Manga Recommendations Thread

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Pluto
Gogo Monster

[impact777]

Thank you all.

[mysngoeshere56]

I just finished the first volume of 20th Century Boys... I've heard amazing things about it, but I really didn't care for it. I can handle a little crude humor/fanservice, but the amount in this volume was kind of overwhelming and got really annoying. The characters weren't all that interesting to me, and the overall premise didn't make much sense to me either. Plus, the kid with snot dripping from his nose all the time grossed me out...

Does it get any better? If not, I figure I might as well drop it now. I've heard that it's amazing so I'm kind of surprised that I wound up disliking it as much as I did.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

So, does anywhere here know of any absolutely brutal shonen they could recommend? I am realizing that while I actually don't have anything against the "shonen genre" in and of itself, I'd kind of like to see a typical shonen big-cast manga except where life really sucks and a lot of the heroes die with regularity. I thought Claymore was a possibility but while I know it's grim, I don't know how harsh it actually is on the characters. My Manga List for reference. Thanks a lot guys.

[MasterDias]

Claymore has a somewhat high death count, although the main 4-5 characters the series focuses on seem to be largely immune.

Otherwise, I'll strongly recommend the series I mentioned in the "What manga are you reading?" thread, Shingeki no Kyojin. It's been pretty brutal on the characters so far, and there have been very few rays of hope for a grim situation. Definitely one of the darker shonen fantasies I've read.

[Atria35]

^ Ares. Not a large cast, but action packed and grim. Bokurano if you don't mind a seinen manga.

And if you don't mind the same thing but shoujo, Saver.

[Edward]

Claymore has a somewhat high death count, although the main 4-5 characters the series focuses on seem to be largely immune.

I'm gonna second Claymore. It definitly deserves its OT rating in violence alone. Just to give you an idea of how violent it is, there's a decapitation on the very fist panel. And the two page death scences are beautiful, if such a thing could be described with that adjective. And all of things killed (to my knoledge) are monsters, if that makes it any less objectionable for you. I've only read the first five volumes, but I really like it.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Claymore has a somewhat high death count, although the main 4-5 characters the series focuses on seem to be largely immune.

Otherwise, I'll strongly recommend the series I mentioned in the "What manga are you reading?" thread, Shingeki no Kyojin. It's been pretty brutal on the characters so far, and there have been very few rays of hope for a grim situation. Definitely one of the darker shonen fantasies I've read.

Okay, Shingeki no Kyojin has been bumped up to needing to be read as soon as I finish Strongest Man Kurosawa and Mushishi, so thanks a lot.

I'm gonna second Claymore. It definitly deserves its OT rating in violence alone. Just to give you an idea of how violent it is, there's a decapitation on the very fist panel. And the two page death scences are beautiful, if such a thing could be described with that adjective. And all of things killed (to my knoledge) are monsters, if that makes it any less objectionable for you. I've only read the first five volumes, but I really like it.

Not to try and sound rude or anything, but asking whether or not Claymore would be objectionable was kind of the opposite of my post. I was actually asking if the "good guys" of Claymore die with any regularity, not if the violence itself was dark. I've read stuff like Blade of the Immortal, I'm not exactly worried about any shonen stuff being too violent or anything.

And Atria, to be honest, I really don't have any interest in manwha, and I actually requested shonen specifically because I'd kind of like to see something like, say, Ao no Exorcist, only written in a really grim way with regular cast deaths, so seinen stuff like Bokurano is out. It's not that I have anything against that kind of seinen (again, Blade of the Immortal and Pluto are some of my favorites), it's just that I'm in the mood for something like what Shingeki no Kyojin sounds like.

[Atria35]

Atria, to be honest, I really don't have any interest in manwha, and I actually requested shonen specifically because I'd kind of like to see something like, say, Ao no Exorcist, only written in a really grim way with regular cast deaths, so seinen stuff like Bokurano is out. It's not that I have anything against that kind of seinen (again, Blade of the Immortal and Pluto are some of my favorites), it's just that I'm in the mood for something like what Shingeki no Kyojin sounds like.

It's not a problem. I actually don't distinguish between manga/manwha/wahtever because art varies so greatly within the medium, so on my list Ares is just listed as 'shounen', and I put it out there. I think Claymore and Shingeki are the darkest of the dark, though, I haven't come across any other shounen as dark as those.

EDIT: Scratch that- Future Diary. Regular cast deaths, very grim. Worth a shot?

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Claymore can be pretty brutal to its cast, which grows and shrinks over time. I think it might scratch your itch if you stick with it.

[steenajack]

Can anyone tell me about the content of this manga?:

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=11002

[Atria35]

Can anyone tell me about the content of this manga?:

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=11002

I'm pretty sure that MangaRocks! has been reading and commenting on it in the 'What are you reading?" thread.... Yep! Okay, so with his comments in addition to my thoughts on it....

Language can be iffy. PG-13 movie level or under, usually under, and it's pretty clean the first volume or two.

Violence- the girl's life can pretty much be considered threatened because of what her brother might have known/did when he was alive, but nothing terribly violent has occured. Unknown people do turn her apartment upside down because of what they think she could be hiding.

No real bad religion unless you're not okay with them visiting a shrine or the guy taking in the girl when her apartment is destroyed.

Nudity/sexual content.... Any I saw was appropriate covering with steam/water/towel/whatever. For what I read there was no sexual content.

It hasn't finished publishing so these things might be subject to change. Well, except for bad religion- it takes place in the real world and isn't about religion anyway. It's pretty much the most popular shoujo out there atm, so the quality of writing should be good.

[MangaRocks!]

I'm pretty sure that MangaRocks! has been reading and commenting on it in the 'What are you reading?" thread.... Yep! Okay, so with her comments in addition to my thoughts on it....

Language can be iffy. PG-13 movie level or under, usually under, and it's pretty clean the first volume or two.

Violence- the girl's life can pretty much be considered threatened because of what her brother might have known/did when he was alive, but nothing terribly violent has occured. Unknown people do turn her apartment upside down because of what they think she could be hiding.

No real bad religion unless you're not okay with them visiting a shrine or the guy taking in the girl when her apartment is destroyed.

Nudity/sexual content.... Any I saw was appropriate covering with steam/water/towel/whatever. For what I read there was no sexual content.

It hasn't finished publishing so these things might be subject to change. Well, except for bad religion- it takes place in the real world and isn't about religion anyway. It's pretty much the most popular shoujo out there atm, so the quality of writing should be good.

^ Er, fixed that top paragraph there...

Anyway , yeah, that's a good summary of Dengeki Daisy's content so far. I've read the 5 volumes that are currently out here in English, and I like the series; it's just that the dialogue can get fairly edgy at times in terms of some of things they talk about. Other than that, however, the art, plot, and characters have all been quite good.

Hope that helps!

[Atria35]

^ SORRY! ><" It's not the first time I've done something like that- I'm a silly goose!

[mysngoeshere56]

So since I'm almost through with my reading of one (very short) series and I'm also nearing the end of Tokyopop's D.N.Angel release, I'm going to need a few other series to keep me occupied as I wait for D.N.Angel to get re-licensed...

Here's my manga list, so you can see what I've already read/dropped/plan to read: http://myanimelist.net/mangalist/mysngoeshere56

Oh and how I score things...

1 - 3: A total waste of time. If it were the only manga I hadn't read, I'd rather re-read another series or do something else instead.
4 - 5: OKAY. I don't really think it's a bad manga, but it really wasn't all that great either. Wouldn't feel like I missed out on anything if I hadn't read it.
6 - 7: An average score. It was good. Could be better, but worth going through at least once in a lifetime.
8 - 9: Very good. I liked it quite a bit, and I definitely wouldn't mind re-reading.
10: Masterpiece. Something that I believe should be read and enjoyed by all. Classic manga, from my point of view (though I know not all manga I enjoy this much is classic, it's still epic and has classic-standards for me! X3).

And okay - I am a bit picky on things, so here are my "rules" for picking out manga to read.

1. I prefer shonen and seinen over shojo and josei, but I do enjoy shojo and josei titles too. Likewise, there are some shonen and seinen titles that I don't like at all. It just depends on which titles.

2. I don't have the time, money, energy, or even the desire to start a series that's over 50 volumes and still going on strong. If it's over 30 volumes and has no ending in sight by now, I'm not even going to bother with it.

3. No Tokyopop titles please, unless they've already been re-licensed. If I enjoy a manga enough, I would want to buy it, but I don't really have the money to purchase most out-of-print manga right now (unless the volumes are pretty cheap because it was a series that wasn't bestselling and had been around for awhile). Please only recommend titles that are currently licensed or have never been licensed before.

4. I like stuff with a bit more of a gothic or melancholy feel to it. I've watched more anime than I've read manga, so you could also look through my anime list if you want to get a better feel for what I like and don't like.

Oh and also, nobody answered the question about 20th Century Boys I posted a few days ago yet, so if anybody has an answer, I'm still looking for one.

I just finished the first volume of 20th Century Boys... I've heard amazing things about it, but I really didn't care for it. I can handle a little crude humor/fanservice, but the amount in this volume was kind of overwhelming and got really annoying. The characters weren't all that interesting to me, and the overall premise didn't make much sense to me either. Plus, the kid with snot dripping from his nose all the time grossed me out...

Does it get any better? If not, I figure I might as well drop it now. I've heard that it's amazing so I'm kind of surprised that I wound up disliking it as much as I did.

[steenajack]

Thank you MangaRocks! and Atria. Hm, I think I'll wait until it's finished being released, but again thank you so much.

[Atria35]

I just finished the first volume of 20th Century Boys... I've heard amazing things about it, but I really didn't care for it. I can handle a little crude humor/fanservice, but the amount in this volume was kind of overwhelming and got really annoying. The characters weren't all that interesting to me, and the overall premise didn't make much sense to me either. Plus, the kid with snot dripping from his nose all the time grossed me out...

Does it get any better? If not, I figure I might as well drop it now. I've heard that it's amazing so I'm kind of surprised that I wound up disliking it as much as I did.

I'll be honest- this story doesn't really pick up until the second volume. The first is an introduction to some of the mains and their situations. You haven't even gotten to what the actual premise is in the first volume.

Thankfully the crude humor also goes down with the second volume, to almost none too, and fanservice is virtually nonexistant. There is a scene later where they remember a naughty film poster that they hid when they were kids, but other than that....

The characters do get better. Yes, while snot can be kind of disgusting, Donkey is made one of the more memorable characters for it and is shown to be amazing regardless. The other kids think he's rather gross, too, so you're not alone. Right now, though, the point is to show how these people are kind of stuck in a rut in their lives and are dissatisfied. So I do understand not being that into it with the first volume.

[MangaRocks!]

^ SORRY! ><" It's not the first time I've done something like that- I'm a silly goose!

LOL, no worries. :)

[samurai10]

So um, I think the amount of manga in my mangalist is kinda pathetic. I want to up the number of manga I read. Any suggestions? Thanks! ^_^ I put my manga list here so you guys can see what kind of manga I like.

http://myanimelist.net/mangalist/samurai10

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Fullmetal Alchemist
The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer
Yotsuba&!
Shingeki no Kyojin
Legend of the Strongest Man Kurosawa
Mushishi
Pluto
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou
Solanin
Blade of the Immortal (super violent, though, if you can't deal with that)
Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru
A Bride's Story
Cross Game
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part One: Phantom Blood
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part Two: Battle Tendency
Sengoku Youko
Ouran High School Host Club
Tista
Psycho Staff
Double Arts
One Piece

[TheSubtleDoctor]

So um, I think the amount of manga in my mangalist is kinda pathetic. I want to up the number of manga I read. Any suggestions? Thanks! ^_^ I put my manga list here so you guys can see what kind of manga I like.

http://myanimelist.net/mangalist/samurai10

A couple of shorter things you might enjoy (shorter so you can up your mangalist count faster!):

Pluto
Dororo
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part I

[FllMtl Novelist]

So, I've been given the mission to find a good manga for my younger 11-year-old brother. Any and all recommendations would be awesome and very helpful, since I apparently haven't read much clean-ish stuff, myself.

Violence: Anything that's not too gory (like intestines bursting from abdomens or something) should be fine. People can die. The kid watches action flicks all the time.

Language: Mild swearing is okay. No f-bombs please, but most other stuff should be fine.

Sexual content/nudity: None. I really can't give him anything with this. No pervy sages, no panty shots, nothing.

'Bad themes': If some characters happen to practice another religion and it's not a huge deal (e.g., if they visited a shrine a couple times) that should be fine. Ghosts, spirits, demons, and other creatures of that type in the story should also be fine.

Other notes: It needs to be licensed. He'd probably prefer a male main character. The genre can be anything that's not romance (heehee), slice-of-life, or comedy. Sci-fi, mecha, fantasy, or whatnot would be great.

Thanks, guys!

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

I've only read the first volume, but Kekkaishi probably fits the bill, and I've heard good things about it.

Shingeki no Kyojin(Being translated as "Attack on Titan" for the English release, but I refuse to use a title that awful), is also very excellent, and as long as he can deal with thing like people being bitten in half, it should work. About as much gore as you'd expect from maybe Jurassic Park? Borderline suggested, maybe look up some scans or something to see if it would work.

Pluto is thematically dark but is relatively gore free because everyone is a robot, and it is also wonderful.

Rurouni Kenshin is one of the best shonen series and is also fairly clean. There's some references to sex but nothing actually happens.

I haven't read much but Muhyo and Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation would probably fit the bill, though you'd have to double check about content.

[Atria35]

So, I've been given the mission to find a good manga for my younger 11-year-old brother. Any and all recommendations would be awesome and very helpful, since I apparently haven't read much clean-ish stuff, myself.

What about Hikaru no Go? There is some comedy, and it is somewhat slice of life, but the Go scenes can be pretty intense, and it's very good overall. There is a, singlular, ghost in it.

One Piece has comedy, but also a good deal of action and adventure, and can be quite serious at times.

+Anima is a decently serious adventure/fantasy series. Not a whole lot of action, but not much comedy. It has kids born with the powers of animals. It is a Tokyopop title, though, so I'm not sure how easily you'll find the volumes.

As for Muhyo and Ryoki's Bureau- it would also fit the bill. Pretty clean, lots of ghosts and monsters, but any injuries are not gory, and while there is death, it's mostly offpage.

[FllMtl Novelist]

Oh whoops, I realize I wasn't clear about genre.

Humor in the work is fine, in fact he'd probably enjoy a lighthearted story better. What I meant was I didn't want comedy to be the main genre. *was thinking in novel terms* Sorry about that. Are there any other less-serious titles out there that would still fit the bill?

And thanks a bunch for the recommends so far, guys. They've been a big help.

[muzik_gurl]

What are some manga's rated for all ages? Ex: Yotsuba, Chi's Sweet Home, One Fine Day...

[Atria35]

What are some manga's rated for all ages? Ex: Yotsuba, Chi's Sweet Home, One Fine Day...

Anything in the Viz Kids section and Udon Kids- you can google for those.

Unfortunately, publishers don't list ratings for manga online, and you can't find them on seller's websites either (aka Amazon, Rightstuf, etc)- the only way to know is by actually looking at the back of the manga volume. I don't look at ratings- I just look to see if it interests me, regardless of what the rating is. I can think of a few kid-friendly series, but have no idea what the rating is, because they weren't aimed at kids originally (please note that isn't unusual- in Japan, Chi's Sweet Home and Yotsuba are published in magazines aimed at adult men, not for kids).

[MasterDias]

Unfortunately, publishers don't list ratings for manga online, and you can't find them on seller's websites either (aka Amazon, Rightstuf, etc)

Not true, at least for most publishers.
Yen Press, Viz, Seven Seas, and Dark Horse list the age rating for each series/volume on their site. So does Rightstuf.

What are some manga's rated for all ages? Ex: Yotsuba, Chi's Sweet Home, One Fine Day...

Several of Viz's sports titles are rated for all ages I think(The Prince of Tennis, Whistle, Hikaru no Go, etc.)

[AnimeGirl]

What are some manga's rated for all ages? Ex: Yotsuba, Chi's Sweet Home, One Fine Day...

Even if it is rated "All Ages" you still have to be careful. For example, I read Amazing Agent Luna. I got it because it was rated All Ages. While I loved it and all, it contained some minor content that would exceed that rating (let's say it'd be better rated 10+, or even make it to 13+) due to the use of minor language. In fact, looking at my own review for it, and checking it's content, it's pretty clean, but I wouldn't say it's "All Ages".

Just a fair warning. I don't know too many titles with that rating that can actually live up to it. I'm looking for that myself. "Land of The Blindfolded" if I remember right, was All Ages, and was a little cleaner than Luna. I've only read one volume, though, but I doubt it'd go any further than what I'd just seen.

Is there any particular kind of "All Ages" manga you are looking for?

[Atria35]

Not true, at least for most publishers.
Yen Press, Viz, Seven Seas, and Dark Horse list the age rating for each series/volume on their site. So does Rightstuf.

Viz doesn't- I've been on their site several times to try and look it up. You're right about Yen, Darkhorse and Seven Seas, though- Seven Seas is a little trickier to find those ratings listed!

And what Animegirl said about the rating. Some of the All Ages really aren't, because there's no universal standard for content ratings and each company polices their own titles. I can think of a few titles that are the reverse- where they're listed as for Teens or Older Teens but have virtually no objectionable content, such as Baby & Me, and the Aria series.