Apologies, last week I was a bit too busy to catch up with everything so I didn’t have the time for this one. I’ll continue with it this week, though. For this week, I’m going to be checking out multiple chapters for some series. I don’t want to do this for first chapters though, because I want to be able to gather as many first impressions as possible with this, since this experiment is really meant for me to figure out my taste in manga.
Hito Hitori Futari – ch.03-ch.05: This one still has my attention, and for the first time this week, the art also managed to captivate me. It was the point where the main character was struggling with the president’s inner demons and when that… thing just showed up. The art for that was just intense. Beyond that, I’m really liking this series’ interpretation of common tropes as guardian spirits. These things are nothing new, but Hito Hitori Futari gives a fresh new interpretation to them.
Hotel – ch.02-ch.03: These are two more science fiction stories, with actual people in them. The first is a story about a guy who marries a girl way younger than him, and then she dies in a hospital. I didn’t really like this one. I missed context, and it was too much like another “let’s feel sorry for a cute dying girl” with little to add on top of it, despite the nice artwork. Chapter 03 though… oh boy, what the hell did I just read? This is science fiction, taken to the absurd. It’s like a complete parody of the first chapter, and I admire the creativity it had.
A Million-pound Love – ch02-2, ch-03-1, ch-03.2: These chapters I tried to read without listening to music. I’m not sure, but I had a bit of a harder time focusing. In any case the second half about the story of the flying people was a bit fuzzy. I noticed that with other manga as well in that the dialogue doesn’t really flow right and that there are a lot of gaps in the narrative. The twist at the end was good, though.
Chapter 3 tells about an ignorant 14-year-old kid who in four years grows into a brilliant physicist who on his own manages to build an entire spaceship that humanity can use to colonize other planets. Yeah, I found that really hard to buy when I first read it, but at the end of things, this turned out to be a brilliant story. It shows just how much a character can change over the course of four years depending on the circumstances, and it plays wonderfully with this. It’s so laid out that everything comes together at the final acts. This is a bit longer than the other one-shots I tried so far (80 pages), but it uses all of them really well, combined with Reiko Shimizu’s excellent ability to portray emotions and show as much as possible on a single page. Despite how hard it is to buy at times, this contained the best characters in this experiment so far.
I am a Piano (Oneshot): A really really short one-shot (only 9 pages!). And this one was a bit too short for my tastes, especially compared to the other one-shots I’ve tackled during this experiment. It’s definitely based on a nice idea, but it just lacks detail and context due to things moving so far: characters are introduced in one panel and then disappear in the next again. Neat use of colors, though.
I don’t think anyone cares for these manga reviews, you might as well stop doing it
Um, could you be a bit more specific: do you mean to say that nobody cares about these reviews, or that you don’t care about them?
Wrong. I do care. And I think you’re the one that’s not interested on these manga reviews.
Hi psgels, please don’t listen to Asuna, I’ve been looking out for your new manga post 🙂
Have you thought about trying some more one-shots? Not necessarily to discuss but just as a way to privately experiment with different styles without having to really invest your time.
Pardon me if you’re not looking for advice (as many others have already given you some), but I personally think that the best way for a newbie to get into manga is to NOT pick up currently publishing series. There is a chance that a manga would enter a dreaded hiatus, or that scanlators will drop the manga and nobody else would bother to pick it up, both of which can delay your appreciation of the story for months or even years.
But the fact that you’ve already picked up Hito Hitori Futari can’t be helped, and I hope you enjoy it.
What I recommend for now is to try out oneshots and other completed short manga (around 1-3 volumes). You’re already checking out Hotel. Other short manga you might like are “Ichigo no Gakkou” and “Solanin”. After you get a feel for many different types of short manga, it will be easier to get into longer and currently publishing manga.
yeep, I wanted to recommend the entirety of Jojo’s bizarre adventure, since the anime for it was announced some time ago. But since it’s 100 volumes so far, I’d advise taking a look at another one of araki’s other work “The lives of eccentrics” which is just one volume long to get an idea of some of his work.
I think i’m going to agree that reviewing currently running manga can prove to be a herculean task and that it might be better to start of with finished series. And if you are worry that it might not create any discussion because finished manga might be forgotten, i think that it will be opposite because i’m sure many never had an opportunity to talk about it back when a title was still running, and others might find this a good excuse to re-read all favourites.
As for titles, you already have had many suggestions but i’d like to add some too:
I think you might like ‘Pluto’ by Urasawa Naoki, you liked Tiger and Bunny, and while this manga is a bit different it also is build around an iconic super hero – AstroBoy.
‘After School Nightmare’ by Mizuhiro Setona, deals with gender issues and is constructed as a mystery, while at the same time has a lot of underlying symbolism.
‘Alive’ by Kawashima Tadashi is a peculiar one, especially if you consider that it was written at the author deathbed.
If you like ‘Hito Hitori Futari’ so far, you might want to check the authors other works in similar setting ‘Skyhigh’ and ‘Skyhigh Karma’
I liked his ‘Blue Heaven’ too and ‘Jirashin’ is not bad for an anti-hero type of cop story.
‘Bradharley no Basha’ by Samura Hiroaki takes a horror twist on Anne of Green Gables, but it can be very disturbing and depressing, not sure if that’s your thing. And while at it maybe try ‘Ohikkoshi’ a collection of short stories that is completely different.
‘Coelacanth’ by Shimotsuki Kayoko, it’s hard to explain what one might expect from it.
‘Endo Short Stories’ by Endo Hiroki is a collection of short stories, it clearly demonstrates how the author didn’t lived in the prettiest of the neighborhoods.
‘Happy-Go-Lucky Days’ by Shimura Takako is a collection of short stories about human sexuality (very typical for the author of Hourou Musuko)
Someone already has recommended works by Asano Ino, i think I liked ‘Nijigahara Holograph’ the most and i remember it producing tons of discussion when it was running.
‘Kayou Gogo 9-ji’ by Okada Tatsuya is.. about human relationships, that the only way of putting it i guess without going into too much details.
‘Kobatotei Ibun’ by Takano Miyako is a collection of short stories somewhat similar to Natsume Yuujin
‘Koko wa Greenwood’ by Nasu Yukie is the manga the author of ‘Kimi to Boku’ made homage to.
‘Hour of the Mice’ by Toumei Kei is another mystery. You might as well want to check ‘Lament of the Lamb’ as it holds similarities to one particular franchise.
‘Rensen – Hana no Koe Yowa’ by Sumeragi Natsuki is a collection of short stories about Chinese folklore.
‘River’s Edge’ by Okazaki Kyoko is another collection of short stories.
‘Seizon – Life’ by Nobuyuki Fukumoto is a drama about a father searching for his daughter.
‘Sakuran’ by Anno Moyoco is a historical manga about a courtesan.
‘Witches’ by Igarashi Daisuke
As far as Romance goes:
‘Udon no Onna’ by Est Em. (there is no smut in it even if some sites indicate it)
‘Socrates in Love’ by Ktayama Kyoichi
‘Girlfriend’ by Hokazono Masaya and Betten Court has the same setting as ‘Hatsukoi’ by Kawashita Mizuki (it was animated too), BUT where ‘Hatsukoi’ only scratches the surface ‘Girlfriend’ one dives in as it is aimed at different age group.
‘GirlxGirlxBoy’ by Kujira has an atypical romance triangle.
‘Easy Chocolate’ by Ikuemi Ryou is a collection of romantic short stories.
‘Pieta’ by Haruno Nanae is a very typical yuri, but i don’t really think that there is an atypical one.
Lastly oneshots:
‘Always Together’ by Ishiki Makoto.
‘Because Goodbyes Are Coming Soon’ by Yukimura Makoto.
‘Forget’ by Asahi Yuki.
‘Mud’ by Yamashita Tomoko.
If you ever decide to pick up yaoi pick ‘Memory of the Future’ and its sequel ‘Where the Wind Goes’ as both have actual romantic plot, no superficial angst and are not bad in comedy department.
And if you ever wonder about what would happen in romance if instead horny perverted guy you had a horny perverted woman then read anything by Yoshihara Yuki.
And well.. sorry for the wall for the wall of text!
Anyone reading Bradharley no Basha should keep a big bottle of brain bleach nearby. I read it, and I wish I never did.
Certainly a technically accomplished exploration of the outer fringes of sadism. Compared to that Uzumaki and Saya no Uta is nice and fluffy…
But if you want to read something that packs a cold and evil punch try Narutaru, the embodiment of the trope “it got worse”. The anime cut out before the manga became really amazing and disturbing. Fantastic climax.
It’s definitely not about an easy subject and it is not an easy read, but it is a well written piece. As for bleach, i dunno… it depends. If you only see it for a shock value (it could happen because the story really doesn’t pulls any punches) then maybe, but it only means that this is how it affected you.
erm.. to avoid misunderstanding “you” as in general “you” not specifically you.
Oooh, I might be giving myself away, but I definitely agree with ‘Witches’ by Igarashi Daisuke. The man is a wonder with a pen, and the atmosphere he creates is absolutely top-notch. He’s developed himself a very distinctive style for making chilling, absorbing, and stunningly beautiful worlds.
I would recommend all of his works, but ‘Children of the Sea’ and ‘Witches’ hold a special part of my heart; they were my first of his and they were absolutely enthralling (if the former a bit slow).
Good to see you kept reading Hotel, I knew that you would at least find interesting the tuna story. I actually like this manga reviews. They’re quite fresh as they’re about a media that you’re just starting to explore, so there’s a constant dialogue with the users while they recommend you titles.
About this last thing; just like boo I recommend you Pluto. Also I maybe you should take a peek at Oyasumi Punpun (I don’t know if someone else already mentioned it). It’s a dramatic growing up story, mostly cynical and tragic but also with a visual twist that give a spin to the whole thing.
Hi, I know it could take a pretty long time but I was wondering if you would be interested in reading mangas of animes you’ve already watched? You wouldn’t need to make a weekly review but it may give you an other perspective on animes you’ve seen.
If you’re interested, I think you could give Ika Musume a shot, I thought that the differences in some characterizations ended up making a vast difference in my enjoyment (by making the manga better). For example, Eiko and Ika feel much more like equals and Chizuru is less one sided.
A couple mangas I enjoyed that I think you would too:
-Suiiki (possibly my most favourite manga ever, same author as Mushishi)
-Sekine-kun no Koi
-Memories of Emanon
-Futago
-Udon no Onna
-Solanin
-Olimpos
-Gangsta.
-Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan (I personally feel this is a bit rushed at the end, but still enjoyable nevertheless)
-Matryoshka
I also quite like TAKAHASHI Tsutomu’s works (author of Hito Hitori Futari), even if a few of them are quite dark. If you have the time, I urge you to check them out 🙂
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(also, Lucky Dog 1 Blast has an awesome male lead, but not sure if the manga is to your taste :\ )
I am not sure if you got this but the context of chapter 2 of Hotel is that the cute girl caught some disease and went for hibernation for 40 over years. The 80 years old man you saw is his actual husband who stay by her side for almost 40 years.
Finally, the girl woke up and have few days to live. The old man doesn’t want her to know that time has passed so he asked his son, who looks like him to meet her instead.
It’s a manly romance story where the focus is the sacrifice made by that old man. I think you discounted it too much by calling it “let’s feel sorry for a cute dying girl”.
But if you got this context and still think that way then it’s ok. I am just explaining the story because you mentioned that you don’t get the context.
oh, “I’m piano” was first published in Gothic & Lolita Bible, it’s a fashion magazine, that’s why it’s not that much story oriented.
Vinland Saga is a great manga if you don’t mind the month wait for each chapter but it makes it worth while. Also Otoyomegatari is another great manga with super details.
Nakamura Asumiko’s oneshots tend to be like that. I really like them, but I understand if someone doesn’t. I don’t think that short, simple oneshots like this can be compared to series with intricate plotlines and fleshed out characters, since the point is more like the atmosphere and the art style… If manga series were novels and longer oneshots were short stories, these kind of oneshots would be poetry, I guess.
When does Psgels will read a good manga completed? So far he’s only reading some random oneshots. He should just read the acclaimed stuff, it’s fukkin great and will definetely turn him into a manga fan, not a single doubt about that. And for the record, there are plenty of great and really short manga out there, so that talk about “it consumes too much of my time” isn’t going to work here. After you get used to mangas, you’ll be reading something like 20 chapters a day.
How did you end up reading a Nakamura Asumiko one shot?
I second the Yoshihara Yuki suggestion XD. With one warning: her early works and her more recent ones are not on par with her ‘middle period’ ones. As such, avoid anything she did before ‘Oboretai’ and after ‘Butterflies, Flowers’. Also, she tends to keep a one-shot mentality even in her multi-chaptered stories, so you can basically read most chapter of her longer stories in random order if you feel daunted by the length/volumes ;>. But if her brand of sex comedy humour hooks you you’ll read all those chapters in a row trust me.
One-shots anthology suggestions: Sheet No Sukima gives you both her comedic side and her occasionally dark&twisted side. Ditto on Ningyo Ouji, although this anthology is lighter overall.
For multichaptered stories: Darling Wa is her masterpiece imho. It’s the daily chronicle of a newlyweds’ life (& sex life). It’s totally crazy, outrageous, and very very funny, with a very colourful cast of characters and tons of breaking the 4th wall, self-parody and manga clichés parody in general (even her freetalks are hilarious and also on occasions a nice insight on how manga is made) . 8 volumes total, but rememember the one-shot mentality warning above ;D.
After this her best long works are arguably Itadakimasu (older divorcee woman x younger man romance) and Butterfly Flower (her spin – and parody- on the masterxservant, SxM romance smut tropes). Then Haa Haa and Anata To Senya Ichiya.
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Nakamura Asumiko: my fav oneshot of hers is probably Perfect World. I think you’ll like it too. The plot is simple and short but I found it very touching and effective.
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Natsuki Sumeragi: I second this suggestion as well. Her art is beautiful and very little ‘tipical manga’ , rather closer to late XIX century western illustrators, while her aproach to folk tales and period pieces is a mature and laid back one. My fav one-shots anthology of hers is Yama ni Sumu Kami… it’s also the one with more variety in setting, genre and period.
I also second the suggestion of Moyoco Anno’s Sakuran. You should be able to find all of these on mangatraders ;).
There’s also nearby State Game Lands (SGL) 205 off Route 100 in Lowhill Township that can also be accessed from Route 309 in Schnecksville. Get a good night’s sleep after lining out your arrangements for the morning and have a good meal. If you’ve never quartered a whitetail, take the time to explore the basics of game care.