Manga

[Icystorm]

On a whim I bought two manga and greatly enjoyed them.
The first was Void's Enigmatic Mansion, Volume 1.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20549071-void-s-enigmatic-mansion-volume-1
The second was Judge, Volume 1 (waiting until I get to a store to buy the rest).
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16160798-judge-vol-1

What manga have you read? Was it good and if so what was it you liked about it?
I am hoping to find more to read so suggestions would be great, especially if there is a dark/psychological aspect to the story.

 

[Kagayours]

BAKUMAN.

I LOVE BAKUMAN. BEST MANGA, BEST MANGA.

Like, ok, first of all, it's written/drawn by the same writer/artist duo that created Death Note (and if you haven't read Death Note, I strongly recommend that one, too -- probably before you read Bakuman, actually), and the thing is... the concept, by itself, is so much tamer than Death Note, but like... it's still written as if it was Death Note.

Allow me to elaborate: this is a manga about two guys whose dream is to get a manga series published in Shonen Jump, and so they submit their stuff to Jump and become rivals with a bunch of other manga authors and the whole thing is basically about their experience with it and their struggle to produce a strong, running series. So, like, it sounds kind of cool, but fairly tame, right? But no, because, thanks to the creative minds that brought us Death Note, they managed to make this story so much more intense than it needed to be and I just love them for it. Like... I can't even explain how they managed to make this story so gripping. Because they did. Right off the bat. And then they managed to make it even more intense when fucking lives were on the line and like you'd think that would come out of nowhere and come off as jarring but no, they manage to make it work really well.

Plus it has a lot of fun with itself, too. Like, I remember this one scene where one of the rival manga authors was talking to his editor or something, and he looks at the protagonist from a distance and he's like "that guy... I've got my eye on him"
"Why"
"I'll show you why..." and then he draws a quick sketch of him, shows him to his editor and says, "Look at his eyes. He has the eyes of the protagonist of a manga series"

Oh, and they make a lot of jokes and references to Death Note, of course. I mean, I don't want to spoil the details, but, the very first chapter of the series pretty much opens up on a Death Note reference, so... yeah.

Oh, and then there's the fact that they're able to reference not just Death Note, but also a bunch of other real manga series by name, since, you know, they're working for Shonen Jump and all, and... yeah. I don't know what it is, but there's just something about seeing these characters mention One Piece or whatever without having to make up some fake-but-similar name that I just find kind of amusing.

Plus you learn a lot about the manga-making process from the series, so... yeah, I really like Bakuman. o3o

 

[Minerva]

The Battle Royale manga.

So much better than the film. Not that the film was bad, it's just the manga was brilliant.

The book is still better.

 

[Minibit]

Death note:
A psychological thriller/supernatural story
(Lines up with anime)

Fullmetal alchemist:
Alternate universe scifi adventure: very action based
(Lines up with FMA:Brotherhood anime)

Black Butler:
Historical Fantasy / adventure /Drama
(Differs from anime and goes longer)

Claymore:
Fantasy action/adventure
(Differs from anime and goes longer)

Fruits basket:
Fluffy slice of life/school life/romance
(Differs from anime and goes longer)

Lucky Star:
Comedy, short 'n sweet plots, school life
(Many jokes/scenes that weren't in the anime)

xXXHolic
Supernatural/modern fantasy, mystery, suspense, slice of life

Tsubasa Chronicles:
Fantasy adventure/world hopping /romance

Rozen Maiden:
Modern Fantasy / adventure /relaxed pace
(Differs from anime and goes longer)

Vampire Doll
Comedy / fantasy /Drama
(No anime(?))
Google for synopses if any of these catch your fancy :3

 

[unanun]

There are actually only four mangas really worth reading:
- Berserk
- Blame!
- Dorohedoro
- Eden: It's an Endless World!

On pure sexy artwork:
- Hellsing

 

[Mu]

I recommend a really touching one-shot called Watashi-tachi no Shiawase na Jikan. It's worth the read ; u ;

I also really liked Dogs: Bullets & Carnage. The story is really absorbing and the art is goddamn good.

 

[Shiri]

Hands down, Saiyuki is my favorite in my collection. I have all of Saiyuki and Saiyuki Reloaded. I have yet to find the rest of it in stores though. The anime is alright, but it and the manga diverge quite a bit. I hear there's some OVAs that stick a little closer.

Also Rurouni Kenshin is a must read if you like samurai stories. I'm beginning to watch the live action stuff and it gives me so much nostalgia.

 

[Icystorm]

@Kaga-kun
That sounds like a good series. To make a story like that intense has my interest and I have added it to my to-read list. I am excited to try Bakuman out and now must find a way to get to a bookstore.

@Minibit
I think my friend owns Death Note..or maybe he just owns the anime. I will have to check.
I have a bit about Black Butler (tried the anime and did not like it) but since the manga is different it shall be worth reading.
I enjoyed the Fruits Basket anime so I would love to see what path the manga takes.
Rozen Maiden sounds quite interesting. Must add to the list.

@unanun
Sadly Berserk does not look like something I would enjoy. It seems to be talked about a lot though so maybe I will pick it up someday and give it a try. Blame! seems good so I will try that out. Not sure about the other two. As for nice artwork..well you got me there ;) I am a sucker for nice artwork.

@Sen
Watashi seems really good, as does Dogs.

@Shiri
Definitely adding both of those to the list :3

 

[Skyswimsky]

Suggestions?
Sekai Oni
Mahou Tsukai no Yome

 

[ERode]

Let me enlighten you all on things that probably aren't as well known.

First off, Hitoribocchi no Chikyuu Shinryaku. It's so cute that its painful, but at the same time, it deals with some rather...interesting topics. The synposis, simply put, is that of the life of two kids. An invading alien, and the boy that has her heart implanted into him.

Then there's Tetsugaku Letra, a story about a flamenco, red lady's shoes, and a shut-in of a high schooler that finds some meaning in his life again. Props on the fact that there's unrequited romance that's done well.

Sounds rather tame so far, eh? After that, there's Keyman, which is what happens when an artist has too much black ink, a hard-on for American superheroes, and insane amounts of talent. I mean, holy shit, the main character is a hard-boiled T-rex detective. You literally can't get more badass than that.

Your mileage would vary for this, but Gakkou Gurashi is also something that's really weirdishly cool. I won't spoil much, but...there are cute girls, delusions, and shovels. It's really something that becomes better the less you know.

Majo no Shinzou is basically where I go if I want to see bishies of all kinds. The art has a delicate, shoujo feel to it, and it's composed of many one-shot stories that follow an overarching plot...but the one-shots are the ones that I love. A lot of them are cliche, but it's nice regardless. Probably something to do with the execution.

There's a lot more, but off the top of my head...there it is~

 

[Kagayours]

@Kaga-kun
That sounds like a good series. To make a story like that intense has my interest and I have added it to my to-read list. I am excited to try Bakuman out and now must find a way to get to a bookstore.

If both Bakuman and Death Note are on your to-read list, I recommend you read Death Note first. Like I said, Bakuman makes a lot of Death Note references and just sort of mimics its intensity in a lot of ways. I mean, you don't lose much from reading it without being familiar with Death Note, but, I mean, if you're going to read both anyway, you might as well read Death Note first. Or at least start Death Note first.