can you recommend a ''MANGA'' series?

[miraclefan]

I'm big in to comic book or ''graphic novels'' and I'm looking in to picking up some ''manga'' problem for me is that there are so many titles out there that I really can't make heads or tales of it all! So ''PLEASE'' I need EXPERT advice from you guys/gals, what would you recommend in the following genre's. I mainly prefer the Action, Sci-Fi, genre's, but will ''occasionally'' go for Mystery's, Comedy's, & Horror. So I am open to suggestions THANKS!

 

[Admiral2]

Go here:

http://www.onemanga.com/

and search by your favorite genres.

 

[miraclefan]

Thanks, I'll give it a look.

 

[Pilot Ace]

I haven't read too many manga, but I'll throw out a few suggestions.

I really enjoyed Akira, especially because I don't get the hype over the film. The manga version is about 6 decent sized books long and because of the increased detail and time available to tell the story it makes it much more satisfying. It's a much more epic story in the manga version too.

In some ways, I've liked the Neon Genesis Evangelion manga more than the series, it's a lot more focused and cuts out most of the sillier humor from the anime. It's also fairly different in many ways right from the start, though in keeping with the same ideas of the anime. It's still not done yet, after about 14 years... There is something like 11 volumes out now, regular size, the author is just very, very slow. I'm curious to see how he ends it and how much it'll be like either the series or movie. Or perhaps something new.

The Scott Pilgrim series. Not a manga, but a Canadian comic done in manga-style. I was recently introduced to this series and it's so much fun. If you have any knowledge of video games, anime, and/or geek culture you should try it out. It's about Scott Pilgrim, a relatively regular 23 year old slacker, who is in a band and gets a mysterious girlfriend, but to keep the girlfriend he has to defeat her evil exes in battle. As ridiculous as it sounds, it's really great. There are 5 volumes out now of a planned 6. I've read up until 4, just recently got 5, and I'm in love with the series.

That's what I got for you now, maybe I'll remember some others later.

 

[zakkrusz]

I can really only recommend what I've read or am reading which isn't much:

Ai Yori Aoshi (romantic comedy/drama)
Black Lagoon (action)
Bleach (action)
Chobits (comedy/drama, science fiction)
Claymore (action, horror)
Fate/Stay Night (Supernatural, action)
Gunslinger Girl (action, drama, science fiction)
Hellsing (action, horror)
Higurashi (Mystery, horror)
Kare Kano (Romantic drama, comedy)
King of Thorn (science fiction, horror)
Lunar Legend Tsukihime (supernatural, action, horror)
Monster (mystery, horror, with some medical drama)
Planetes (science fiction)
Suzuka (Romantic drama, sports[Track and Field])
Yu Yu Hakusho (action)

The bolded ones would fit more with what you're looking for but all of them are/were good reads.

 

[clint g]

Ahh manga, my true passion

Claymore
higurashi
berserk
Chrono Crusade
Black Lagoon
Full Metal Panic
Neon Genesis Evangelion


Those are some good ones to start with

 

[Pilot Ace]

Gunslinger Girl (action, drama, science fiction)

I'll second this one, kinda.

I remember liking it, but if you've seen the first series of the anime it's pretty much identical to whatever volumes those 13 episodes correspond with, if I recall correctly. I'd probably recommend the first series of the anime over reading the manga though.

I don't know how similar the second series of the anime is to the books after that point or if the books continue on past the second series. I have not read them or seen the second series of the anime as of yet.

 

[clint g]

Gunslinger Girl (action, drama, science fiction)

I'll second this one, kinda.

I remember liking it, but if you've seen the first series of the anime it's pretty much identical to whatever volumes those 13 episodes correspond with, if I recall correctly. I'd probably recommend the first series of the anime over reading the manga though.

I don't know how similar the second series of the anime is to the books after that point or if the books continue on past the second series. I have not read them or seen the second series of the anime as of yet.

The Gunslinger Girl manga corresponds fairly well to both seasons of the show, though the second season of the show had a massive drop off in production quality. For that reason alone I'd recomend the manga over the show. That said though, The Gunslinger Girl manga has been plagued with release issues. For almost a year it was stuck with only up to volume 4 out. Then they released a couple more volumes and then stopped. I think they only have up to six out. It may have been cancelled so you may not be able to get every volume.

 

[shanejayell]

If you like science fiction & action, I'd suggest Burst Angel.

 

[zakkrusz]

Gunslinger Girl (action, drama, science fiction)

I'll second this one, kinda.

I remember liking it, but if you've seen the first series of the anime it's pretty much identical to whatever volumes those 13 episodes correspond with, if I recall correctly. I'd probably recommend the first series of the anime over reading the manga though.

I don't know how similar the second series of the anime is to the books after that point or if the books continue on past the second series. I have not read them or seen the second series of the anime as of yet.

Both anime series only cover about the first 3 books, the manga series currently has at least 9 volumes. So the manga goes on quite a bit longer than the anime adaptation. Also if you haven't seen the second season Funimation has the whole thing streaming all free and legal like on their website with English subtitles.

 

[miraclefan]

Thanks! I'll give King of Thorns, Akira, Hellsing, Planetes, & Claymore a shot! But could you give me a idea what ''KOT'' & ''Claymore'' are about? And I think I'll finally pick up AKIRA, I've avoided it because I was not impressed by the movie! And I'll also try MONSTER if it's the title I think it is, I'll probably enjoy it.

 

[zakkrusz]

Claymore- Set in a pre-industrial fantasy world, humans are not the top of the food chain anymore and monsters called Yoma, who imitate human form, prey on us. Humanity's only hope rests with a group known simply as The Organization which creates female hybrid warriours dubbed Claymores for their large over sized swords to exterminate them for a fee. Claire is one such hybrid. She's already considered a trouble maker by her superiors for traveling with a orphaned boy who was exiled from his village, however, when she comes too close to her limit in a battle releasing too much of her power, Claire "awakens". Suspecting this, the organization sends her on continually dangerous missions trying to kill her off.

King of Thorn-Twin sisters Kasumi and Shizuka are infected with a new virus called the Medusa virus, for which there is no current cure. Kasumi is selected as part of a chosen few to be chryogenically frozen until a cure is found. Kasumi awakens a while later into a future world full of monsters and tries to discover what exactly went wrong with the world while she slept and what happened to her sister. In short it's basicly the same plot as Blue Gender.

 

[miraclefan]

Ooh! I loved Blue Gender! Okay you've hooked me, I'll try to pick those up this week when I go in to town! Also, was there ever a Blue Gender ''manga''? That show was truely ''unflinching'' I really had no idea what would happen next, I was at the edge of my seat(literally) the entire series!

 

[zakkrusz]

Don't know, I'd have to go look it up. I'll be back.

Edit: Yeah, there was but it was only a one volume wonder reverse adapted from the anime. It was never brought over here.

 

[clint g]

Generally, as a rule you might want to avoid manga that was made based off of anime. They usually suck something fierce. Not always but enough of the time that you should enter with caution

 

[zakkrusz]

Yeah, I kind get that impression too after reading a couple lackluster titles. For instance Infinite Ryvius (the anime) is an awesome epic trip, while it's tiny two volume manga counterpart is a pale shadow of it's greatness and told from a side character's perspective so it's like reading cliff notes.

It was still good but not epic.

 

[Sephiroth]

I'm finally starting to work on Ruroni Kenshin and i'm liking what i'm reading

 

[clint g]

I'm finally starting to work on Ruroni Kenshin and i'm liking what i'm reading

Me too. Im up to volume 7 or 8 right now (i'm borrowing my friends omnibuses) Its extremly well done and easily puts the show to shame. From what my friend has told me, the later stuff gets even better. Unfortunatly, the same didnt happen with the Kenshin anime lol

 

[Sephiroth]

I'm way behind everybody in the manga department it seems, i'm only 11 issues into Kenshin and 3 into ranma 1/2

 

[hyzmarca]

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. It's only 4 volumes and comes in a nice boxed set.