Discussion What Manga Do You Read?

[Siedhr]

What's Kamui about?

 

[glasskatana]

Siedhr, you didn't like Kenshin???? You make me very sad, it's one of my favorites. However for this I forgive you.

FMA loved it, loving it. Great manga.

This one is on my favorite list as well. I consider it one of the best manga out there. And is Vagabond really that great? If you reccommend it I might download it. Is it ongoing or completed? Anyway that's enough of that.

 

[NeoShweaty]

After Vagabond, few series compare favorably

 

[Siedhr]

Siedhr, you didn't like Kenshin???? You make me very sad, it's one of my favorites.

I didn't hate it. Maybe I was a tad too harsh in my words. I didn't love it, but I did enjoy it while it lasted.

And is Vagabond really that great? If you reccommend it I might download it. Is it ongoing or completed?

Well, I'm biased since I'm on the Editing team. I personally love it. The art, the story, the realism. Please give it a chance. You can find the whole series to download here: http://mangahelpers.com/forum/index.php?topic=4941.0 . And it's ongoing, 24 volumes and still to come.

 

[graphic_content]

What's Kamui about?

The main character - Atsuma - is sent out by his village to reclaim the sacred spirit - Okikurumi - whose disappearance has thrown the world into some sort of 'spiritual imbalance'. Atsuma himself, has inherited the spirit of an Ancient Sword - that serves as both his guide and weapon. Early on he encounters an organization called NOA - who themselves wield different spirit entities - and begins an investigations that brings him deep within their ranks.

-thats the first volume in a nutshell-

if you want to check it out -->

http://www.broccolibooks.com/books/kamui/kamui_preview.htm

 

[FHT]

FMA loved it, loving it.

Right now, I'm watching the anime, and so far, it's really cool. I want to read the manga, but I don't know where to download it.

Finally managed to read Gantz. Loving it so far, but what is with all these p0rn covers? If I want to read p0rn, I read p0rn. Again, weak females. Even Reika. The only hot, powerful female got whacked (the kick-boxing girl with a braid). And

Spoiler

vampires, wtf, excuse my English, what is that? But I'll be reserving my judgement till phase 2.

Thumbs up.

You're right. It's one on the best mangas (and animes) I've ever seen. And you are right, to many porn covers. I think the author likes that... really... But any way. And the...

Spoiler

vampires that appear there... I thaught the same way. But the art, and the story are great!.

Well, right now, I'm reading Love Hina. It's really fun. That guy really gets in trouble. And the art is not so bad. Give it a 8 of 10

And Neon Genesis Evangelion..... This confirms that the anime is nothing compared to the manga.
All the additional stuff makes it even better than ever!!!! My number 1 for now. 10 of 10.

 

[Siedhr]

I want to read the manga, but I don't know where to download it.

stoptazmo.com and this neat server I found out about http://anip.homeunix.com/manga/ (has lots of popups that aren't taken care of by popup stoppers, but lets you use downloads managers which is cool).

Speaking of Gantz, is it just me or are the latest scanned chapters cleaned with an excess of smudge? Really takes the oomph from the art. But the art is awesome, yeah. I wish the women weren't so alike but this seems like a common flaw of many good mangaka.

I have a weird thing against Evangelion. First of all the character design irks me for some reason. I might give it a try after I finish everything else on my list, though.

Right now I'm trying to get my hands on Real and the omanga downloads are down and the people on the forums seem mean so I don't dare ask.

 

[Gold Knight]

Owwww... harshest criticism I've heard of Kenshin. XD

But I have to admit, the female characters could have been better (but in fact, in most manga I've read, I always feel that way...!) Wonder if you could accuse the mangaka community of sexism...

Anyway, and Vagabond is definitely more realistic and has more amazing art, but hm, it lacks the charm of Kenshin somehow in that we don't have quite the involved pseudo-historical background and the heavy cast of detailed characters that add to the atmosphere. But at the same time, Vagabond wouldn't be Vagabond if it put even more emphasis on such things, so I dunno...

 

[fireballer666]

meh, after all the manga series I've read I never have been able to bring myself to read Kenshin, I think I have this thing against samurai....its one of those really popular ones I haven't read, like HnG and Death Note....and Shaman King, and the list just keeps on going....

oh yeah, Gantz officially sucks now (those reading the current know what I'm talking about)...

 

[NeoShweaty]

You have a thing against samurai? trust me, you'll love them after reading Vagabond.

 

[ruby_06]

well, i havent finished reading death note yet and ofcourse there is naruto and bleach.
nothing more actually!!!!

 

[NeoShweaty]

I havent added what i am reading.
One Piece -> hopefully HQ scans come out soon because i want to see the current chapters in all their glory
Naruto- im not so much reading this out of enjoyment anymore. It pissed me off to no end that after the big shit made about the time skip, there has to be another training section. Couldnt it have been done away from the reader or something? it would have been a nice time to show another character or two who never gets face time. I mean if naruto showed up again in battle with a new jutsu, this all could be explained on one page.
Vagabond- I still need to read volume 21 and my groups Edited Mangas of it (i dont so much read it as much as i glance it while i work on them)
Bleach- Deus ex machina=shinji. He just fell out of the sky and saved the day. I know there will be more training but hopefully it involves Ishida
Hajime no Ippo - catching up to the latest scans. Best series ever, nuff said
Mad Bull 34 - straight up killing and fucking. Can't beat it.

 

[hyper_megaman]

Re: Manga Recommendation Thread

What's the name of this manga again?: One Piece

Who now?: Eichiro Oda

And what goes on in this manga of yours?: It's the story of Monkey D. Luffy, a young boy that wants to become a pirate, inspired by a pirate crew that visited his home town when he was a kid. He sets out on a journey to find the fabled One Piece, the ultimate pirate treasure. On his journey he meets a people that he inspires to join his quest, such as a love-crazy cook, a swordsman with no fear of death, a double-timing thief, and.... a reindeer?

For whom?: people that like adventure and humor. I'd put the age limit to about 10-13, because of some very violent scenes.

How much to read?: Around 400 chapters (40 volumes) and counting. Don't worry though, they go by fast when you first strart reading.

Why should I read this particular manga?: Come on! PIRATES!!!! And not just that, this series has exellent writing, Oda keeps spinning a net of secrets and anticipations that will keep you reading for ages. It also has such a touching plot (I've cried on several occations, including the latest chapter (392)). Also, there are pirates, how cool is that? Of course, the art is magnificent, especially since Oda has a knack for over-exagerating without it showing (here I want to mention a full page of a villian gaping in surprise. Not all manga-kas can pull of stuff like that), and there's a lot of color spreads, some times they cam about every third chapter. oh, and it's about pirates!. By the way, One Piece is the most popular manga in Japan at the moment.

Did I mention PIRATES?!

Where do I get this piraty manga, then?: www.stoptazmo.com, #[email protected]

amen, after over 3 years(or 4?) straight of being top manga in shounen jump, and still IS(naruto is at 5th, bleach at 3rd), this is definitely a good read, no kidding. just look at the statistics

for those who criticise the lousy art style, be patient and read on, it's the storyline that's important. it's playful, very humorous, yet at the same time it can be angry, powerful, dark, and sometimes so touching it even makes grown men cry. don't brush off the humour as childishness, that mood is exactly what oda is trying to depict. a pirate's life, is always filled with its life's dangers, yet always has a spot for hanging about singing songs and downing rum. carefree, making merry, yet having intense bloodshed and extreme adrenaline.

frankly, this manga is amazing. the four elements in acting(a chinese phrase thingy) of pleasure, anger, sadness, euphoria are all depicted damn well. and don't expect a linear storyline like other mangas like naruto for instance, (no offence i like naruto too) oda never fails to surprise with his twists and unexpected turns. this is the only manga that will, imho, get you grab on to the edge of your seat in excitement, cheer out in happiness, leak tears of sadness and curse and awe at the antagonist for weeks on end.

for those who saw the anime and went 'yucks', please, trust me, the manga is way better.

in two words, it's amazing. been a fan of one piece for YEARS, and still am. 7 movies so far, and over 43 volumes and it's not even nearing the end of its life, u can see just how powerful this manga is in its appeal. i have to say, this is one of the only 2 classics i'd rank, along with dragonball.

and god damn, i literally cheered out from excitement during the abovementioned one whole page for the enemy's face, the whole thing was integrated so damn well. no other author is able to carry it out that well, using 1 whole page just for an emotion. i first encountered/downloaded one piece up to chapter 310+ a few years ago(some decent guy compiled it on a torrent), and believe me i was soo addicted i read and read and finished it all within 2 days.

carefree, yet serious. humorous, yet touching. playful, yet intense.


general summary ==> wow.

try it, giving it a full 10 stars and a further 2 thumbs up and 2 big toes up.

I've split this post off from the Manga Recommendations thread and merged it with the What Manga Do You Read? thread since One Piece had already been recommended. - GK

 

[Siedhr]

graphic_content, thanks for the summary.

Owwww... harshest criticism I've heard of Kenshin. XD

Actually I'm wearing this special suit right now, like the ones made for the people who train killer dogs. I had no idea I might upset people. Though I do have a special talent for shooting my mouth off. I can see a lot of good stuff in Kenshin, how it was a predecessor for many good manga. It's just not much style of manga. I guess this isn't the place to do a full analysis and I should stop monopolizing this thread.

"continues to do just that"

Anyway, and Vagabond is definitely more realistic and has more amazing art, but hm, it lacks the charm of Kenshin somehow in that we don't have quite the involved pseudo-historical background and the heavy cast of detailed characters that add to the atmosphere. But at the same time, Vagabond wouldn't be Vagabond if it put even more emphasis on such things, so I dunno...

I think you might have hit a stray nail on the head here. I do love Vagabond, but I don't blind myself and I don't consider it flawless. There are many things that could have been done better (but again, this is not the place for a full analysis so I'll just address the "charm" issue). I wouldn't have been able to see it so clearly yesterday, but in the meantime I've read all of 26 chapters of Real and the first volumes of Slam Dunk and now I can see more clearly what's been bothering me all along about Vagabond.

Click for long ass rant (I put spoiler tags in case some people might not be interested)

Spoiler

The thing about Kenshin and about other manga like Naruto, Bleach or Dgray man is the fact that their charm lies (for me) in the rampant run of imagination and the fearlessness of the mangakas in creating true heroes. Anything can happen in shonen and anything does happen for that matter. Because they're not hampered by the desire to create a realistic environment, paradoxically they do respect an undeniable human truth. And that is that under the right circumstances, people can and do reach out inside themselves to find that which is best. They might not be larger than life heroes, they're smaller, less flashy ones. But still the possibility and most importantly the desire exist in the majority of us, I believe. And this is due to the fact that human beings inherently reflect and are influenced by the people around them.

Getting back to Vagabond, I can't help but notice that Takehiko is restraining himself very much because he wants to create a realistic manga. But therein lies the conundrum. In today's mainstream realistic prose heroes do not exist and Musashi is the quintesential hero. So in my view, he didn't quite find that balance that allows him to create a realistic hero (which I've seen done in some books, A Song of Ice and Fire and Harry Potter - fantasy books with a realistic human behavior in many of the characters). Ironically enough he does manage to create them in Real, a great manga I recommend to anyone.

A good example of a realistic hero manga is Berserk. Gutts and Griffith are highly heroic characters. But again, the manga is from the fantasy genre and the mangaka has nothing to hamper him.

I do consider that within his possibilities and abilities, Takehiko did an awesome job and Vagabond is definitely getting better story-wise. What Musashi needs is a stronger supporting cast, people that could influence them to the core and in that, I agree with you GK. With a few notable exceptions (Matahachi comes to mind), Vagabond's gallery of characters are nothing more than cardboard cutouts. And that is the biggest flaw of Vagabond imo. Musashi will never truly grow and become the hero that he's supposed to be as long as the people around him are like leaves that can be easily blown by a breeze. In stark contrast to him, we have Kojiro. He has powerful people around him that leave deep impressions, Jisai, Ito Ittosai, Sadakore. After his arc his finished, I do see the differences and his growth. While Musashi is still the same bully that set off from Miyamoto village. Hopefully, I'm right about this, since my analysis of Kojiro's character isn't backed up by his actual thoughts.

Does it show I've no one to talk to in the Vagabond discussion thread?

Naruto- im not so much reading this out of enjoyment anymore. It pissed me off to no end that after the big shit made about the time skip, there has to be another training section. Couldnt it have been done away from the reader or something? it would have been a nice time to show another character or two who never gets face time. I mean if naruto showed up again in battle with a new jutsu, this all could be explained on one page.

Wait till his new jutsu gets beat and he has to learn another one.

Bleach- Deus ex machina=shinji. He just fell out of the sky and saved the day. I know there will be more training but hopefully it involves Ishida

No more training, no. As long as they're not actually developing skills but only Kubo's alternative to jutsus, all they're gonna do is waste space. I got it, Ichigo can grow at an amazing rate while everyone else gets left in his dust.

Now onto the interesting stuff, what I've been reading since my last post.

Ares - 1 volume. This is a Korean manga, if I'm not mistaken. The art is... to put it mildly it needs some getting used to. Which is not to say it's horrid, just seems a tad sloppy. the story is pretty standard fare, young kid goes to war, wants to be a hero, above average skills blah, blah. No magic so far. I'll give it a go for a few more volumes since so many people say it's good.

Real - all 26 chapters so far. What a wonderful manga. I have no words, it's still too soon. But it's highly recommended to everyone. The art is spectacular, but this is Takehiko so that's a given, with very good story-telling and character development. Use that more in Vagabond, Takehiko, k?

Slam dunk - I'm on a Takehiko roll. I read some 8 volumes I think. I had no idea the guy was so incredibly funny. I was laughing out loud, literally. I can totally see why this manga has the fanbase it does. Again, a tad more humor won't hurt in Vagabond either.

 

[NeoShweaty]

I'll be brief because this is gonna venture into off topic territory more than it already has

Spoiler

I see your point about Musashi but the fact remains that he will be the same character that he always was because he doesnt allow himself to have anyone else to push him and force him to change. The only person that i can remember did that was that priest guy but he has since to be seen. To musashi, you are either someone to fight with or a means to a fight. That is how i see his path.

That is one of the things that makes Slam Dunk so good. The path they follow is one that has to be together. I won't spoil it for you siedhr but EVERYONE learns that that is the truth and they become family almost. All the characters grow and come to a complete end in their development, i guess. That is why many people say the end of the manga was satisfying. I happen to disagree because of a few plot points that Inoue left hanging but Slam Dunk is still great regardless

Oh trust me Siedhr, Bleach will have more training and soon.

That is why i love one piece. When the hell did they stop and train? you gotta use what you got to win.

 

[Siedhr]

Neo, about Vagabond:

Spoiler

I see your point about Musashi but the fact remains that he will be the same character that he always was because he doesnt allow himself to have anyone else to push him and force him to change. The only person that i can remember did that was that priest guy but he has since to be seen. To musashi, you are either someone to fight with or a means to a fight. That is how i see his path.

Actually, according to Eiji's novel and the bio stubs I've read, he does change. I won't say anymore since I don't know what it is you have read and I don't want to spoil it for you. If Takehiko does not change him, then he'll be going on a far off path from the source material. I mean, how else will he become the Sword Saint?

Oh trust me Siedhr, Bleach will have more training and soon.

I have no doubt about it.

Getting back on topic, some other stuff I've read.

Alichino - 3 volumes unfinished by the mangaka. The art is beyond gorgeous and the story, depending on how you see it, is either very deep and undeveloped (since there are only three volumes) or a flimsy excuse for eye candy. But it's worth checking out. The mangaka (can't remember the name) is on par with Takehiko art-wise.

Akuma no sorou (hope I spelled it right and if I didn't, I don't care)- this is manga for chicks. Umm, I wanted to kick the male character's butt for being an obnoxious, spoiled brat, the kind foolish little girls fall for. The art is pleasing to the eye, but nothing ground-breaking. If you're a young woman, you might like this since it ends happily. I really wanted the girl to ditch the guy for a more deserving man, but that didn't happen, oh well.

Hero and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon - Inspired by the Chinese movies with the same title. What a waste of good art. Gorgeous colored pages, very low rating on the story scale, at least so far. Both ongoing.

King of Thorns - Why, oh, why is no one Editing this further? (cause it's licensed, but that didn't stop anyone) There are 6 volumes in total, only 3 scanlated. A little gem of a science-fiction story with good art and a good post-apocaliptic story.

 

[barbapapa]

cause it's licensed, but that didn't stop anyone)

Yes it did. Mangascreener only stopped Editing it when there was an inside source who said it was licensed. Sadly, the publisher hasn't officially announced it yet.

 

[ttxdragon]

King of Thorns - Why, oh, why is no one Editing this further? (cause it's licensed, but that didn't stop anyone) There are 6 volumes in total, only 3 scanlated. A little gem of a science-fiction story with good art and a good post-apocaliptic story.

hyuu~ scans is working on Editing it from the german translation... i am scanning it and translating it... cobra will get the raws soon oto edit... expect the first chap somewhere in august

 

[Siedhr]

Oooh, ttxdragon, that's such great news. I'm definitely looking forward to it.

 

[graphic_content]

about 'KAMUI'

- to be fair I'd have to retract my previous comment about the scarcity of action - there is definetly alot of character development to be had; but having just re-read several volumes - I was yet again blown away by the artistry (Shingo Nanami) AND the action!...particularly this amazing cliffhanger sequence at the end of VOL.2

- its hard to be patience waiting for their state-side releases but lucky enough - the next volume (VOL.4) comes out sooner than later.

- although - about the Crouching Tiger series - Id have to agree the art was incredible and the action sequences were amazing...but the sheer number of characters and the different ways they interact - it was easy to lost in its complexities. but overall a good read id say (IMO - keeping in mind I've only gotten my hands on the first volume)...how many are there???