Memories of Emanon – February 24 – 1967 – Afternoon: This is a manga that is just one volume long, and it has a bit of a weird chapter layout. It consists out of three parts. The first parts has chapters named after times of the day and the others don’t. Plus, there are a number of pages in the first part that are a bit of a prologue. I especially like how the chapters titles are basically a way to show the time. From what I can gather from the chapter titles, this is a romance series. Part 1 is about the couple meeting, and part 2 and 3 are about memories. I’m not sure yet what that means, because the start is pretty vague on that. The first chapter shows the couple meeting each other on some sort of ship. It uses a lot of non-verbal communication, which I like and the art is good as well, plus there was some strange symbolism during the prologue. It definitely has potential to be a good short romance.
The Music of Marie – Ch.05-06: Whoa, talk about a cliff-hanger here at the end of two episodes of build-up. These two chapters were all about the culture of the world that this plays in, and it again has so many ideas in it, ranging from how people live to how the rituals of marriage are different in different countries. The designs still are really good, especially that plane that Pipi (the female lead) got for her birthday.
Shingeki no Kyojin – Ch.04-05: All this talk about chapter four piqued my curiosity, and yes. That was definitely unexpected and really bold from the authors to do, and I feel like I’m warming up more and more to this series. It’s still not the type that I can read for hours (which is also why I again just checked out two chapters this time), but what this show does really well is show the utter despair in which the characters are, combined with the art for the giants.
A Million-Pound Love – Ch.04: This is the final story of Reiko Shimizu’s collection of short stories, about an assassin that is sent on a job to kill some rich guy, but who falls in love with his daughter. After reading more manga for the past month, it still really surprises me how much stuff she can actually put into just one page. The panels are all very small and the lay-out between them just keeps changing. In terms of the story, it had the most questionable content compared to the other three stories of A Million-Pound Love, but the twists at the end were still very good.
Maybe they have been recommended already but If your ever want to read an ongoing series (that are being constantly updated):
Again!!: Very good art and interesting characters. It’s about a highschooler that gets the chance to relive his last three years of life.
Assassination Classroom: Despite the tittle is quite a lighthearted shounen. Every chapter, a very special teacher gives heartfelt advice to his students about how to kill him.
I really liked again!
adding onto the recommendation list…
ran to haiiro no sekai- slice of life? revolving around a family of magicians? known also for it’s stylish art
yawarakai onna, several short stories revolving around pickpockets
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō – another fine slice of life about an android and her cafe in a post-apocalyptic world.
second Yokohama kaidashi its a very laid back series nice to read
Emanon is fantastic.
hmmm…Memories of Emanon is great, quite creative and thought provoking at times.
would like to add in one more recommendation, a manga called Oldboy, which centers around a man who had been confined to a room for ten years, and then is let out all of a sudden without reason, beginning his journey to find out why he was captured in the first place.
Was made into a relatively good south korean film, but now hollywood wants in on the action, so I’d advise you to check it out before it’s butchered.
Try the ‘Tower of God ‘manwha! It has a great and rich (and sometimes complex) world and pretty decent characters just like the Hunter x Hunter series! It’s one of the most popular manwha’s beside ‘breaker:new waves’, and it won’t get you bored ;)!
Actually, Reiko Shimizu’s collection of short stories contains 7 titles, but only 4 were translated to english.
I would also like to add onto the recommendation. It is a manga call “Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan” by Sahara Mizu. The original story is from a novel by a Korean but was adapted to manga form. It’s about capital punishment and a certain prisoner and person who comes to terms with the decisions that they made. I can’t reveal more than this because then it will ruin it for you. I think you will like this one and it’s only 8 chapters. And if you do get the chance to read it, I can’t wait to read your reactions.
I haven’t read omoide emanon yet but I know already that I will love it.
Told ya Shingeki is something that grows on you and once you reach the “after math” chapter I think chances are you’ll be hooked, it doesn’t waste too much time piling on the intrigue and such as well as the emotional intensity (basically the strengths people praise it will show up).
But you have to realize that the strength of the series is something that doesn’t hit you on the moment but one that makes itself apparent over time once you mull over it, this is why a monthly release works for the series it does force you time to think (which is why I would not suggest trying to marathon more than two chapters, three tops). You need time to think and let things sink in, and once you do you realize just how rewarding the series is.
I really hate monthly releases! I am so hooked into it, and I can’t wait to see what the hell is that ape thingy!
Adding on to the list of recommendations…
The Sleepy Residents of Birdcage Manor is a very good shoujo manga. It’s kinda poetic and features a pretty awesome heroine, though the main guy can get really angsty. But the main characters are all interesting and complex; they feel like real people. This manga has kinda a realist rather than idealist kind of feel. It’s pretty short too. The synopsis might sound a little dodgy, but don’t let it put you off. 🙂