Hangout MH Seinen Hangout

[barbapapa]

Not strictly all seinen, but mostly recommended reading imo:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16285474/mangarec1.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16285474/mangarec2.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16285474/mangarec3.jpg

 

[MattC302]

^That is a good selection. Many of my all time favorites are on there. YKK, Planetes, Yotsuba&!, One Piece. I just bought all the volumes of Nausicaa, but I haven't had the time to read it yet. Though from what I hear, there is little doubt that I will love it.

I didn't see any Urasawa Naoki on that selection. I've heard great things about his work and I just bought all the volumes of Pluto. I am going to start that after Nausicaa.

I really want to read Eden: It's An Endless World, but I am afraid Dark Horse won't finish publishing it and I don't want to buy it if I can't get the complete collection. They only put out like 1 volume a year due to low sales.

 

[Roflkopt3r]

Yeah it really is. Partially reminds me of some award lists:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Media_Arts_Festival#Manga_awards

I think there's quite some overlapping, both great lists to follow

 

[barbapapa]

I've read most of Urasawa's works, and liked Monster the most. But it became hard for me to remain interested halfway through 20th Century Boys, and since I've felt a painful degree of formulaicness in his works.
Nonetheless it's a great way to get into seinen, if you've dabbled into shounen for too long and are looking for something more intriguing. Don't take my recommendations as an A to Z of great stuff; it's more a personal shortlist of works I hold in moderate to high esteem.

 

[baboysai]

true, that. I think after Monster and 20CB I'm good with Urasawa's works and would not die to read for more, else I'd ruin his respect for him or something like that, I fear.

 

[Roflkopt3r]

Of course it has it's flaw, but 20th Century Boys is truly an epic work in several ways. Most of all during this long going story about very remarkable characters. It has some great kind of mystique away from all that rather shounen typical "oh my god, look at that mysterious fighting power".

I guess it's one of the most gigantous main story lines ever. There are barely any pages not telling an actual story, and none of them are irrelevant side stories. Also the perhaps best time skips, I feel like they have been really perfect. Well connected and just at the right moments, without dragging on any part of the story for too long.

Kokou no Hito also has great time skips btw, jumping back and forth over and over again. They feel somewhat natural and not as forced as it sometimes appear in Shounen when -for example- somebody has been defeated and his definings moments are shown again. It's a somewhat different type of skips than in 20th Century Boys though.

In an amazing way it's always clear what timeline happens at which time and what happened in between, without even the slightest bit of explanation and often enough just by showing images.
I think that does a great job in making it all appear very natural, human and real.

This also applies on changing places. These pictures for example show a travel. It was clear that this travel would happen some day, but there was no bridge pictures explaining or anything. Just those of the destination:

Spoiler: Images

 

[MattC302]

I just started Nausicaa of The Valley of The Wind and I'm not even finished the first volume, but I already get a really powerful feeling from this story. Specifically the scene

Spoiler

where Nausicaa was caught growing the poisonous plants and explained that if you gave them clean water and the such, they don't release poison and that it is the pollution of humans that is causing the plants to react negatively. Something about that scene felt very real and it was like a switch flicked on in my brain.

I can already tell I am going to love this manga.

 

[baboysai]

eh... so Nausicaa came from a seinen manga? I didn't know that. I thought it was a Studio Ghibli original.

 

[MattC302]

eh... so Nausicaa came from a seinen manga? I didn't know that. I thought it was a Studio Ghibli original.

Well, it was originally published in Animage magazine, though I am not sure that magazine has a fixed demographic. I would say Nausicaa could be considered Seinen. I could be wrong though

---------- Post added June 15, 2011 at 06:49 PM ---------- Previous post was June 08, 2011 at 01:09 PM ----------

I just finished reading Pluto and I loved it. Will I like 20th Century Boys and Monster as much as I liked Pluto.

Also, for anyone who has bought the Viz Media versions of these manga, is the print quality and translation good?

 

[Kaiten]

It is reasonable to believe that you will prefer Monster and 20th Century Boys. Pluto is a great manga, but I prefer it's two predecessors. The VIZ editions of 20th Century Boys and Pluto are outstanding. Print quality and translation is top notch, the books are larger size than shounen/shoujo tankobon too. Since they overhauled the line in 2008, any VIZ signature release is top notch. Sadly, Monster came out before the overhaul. Print quality and translation are good, but not up to their current standards.

 

[MattC302]

It is reasonable to believe that you will prefer Monster and 20th Century Boys. Pluto is a great manga, but I prefer it's two predecessors. The VIZ editions of 20th Century Boys and Pluto are outstanding. Print quality and translation is top notch, the books are larger size than shounen/shoujo tankobon too. Since they overhauled the line in 2008, any VIZ signature release is top notch. Sadly, Monster came out before the overhaul. Print quality and translation are good, but not up to their current standards.

Thanks. I have all 8 volume of Pluto and I was really impressed with the quality. Though I am envious of the Japanese versions too I think I will go ahead and order the first few volumes of 20th Century Boys. I thought Pluto was amazing and if you say 20thCB is better, I must have it. I think I will wait on Monster or go see if I can preview it in a book store, though they might not have it since it is a little older.

 

[Kaiten]

I actually prefer Monster. Both are classic, but Monster is slightly deeper. Tenma (yes, an Astroboy reference) is a brilliantly written character. His guilt for "creating" a "Monster" is a brilliant metaphor for society viewing itself as "responsible" for crime. Crime being a result of violent video games, poverty, etc rather than the responsibility of individual choice.

 

[barbapapa]

Pluto is easily better than 20th CB. For one it's compacter, and secondly it's based on a Tezuka story.
Not that it's without faults or anything.

 

[baboysai]

I wonder if you can appreciate Pluto without reading the Astro boy manga? I'm familiar with astro boy and all, but that's about it.

The only Tezuka manga I read was Buddha, which by the way, is also awesome.

 

[MattC302]

I wonder if you can appreciate Pluto without reading the Astro boy manga? I'm familiar with astro boy and all, but that's about it.

The only Tezuka manga I read was Buddha, which by the way, is also awesome.

You don't need to know anything about Astro Boy to enjoy Pluto. I'm only vaguely familiar with Astro Boy and Pluto is one of the best manga I have ever read.

 

[baboysai]

thanks. I'd been meaning to read pluto since last year, but I never got around to it for fear there might be too many references I wouldn't get.

 

[Kaiten]

I haven't read Astroboy either, but still enjoyed Pluto. It is only based on a one volume arc, all of the necessary back story is explained.

Pluto is definitely more compact than 20th Century Boys, which I felt ran a couple of volumes to long. But I prefer the characters in 20thCB, especially Kana and Kenji. I also thought the themes in 20thCB were developed a little more clearly.

 

[barbapapa]

Potentially 20th CB is a masterpiece.
But in reality it leaves you wanting.

 

[Kaiten]

Edited Mangas of Kurosagi have resumed! Like Birdy the Mighty, Kurosagi is a series I would have read long ago if it were not for unreliable releases. I have not had a chance to catch back up but Edited Mangas of Mangaka-San to Assistant-San to resumed a few months ago. Not the most intelligent series ever but a really entertaining, low brow comedy. A good, fun read for anyone who likes gag manga.

I'm about half way through Blade of the Immortal and it is my favorite manga ever. The intelligence of this series can not be overstated, it is one of the few manga I have read that could be turned into serious prose without any changes. The art, action, and intensity is a bonus.

 

[baboysai]

Really. Ever since you've been sporting the Blade of the Immortal sigs, i'd been meaning to read it too. I have the first volume with me but I haven't touched it yet.