Can anyone recommend a manga series to me?

[Dee]

As the title suggests I'm looking to start reading a new series. I'm quite happy reading non-manga comics - Alan Moore's stuff is great, and "Hellblazer" is pretty good as well, but unfortuantely the Manga I'm reading at present is not holding my interest sufficiently for me to carry on.

Inu Yasha - fun, but it doesn't really seem to go anywhere. Reminsicent of "Friends" and the like.

Gravitation - banal and pointless.

Utena - prety enjoyable but once you're past the prelude it's largely the same as the anime.

A,A' - hohum!

I'm waiting for Clover to arrive from Amazon so that may be one saving grace but as it is I'm close to giving up on Japanese comics entirely, which would be a shame as I'm sure there must be some good series out there I haven't seen, so can anyone help me out here?

"Berserk and "Cowboy Bebop" are not ones I would choose (because I want something new), and "Trigun", and "Hellsing" are no-go-areas (because I'd rather read the complete and uncut version of "Atlas Shrugged", with a special extended John Galt speech).


[hr]"Twenty-five years later, I dynamited Disneyland to rubble...but even in prison, I still see Goofy everywhere."

- "The Parking Lot is Full"

[General Porkov]

OK, here's some suggestions I've got for manga series:

Love Hina - I've got 4 out of the 14/15 parts of the translated. I may get the Japanese version, as I saw a place where I could get all 15 parts for 3,150 Yen.

Pita Ten - I've got all 8 parts of the Japanese manga and I remember the anime was fun.

Full Metal Alchemist - Got 2 parts of the Japanese manga

Pita Ten and Love Hina should be available in translated versions - I'm not so sure on FMA's translations.

Doom Lord General Porko Porkov
Warning - Doom Lord in Japan!
All Your Pigs and Igs are belong to us!

[Guyver fan]

I'm not normally a manga / anime fan but I recommend the Guyver series. Was quite impressive, if I remember correctly.

[Rezo]

Well, here are my recommendations...

Chrno Crusade: Recently licenced by ADV, but not yet out in graphic novel format. Worth the wait, from what I've read so far.

Love Hina: Better than the anime...

Angelic Layer

El Hazard: Adds new twists to those seen in the OAV and TV series.

Oh My Goddess

Steel Angel Kurumi: Different to the anime series. Those who were in the society last year, will remember me bringing in one of the DVD's to show a clip during breaktime.

Chobits: Really good...

MegaTokyo: Now in graphic novel format. Vol 2 out now, Vol 1 isn't.

.hack//Twilight: Slightly different to the anime, and even better.


[hr]
I've always had my suspicions you were no mere mortal. But I never imagined you actually... A cat... Wait! What the hell am I saying?! Where is that idiot?!! - Nicholas D. Wolfwood, Trigun

Rezo's Nationstates story: http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/ind ... animeondvd

[Dee]

Thanks for responses. Much appreciated.

Now, I don't suppose those who've responded could tell me a little more: a small summary of each series, or, better yet, the reasons they're recommending them.

Only if you've the time and inclination, mind.

Oh, and talk to me like an ignoramus please. I'm not as au fait with anime as many in the society so I may not know series that seem mainstream to others. For instance "Guyver" is one I feel I should know about, but I don't know the first thing about it. I realise I can look up more details about them on the internet, but a few words would allow me to be more selective in my searches, save me a fair bit of time, and be much appreciated.

Anyway, thanks again. I'll check out some of these over the next few days.

[hr]"Twenty-five years later, I dynamited Disneyland to rubble...but even in prison, I still see Goofy everywhere."

- "The Parking Lot is Full"

[Dee]

[s]Rezo wrote on 14:27, 13th Feb 2004:
MegaTokyo: Now in graphic novel format. Vol 2 out now, Vol 1 isn't.


MegaTokyo tr00ly r0><0rz.

(I prefer to read it online, but perhaps I should buy hardcopies to support the cartoonist.)

[hr]
"Twenty-five years later, I dynamited Disneyland to rubble...but even in prison, I still see Goofy everywhere."

- "The Parking Lot is Full"

[Joesta]

The Guyver is about a guy at highschool who comes across a briefcase, or something like that and is transformed into an alien like thing. Whenever he is in danger he morphs into the Guyver. Although some evil company are trying to stop him. It has It has quite a few twists and is quite good once you get into it, at the end of each video theres a summary of random monster/alien, etc that exist. You can buy the videos from amazon at this addres:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 11-7553462

[Leo Comerford]

This page:

http://myhome.naver.com/fischer/50best/50bestinfoE.htm

describes the top 50 manga chosen by a poll of Japanese people in 1998. I've found several of these on sale on the Web, but I'm quite sure most have never been translated into English. Impossibly frustrating - most of them look fascinating.

Many of the authors on that list also feature in the articles on Matt Thorn's site. He researches shoujo manga. Veery interesting stuff.

http://www.matt-thorn.com/

[Leo Comerford]

One thing I notice is in print in English is the first series of the Lupin III manga (dated 1967, iirc). Tokyopop have out volumes of the manga:

http://www.tokyopop.com/dbpage.php?prop ... rycode=BMG

It's supposedly somewhat different from the film/TV incarnations of Lupin III, and the art style is unusual for a manga too (the influence of Mad magazine is usually mentioned).

[Dee]

Thankyou Leo. I enjoyed looking through those, even if it is a little frustrating that most have not been translated, as you say.

[hr]"Twenty-five years later, I dynamited Disneyland to rubble...but even in prison, I still see Goofy everywhere."

- "The Parking Lot is Full"

[Dee]

[s]Dee wrote on 00:17, 11th Feb 2004:
Utena - pretty enjoyable but once you're past the prelude it's largely the same as the anime.


I wanted to unsay this. I've read the second and third volumes and these are not as similar to the series as the first led me to believe.

I want to see the movie now, and the rest of the anime series obviously.

[hr]
Crank up the Beethoven, it's time to kick some butt.

[Rezo]

Well, new month, new manga. Two manga really stick out for me:

Magister Negi Magi - Its the story of a 10 year old genius in magic, from Britain of course (Wales actually), sent to teach English to a class of 14 year-old girls in Japan. Absolutely. Hilarious. And Brilliant.

Tsubasa - A CLAMP creation, and its a mega-crossover of all of their previous anime/manga. The stars of the show are Syaoran and Sakura from Card Captor Sakura, but they're not the same ones we know. These versions are several years older, and reside on an entirely different planet to Earth. Syaoran is the leader of an archeological dig, investigating the ruins of Clow. Sakura is the princess of the kingdom of Clow, and she plans to confess her love to Syaoran at the dig site. As luck would have it, things go pear-shaped almost immediately for the both of them, and Syaoran is sent off on a multi-dimensional journey to save Sakura. No I'm not making that all up. Honest.


[hr]
"Okay, this is it. If you screw this up, go buy yourself a hampster wheel. Get it?"
"Keep an eye on her. Girl's got more issues than the Japan Times. Dropped on the head as a baby... repeatedly. Plus she watches a lot of tv. All that sex, violence..."
"Their moves were... just too fast. What kind of formation... could a triangle attack be...?"
"I'm thinking triangular."
- All quotes from Magister Negi Magi; Asuna, Ayaka, Ayaka again, Konoka

[Dee]

I'm reading an online comic called Strange Candy at the moment. It's got some good lines I have to admit.

"Look! He sparkles. Can I keep him?"
"Put the bishounen back Eri-Chan...now!"

More embarassingly I've started reading one of the comics from the list Leo linked to. I don't want to read shoujo manga, I really don't. I think I need to read more stuff about big robots and bad-ass lone swordsmen if I'm to hold my head up high and delude myself I'm not already excluded from polite society for reading comics.

[hr]Crank up the Beethoven, it's time to kick some butt.