Who's your top Mangaka?

[Rzerox21xx]

My Top 2 is definitely Nobuhiro Watsuki(even if his other works can't match Kenshin) and Hiromu Arakawa(It seems her Silver Spoon is becoming as popular as Fullmetal). There most popular manga ended on a good note and a great amout

I also love Hiro Mashima art and storytelling(Rave and athough his Fairy Tail recently especially during the Grand Magic Games been sorta lacking, and is too in your face with the fanservice).

Akira Toriyama is also one of the greats(he first famous work being Dr Slump but obviously not as popular as Dragonball)

Masashi Kishimoto(Naruto) and Tite Kubo(Bleach) are good but both of their works are flawed in terms of too many characters and significant characters put on the sidelines. dragged on too much but I still love the series and it's characters.

[Panda4christ:3]

I agree about Kishimoto Masashi, He's a talented guy but Naruto can drag so much XD;;
Other than that I really adore Hoshino Katsura's art, even if D.gray man's story can grate my nerves.
Oh, and I may or may not love soul eater so~ I really love how Ohkubo Atsushi writes his characters, and he's not so shabby at mixing humor in to the more serious arcs of the manga :3.
Arakawa Has some great stories with amazing foreshadowing, and fullmetal makes me giggle and/or cry endlessly <3

This thread made me realize how many Manga-ka I like XD;;

[Rzerox21xx]

You heard that D.gray man is on hiatus due to the constant illness of Hoshino Katsura, she used to be able to do weekly chapters but now it was monthly and now not anymore. From what I heard its not as bad as the hiatus of Togashi Yoshihiro.

Tite Kubo really need to start putting more content on his pages, he has a problem with story decompression which that term is for Parts of a story that takes 5 chapters when it really should have taken a few pages. no wonder the anime had to go to filler in the middle of a ongoing story arc.


Kazue Katō is another one I seem to be finding a interest in following.

[ClaecElric4God]

Oh, and I may or may not love soul eater so~

I laughed so hard at this...You're awesome, Panda.

On topic, I'm still too new to manga to recognize mangaka, so I'll have to hold off on making any comments.
Oh, wait, I take it back. CLAMP is awesomeness because Tsubasa. Though I've heard that in general CLAMP's stories are sorely lacking, so I can't really give too much of an opinion. But anyone who can write something as awesome as Tsubasa can't be all bad, right? Right?
Also, Mochizuki Jun. This mangaka...I can't even fathom how brilliant you'd have to be to come up with something as twisty and turny and mind-boggling as Pandora Hearts, and having seemingly irrelevant things that suddenly become hugely relevant 40 chapters later, and yeah I'm going crazy just thinking about it.
But as far as being able to judge a mangaka on more than one work, I've got nothing.

[Panda4christ:3]

You heard that D.gray man is on hiatus due to the constant illness of Hoshino Katsura, she used to be able to do weekly chapters but now it was monthly and now not anymore.

Awe, really? I had no idea '3' I haven't been keeping up like I should xc I seriously hope she gets into better health, she's a skilled manga-ka <3.

Oh, wait, I take it back. CLAMP is awesomeness because Tsubasa. Though I've heard that in general CLAMP's stories are sorely lacking, so I can't really give too much of an opinion. But anyone who can write something as awesome as Tsubasa can't be all bad, right? Right?

Actually, I like quite a few clamp manga stories D: maybe I just have bad taste? XD;;

Also adding Motomi Kyousuke to that list :3 let's just say Dengeki Daisy is pretty much the only shoujo I keep up with lately XD;; Haven't gotten around to Beast Master yet though '3'

[Rzerox21xx]

Clamp is weird, they tend to be all cutesy but then compare to x the series. let me not get started on their messed up way of romance.

[Panda4christ:3]

Yes, CLAMP tends to make stuff that's cute enough but has a few darker undertones (Though X doesn't fall under that category). Then again, that's also half the reason I love clamp XD;;
I think Chobits would probably be the best example :3 It's much deeper than it seems at first glance (and still think the first two halves can be stupid and pointless, the last third is what makes it great).

[DaughterOfZion]

I enjoy a lot of CLAMP's titles, Magic Knight Rayearth and it's sequel, Angelic Layer, Wish, and Card Captor Sakura of course *is obsessed with magical girls* (I also enjoyed xxxHolic but i've only seen the anime).

The great thing about CLAMP is that because they have four different women they have covered a lot of different types of manga in their years as a group. If you look back through their body of work, CLAMP isn't just "cutesy", some of their recent work has seemed to have been shojo aimed at younger girls than the their older works like Tokyo Babylon which definitely has been darker.

If you want a series that is more serious try Magic Knight Rayearth. I don't know how "dark" a manga you're looking for but if you do try Rayearth and find the first two volumes too cutesy, try to stick with it and get to the 3rd volume. Don't be deceived by the appearance of Mokona, he cutesy and all but there's way more to him than you know. The 3rd volume tackles bigger topics, like sacrifice, and it's follow up series Rayearth II deals with even more big topics in greater volume. I enjoyed both series, but the first one definitely is lighter than it's sister, but it does still deal with some serious stuff. Also magical girls who pilot mechs. (Note: this Mokona is not the same as Mokona Madoki, Rayearth was Mokona's first appearance and he can't talk only say "puu")

CLAMP's art style can be a bit infamous- with some characters having legs for days- but I've always liked their styles. And because of their 4 members, their style can vary a good deal. I've always been partial to detailed art like Clamp utilizes at times, so I don't really know how other's feels about their arts.

Also, stay away from Miyuki-chan in Wonderland if X was too much for you

[Rzerox21xx]

I know Clamp has a twisted romance logic that say that it surpass age, gender, species, ect. they do make a a lot yaoi couples official. Cardcaptor Sakura, the writers hinted and made official Sakura's brother and his best friend. Tsubasa Fai Tomoyo, X the series, and Tokyo Babylon, Kamui and Fuuma and Subaru and Seishiro. And you have huge age gaps like a high school girl from the Dragons of Heaven in x the series with a 40 year old big military guy from the Dragons of Earth. lol whatever, I would still enjoy them. and I read the Tsubasa manga is so confusing with alternative timelines and clones and other stuff. just sharing some insight. As a Christian I usually support heterosexual relations but if the author mean't a character gay and there's nothing wrong with that. he or she can do whatever in their work. I don't particular support homosexuality but neither do I hate it and I do find gay characters from works of fiction as likiable and cool like Wallace Wells from Scott Pilgrim, Kamatari Houjo from Rurouni Kenshin, ect

[Panda4christ:3]

Tsubasa Fai Tomoyo

Uhm, don't you mean kurogane? (Tomoyo is female :3). I can understand where you're coming from, though.

[Rzerox21xx]

yes Kurogane, I forgot who tomoyo is. she's sakura's best friend in cardcaptor and a princess in Tsubasa, I remember hearing that the anime was shipping her and kurogane and Fai and chi. am I correct. not sure I know it something along the lines the Fai and Chi is incest so pick your poision. Fai in a homosexual relationship with Kurogane or in a Straight incest with Chi. It been a while so my knowledge most likely rusty in that area.

I know this, and read this, Clamp wasn't happy with the anime adaption by Bee Train.

[Panda4christ:3]

There's never any solid evidence for canon (besides Syaoran and Sakura, of course) so, no kurogane and fai weren't really paired with either of the people, but I suppose there are a few hints if you look deeply enough.
Chi, To the best of my memory from the manga SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Is actually just a creature created by Fai, or Fai's teacher? Or something along those lines (then again it's been nearly four years since I read the manga XD;; all I know is they're not related).
Yeah, Clamp wasn't happy with the anime at all.

[faithb4sight]

I prefer to think that Fai and Kurogane are good friends. Fai likes to tease Kurogane - it's a game to him and I believe that Fai and Kurogane do not have romantic feelings for one another (this is an echo of a comment by the dub voice actor of Fai, who I agree with on the subject). I love the thought of Kurogane and Tomoyo together. I haven't read many Clamp series. Tsubasa and xxxHolic are the only ones I've finished. Their style doesn't always grip me.

It's hard for me to pick a favorite manga-ka because I would want to pick someone who I liked all of the works from. I haven't found someone like that yet. i.e. Rumiko Takahashi. I really enjoy Ranma 1/2 and Inuyasha, but I didn't really like the Mermaid Saga. Another example: I loved Natsuki Takaya's writing style in Fruits Basket. I really liked how friendly Takaya was in the side panels of her books and I loved the way her plot wove together. However, I tried reading Those With Wings by Takaya and was not as impressed.

So, I guess I'm still on the hunt for a favorite manga-ka. Slow going, since I don't have as much time for manga series as I once did.

[Rzerox21xx]

as much as I would prefer a heterosexual relationship but clamp are well known for their shounen ai pairings, for example, Cardcaptor Sakura, Tomoyo is in love with Sakura. She shows that your love doesn't always have to be reciprocated for you to be happy. Also, if you've read CCS, you'll know that TouyaxYukito is considered canon, and Fai and Kurogane have even more gay moments than them. Tokyo Babylon which served as a prequel to X, Subaru and Seishiro are canon.

Togashi of Yu Yu Hakusho was going to make Kurama and Hiei gay but decided against it due to the demographic of shounen jump.

as much as we don't like it, its really up to the creators on what their characters preferences are.

yeah well to be on topic, speaking of Togashi, I like his early manga style but his current style is too simplistic, I love how Watsuki based his character designs from American comic books like Jinei having Gambits appearance, and Aoshi having Gambit's trenchcoat. the Jinchuu arc has a character that is obviously based on Venom from Spiderman.

[the_wolfs_howl]

Hiromu Arakawa, hands down. I can't put into words how much I adore FMA. It's brilliantly written, beautifully drawn, and it all just fits together so perfectly. It really stands out among all the other manga I've read. I'm currently following her ongoing series, Silver Spoon and The Heroic Legend of Arslan. They're both so different from each other and FMA, but are just brilliant in their own ways. Silver Spoon is hilarious and very down-to-earth, and Arslan is so fantastically dazzling. I still need to go back and read some of Arakawa-san's earlier work, but from what I have read, she's the mangaka I trust the most to give us a steady, reliable stream of outstanding material.

[faithb4sight]

Hiromu Arakawa, hands down. I can't put into words how much I adore FMA. It's brilliantly written, beautifully drawn, and it all just fits together so perfectly. It really stands out among all the other manga I've read. I'm currently following her ongoing series, Silver Spoon and The Heroic Legend of Arslan. They're both so different from each other and FMA, but are just brilliant in their own ways. Silver Spoon is hilarious and very down-to-earth, and Arslan is so fantastically dazzling. I still need to go back and read some of Arakawa-san's earlier work, but from what I have read, she's the mangaka I trust the most to give us a steady, reliable stream of outstanding material.

I most definitely agree that FMA's writing is brilliant. I haven't read anything else by Arakawa yet but I will!

[shooraijin]

It's hard for me to pick a favorite manga-ka because I would want to pick someone who I liked all of the works from. I haven't found someone like that yet.

I think you're going to be disappointed -- every author is entitled to have a clinker now and then. For the record, mine is probably Takahashi Rumiko, not just for Ranma 1/2 but also for Maison Ikkoku.

[faithb4sight]

I think you're going to be disappointed -- every author is entitled to have a clinker now and then. For the record, mine is probably Takahashi Rumiko, not just for Ranma 1/2 but also for Maison Ikkoku.

I guess that's true. No one is perfect. Still, I'd prefer someone whose complete works I can at the very least tolerate. I'm patient - I'll take my time to find my favorite manga-ka!

I haven't tried Maison Ikkoku yet, I need to remember to look into that one.

[Rzerox21xx]

Kishimoto and Kubo were great during their manga early stages but as time goes on and they are further into their work, their flaws are noticeable. Akira Toriyama despite being influential was not perfect. you can tell his DB was getting stale around Buu. I still love their works and stand by it.

[shooraijin]

I haven't tried Maison Ikkoku yet, I need to remember to look into that one.

The anime is as good as the manga, too.

[EHeroAndrew]

My Top Mangakas based on art style (in no particular order):

Hiro Mashima (Fairy Tail)
Akira Toriyama (Dragonball)
Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto)
Takeshi Obata (Bakuman)

[Rzerox21xx]

My Top Mangakas based on art style (in no particular order):

Hiro Mashima (Fairy Tail)
Akira Toriyama (Dragonball)
Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto)
Takeshi Obata (Bakuman)

That's a good list, isn't Obata sensei did Death note too? Hiro Mashima also did Rave which I heard was better than Fairy Tail in terms of plot and characters and shorter. but I'm more familiar with Fairy Tail.

[Kaori]

If I look at my favorite several manga, they are all by authors whose other works I haven't read or whose other works which I have read I found to just not be nearly on the level of the one that's on my favorite list. So I can't list any one of those authors as a favorite mangaka because I don't really enjoy (or simply haven't read) their work as a whole.

Probably the mangaka that I most consistently enjoy is Midorikawa Yuki (titles that I like: 4), who is most known for Natsume's Book of Friends. I've read at least a little of most of the things she has written, and I liked all of them except Akaku Saku Koe, which I couldn't really get into. But it would feel kind of odd to say she is my favorite mangaka given that I've only actually read two volumes of Natsume.

Close behind and deserving a very honorable mention is Ozaki Kaori (titles that I like: 2). I've read all of her works that have been published in tankoban form (I think), but I can't say I enjoy all of her works because her early work is, frankly, bad. However, so far everything she has written has been significantly better than what she wrote before, and her most recent manga is fantastic. I haven't seen that kind of consistent and dramatic improvement in an author before.

[shooraijin]

Close behind and deserving a very honorable mention is Ozaki Kaori

The name having nothing to do with it, I'm sure.

[ClaecElric4God]

Haven't gotten around to Beast Master yet though '3'

You must read it!!! It's only two volumes, so it won't even take up that much of your time. This manga is awesome.

Also, I have so many things I want to say about previous comments SPOILER: Highlight text to read: regarding CLAMP and Tsubasa, but the thread has nicely "rerailed" itself in my absence, so I'll shut up now.

[GeneD]

I'm not nearly well read enough in manga to have a top mangaka, but serious honorable mentions has to go to Naoki Urasawa (missing some members who, if they were still around, would have named him ages before a lurker like me got around to it) and Hiromu Arakawa.

The stories of both of them that I have read so far have a significant focus on a good solid plot, while juggling a huge cast of unique and well developed characters and sports writing that could be said to transcend the medium, IMHO.

[Kaori]

The name having nothing to do with it, I'm sure.

Icing on the cake.

[Panda4christ:3]

Haven't gotten around to Beast Master yet though '3'

You must read it!!! It's only two volumes, so it won't even take up that much of your time. This manga is awesome.

I'll have to now :3 have you read Dengeki Daisy? c:

[ClaecElric4God]

Haven't gotten around to Beast Master yet though '3'

You must read it!!! It's only two volumes, so it won't even take up that much of your time. This manga is awesome.

I'll have to now :3 have you read Dengeki Daisy? c:

Yes, I command it! No, I haven't read that, but I've considered it (I mean, mangaka of Beast Master, why not?). I suppose you think I should.

[MangaRocks!]

^ Yes, you should. Dengeki Daisy is fantastic!