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Official Recommendation Thread: Manga

Discussion in 'Books and Anime Discussion' started by Zephyrus, May 24, 2010.

  1. Republic

    Republic The Snow Queen –§ Prestigious §– DLP Supporter

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    I just finished reading all there is to read of Noblesse.

    Damn, do I disagree with you guys. I loved it, I absolutely loved it. Sure, some parts felt ever so slightly fillerish, but not many and not by much.

    I had no issues with the human trio, or Rael or the other supporting cast. If anything, I liked the fact that much of the focus was on the supporting cast rather than Frankenstein or Raijel. Franken and Rai are awesome as fuck, but it's better if their appearances are somewhat limited, imo, to let the other cast grow and give at least a sense of suspense.

    I continued reading with narrowed eyes after chapter 200, waiting for the other metaphorical shoe to drop and for the series to get way worse. I was wrong.

    I like (nearly) everything about this especially the last several chapters which I won't spoil.
    Lazark's death got me right in the fucking feels. I didn't expect people to die just yet, and his death hit me almost as hard as Whitebeard from One Piece. The parallels between them were considerable. RIP my feels.

    Fuck this series got me so excited. I'm glad I didn't stop reading and I'm really mad that it isn't completed already.
     
    Last edited: Feb 14, 2016
  2. The Berkeley Hunt

    The Berkeley Hunt Headmaster

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    Damn, I really thought you would also get tired of it. Tastes do differ I guess.
     
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2016
  3. Haze

    Haze Second Year

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    I'll give a quick recommendation for Gepetto

    Probably the first webcomic/manga where i actually love the female protagonist. (Kubera would be the second one). The world itself is pretty damn interesting. A post-apocalypse world where Humans still wage war against Robots/Android.
     
  4. The Berkeley Hunt

    The Berkeley Hunt Headmaster

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    Haze, is your profile pic Eto from Tokyo Ghoul?

    Also is Kubera good? I've seen it in top comics on webtoons but never read it.
     
  5. Haze

    Haze Second Year

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    Yeah, its Eto the best girl.


    Kubera is very good. It is somewhat different from what i usually follow though. Leez is not someone who i would call strong ability wise. At least, for most of webcomic. However, she is really shaping up lately and from the glimpses of the future we've gotten, becomes an extremely badass (if not emotionally broken) warrior.
     
  6. Celestin

    Celestin Dimensional Trunk

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    Sweet Guy is a hentai manhwa pretending to no be a hentai manhwa which amuses me greatly. The only reason it could not be called hentai is that there are chapters without sex scenes, but not that many. ;)

    The setup can be described as What Women Want for adults and the characters are somehow likeable. The main hero really needs to grow a spine though, but if he were to become an arrogant bastard, I prefer him that way.

    The main reason I'm recommending it though is the artists who can draw. I would say he's wasting his talent, but at the same time he's definitely uses it to its full potential when it comes to drawing beautiful (and naked) women.

    If someone is searching for NSFW comic that pretends to be something more, it's for you.
     
  7. Republic

    Republic The Snow Queen –§ Prestigious §– DLP Supporter

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    I just read all there is to read of Kuroshitsuji, aka Black Butler.

    The manga is set in Victorian England (though there are several anachronisms at various points), and the premise is that young Earl Ciel Phantomhive, the sole surviving member of his family, is an aristocrat who carries his family's duty; to do the Queen's dirty work and obey her commands.
    After the murder of his parents and his capture, Ciel is about to die when he accidentally summons a demon and makes a contract with him, promising his soul against servitude and revenge.

    The demon takes human form and is given the name Sebastian, and now acts as Ciel's butler.

    The manga is about Ciel and Sebastian solving various cases in the Queen's name, with the world of victorian europe, demons and death gods as background.

    The art is impressive, though it gets slightly better as time goes on. Definitely on the top end of pure artistic ability.

    Another impressive feature of this series are the characters. Beyond Ciel and Sebastian, who are the main characters, the supporting cast boasts many, many characters, and the author manages to make each of them unique and (arguably) interesting.

    Sebastian is the kind of protagonist I love to read about (even if he technically isn't the protagonist). Smart and strong without being overpowered. While there are the occasional fight sequences, this manga is more of a series of mysteries than combat, which more often than not makes Sebastian's demonic abilities take a supportive/setup role rather than being a weapon. The dynamic between Sebastian and Ciel is also one of the boons, as beneath the master-servant relationship there are many layers of dependence, mistrust and fear that rarely show, but do so in great ways.

    Ciel himself is interesting. If for no other reason than because he is not actually the good guy of the story. I suppose it'd be more accurate to say that there is no good guy here. Ciel can be cruel and selfish. He understands and accepts it. Brutality is not beyond his ability, and is often a tool he is ready to use. He's the opposite of your classic shounen protagonist. This manga is not shounen. He's a ruthless child aristocrat, but he's not heartless. He shows concern, respect and affection, and also a respect for human life that contrasts with his practicality often and in spectacular ways.
    One could argue that he is an anti-hero, doing what he does in service of the Queen, but the Queen (and England in general) are not depicted in a particularly bright light, either.


    The manga actually paint some very vivid and fascinating pictures of Victorian England, explaining concepts, situations and habits that I hadn't known about and integrating them seamlessly into the story. That routine is often at the forefront, considering the two main characters are an aristocrat and his butler.
    Of course, then you can see weaponized lawnmowers and chainsaws, but those can sort of kind of be waved as they are tools of supernatural beings, not commonly met around the victorian setting.

    Another interesting point about this manga is that it appears to be rather episodic, in that there are arcs, usually having to do with a specific mystery or mission, that have clear beginnings and end. Those can feel fillerish if you find yourself not much caring for what's going on. The manga plays out like this so far. However, unlike other episodic series, the characters and situations introduced in each one are not immaterial and instantly forgotten once their time has passed. The characters that join the cast stay there, and become relevant again and again in future arcs.
    It'd be more fair to say that there is a slowly building over-arching plot, that builds on these smaller, episodic arcs.

    Most of my complaints are mostly about confusing translations regarding the gender of some rather effeminate people, but those are nitpicky.

    My only major negative is that the opening bit of the manga (say, the first two arcs) are rather shaky and might not draw immediate interest. I thought of stopping there at first, but thankfully I continued on.

    TL;DR: Mystery series, supernatural backdrop, competent and oftentimes villainous protagonist duo. Very well-developed supporting characters. Each separate mystery arc has its own charm, but also clearly leads into the future ones.

    Give Kuroshitsuji a try.
     
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2016
  8. The Berkeley Hunt

    The Berkeley Hunt Headmaster

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    Just keep in mind, this is porn. With that said its hella hot porn with a funny premise and likeable charachters.

    This is pretty good, made me think of a tamer version of Hellsing in a way. Aristocrat with demonic servant? Some quite memorable side characters and a pretty interesting setting/world.

    Ciel and Sebastian's relationship is sometimes a bit uncomfortable given Ciel is like twelve, and I remember some of the filler was unremarkable.

    Would recommend a read if you think you'll like this victorian magical mystery.
     
  9. Republic

    Republic The Snow Queen –§ Prestigious §– DLP Supporter

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    Read through Horimiya (ongoing).

    For fans of shoujo, comedy slice of life stories, I would recommend this wholeheartedly. There is no particular drama to it. Horimiya is lighthearted, believable and fun to read. It has potentially one of the best couples I've seen, if for no other reason than they seem to have actual, real chemistry between them. I like both of the lead characters, and the male lead fits my (somewhat strict) male lead criteria, which is a big plus in my book.

    The art style is really great and suits this kind of manga very well.

    If I had to point out a negative it would be the comparatively weak supporting cast.

    This manga that is top tier among its kind, and it shows. Read Horimiya.
     
  10. Republic

    Republic The Snow Queen –§ Prestigious §– DLP Supporter

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    Read everything there is to read about Baby Steps. It also has an adaptation that's two seasons in.

    Right off the bat, it's a sports manga, centered around tennis. The protagonist is Maruo Eichirou, a first year high school honor student who, upon deciding that he needs more exercise in his life, joins a tennis club and quickly falls in love with the sport. With such a late entry, Maruo has a lot of catchup to do. He uses his meticulous personality, strong eyesight and personal drive that made him an honor student to get better at tennis and, eventually, make his attempt at going pro.

    The reason I like this series is similar to why I liked One-Outs (a baseball anime) and Shokugeki No Soma (a cooking manga/anime). It has little to do with the actual medium used (though each one, Baby Steps included, manage to present their mediums in an understandable way for people who know nothing about it and keep it approachable).

    Like with those, I like Baby Steps because I like the protagonist, how he thinks and how he acts. He is proactive, skilled and competent, who makes a decision based on his desires and does his level best to bring them to fruition with his own two hands. I like good Shounen protagonists, even if how they do their battles differ.

    Not just that, the supporting cast is diverse, and doesn't adhere to stereotypes. There's ton of well-developed people, from friends to rival players to a mix of both. All of them feel like people with their own strengths, weaknesses and stories.

    There is a romance aspect to it, but it's minor and doesn't have any drama, just serves to ground the reader between games or practice etcetera.

    The pacing is ... weird. It feels fast, and overall it is, though some particular games feel like it takes ages to finish. Overall though, the story is fast-paced.

    The art is rather pretty, skillful without being outstandingly amazing.

    I recommend giving Baby Steps a shot.
     
  11. Rehio

    Rehio Bad Dragon ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    I really enjoyed the Baby Steps anime, but I put off reading the manga because I knew there would be more episodes coming.

    Don't suppose you know if there's any major divergence, or if the Baby Steps anime is going to be continuing on? I think I'd still stick with the anime for now, if there are going to be more episodes.


    And yeah, the protagonist is pretty top-tier. It feels like such a rarity to find a motivated, competent main character.
     
  12. Republic

    Republic The Snow Queen –§ Prestigious §– DLP Supporter

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    I haven't watched all of the anime, but the episodes I did watch (start and end of both seasons) seemed to be pure manga adaptation.
     
  13. Feoffic

    Feoffic Alchemist DLP Supporter

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    I like Baby Steps, but it has huge pacing problems. For example, the most recent match in the manga has been going on for 24 chapters. There's been plenty of growth for our main guy and his opponent, but it's spread out so thinly across all those chapters that it is exceptionally unsatisfying to read. I wouldn't be too irritated if there were extended cut-aways to important side-characters and their matches, but we get, maybe, one or two pages on them before returning to Maruo and his never-ending match of boredom.
     
  14. Halt

    Halt 1/3 of the Note Bros. Moderator

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    Started watching Baby Steps anime today because it seemed so well received here. Been enjoying it immensely so far ten episodes into the first season. I'll echo the previous sentiments about the MC being likable and competent. It is pretty fast paced, covering a year in ten twenty minute episodes, with tournaments having the most screen time. This kind of makes sense as practices are repetitive to watch - almost like Endless Eight repetitive.
     
  15. BTT

    BTT Viol̀e͜n̛t͝ D̶e͡li͡g҉h̛t҉s̀ ~ Prestige ~

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    That's a problem that seems to plague every sports anime.

    For example, I watched Haikyuu (an anime which I'd definitely rec, btw) and important matches lasted a few episodes, too. Ippo's got the same problem but like ten times worse.

    Obviously development is important, but not every match needs to be stuffed with it, y'know? Not every match is life-changing.
     
  16. Republic

    Republic The Snow Queen –§ Prestigious §– DLP Supporter

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    Btw, Horimiya recently updated like 3 chapters. Check it out.
     
  17. Feoffic

    Feoffic Alchemist DLP Supporter

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    Tomo is a Girl!
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    It's a 4-koma romantic-comedy that is about 95% comedy and 5% romance.
     
  18. vgus

    vgus Squib

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    Personally, I could never really get into Gantz for some reason. There are plenty of good recommendations on here already, but I just have to mention Your Lie in April. It not only introduced me to a new form of music, but the story and animation is simply beautiful.

    And after you've been reduced to a ball of tears and heartache, a good comedy like My Romantic Comedy Snafu will surely get you back on your feet.
     
  19. Valkyrie Night

    Valkyrie Night Muggle

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    I have to second this recommendation.

    This is the series that got me into manga in the first place, as the characters of Ciel and Sebastian, as well as the rest of the cast, are rich and well developed.

    The action is well-paced and the episodic mysteries are intriguing enough that they keep you interested. Nearly all of them appear to reveal a piece of the larger mystery behind Ciel's deal with Sebastian, which makes it well worth it.

    The element of the Shinigami and their purpose, as well as the interaction between them and the demons is an interesting element.

    There are also moments of comedy - minor stress relief scenes hidden in-between the main plot which do seem a little 'fillerish' at times. However, that just appears to elevate the horror and action and make it more fresh, not just overused. My only sticking point would be that Sebastian always seems to have cutlery conveniently appear for him to fight with.

    Therefore, I would definitely recommend it.
     
  20. Meerkats

    Meerkats Unspeakable

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    It's funny that your Tomo rec doesn't have any Tomo in it! Misuzu is best anyway! :)
     
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