manga- what are you reading? recommend?
 

right now im following naruto. its still being published i think, 192 just got translated into english but its a good read. they also have an anime version on tv. that ones up to episode 56 i think & is a good representation of the manga. any anime/manga fans should check it out.

what are you guys reading?

If you like Naruto you should give the monthly Shonen Jump comic a shot. It is a huge book and a great value with six or seven different manga series each month.

If you don't want to pick up the monthly, I'd also recommend the One Piece graphic novels. Same format as Naruto.

If more mature fare is what you're after try Raijin Comics which is a monthly and presents six or seven different manga. They also offer graphic novel compilations of their series, my favorite of which is Slam Dunk.

Dark Horse just released Trigun vol 1 translated -- original manga format and all -- very nice read and interesting how it was adapted.

I finally managed to pick up the last two Akira phonebooks I needed, so I'll be reading them soon. Yeah, I'm slightly behind the curve. ;)

I'm currently reading THE MONSTER SHOW by David J. Skal

So far, it's excellent. I have also read DARK CARNIVAL by the same author.

Check my sig for a link to my manga collection...
EDIT: Woops, I haven't added it to my sig yet.... hang on...
EDIT again: Ok, added... :D

In case you guys haven't heard of it, www.listerx.com is a great site (like DVD Aficionado) to list manga, as well as Anime, Artbooks, Anime Soundtracks, and J-Pop/J-Rock.

I really enjoy GTO and Excel Saga. Great mangas and different enough from the anime to make them a worthwhile read even after you've seen the whole show. I would NOT suggest the Escaflowne manga however if you enjoyed the anime. It was written based on the anime and it's very different.

Battle Royal
FLCL

My all time favorite manga is Mars. Currently I am reading Rurouni Kenshin and waiting on Kodocha 10 to be released. I also read Shonen Jump, except One piece (I just can't get into it).

There are so many titles I want to pick up, Samurai Deeper Kyo, Hellsing, Kare Kano, GTO...and I am looking forward to Fruits Basket starting this spring.


Thanks for the link, littlefuzzy, I'll have to check it out!

A little bump to see what manga people are reading now...

I have been reading Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, and I am enjoying it more than I thought, considering that I dislike Dragon Ball Z tv show (or at least all the people who claim it is the greatest ever.)
A.I Love You is a new series from the creator of Love Hina, and I enjoyed the first volume.
Ai Yori Aoshi follows the TV series pretty well, and I like it.
Azumanga Daioh is great, and is in a 4-panel format slightly reminiscent of American style newspaper comics.
I recently finished off Marmalade Boy, Mars, Miracle Girls, No Need for Tenchi!, and Wish.

Sanctuary
Lone Wolf and Cub
Battle Angel Alita
Akira
Uzumaki
Nausicaa

I just picked up Sgt. Frog vol. 1, and Suki vol. 1 (from Clamp.) These were both great, and I can't wait for the next volumes.

How is the Battle Royale manga? I'm trying to decide if I should pick it up. I enjoyed the book.

I am getting ready to read 3 new Clamp titles, along with Mahoromatic vol. 1.

The Clamp titles are Tokyo Babylon vol. 1, which is a much older series, but was just released over here, and two titles from Del Rey: Tsubasa vol. 1 and XXXHolic vol. 1, which cross over with each other, and use characters from other Clamp works.

I also recently read another Del Rey book: Negima! Magister Negi Magi from the creator of Love Hina. It was great, and was released uncut, after concerns that Del Rey was going to edit it for Wal-Mart.

I second Uzumaki. It's just plain scary.

If you don't like the One Piece manga, then give the anime a try. It's amazing. Really far better in motion than on paper.

Whats a good manga?
 

I keep going into barnes and noble and seeing the hundred plus manga and I was thinking about picking one up, but which ones are good, as in good story and maybe not the a typical manga art. Anyone have any reccomendations?

Manga, like anime, is more of a style of art (or film, for anime) rather than a genre by itself. Any genre that you can think of for books can be found in manga, unlike most American comics, which are predominately superhero tales aimed at pre-adolescent males (not that I dislike American comics...)

What genres do you like to watch or read? There are light-hearted comedies, slapstick, sci-fi, swords & guns action, westerns, horror, detective stories, etc., and that isn't even mentioning the titles aimed at the female market (but also enjoyable,) with romances, romantic comedies, dramas, etc.

You can have stories set in slightly futuristic times, high school, historical times (especially of Japan, outer space, modern-day, or strange (and not so strange) lands, from swords & sorcery fantasy lands to "old west" style desert planets.

Serious stories. Crime, Sci-Fi, Action Historical, Western, Detective, Horror. What's great? Whats a manga thats as good as dark night returns or watchman?

It's just when I see the section of manga it all looks the same, I'm not seeing different genres when I go there. It all looks like they're aimed at children. Or 13 year old boys.

Of the anime that I have seen I've liked cowboy bebop, princess mononokee, and ghost in the shell.

Check out:

Sanctuary
Crying Freeman
Lone Wolf and Cub

Planetes is a very interesting sci-fi story about a group of people who remove debris from orbit.

You might like Battle Royale, or The Ring, especially if you liked the movies.

Firefighter is a look at a firefighter's interaction with his firefighting company and his personal life.

There is the Cowboy Bebop manga, since you liked the anime. Also, there is a Ghost in the Shell manga. You also might try Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind, which is by Hayao Miyazaki, who directed Princess Mononoke.

GTO is about a former gang member who becomes a teacher.

Getbackers is about a team of detectives who each have a special skill.

Hellsing is about a vampire who works with vampire hunters.

Usagi Yojimbo is written by a Japanese-American, and is a very indepth portrayal of the Japanese feudal era, even though the title character is a rabbit...

Kindaichi Case Files are very popular detective stories, although I haven't read them yet.

You might find Pet Shop of Horrors interesting, although I have only seen the anime.

Steam Detectives might be good, I haven't read any yet.

Trigun is a great show, and the manga seems to be popular.

Berserk is pretty violent, but I don't know if you would like the fantasy setting.

Battle Angel Alita may also interest you.

There is a Batman manga out, called Child of Dreams.

There are several sports dramas available, if you like that, although most of them are probably focusing on high school sports.

All three volumes of Uzumaki by Junji Ito are great. I also want to add Arm of Kannon by Masakuzu Yamaguchi. ;)

Oh forgot to mention. Hideshi Hino is also a great author/artist. :)

There's tons of good stuff being published right now. What you'll like will probably vary depending on your tastes. Most of these can be found in the graphic novel section at Borders or Barnes & Noble.

Samurai genre:
Lone Wolf and Cub
Samurai Deeper Kyo
Rurouni Kenshin
Blade of the Immortal
Vagabond (adaptation of Eiji Yoshikawa's Musashi)

Sports Genre:
Slam Dunk
Prince of Tennis

Teen Romance:
Kare Kano
Video Girl Ai
Love Hina
Marmalade Boy

Action/Adventure:
Bleach
City Hunter
Flame of Recca
Shaman King
Fist of the Blue Sky
Yuu Yuu Hakusho

If you want to try something different, there are also Chinese style manga being released by a company called ComicsOne. They're very martial arts oriented and are an acquired taste, but worth a look.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Legendary Couple
Heaven Sword, Dragon Sabre
Storm Riders
Hero (graphic adaptation of the movie)

I don't read as much manga as my wife does (just don't have the time;/) but one that I like to recommend to anyone is Hikaru no Go...it has strangely addictive powers that kept me watching all 75 episodes of the manga and 20 volumes of manga (the translators at toriyama's world stopped once it got licensed in the states, there are about 23 volumes).

Michael

I just picked up a couple volumes of Kindaichi Case Files, 4 volumes of Tuxedo Gin, and the first volume of Brigadoon, and I loved 'em all.

I've also recently read all that is out on Sgt. Frog, Full Metal Panic!, Psychic Academy, and Negima! Magister Negi Magi.