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I've been getting into this whole Manga craze recently. I really like Hana Kimi, Chobits, and Fullmetal Alchemist. But, I'm looking for something new. Anyone have any reccomendations?
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Hana Kimi is the shortened title... I don't know the full title. I know it means "For you in full blossom"
Posts: 1591 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Many anime series started as manga. You've already discovered Fullmetal Alchemist and Chobits. Fruits Basket is another, and is exceptionally good. The anime only covers about half the manga story, so there's a lot more story to dig into in the manga. It's currently my favorite. Fruits Basket is catagorized as Romance/Comedy; it's mostly set in the real world, but has some mystical/fantastical elements as well.
I also really loved MARS, by Fuyumi Soryo. I went through this series extremely fast. It's got some very pretty artwork, and the story is full of drama. It's a romance/drama set in the current day real world.
Those are all published by Tokyopop, I believe. My collection is pretty much split between Tokyopop and Viz titles, so here's the Viz stuff I read.
Someone recommended Angel Sanctuary to me. I read the first five, but then lost interest. Never really grabbed me. I do find the story interesting, as it's based on mythology/religion, and the artwork is nice, but sometimes I got confused with the story and couldn't follow it. I do intend to give it another try, but probably not anytime soon. Too many other things to read.
Descendents of Darkness is a lot of fun. Lots of action and drama as well as a bit of romance, with some fantastical elements. I saw the anime before I read the manga, so I appreciate the manga because it digs deeper into the story. More exposition, as well as side stories. It's rather slashy, though, so you might want to stay away if you don't like slash.
W Juliet is what I consider light, fun reading. Tomboyish girl meets boy who is dressing as a girl. Hilarity/romance ensures. It can be gimmicky (how are we going to keep his secret from being discovered THIS time), and yet I keep reading it in spite of the gimmicks, because I the characters are fun, and cute together. One of those things where you're rooting for them to get together.
I don't much read anything that's not Tokyopop or Viz (this is mostly because that's mostly what my bookstore carries), but one exception is Dark Horse's Trigun. As its subtitle says, it's DEEP SPACE PLANET FUTURE GUN ACTION! Lots of silly fun. I do find the action harder to follow in the manga as compared to the anime, but the manga has more of those O_O moments, so it evens out. Plus, it being a book means I can enjoy Vash anywhere. *giggles* I do loves me some Vash goodness.
Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
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Barefoot Gen. Everyone should read it... Everyone. It will make you cry though. Nausicaa. Sanctuary if you like pulp, naked women and violence. Same with other stuf fby those same guys except for maybe Strain which is not so violent. Video Girl Ai was funny in parts and painful in others. It's good as hell... Banana Fish, I want to read more of that....
and for stuff that isnt' Japanese but is cool, Kabuki.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Its darker than FMA and Chobits but I'm a big fan of both and I liked this series too so it might interest you.
quote:Light "Raito" Yagami is a young but bright high school student who has until recently led a boring and uneventful life. That changed very quickly when he found a strange notebook with the title "Death Note" lying on the ground one day. It wasn't until later that he realized that this "Death Note" was the tool of a shinigami (god of death in Japanese) from another world named Ryuk, and that it had the power to kill whoever's name was written on its pages, so long as the writer knew the victim's face as well. Light realises his ability to kill whomever he wishes, and he uses it to begin a "cleansing" of the world from evil. It does not take the police long to realise that somebody is responsible for the mysterious deaths of criminals, and he is then soon hunted by the Japanese police force and a mysterious detective known as "L".
What I love best about this manga is the relationship between Light/Raito and L. Its fascinating to watch these two geniuses setting traps for one another and then working to evade the traps set for them. There's alot of thinking along the lines of "If I do this, he'll suspect I'm lying. Or perhaps he'll suspect that I want him to think that I'm lying so that when I tell the truth I'll have forced his hand. But what if he thinks I want him to think that I'm lying about lying?....etc."
For me, is much more satisfying that watching fight scenes in still frames. There's so many twists and turns that you never know where its going.
P.S. It seems a movie is in production. Done right, it could be amazing. But with the heavy dialogue/introspection slant to the manga, most people suspected it would never work as an anime so I can't imagine it as a movie. I'm kinda worried it'll be The Ring, which while decent, is not at the same level.
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Fruits Basket is another, and is exceptionally good. The anime only covers about half the manga story, so there's a lot more story to dig into in the manga. It's currently my favorite. Fruits Basket is catagorized as Romance/Comedy; it's mostly set in the real world, but has some mystical/fantastical elements as well.![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
It can be gimmicky (how are we going to keep his secret from being discovered THIS time), and yet I keep reading it in spite of the gimmicks, because I the characters are fun, and cute together. One of those things where you're rooting for them to get together.![[Wink]](wink.gif)
