
    Ghost in the Shell

    Azrael on
  • jabrams007jabrams007 Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    For non-cutsy Manga, check out:

    Akira
    Nausicca
    Lone Wolf and Cub
    Slam Dunk
    Vagabond
    Blade of the Immortal
    Sanctuary
    Berserk
    Battle Angel Alita
    Great Teacher Onizuka

    That's about all I can think of, off the top of my head that's significantly different from the generic manga art style.

    jabrams007 on
  • Milquetoast ThugMilquetoast Thug Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    hughtron wrote: »
    Anything by Osamu Tezuka is worth checking out. His Buddha books are great, and what I've read of Ode To Kirihito was insane and neat. His art is really crazy and retro, but at the same time amazing. He's basically the Jack Kirby of Japan, but his work was much broader in scope and subject than Kirby. I've just started picking up his Phoenix volumes, and they are so crazy and weird and beautiful.

    Manga is just like American comics in a lot of ways. It's dominated by noisy, loud action stories for boys like Naruto or Bleach. One thing I really like about manga is that when you pick up a ten dollar trade you're usually getting a nice satisfying bit of story, whereas I find most single issues of american comics to be less and less satisfying as stand-alone issues.

    I hardly read any manga myself. I do really like the digest format though. It makes for perfect little pocket-sized pop objects. Scott Pilgrim is like my favorite thing ever.

    I will vouche for Buddha. Picked it up at random, and I can say it's awesome. Like, for instance
    the bit where a wild kid kills his companions with a rock in order to make sure he doesn't die of thirst.
    It's really damn good.

    Milquetoast Thug on
  • ZeromusZeromus Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Azrael wrote: »
    Manga is, like all comics, too diverse for it to be easy to arbitrarily recommend stuff. Seriously, best bet is to go to Barnes an Noble or Boarders or whatever book shop you got near you that leaves seats by the comics and leaf through a bunch.

    That said, you might want some names to look out for whilst you do so, Im just saying don't part with cash until you have a look and decide you're interested. My picks:

    Naruto
    Bleach
    Hellsing
    Trigun
    Deathnote
    Ghost in the Shell

    Trigun, Hellsing, and Ghost in the Shell are good picks. I'd be wary of Naruto and Bleach, because while they have their moments, they're extremely long and padded so as to maximize their profit. Death Note is similar, but at least it does have an ending.

    Also, I think the OP would really dig Robot. It's pretty, in color, large, and has some really bizarre sci-fi stories, some lighthearted, some morbid, and all vaguely disturbing! Good stuff.

    Zeromus on
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  • WearingglassesWearingglasses Of the friendly neighborhood variety Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    How about One Piece? It's a good blend of comedy and action.

    Also, Yotsuba&! is seconded.

    Wearingglasses on
  • TehSpectreTehSpectre Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    One Piece is kinda lame IMO, I would check out Berserk. Great characters, story, and bad ass monster fights.

    TehSpectre on
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  • fightinfilipinofightinfilipino Angry as Hell #BLMRegistered User regular
    edited February 2007
    i'm going to disagree on the "bad art" argument too. manga is just like western comics in that you have well drawn and well done manga and then you have shitty manga.

    Battle Angel Alita and Bleach are my two current favorites in the art department alone. also, generally CLAMP's stuff is always visually amazing.

    fightinfilipino on
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  • OtherOther Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Have a look at the 'The Push Man and Other Stories'. It's a collection of short stories by Yoshihiro Tatsumi. Link related:
    http://www.amazon.com/Push-Man-Other-Stories/dp/1896597858/sr=8-1/qid=1171890061/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-5242938-2193646?ie=UTF8&s=books

    Other on
  • MORPHEUSMORPHEUS Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Do your self a favor and by 'Berserk'.

    MORPHEUS on
  • BigJoeMBigJoeM Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Based on what you've said in the thread i'd recommend

    Berserk
    Blade of the Immortal
    MPD Psycho (if you can find it)
    Battle Angel Alita
    Ghost In the Shell
    Akira
    Battle Royale


    Berserk and Blade are still ongoing so you won't be able to finish them.

    The rest are short enough that they don't drag on and generally have an interesting theme IMO

    I would recommend staying far away from Shonen manga as they run long and follow similar patterns to each other.

    Most of what is recommended in this thread are Seinen manga so you look up more titles on wikipedia.

    BigJoeM on
  • hoodie13hoodie13 punch bro Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    I started reading manga with Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO).

    I have been sorely disappointed with everything else I read because of this.

    The art in GTO really is unique and separate. The artist plays with the usual comic/shonen/anime look, but also cements the series in reality with tons of what look like photographs, essentially high-detail sketches, that he just shoves in there to take the the place of a crudely drawn picture. Also, the facial expressions for the main character, Onizuka, are some of the most over the top, hilarious stuff ever.

    There were points reading it where I would just bust out laughing, and have to put the book down and stifle myself because of it. DO NOT read this at a church camp, or in church, or probably in a public school, because there's mad amounts of underage fan service (but nothing to the extent of Love Hina).

    Oh, that's a good one. Love Hina. Heh, two opposite sides of the track, but they're both great.

    hoodie13 on
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  • VerdancyVerdancy Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    If you don't like Western action comics, I'm not sure Manga ones would hold any more appeal, so you should probably skip Akira, Beserk, Trigun, etc.

    Planetes is wonderful though.

    Verdancy on
  • ZeromusZeromus Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    hoodie13 wrote: »
    I started reading manga with Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO).

    I have been sorely disappointed with everything else I read because of this.

    The art in GTO really is unique and separate. The artist plays with the usual comic/shonen/anime look, but also cements the series in reality with tons of what look like photographs, essentially high-detail sketches, that he just shoves in there to take the the place of a crudely drawn picture. Also, the facial expressions for the main character, Onizuka, are some of the most over the top, hilarious stuff ever.

    There were points reading it where I would just bust out laughing, and have to put the book down and stifle myself because of it. DO NOT read this at a church camp, or in church, or probably in a public school, because there's mad amounts of underage fan service (but nothing to the extent of Love Hina).

    Oh, that's a good one. Love Hina. Heh, two opposite sides of the track, but they're both great.

    I was with you until you mentioned Love Hina.

    That is honestly the worst manga I've ever read. I had all 14 volumes and had to sell them on ebay. Absolutely dreadful.

    Zeromus on
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  • BigJoeMBigJoeM Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    I stopped reading at the end of the first volume when the mangaka mentioned his original concept for the series.

    He was going to have Keitaro be an asshole and keep the girls in line with the threat of eviction since he was innkeeper.

    I thought that a male lead in a harem series with a set of balls was far more interesting and was dissapointed that the mangaka went in a different direction.

    BigJoeM on
  • hoodie13hoodie13 punch bro Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Zeromus wrote: »
    I was with you until you mentioned Love Hina.

    That is honestly the worst manga I've ever read. I had all 14 volumes and had to sell them on ebay. Absolutely dreadful.
    I never said it was true high-art.

    Let's just say that its entertaining. Its probably incredibly against the grain for most of the people in GV, but if you don't mind a pretty predictable plot, the characters are amusing and the situations are hilarious.

    Also: Kitsune :winky:

    hoodie13 on
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  • ZeromusZeromus Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    hoodie13 wrote: »
    I never said it was true high-art.

    Let's just say that its entertaining. Its probably incredibly against the grain for most of the people in GV, but if you don't mind a pretty predictable plot, the characters are amusing and the situations are hilarious.

    Also: Kitsune :winky:

    I didn't think it was particularly entertaining, either. Of course, by then I had already read a few romantic comedy mangas with the exact same plot (and with far better execution), so maybe someone completely new to the genre would appreciate it. I'd recommend Tenchi over it, though; it has pretty much the same romantic comedy structure, but with some sci-fi action mixed in. :P

    Also, Aunt Haruka > Kitsune > everyone else.

    Zeromus on
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  • kdrudykdrudy Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Some good ones I like are:

    Hellsing - Vampires, Werewolves, Nazis, hard to go wrong here
    Battle Angel Alita/Battle Angel Alita: Last Order - The guy who does these books does action better then just about any manga or american comic, very cool.
    Welcome to the NHK - Fairly new manga, tells a good story, seems a bit disjointed at first but stick with it
    Bleach and Naruto - They're mindless enjoyment really, basically the current generation DBZ


    I have to admit I adore Love Hina as well but it's not really something I'd recommend to folks. It's fun, but not for everyone.

    kdrudy on
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  • elevatureelevature Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    I work in a bookstore, and as such I'm able to grab a bunch of manga and see if anything looks good. I haven't had much luck. I've only found two I like (though GTO sounds great and we don't have vol. 1). Death Note is one, which has been mentioned in this thread before.

    I don't think Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad has been mentioned.

    From wikipedia:
    Yukio, known by his friends as Koyuki, is a regular 14 year old Japanese boy who enters junior high school with two childhood acquaintances. One is now a useless pervert, and ironically the other has become a hot female student. Koyuki's boring life is changed when he saves an odd looking dog from some kids (a pack of dogs in the manga). The owner of the dog (named Beck) turns out to be an emerging rock musician, Minami Ryusuke. The two become friends and their crazy, fun, and sometimes dangerous music adventure begins.

    The story focuses on the trials and tribulations of their Punk and rapcore band named BECK (also called Mongolian Chop Squad in the United States, since the name Beck is already taken, when their first independent album is released over there). There's also an important subplot that deals with Koyuki's relationship with Ryusuke's sister Maho.

    It's really, really funny. Bryan O'Malley lists it as an influence on Scott Pilgrim, and the influence is very noticeable when you read Beck.

    The art is great too. It looks a lot more like Daniel Clowes (Ghost World) than the usual manga fare.

    elevature on
  • GodfatherGodfather Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Man, fuck what some of these guys are saying, One Piece is great shit. Too bad they hardly release any volumes during the year to the states. Really picks up past the Grand Line.


    Edit: Stay the hell away from the american dub though; they gut what, sixty percent of the show before ceasing production?

    Godfather on
  • NewtronNewtron Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Most of the manga now for sale is so appallingly bad in all aspects that its hard to find anything worth the price or the effort of keeping up with it.

    The only things I can think of recommending are Galaxy Express 999, anything by Hideshi Hino (horror manga), and at least looking into some of Shiro Masamune's works (His stuff is getting redundant though).

    Newtron on
  • Psychotic OnePsychotic One The Lord of No Pants Parts UnknownRegistered User regular
    edited February 2007
    My list of good reads would be...

    Berserk - IMHO the best thing out there
    Trigun/Trigun Maximum
    Bleach
    Naruto
    Megaman NT Warrior - its kiddie but good. I love Bass in this.
    Basilisk - ninjas kicking the everliving shit out each other whats not to love

    Psychotic One on
  • hughtronhughtron __BANNED USERS regular
    edited February 2007
    Newtron wrote: »
    Most of the superhero comics now for sale is so appallingly bad in all aspects that its hard to find anything worth the price or the effort of keeping up with it.

    I don't think it's some flaw of manga specifically. When I look at, say, Civil War, 52 or Infinite Crisis I see the same thing. I think we'd all be better off if people didn't set up some sort of barrier between manga and american comics in the first place. They're all comics, and there are good and bad works in both.

    hughtron on
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  • MajidahMajidah Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    no one's mentioned Prince of Tennis or Real Bout Highschool?!!? Shame on you.

    Prince of Tennis
    Real Bout Highschool

    The appropriately high mentioning of Great Teacher Onizuka however, gets you all of the hook. Hooray!

    On a further out on a limb note:

    Oruchuban Ebichu (has this even been translated? maybe you'd be better off watching the anime)

    Majidah on
  • Vargas PrimeVargas Prime King of Nothing Just a ShowRegistered User regular
    edited February 2007
    hughtron wrote: »
    Newtron wrote: »
    Most of the superhero comics now for sale is so appallingly bad in all aspects that its hard to find anything worth the price or the effort of keeping up with it.

    I don't think it's some flaw of manga specifically. When I look at, say, Civil War, 52 or Infinite Crisis I see the same thing. I think we'd all be better off if people didn't set up some sort of barrier between manga and american comics in the first place. They're all comics, and there are good and bad works in both.


    A-fucking-men.

    I love (in the most sarcastic of ways) when people get a general "hate on" for manga, like it's all actually the same.

    Hey, guess what? It works like everything else: There's a ton of it out there, and a lot of it is generic, mediocre, or just downright bad. But there's always stuff worth checking out. Look at how many western comics are released every week, and how many of those are on your pull-list at your local shop?

    The biggest problem with Manga right now is that it's only been "big" for a relatively short amount of time, so you've got a huge glut of titles that are being released en masse years after the fact, because companies can make bucks by pumping out translated reprints of old material. Just experiment, and see what you like. Skim through the book, read the synopsis, check out some reviews, ask people at the shop you're buying from...

    Right now, I read:
    Blade of the Immortal - Hands down, my favorite manga, and one of my favorite of anything I buy
    Berserk
    Fullmetal Alchemist
    Bleach
    JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - A little cheesy and dated, but I've always had a twisted love for this series

    Vargas Prime on
  • DraXXXenDraXXXen Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Regarding Uzumaki. YES!

    Read Book #1 of the manga, then watch the movie (easy enough to get, got a western release on DVD)
    Follow that up with Books 2 and 3 for answers.

    DraXXXen on
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  • B:LB:L I've done worse. Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    I heard The Kindaichi Case Files was pretty good.

    B:L on
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  • hughtronhughtron __BANNED USERS regular
    edited February 2007
    B:L wrote: »
    I heard The Kindaichi Case Files was pretty good.

    I've got a couple volumes and they're really fun. Every volume is a self-contained mystery, and there's very little in the way of continuity between them. So, like, you can pick up an issue about a haunted island and get a fun little story and mystery and not have to really care about much backstory. Plus the mysteries are designed so that you can try to solve them before Kindaichi does.

    They're really fun little books, sort of the perfect example of pop comics done right. A $10 manga that gets you an entire mystery, usually involving like ghosts and demons and stuff, only it's really a cranky old janitor or something, scooby-doo style.

    hughtron on
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  • Toji SuzuharaToji Suzuhara Southern CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    edited February 2007
    jabrams007 was onto something when he suggested Sanctuary. It is the best manga ever.

    It's kind of difficult to get ahold of the books, though, and they're still really expensive. It was released before Tokyopop started releasing $9.99 books, and every other company followed suit. Still, at $18 bucks a book, it's worth it.

    It's probably a good segue manga from American comics to manga, too, because of Ryuichi Ikegami's more realistic style (the man even did Spider-man manga in the 80s. I think it was the 80s... ah, whatever. He did a Spider-man manga) coupled with Buronson/Sho Fumimura's more realistic writing. Actually, some of Bendis's Daredevil issues with the Yakuza really reminded me of Sanctuary. It's a seinen manga, too (as opposed to, say, shonen), so it's actually intended for people 18 and up. Oh Mr. Tokai.

    Anyway, it's totally awesome. It's about two friends who decide to take over Japan to make it into their "sanctuary." One takes the high road and becomes a politician, and the other takes the low road to try to become a yakuza boss. The characters are genuine and relatable and the plot is engaging to the max.

    I just wish they'd stop defining LDP*.

    *Liberal Democratic Party.

    Toji Suzuhara on
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