Manga Thread

[Groovie Mann]

Just wanted to see whsoe buying manga and what titles. Right now I'm buying Kekkaishi and Excel Saga. I recently tried Bambi and Her Pink Gun which was, well, just violent.

[Royal Nonesuch]

I'm currently buying Hellsing and Blade of the Immortal, while trying to catch up on Lone Wolf & Cub and Planetes. I also bought Blame! vol. 1, but haven't read it yet.

[Groovie Mann]

Originally posted by Royal Nonesuch
I'm currently buying Hellsing and Blade of the Immortal, while trying to catch up on Lone Wolf & Cub and Planetes. I also bought Blame! vol. 1, but haven't read it yet.

i have the anime for blame! but couldn't get into it. or watch it. hwoever the shirt it came with owned.

[Royal Nonesuch]

Originally posted by Groovie Mann
i have the anime for blame! but couldn't get into it. or watch it. hwoever the shirt it came with owned.

LOL, well, glad to hear about the shirt!

So why was Blame! so bad? I haven't seen the anime or read the manga yet. What should I expect? This seemed like the type of story I'd have been into.

[thefellowship12]

I'm going to buy either Cowboy Bebop vol. 1, Priest vol.1 or Lone Wolf and cub, which is apparently great.

[Bakema NL]

I generally don't like manga at all, but I'm buying the Vampire hunter D novels, great pics inside and there's some stuff influenced by manga that I can stomach, like Lullaby from Alias and Legacy from Image and some others.

[ShatterComics]

Berserk, blade of the Immortal, vagabond, Lone wolf and cub.

[Electric Glove]

Cromartie High School, Dragon Ball, Case Closed, One Piece, Full Metal Alchemist

[Groovie Mann]

Originally posted by Royal Nonesuch
LOL, well, glad to hear about the shirt!

So why was Blame! so bad? I haven't seen the anime or read the manga yet. What should I expect? This seemed like the type of story I'd have been into.

well, if it is the same as the anime i have(who knwos, maybe there's to blames) i turned it on and 5-6 minutes in i knew i was going to get one of those headache inducing sci-fi/psychological thrillers you've come to expect with the likes of ghost in the shell, serial experiments lain and neon genesis evangelion(admitedly i don't like). which wasn't a bad notion its just i turned it on and said "huh? 7 minutes in and already it doesn't make sense. i doubt the remaining 30 minutes will help at all." it just seemed like a barrage of sci-fi imagery from someone whose read neuromancer too many tiems and loved the hell out of bleak futuristic society stories.

[JK Parkin]

Lady Snowblood from Dark Horse ... I also recently picked up I Luv Halloween from Tokyopop, an "English Language Manga."

[Royal Nonesuch]

Originally posted by Groovie Mann
well, if it is the same as the anime i have(who knwos, maybe there's to blames) i turned it on and 5-6 minutes in i knew i was going to get one of those headache inducing sci-fi/psychological thrillers you've come to expect with the likes of ghost in the shell, serial experiments lain and neon genesis evangelion(admitedly i don't like). which wasn't a bad notion its just i turned it on and said "huh? 7 minutes in and already it doesn't make sense. i doubt the remaining 30 minutes will help at all." it just seemed like a barrage of sci-fi imagery from someone whose read neuromancer too many tiems and loved the hell out of bleak futuristic society stories.

Hehe, ok, I think I get what you mean. That's actually the type of stuff I like.

[Groovie Mann]

Originally posted by Royal Nonesuch
Hehe, ok, I think I get what you mean. That's actually the type of stuff I like.

oh, wlel then, go for it. the arts nice.

[Michael C Lorah]

Manga that I've finished includes:

Short Program (excellent), Lone Wolf & Cub (5 stars) and Shadow Lady (lotsa bouncy fun), Sailor Moon (better than you think)

Manga that I've been following includes:
Samurai Executioner (great), Video Girl Ai (losing steam), Maison Ikkoku (cute), Saikano (excellent), I"s (only one volume in, and still undecided)

Manga that I've sampled and would like to read more of:
Shadow Star, Battle Angel Alita, Blade of the Immortal, Battle Royale

Plus a quite a few others that I haven't cared for.

[Groovie Mann]

Originally posted by Michael C Lorah
Manga that I've finished includes:

Sailor Moon (better than you think)



I got some of the old Mixxzines/Tokyopop mags and Sailor Moon is rpetty cool. The series(and movies for that matter) had some serious adult themes that got left on the cutting room floor for American translations. Sailor Stars indeed.

[Prime]

Full Metal Alchemist. The drawings look simple, but very precise. Also the story is good.

[AdamYJ]

I read Naruto, Beet the Vandel Buster, Sgt. Frog and my personal favorite: Case Closed. I may also pick up the second volume of Whistle at some point. I read that one on a whim, because I figured I should give one of the sports mangas a shot. It was surprisingly good. I haven't been able to buy any new manga lately because I'm running out of room on my bookshelves and I wanted to save some room for something else.

[Groovie Mann]

I haven't checked out Naruti, flipped through it ocne and didn't seem my thing. However I later checked out the series and it's really cool. I'm on episode 139 or so right now. Some very exicting things.

Even though Sasuke and Sakura suck. Besides Naruto it's all about Hinat, Shikamru, Rock Lee, hell! pretty much besides those two losers.

[Shawn Fumo]

Everyone must give Yotsuba& a shot. It is the kind of series that can make life a little bit brighter.. :)

It is kind of a slice-of-life/comedy about a strange little girl and her adventures learning about the world. I know you're probably ready to dismiss it, but most people end up loving it...

Shawn

[Alex Scott]

I shall also recommend Yotsuba&!, especially if you're looking for an antidote for the recent wave of "dark" comics, if you're looking for a good all-ages comic, or if you just need a good laugh. The second volume had me rereading it on and on because it made me laugh so damn much. The chapter "Yotsuba & Revenge" alone is worth the $10. The creator's other series, Azumanga Daioh, is pretty good, too, but its style of humor takes some getting used to (the anime actually improves on it a bit).

Of course, if dark is what you want, I'd suggest Saikano, about two high schoolers struggling to sustain their relationship when he's a jerk, and she's the ultimate weapon in a devastating war. Lots of death, lots of pain, and I hear it has a pretty sad ending.

What else I'm getting:

Fushigi Yugi
Sgt. Frog
Fullmetal Alchemist
Hikaru no Go
Death Note (though my friend tells me it gets REALLY lame around volume 8. How bad? "You'll know," he says)
Maison Ikkoku
Astro Boy (though it's hard as hell to find)
Ultra Maniac
Neon Genesis Evangelion (if you think the anime's good, this is better, especially in terms of pacing. It comes out so damn slowly, though)

Favorite series I've completed:

GTO
Cardcaptor Sakura (currently mulling whether to order the anime box set)
Kodocha (sadly, out of print, as Tokyopop has lost the rights)
Azumanga Daioh

[Kusanagi]

Currently reading:

- Trigun maximum ( brilliant!)
- Bleach
- Naruto
- Tsubasa
- Full metal Alchemist
- Seraphic Feather
- Neon Genesis Evangelion

And i'm kinda hyped about GitS 1.5, next year from Dark Horse.:D

[Knightmaresbane]

A lot.

I'll post a list tommorow suffice to say it's big, really big.

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[Knightmaresbane]

Here is is. Thos that have the star mean I either own all volumes thus far released and or have read the whole series.

Here we go!

Ai Yori Aoshi
Amazing Agent Luna *
Bastard!!
Battle Royale
Battle Vixens *
Berserk *
Blade of the Immortal
Blazin’ Barrels *
Cheeky Angel *
Chobits *
Chrono Crusade *
Comic Party
Cowboy Bebop *
Dears *
Devil May Cry 3 *
DN Angel
Dragon Knights
Dramacon *
Eiken *
Escaflowne *
Et Cetera *
Evil’s Return
Excell Saga
Flame of Recca
Full Metal Panic!
Fullmetal Alchemist *
Fushigi Yuugi
Gacha Gacha *
Gatekeepers
Girls Bravo *
GTO
Gundam: Ecol du Ciel *
Gunslinger Girl *
Gunsmith Cats *
Hellsing *
Hyper Police *
Inuyasha
Jinki Extend
Lady Snowblood *
Land of the Blindfolded
Lone Wolf and Cub *
Love Hina
Mabaraho *
Madara
Magic Knight Reyearth
Mahoromatic
Monster Collection *
Najica Blitz Tactics *
Naruto
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Ninja High School
Peacemaker Kurogane
PhD: Phantasy Degree *
Pita Ten
Priest
Princess Ai *
Psychic Academy
Rahxephon
Ranma ½
Ray
Real Bout High School
Rebirth
Remote *
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Ring
Rurouni Kenshin *
Sabre Marionette J
Saiyuki *
Saiyuki: Reload *
Sakura Taisen *
Samurai Deeper Kyo *
Samurai Executioner *
Scrapped Princess *
Shaman King
Shaolin Sisters *
Shaolin Sisters Reborn *
Sister Red *
Sokora Refugees *
Steady Beat *
Steel Angel Kurumi
Sword of the Dark Ones
Tenjho Tenge
Testarotho *
Tokyo Mew Mew
Trigun Maximum *
Vagabond
Vampire Princess Miyu
Van Von Hunter *
X/1999
Young Magician *


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[Groovie Mann]

Originally posted by Knightmaresbane


Bastard!!
Battle Royale
Cowboy Bebop *
Escaflowne *
Excel Saga
Fushigi Yuugi
Gunsmith Cats *
Hellsing *
Inuyasha
Love Hina
Magic Knight Reyearth
Naruto
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Ranma ½
Real Bout High School
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Rurouni Kenshin *
Sabre Marionette J
Trigun Maximum *
Vampire Princess Miyu


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i don't buy much manga but of your list i've read or seen the anime for the following.

Bastard!!-nice anime. never read the books.
Battle Royale-saw the movie without subtitles. great film.
Cowboy Bebop *-watched anime.
Escaflowne *-i have the movie.
Excel Saga-i have the series and all the volumes. i like that the anime doens't follow the manga.
Fushigi Yuugi-first half of the first series was good, then sucked real bad.
Gunsmith Cats *-like the 3 episode anime.
Hellsing *-nice anime.
Inuyasha-have a few dozen of these on video tape somewhere.
Love Hina-saw the first few episodes, it was okay.
Magic Knight Reyearth-i have a bunch of the original mixx zine/tokyopop magazines.
Naruto-have up to episode 144. good stuff. hate the dub. and normally prefer dubs.
Neon Genesis Evangelion-i hate eva witht he fire a 1000 bunring suns.
Ranma ½-tried buying the manga but then i realzied, i woned the anime. whats the point?
Real Bout High School-anime sucked, manga much better.
Revolutionary Girl Utena-seen several epsiodes. strange. fun.
Rurouni Kenshin *-samurai x was cool.
Sabre Marionette J-pretty fun anime.
Trigun Maximum *-trigun anime was good. never read the books. are they different?
Vampire Princess Miyu-tried anime, didn't like it/

[render man]

I just recently caught on to Vagabond. Some of the most amazingly beautiful art I've ever seen in a comic.
I picked up Phoenix, havent read it yet, but I keep hearing good things about it from the godfather of japanese comics art.

[Wildfire]

Rurouni Kenshin is my favorite right now... I find it to be a lot for fun than the more 'realistic" samurai books (Lone Wolf and Cub, Blade), which I just couldn't get into.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is really good too... I actually like the manga better than the Anime as far as the characterization goes.

Trigun is WAY better as a Anime... I was very dissappointed that Maximum wasn't a continuation of the story.

I found Naruto a little to teenie bopper for me, but I only have the 1st one.

I'm not totally sold yet, but Bleach is pretty good so far (read the 1st 2)

Akira is awesome too.. its status as a classic is well deserved.

[Knightmaresbane]

Comments:

Originally posted by Groovie Mann
i don't buy much manga but of your list i've read or seen the anime for the following.

Bastard!!-nice anime. never read the books.

The anime is a bastardization of the manga, TONS of stuff is left out.

Battle Royale-saw the movie without subtitles. great film.

I agree made even better by having Chiaki Kuriyama in it.

Cowboy Bebop *-watched anime.

The manga has new stories. Good stuff.


Escaflowne *-i have the movie.

Movie is eh. Anime is much better and the Manga takes a waaaaaaaaaay different approch. it's primarily written for guys so when Hitomi goes in Escaflowne she goes from a glasses wearing mousey girl to a busty blonde. Plus Its much more violent and some parts are totally effed up.

Excel Saga-i have the series and all the volumes. i like that the anime doens't follow the manga.

Me too. I'm only on Vol. 4 of the manga though.


Fushigi Yuugi-first half of the first series was good, then sucked real bad.

I disagree The first half is all cutesy and girlish and happy. snd half it gets dark and depressing, and Nakago rises to being one of the supreme bastards in anime, seriously I hated the guy.

Gunsmith Cats *-like the 3 episode anime.

Manga has more of what you ove and no rehash of the anime, highly recommended.

Hellsing *-nice anime.

I love the anime too. The manga adds more story and characters. Of of my top 5.

Inuyasha-have a few dozen of these on video tape somewhere.


Used to tape it on cartoon network myself. The manga is pretty much the same, ut I stll like it cause I love Rumiko Takehashi

Love Hina-saw the first few episodes, it was okay.

I like harem manga. Plus it's funny. I have the whole series on DVD just haven't got to it yet.

Magic Knight Reyearth-i have a bunch of the original mixx zine/tokyopop magazines.

Cool. I loooooooooooooooove CLAMP.

Naruto-have up to episode 144. good stuff. hate the dub. and
normally prefer dubs.

My friend has 1-100, hopefully he'll let me borrow them, that is if I ever finish all my anime backstock. I'm currenty working on Witch Hunter Robin. And hey I like dubs better too.....sometimes.

Neon Genesis Evangelion-i hate eva witht he fire a 1000 bunring suns.

Um I won't mention it's my favorite then. Salright lots of people hate it.

Ranma ½-tried buying the manga but then i realzied, i woned the anime. whats the point?


Yeah it's pretty much the same. But I got rid of all my Ranma tapes long time back. Plus it's been like 6 years since I seen em

Real Bout High School-anime sucked, manga much better.


Yeah thats true. I think the manga started to loose steam after vol 4 though. Still looked awesome as hell though. Man that guy can draw.

Revolutionary Girl Utena-seen several epsiodes. strange. fun.


Saw the movie. I was like WTF? Weirdest ending EVER!! The manga is good and makes sense

Rurouni Kenshin *-samurai x was cool.

Samurai X rocked. Rurouni Kenshin is an excellent manga. None of the crappy filler material from the show either.

Sabre Marionette J-pretty fun anime.

The manga is fun too. Some of the girls are a bit too endowed, but whatever.

Trigun Maximum *-trigun anime was good. never read the books. are they different?


They expand the storys. It goes as follows Trigun Vol.1-2, Trigun Maximum Vol.1-Current(8 I think) Good stuff and INSANELY detailed art.

Vampire Princess Miyu-tried anime, didn't like it

It's slow I know. I've taken a break from it for that reason but I like Shaolin Sisters a lot(which is done by the same team) plus Vampire chicks are always alright in my book.
/ [B]

Hey everybody whats your #1 request for manga they should license and release over here?????????

Mine: Elfen Lied.

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[Michael C Lorah]

Originally posted by Knightmaresbane
Hey everybody whats your #1 request for manga they should license and release over here?????????

Considering how much I love Mitsuru Adachi's Short Program and the game of baseball, I'd love to see Adachi's series Touch translated!:)

[Electric Glove]

Originally posted by Knightmaresbane

Hey everybody whats your #1 request for manga they should license and release over here?????????
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Irresponsible Captain Tyler isn't over here, is it? I don't actually know if there is a manga, but my freidn is a huge booster of the anime series.

[DJ Funky T]

Originally posted by Knightmaresbane
Comments:

[B]

Hey everybody whats your #1 request for manga they should license and release over here?????????

Mine: Elfen Lied.

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Well, since Viz already licensed Monster and 20th Century Boys, I'd have to say my next choice would be Gantz. I think it would make a good succesor to Battle Royale once that finishes.

[Knightmaresbane]

Originally posted by DJ Funky T
Well, since Viz already licensed Monster and 20th Century Boys, I'd have to say my next choice would be Gantz. I think it would make a good succesor to Battle Royale once that finishes.

Isn't Gantz put out by ADV and like super violent?

Cause if so yer outta luck. I asked a represenative of ADV at the retailer summit out a month ago about Elfen Lied manga. he said it was waaaaaaaay to violent. So apparently they have no problem putting out hyper violent anime, but there manga has to be PG-13 only.

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[Pete2525]

Originally posted by Knightmaresbane
Isn't Gantz put out by ADV and like super violent?

Cause if so yer outta luck. I asked a represenative of ADV at the retailer summit out a month ago about Elfen Lied manga. he said it was waaaaaaaay to violent. So apparently they have no problem putting out hyper violent anime, but there manga has to be PG-13 only.

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Tokyopop is releasing Battle Royale, which is hyper-violent. Dark Horse is releasing Berserk, which is hyper-violent. Just because ADV has the license for the anime doesn't mean they will get the license for the manga - they are completely different licenses. BTW, I heard that the Gantz manga is much more violent than the anime counterpart.

[DJ Funky T]

Originally posted by Pete2525
Tokyopop is releasing Battle Royale, which is hyper-violent. Dark Horse is releasing Berserk, which is hyper-violent. Just because ADV has the license for the anime doesn't mean they will get the license for the manga - they are completely different licenses. BTW, I heard that the Gantz manga is much more violent than the anime counterpart.

Yeah, that's how I figured it would work, unless ADV somehow bought the rights to the anime and the manga in a package deal of some sort (has that ever happened for a series? Like Naruto, maybe?). There's all sorts of examples of different companies releasing a series, like Neon Genesis Evangelion, where the manga is released by Viz, the anime series by ADV and the movies by Manga Entertainment. You guys are right about the manga though, it's super duper violent. Maybe even more so than Battle Royale.

[Pete2525]

Originally posted by DJ Funky T
Yeah, that's how I figured it would work, unless ADV somehow bought the rights to the anime and the manga in a package deal of some sort (has that ever happened for a series? Like Naruto, maybe?). There's all sorts of examples of different companies releasing a series, like Neon Genesis Evangelion, where the manga is released by Viz, the anime series by ADV and the movies by Manga Entertainment. You guys are right about the manga though, it's super duper violent. Maybe even more so than Battle Royale.

Sometimes the same company gets the licenses for both the manga and anime - ADV is actually the ones who do this the most, although in all instances that I know they either released the anime first, or released both anime and manga simoltaneously. Tokyopop released GTO manga and anime, VIZ does the same with Naruto. It happens, but more times different companies get the anime and manga license.

About the violence level, I think the manga companies in the US are more worried about the sexual content than the violence in manga. I have only "read" (I can't read Japanese, I just looked at the pictures) vol 1 and 2 of the Gantz manga, and while it was violent, it didn't seem to be more vilent than Battle Royale - the deaths in Battle Royale are very gruesome and slow, the violence in Gantz seemed to be faster and focus less on showing varous internal organs :D Then again, that is only from vol 1 and 2 - it may have changed after.