Recommend some Manga for a Newbie?

[Drink]

Hey there, I've been into comics for years now, but only in the last week or so have I really held any particular interest in getting Manga. I'm wanting to get away from the whole Superhero world a little more, and in the Library I'm doing a work placement in, there's this general book on Manga that I couldn't help being interested in.

Anyway, there's a few series that I might consider getting. I recall watching Astro Boy as a kid, and watched the Dragonball shows in High School, so I might humour myself there. I also got a roundabout recommendation for Death Note a few weeks back, and browsing in the store today, it didn't look half bad.

Anyway, I figure I'd ask people who actually know something about the stuff before I go a-buying.

I guess to help, I'm a guy in my early 20's, with little to no experience in Eastern comics. Books with action and/or humour would be preferred I guess.

Thanks in advance.

[Froggy]

Bleach

Rurouni Kenshin

Samurai Deeper Kyo

Grappler Baki

Getbackers

SHaman King

[Ayo]

I like Azumanga Daioh and Yotsuba&! both by Kiyohiko Azuma.

Those are both funny (and believe it or not, they're seinen, or young men's manga).

I also like Hyper Police by MEE, which isn't great, but it's cute. Planetes by Makoto Yukimura, which is great AND cute.

Mitsuru Adachi's Short Program is a great series of short stories, sometimes about sports, sometimes silly, sometimes reflective and nostalgic.

Check out volume # 3 of Astro Boy and then go look up Naoki Urasawa's Pluto.

While on the subject of Urasawa, look for his Monster, currently available in English.

If you want to experience Akira Toriyama's work but don't want to get involved with the 42-volume beast that is Dragon Ball, look for his more recent, single-volume Sand Land.

Also, I recommend Bastard!!, in spite of the fact that it just may be the stupidest comic ever made. It is awesome, regardless of that fact. Pretty funny too. Must be, because I don't even read Japanese and I've been laughing at the untranslated books for years.

Speaking of awesome idiocy, I must mention Satoshi Shiki (Shiki Satoshi) for his brilliant career of windbaggery and stupid post-apocalyptic fantasy.
Riot Around the World (Just "Riot" in the English)
Kami-Kaze
Daphne in the Brilliant Blue
None of this man's comics make any sense. They're all vague, crammed with crummy exposition and littered with awful storytelling choices. But at the same time, I love him. He so obviously is one of those manga-ka who has a huge studio and has his assistants take care of most of the labor while he pieces together his inarticulate, illiterate stories.
The characters are always cool-looking though : )

Finally, read Oldboy. Read it because I read it and I loved it. The first volume is nearly perfect in every way.

[Ghost]

Bleach

Rurouni Kenshin

Samurai Deeper Kyo

Grappler Baki

Getbackers

SHaman King

Bleach and Shaman King is required reading.

[Froggy]

Bleach and Shaman King is required reading.
most definitely.....and I like Trigun too though, and samurai deeper kyo is good so far as ive read it (two c hapters in, like it)

[NinjaJJ]

The Full Metal Panic! manga is really good. The idiots who made the first FMP tv series basically took most of the action and serious storyline out of the manga, and made it into an anime. When they realized their blunder, the Fumoffu TV series was made, which included all the left over stuff from the manga. What makes FMP good is the comedy, not the action or the serious storyline.

It's also completely out (vol. 9 is the last one), which is great news because ADV sucks at releasing manga. There was an almost 2 year gap between volume 8 and 9 of the domestic release, if I remember right. I had to reread volume 8 to remember what was going on.

Negima! is greatness. Del Rey's debut manga is by far the best manga I've ever read. Not just because of story, but because of everything Del Rey did correctly. They didn't edit it, they left honorifics in there, and there are tons of extras at the end of each volume including concept art, fanart, reading rankings of favorite characters, polygon counts for background locations, etc.

I'm going to throw out a Pastel recommendation because it's my 2nd favorite manga currently. Pastel is a light hearted romance comedy about a nice guy named Mugi who ends up living together with the girl of his dreams by a series of freak coincidences. I really love the personalities Kobayashi (the author) gave the characters. Oh and since it's a Del Rey release, all the honorifics are in tact, as well as translator notes at the back.

The Suzuka manga is quite good as well. I haven't seen the anime, but I'm really enjoying the manga so far. Volume 2 just came out a couple weeks ago, and it was quite awesome ^__^. It's also by Del Rey. If you couldn't tell yet, I'm a HUGE fan of Del Rey.

The Kashimashi manga is great as well. Seven Seas left the honorifics in place, which is one of my favorite trends in recent manga releases.

[The Xenos]

For an interest Japanese take on the super hero genre, check out JoJo's Bizzare Adventure. It's defiantely a fighting anime like DBZ, but everyone has a special power. The art's a bit dated as the series is a bit old, but it's got some enjoyable action and twists.

Oh yeah, Planetes is awesome if you are into NASA and space exporation. It also has an interesing human drama and looks itno the lives of those who work in space in the near future.

[Len Ikari145]

The Full Metal Panic! manga is really good. The idiots who made the first FMP tv series basically took most of the action and serious storyline out of the manga, and made it into an anime. When they realized their blunder, the Fumoffu TV series was made, which included all the left over stuff from the manga. What makes FMP good is the comedy, not the action or the serious storyline.

It's also completely out (vol. 9 is the last one), which is great news because ADV sucks at releasing manga. There was an almost 2 year gap between volume 8 and 9 of the domestic release, if I remember right. I had to reread volume 8 to remember what was going on.

Negima! is greatness. Del Rey's debut manga is by far the best manga I've ever read. Not just because of story, but because of everything Del Rey did correctly. They didn't edit it, they left honorifics in there, and there are tons of extras at the end of each volume including concept art, fanart, reading rankings of favorite characters, polygon counts for background locations, etc.

I'm going to throw out a Pastel recommendation because it's my 2nd favorite manga currently. Pastel is a light hearted romance comedy about a nice guy named Mugi who ends up living together with the girl of his dreams by a series of freak coincidences. I really love the personalities Kobayashi (the author) gave the characters. Oh and since it's a Del Rey release, all the honorifics are in tact, as well as translator notes at the back.

The Suzuka manga is quite good as well. I haven't seen the anime, but I'm really enjoying the manga so far. Volume 2 just came out a couple weeks ago, and it was quite awesome ^__^. It's also by Del Rey. If you couldn't tell yet, I'm a HUGE fan of Del Rey.

The Kashimashi manga is great as well. Seven Seas left the honorifics in place, which is one of my favorite trends in recent manga releases.

Chrono Crusade also outdoes its anime counterpart magnificently(though the ending is arguably more tragic than anime).

[Drink]

I'll research some of these titles when I get the chance, or if I see them in the store, to look at them.

Admittedly, I've never even heard of most of them, that's how little I know of Manga in general. But I'll Google/Wiki to see if they're my thing or not.

Thanks again!

[Sophisticated_Gamer]

Don't listen to any of them...here are the most essantial mangas you need to get, after reading them, you are set and can see what's really a great manga and what's not...

First of Start with LOVE HINA, best manga ever made, got the most awards a manga can get!

The follow up with Trigun: Deep Space Planet Future Gun Action! A great great manga.
Then Follow that with Trigun Maximum...it's just amazing!
Then Naruto
Then S-Cry-Ed!

[mathew101281]

action

Bleach

Claymore




Funny

Azumanga Daioh

[Morroccobot]

Action: One Piece, Naruto, BLEACH

Funny: Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo

[Crimson King]

Samurai Deeper Kyo is a must get.

[Smokeyjay]

Manga like Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece are geared for a more younger crowd, like in the 10-14 range. Though a lot of older people read the manga as well, I'm not sure if it would exactly appeal to your tastes if your in your early 20s.

You can always download manga first to see which one suits you. There are plenty of manga download sites available.

[Ghost]

Don't listen to any of them...here are the most essantial mangas you need to get, after reading them, you are set and can see what's really a great manga and what's not...

First of Start with LOVE HINA, best manga ever made, got the most awards a manga can get!

The follow up with Trigun: Deep Space Planet Future Gun Action! A great great manga.
Then Follow that with Trigun Maximum...it's just amazing!
Then Naruto
Then S-Cry-Ed!

Is the S-Cry-Ed manga good? Because I've heard it's horrible.
And anyone who liked Love Hina needs to read Negima! as well.

Furthermore, I seriously recommend Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles by CLAMP. (Having read other CLAMP titles is a benifit, but definitely not required.)

[Drink]

Well, when I went to the store yesterday, a number of the books mentioned that I remembered didn't have the first volumes out, so I went with one of my own choices with Death Note. Still, I appreciate the recommendations and see what they're like eventually.

[Niro]

I think one of the best manga is rurouni kenshin - it has good plot, amazing artwork, has the perfect balance of action and comedy, plus it gives you a japanese history lesson. All that in one manga book :D

[GloryQuest]

I think one of the best manga is rurouni kenshin - it has good plot, amazing artwork, has the perfect balance of action and comedy, plus it gives you a japanese history lesson. All that in one manga book :D
I completely agree with that.

I've also enjoyed some others that have been mentioned:
Planetes
Chrono Crusade
Love Hina
Negima

And I like:
Genshikin
Someday's Dreamers and Someday's Dreamers: Spellbound
Aria
Chobits

[Thorlief]

get Jojo's Bizarre adventures...it'll blow you away, expecially the third serie (every serie is linked but independent)!

[Guy1]

Hey there, I've been into comics for years now, but only in the last week or so have I really held any particular interest in getting Manga. I'm wanting to get away from the whole Superhero world a little more, and in the Library I'm doing a work placement in, there's this general book on Manga that I couldn't help being interested in.

Anyway, there's a few series that I might consider getting. I recall watching Astro Boy as a kid, and watched the Dragonball shows in High School, so I might humour myself there. I also got a roundabout recommendation for Death Note a few weeks back, and browsing in the store today, it didn't look half bad.

Anyway, I figure I'd ask people who actually know something about the stuff before I go a-buying.

I guess to help, I'm a guy in my early 20's, with little to no experience in Eastern comics. Books with action and/or humour would be preferred I guess.

Thanks in advance.

Action: One Piece, Bleach, Naruto, Shaman King, Yuyu Hakusho, Battle Vixens.
Funny: Bobobo, Excel Saga, Negima.
Dark: Hellsing, Elfen Lied.

[Richard Sullivan]

I would recommend:

Berserk
Hikaru No Go

What did you think of Death Note? I enjoy that manga as well.

[jboncha]

Air Gear's a great book that has some AMAZING artwork.



J B