MattC302's Manga Recommendation Thread

Funny, I read the first chapter of Haikyuu! yesterday and I thought it was not really original. Now that I think about it, the clumsy newbie guy with a great gift competing against the genius guy, where I have read that... :-)

Ooku:The Inner Chambers
Genre: Drama, Historical, Romance
Demographic: Josei
Serialized In: Melody
Number of Volumes: 7
Scanlated Chapters: 14
Status In Japan: Ongoing

Here we have a manga that completely blew away my expectations. This is my first Josei manga, and based on the premise, I was expecting it to be just some woman's fantasy of ruling over men. I couldn't have been more wrong. I think this manga, even though it is seemingly written with women in mind, could be especially appreciated by men because it shows a perspective that I don't think most men would think of. I'm finding it hard for me to explain exactly why I find this manga appealing without going into spoiling details, but just know, that this manga has been fascinating for me. It's got romance elements as well as behind the scenes political battles. It's a very good read. I highly recommend it for pretty much any adult to try. Especially to those who are historical fiction fans. I think it's worth noting that this manga won the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize.

Spoiler: Summary show

http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/6167/i114678.jpg

In an alternative timeline of feudal Japan, a strange disease that only affects men has caused a massive reduction of male population, thus women have to pick up men's jobs, changing the social structure. Now, after 80 years of the initial outbreak and current man:woman ratio of 1:4, Japan has become completely matriarchal, with women holding important political positions and men being their consort. Only the most powerful woman -- head of Tokugawa shogunate -- can keep a harem of handsome yet unproductive men, known as "Ooku."

All the Recommendation is good and worth to read.

Ooku is a great manga, and even the story was mature but it still a shoujo manga because of the magazine Category.

In the end let me recommend to you historie

Gon
Genre: Adventure, Comedy
Demographic: Seinen
Serialized In: Weekly Morning
Number of Volumes: 7
Scanlated Chapters: ?
Status In Japan: Complete

Here we have the very first textless manga I have tried or even heard of. There isn't a single word of dialogue in the entire manga. That's because it is a manga that features only animals. The main character is a crazy, little dinosaur named Gon. He is about 2 feet tall, but his spirit is as tall as a mountain. Don't let is stature fool you. He is a boss. The manga is about Gon going around the world and doing whatever the hell he wants. He gets in all kinds of trouble, has all kinds of fun, and interacts with all sorts of animals. One of the great things about this manga is how easy it is to "read". I put "read" in quotes because you don't actually read any words since it is textless, but you do interpret the pictures. The mangaka did a really good job at making the animals very expressive. You don't need The animals to tell you how they are feeling, because you can see it on their face and in their actions. Another great thing about this manga is the wonderfully detailed art. It is fantastic. It has a realistic style for the most part, that I think anyone can enjoy. The nature/wilderness scenes are magnificently done. This manga is only 7 volumes long, and as I said, it is easy to read. If you like adventure and comedy manga, do yourself a favor and check this manga out.

Spoiler: Summary show

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/933/i121191.png

Long before the dawn of man, savage dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Now, only one remains — the smallest, wildest of them all! GON marches across the wilderness defending the friendly and furry from the mean and hungry. Told entirely without words, these stories highlight the amazingly detailed art and visual storytelling genius of creator Masashi Tanaka.

---------- Post added April 14, 2012 at 09:06 PM ---------- Previous post was April 13, 2012 at 09:18 PM ----------

Disappearance Diary
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Slice-of-life
Demographic: Seinen
Serialized In: N/A
Number of Volumes: 1
Scanlated Chapters: 0
Status In Japan: Complete

I bought this book pretty much on a whim just because it was one volume long and wouldn't hurt my wallet too bad. I really got lucky finding such a good story. It is a fascinating look into 3 slices of the mangaka's life, dealing with homelessness, depression/anxiety, the manga industry, and alcoholism. It has an old school, cartoony art style that I would describe as a mix between Tezuka and Adachi's styles. I can see a lot of people disliking this type of art, but it was done with way on purpose to make light of a tough situation, and it works.

There isn't a whole lot of in depth dialogue between characters. Most of the time, it is the mangaka narrating and describing to the reader the weird people he meets, how he feels in certain situations etc.. This reads very smoothly and is a little different than what I am used to. I've never really read a manga autobiography before as far as I know.

Though being about some pretty dark times in the mangaka's life, it is told in a way that can be very funny and entertaining, while still being relatable.

I think it's worth noting that this manga won an Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize, and a Japan Media Arts Award.

There are no scans of this manga, but if you can spare $10, head on over to Amazon and order this manga. I think you will be pleased with what you read and it is probably a little different from what you are used to reading.

Spoiler: Summary show

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/4676/i88163.jpg

An autobiographical work in which Hideo Azuma tells the story of his inability to cope with the pressures of his job as a mangaka and of his exeriences with alcoholism. The work is split into three sections, each of which details one of Azuma's breakdowns. The first section (Walking At Night) is set in 1989 when Azuma suddenly walked out on both his job and his family and became homeless for the first time. Much of this section is given over to describing the practicalities of eating, sleeping, and killing time whilst homeless. The second section (Walking Around Town) covers a similar set of events in 1992 but this time Azuma managed to find labouring work as a gas pipe layer after a period of living rough. This section also looks back over Azuma's career and describes the pressures he worked under in the 1970s and 80s. The third section (Alcoholic Ward) covers the author's descent into full-blown alcoholism and his experiences of being committed to a hospital rehab programme in 1998.

---------- Post added May 08, 2012 at 03:19 PM ---------- Previous post was April 14, 2012 at 09:06 PM ----------

A Zoo In Winter
Genre: Drama, Slice-of-life
Demographic: Seinen
Serialized In: Big Comic
Number of Volumes: 1
Scanlated Chapters: 0
Status In Japan: Complete

This single volume story by Jiro Taniguchi really blew me away. It's a semi-autobiographical slice-of-life about the author's introduction to the manga industry, the people he meets, and the relationship that inspires him. A realistic story, it isn't exciting or melodramatic, but it was still a real page turner and something that I think people can really connect with and relate to.

One of my favorite parts of the book was the portion where the main character develops a romantic relationship with a sickly girl he was initially forced to spend time with. While I wouldn't call this book a romance, this featured relationship is one of the most natural and sweetest romances I have encountered in manga.

The art style is sem-realistic, and it really fits the story. At first, I thought it was a little stiff, but I quickly grew to love the style(I had a similar experience when first encountering Naoki Urasawa's art). The characters faces are very expressive and thoughtful. They convey real emotion that push the story along just as much as the dialogue.

There is no way I could recommend this book enough and my words do it no justice. With this one story, I have become a fan of Jiro Taniguchi. I plan on reading all of his licensed work and rereading this book many more times.

Spoiler: Summary show

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/8510/i108354.jpg

Kyoto, 1966. The young Hamaguchi is working for a textile manufacturer whilst dreaming of becoming an artist, when an incident at the zoo involving the boss's daughter forces his hand. He moves to Tokyo at the invitation of an old school friend who also arranges an "interview" at the studios of the famous mangaka, Shiro Kondo. Here he quickly discovers both the long hours of meeting studio deadlines along with the nightlife and artistic haunts of the capital.

For the first time ever, multi-award winning Taniguchi recalls his beginnings in manga and his youth spent in Tokyo in the 60's. It is a magnificent account of his apprenticeship where all the finesse and elegance of the creator are united to illustrate those first emotions of adulthood.

Once you have tried Taniguchi it is hard to stop :-)
Plus he is good in every genre although I tend to prefer is slice of life manga. Zoo in winter was a really nice story.
btw have you read some of Fumiyo Kouno works, I'm pretty sure she is an author you would really love.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by k-dom

Once you have tried Taniguchi it is hard to stop :-)
Plus he is good in every genre although I tend to prefer is slice of life manga. Zoo in winter was a really nice story.
btw have you read some of Fumiyo Kouno works, I'm pretty sure she is an author you would really love.

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I have only read The Town of Evening Calm; The Country of Cherry Blossoms, and I really liked it. I would like to read more of her work, but I believe this is the only one printed in English or scanlated. I think one other book by her is available through JManga, but I'm not a fan of that service.