Manga Recommendations Thread

[steenajack]

Yes, and good ones too! XD!
Can't wait to try some of these out.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

MW might be a bit too much for you in terms of sexual content, and Dororo can get fairly bloody. I do, though, totally applaud your decision to get into Tezuka. I have ordered most of the stuff Atria mentioned and can't wait for it to come in.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Soul Eater is a solid shonen manga, though there's a fair bit of fanservice in the first few volumes, if that bugs you.

Tegami Bachi is one of my favorites, though it's fairly new, so only 2 volumes are out in the states and only forty-one chapters are out so far.

If you don't mind reading unlicensed stuff, I'd suggest all of Arakawa's one shots, Stray Dog, Bat in a Blue Sky, and Raiden-18, as well as her brief series Demons of Shanghai.

I've only read the first volume, but I've heard great praise about One Piece.

[Atria35]

Im looking for a new Manga to read. Any suggestions? I really Liked FullMetal Alchemist and Fruits Basket was okay (too girly).

If you like FMA you might enjoy other shounen, like Soul Eater, or the mangaka's ealier work called Stray Dog (same mangaka as FMA), Pandora Hearts or Eternal Sabbath.

[steenajack]

The writer of FMA also has another work liscensed in the states entitled Hero Tales. I've never read it or FMA. Here's a link to more info about it:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=8046

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Im looking for a new Manga to read. Any suggestions? I really Liked FullMetal Alchemist and Fruits Basket was okay (too girly).

I think you'd be a fan of Rurouni Kenshin.

[wildpurplechild]

Is Kill me, Kiss me any good? I like one of the authors other series, and this one sounds interesting.

[Atria35]

Is Kill me, Kiss me any good? I like one of the authors other series, and this one sounds interesting.

Well, that depends. The plot for the first volume is thrown away for the plot in the rest of the series. Which plot were you interested in? THe cross-dressing one? Or the gang-romance?

[wildpurplechild]

Well, that depends. The plot for the first volume is thrown away for the plot in the rest of the series. Which plot were you interested in? THe cross-dressing one? Or the gang-romance?

Uh... I don't know... I just wanted like a brief description and if it had a lot of bad material in it...

[Atria35]

Oh. Well, I know that the story arc that you have for the first volume which turns out to be a misleading thing and goes nowhere and is totally pointless involves crossdressing. For the other.... Dunno.

But I've heard it's fairly mediocre.

[GeneD]

Can anyone tell me what Battle Angel Alita is about, and what the objectional content is?

[Atria35]

Can anyone tell me what Battle Angel Alita is about, and what the objectional content is?

Battle Angel Alita: The people and cyborgs of the Scrap Yard live beneath the flying city of Tiphares, whose inhabitants dump their junk in the Scrap Yard and rules above it's inhabitants. One day doc Ido, a former Tipharean citizen, finds the intact head of young cyborg-girl in a vast pile of scrap. He takes her in and gives her a body and the name Alita. Alita then discovers since long forgotten fighting techniques hidden in her body and decides to become a hunter-warrior like Ido.(source: Anime News Network)

Warnings: Very bloody. It's a Baccano!-style gorefest. I think there's also some nudity in there, but I can't remember if it was fanservice-y nudity or not.

[impact777]

I have a question concerning the manga Welcome To The N.H.K.
Is there any bad content in it, like nudity or "bad religion"? Thanks a lot!

[Atria35]

I have a question concerning the manga Welcome To The N.H.K.
Is there any bad content in it, like nudity or "bad religion"? Thanks a lot!

You.... don't really know anything about this, do you?

Well, it's about a guy who has a bit of mental illness, and deals with a lot of crazy stuff that doesn't help his situation.[spoiler] It has language, (often bizarre) violence and blood, sexual innuendo and nudity, drug, tobacco and alcohol use and adult situations. It does have it's purpose- the best way I've ever heard it put is: The story is about sin. "Hannah Arendt said that the banality of evil is rooted not in positive hatred but in the absence of imagination that would allow good and evil to be recognized. The protagonist does not have the vision -- or the imagination -- to see any real good and evil, and though he tries to be hard-headed and rational, his attempts to be sane only lead him to injure himself with socially acceptable delusions. As the story develops, the audience sees that this failing is widespread in the story -- every character is guilty of some version of the "banality of evil." Everyone fails to recognize his own sin"[/spoiler]Now, all of this stuff does mean that it comes with a 'Parental Warning' on it.

For some reviews that will give you an even better idea of the content, I'll give you the link to the Amazon.com review page for the manga:
http://www.amazon.com/Welcome-NHK-Vol-1st-Conspiracy/dp/B000UP87ZU

[impact777]

Thank you Artria35!

I see it was good to ask you. A friend of mine wanted to sell this manga to me.

[Atria35]

Thank you Artria35!

I see it was good to ask you. A friend of mine wanted to sell this manga to me.

If you weren't in Germany, I'd be asking whether I could get it off of your friend. It's an excelent series if you're going for 'dark humor', and I like dark humor. For all that stuff, it is hilarious.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Warnings: Very bloody. It's a Baccano!-style gorefest. I think there's also some nudity in there, but I can't remember if it was fanservice-y nudity or not.

I am reading this one right now. Only through volume one, but so far any nudity that has been present has been completely undetailed. Confirmation on the gore. Certain panels are more disturbing/over-the-top than Baccano! gets. PM me if you want specifics on that score, though.

[AnimeGirl]

I saw volume 1 of Pandora Hearts at the bookstore. It's a series I've been really wanting to try out. I listened to some of the music from the anime on YouTube (Yuki Kajiura composed it! Yay! I'm so buying this soundtrack!!!). Is it good? Whats the content? Thanks!

[Atria35]

I saw volume 1 of Pandora Hearts at the bookstore. It's a series I've been really wanting to try out. I listened to some of the music from the anime on YouTube (Yuki Kajiura composed it! Yay! I'm so buying this soundtrack!!!). Is it good? Whats the content? Thanks!

Well, if you looked a little farther down, you would have seen a thread about Pandora Hearts.

Good? Yes. I know that I and at least one other person on here are fans. Content: From an earlier post this month- "There is a sort of contract system between beings called "Chains" that come from this unknown place called the "Abyss". They are by no-means demons although they're not always lovely creatures.

I don't believe there is anything concerning religion however one character, much later on in the series, is obsessed with the world's fictional version of occult and witchcraft. I don't think this will ever be explored upon though.

The language is typical for Shonen, just a couple "damns" and such here and there. The violence can be a bit gruesome but not extremely detailed. Decapitations and impalements are to be expected.

As far as sexuality, there is once character that is a bit "seducing" but he never really does anything that crosses over the boundary" (CrimsonRyu17)

And what I added to that: "Something else you'll hear bandied about is that the guys are totally into eachother, but it's not true. It's just like Naruto, it's just like.... virtually every guy couple that fangirls fawn over. It's only there if you put it there."

[impact777]

Hey dear caa guys!
Could you please tell me something about NANA and Shinobi Life? The same questions as usual. ^^ Is there any bad content in it, like nudity or "bad religion"? Thanks a lot!

[Atria35]

Hey dear caa guys!
Could you please tell me something about NANA and Shinobi Life? The same questions as usual. ^^ Is there any bad content in it, like nudity or "bad religion"? Thanks a lot!

Oh, NANA, the most perfect of Josei manga!... Okay, not really, but I lke it a lot. This does have sexuality portrayed in it- the main girls are sexually active. One doesn't know the difference between loving someone and being in love, so she ends up being with a lot of men because she believes that she loves them, so she ends up getting used for that. The other very much loves for boyfriend. There is some partial nudity, but there's nothing particularly explicit- there's nekked cuddling and kissing, but .... I don't know how to describe it. It's not hentai, it's not explicit, though. No bad religion other than one getting pregnant out of wedlock, though she does end up getting married because of the pregnancy.

[Sapphy]

Alright, so I need some recommendations. Violence is not a problem, but I don't want anything with sex or nudity or too much language (most words don't bother me, but I don't want anything where the characters swear often. And if they drop the f-bomb more than once or twice the entire series --or at all, in a short series-- I'm going to stop reading). Preferably nothing with too much bad religion, and no bashing Christianity.

I've read Kitchen Princess, Kingdom Hearts (all of them), and Fruits Basket, so far. I loved Fruits Basket, and Kingdom Hearts was pretty good. Kitchen Princess was okay, but kind of boring. I read part of 1/2 Prince on OneManga before they shut down, but I almost stopped because the language was getting on my nerves. I did stop reading Higurashi because of the language. Which is a pity, because it was interesting xD Nothing that I read bothered me other than the language, although I only got through 5 chapters or so (don't remember for sure...).
I'm also getting the first volume of One Piece from the library pretty soon.

I was thinking about looking at these, if I can find them. Anything I should know about?
Yotsuba&!
Tsubasa
Pandora Hearts
Clannad
Hikaru no Go
Tokyo Mew Mew
FMA
Bleach (maybe)
DNAngel (maybe)
Vampire Knight (maybe)

[Atria35]

Yotsuba&! - no bashing of Christianity, no language, no nudity. Slight depictions of Buddhism/Shintoism- there is one instance of a Buddhist prayer being said (not in detail, mumbles so you don't really see the words), and one instance of a SHinto festival going on (nothing detailed here, it's mainly about how the neighborhood kids get to pull the shrine to the temple. Yotsuba is thrilled because she gets candy after). And that's seriously it out of 8 volumes that are out so far.
Hikaru no Go- Very little language, no Christianity bashing. Bad religion only in terms of a ghost appearing..... You know, there's a review of it on this site.
Clannad- go with the anime. It's better. By far.
Tokyo Mew Mew- Very little language. Some violence. One girl professes to be Christian, but this is not delved into at all. Just be careful since the story gets a little rediculous when it hits A La Mode.

Bleach- as a word of warning, the manga and anime have deteriorated in quality by about a thousand. Probably not worth picking up if you want a good story.

Considering that the language level is really low for Higurashi (I've read all the volumes out right now- there's about 3 words per volume. That's really low for manga aimed at a higher age group), I think that Tsubasa, FMA, and Pandora Hearts are ones that you might not care for. Same level/a little higher of that for those.

...... You know what? I'd say give FMA a try. It is just such a wonderful story, with so many lessons and whatnot that it really is worth taking a peek at. THere's more info on the series in the anime section- there's a thread about "Is FMA worth a try":
http://www.christiananime.net/showthread.php?t=55684

[Wyntre Rose]

From what I've heard of Yotsuba&, it's pretty squeaky clean. Tsubasa doesn't have much language, that I can remember...d*mn, b*stard are as far as anything goes, if memory serves. Hikaru no Go I can recommend to you wholeheartedly as wonderful and free of objectionable content. FMA might have a little more language that you'd like, but there shouldn't be any F-bombs. Not in the official translations, anyway. It's amazing, too. DNAngel I only read to volume 11, but I don't remember there being anything in it that you mentioned you don't like up to that point. Vampire Knight's manga I have yet to read, but the anime doesn't have much in the way of language. No sex or nudity either, but...there is a really bizarre relationship which is [spoiler] incestual [/spoiler]. It's not quite as black and white as it at first seems, but...it's still there.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

One Piece is a good shout.

Also:



You cannot go wrong with the Mighty Atom (Astro Boy)!

[Sapphy]

Alright, thanks guys.

@Atria: well, I read Higurashi on OneManga, and come to think of it seems like someone said the language is worse in scanlations, so that may have had something to do with it.

[Atria35]

Alright, thanks guys.

@Atria: well, I read Higurashi on OneManga, and come to think of it seems like someone said the language is worse in scanlations, so that may have had something to do with it.

You know, that might be the case. I own the manga- all the volumes that have been released so far- and I've only seen about 3 per volume, and they were minor swears (usualy). Sometimes the language is worse in scanlations- there are notable exceptions where the official release is worse, but thankfully, Higurashi isn't one of them!

[Sapphy]

That's cool, I may have to see about reading it then.

[Fish and Chips]

Yotsuba&!

I'm not entirely sure it's even possible to hate Yotsuba&! barring some deep-seated hatred of humanity in general. It's good clean Manga. If you see it, definitely check it out.

FMA

FMA is good. Read it.

Bleach (maybe)

Bleach is awful. Don't read it.

Alternatively, read the first 5 volumes and pretend the series got canceled after that due to unfortunate circumstances.

Sometimes the language is worse in scanlations

There is a reason for this, not that it fully justifies it. If my cursory knowledge of Japanese isn't inaccurate, it's a language is heavy on context - their concept of bad language isn't really comparable with ours. No bad words, only bad intent, or something like that. This leads less professional translators to swap in harsher English to better convey the mood of the speaker, as they assume a direct translation doesn't carry the same weight.

Someone with better working knowledge of Japanese feel free to expand on this or correct me.

[AnimeGirl]

Fullmetal Alchemist-I'm not sure if this one quite falls within your guidelines, as the violence on rare occasion is mildly gory, and the cussing is more than occasional, though it certainly isn't a cluster F-Bomb. But if it does work, please check it out, the series is a masterpiece of well-written characters, a fantastic storyline and some thought-provoking questions. One extremely minor character has a couple homosexual lines, but otherwise the series is clean sexually.
manga is very clean.

*adds*

Kimi ni Todoke: this is, like, one of the cleanest shoujo manga series I've ever read. It's become an instant favorite, and is just a very sweet story with likeable characters. Highly recommended!

I know it's been awhile, but I just wanted to thank you guys alot for recommending me these manga! It's because of your recommendation that I actually considered trying them out, and it was like....INSTANT LOVE! These two have become my newest favorites to follow. Cool, I got 1 shounen and 1 shoujo XD!!!! It's always hard for me to choose which one I will get when I'm at the bookstore! Depends on my mood. If I want something a little more light and cute, Kimi Ni Todoke. If I want some action and deep thoughts, Fullmetal Alchemist! Thank you again for the recommendation and expanding my manga collection to go beyond CLAMP XD!!!! (Seriously, up until now, most of my faves are CLAMP! Now I finally got some stuff by other great manga-ka!)