Me, I’m head-over-heels for Osamu Tezuka’s stuff, and a big fan of Hayao Miyazaki’s work, both for a long time now, altho of course Miyazaki only made a small amount of manga, I believe. (“Nausicaä” etc) And of course, mad respect to Katsuhiro Otomo for the legendary “Akira” series, plus his other works.
For sure, I also enjoyed “Death Note,” and a couple others, here and there. Moebius’ and Jiro Taniguchi’s Icaro was good, but stretched on forever, at least for me.
Anyway, if you’re passionate and/or highly respecful upon certain manga, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
* Those above are the Western-style spellings of their names, FWIW.
My personal favorite of all time is absolutely Takemitsu Zamurai, it’s a masterpiece if any manga I’ve read is… though at least one manga critic has described as more of a traditional japanese historical novel than a manga and I kind of agree, so keep that in mind if you ever pick it up. It is still a comic… well, at least art, definitely!
The visual style is just incredible, and although you probably need even deeper knowledge of japanese history and art than I have to fully appreciate it and it’s themes, I’d imagine it’d still be quite rewarding to even a western person not knowing anything of the context. It’s only for mature audiences though, it is not an easy read and includes themes like sex and gore (not viscerally though).
DANG… that looks so much different from the “usual stuff” … and, that’s a heron, or egret-bird, possibly…?
I’ve never seen anything else like it, so it’s at least interesting to look at even if the story doesn’t hit the mark… Personally I’ve enjoyed it so much I’ve read through it several times over the years, and not that many comics have captured me that way.
And yes, that’s a great egret. Really beautiful birds!
Akira is one of the greatest of all time. If you’ve only seen the movie, the manga is so much more, but I believe both are required to fully understand it.
Domu is also really really good but a bit more digestible!
That helps me out, since last time I tried the Akira manga, it was a bit too dense and long-running for me.
I mean it’s a total beast but the quality is so high. I saw the movie in the 90s, probably a bit too early to be honest! I have the full 6 volumes proudly on my shelf.
Oh man, the movie shifted me in to a whole new way of thinking.
What a magnificent beast that was.
My favorite manga are probably:
- Nausicaa
- Vinland Saga (though the 2nd half isn’t quite as great as the 1st half)
- Vagabond (but unfortunately it’s in hiatus and will probably never be finished)
Shoutout also to Berserk, Akira, and Uzumaki. They’re great but not quite as good as my favorites. That said I’d recommend any of the top 3 to literally anybody.
Oh, and Planetes which is included in the pic is also a great read for sci-fi fans.
Besides Akira I’ve only read Berserk in full. (Up to it’s latest chapter, at least) I re-read some of it fairly recently and got up to date with the issues published after Miura’s passing, so I’ll share some thoughts about it.
plot summary for the uninitiated
Set in a medieval Europe–inspired dark fantasy world, the story centers on the characters of Guts, a lone swordsman, and Griffith, the leader of a mercenary group called the Band of the Hawk. The series follows Guts’ journey seeking revenge on Griffith, who betrayed him and the rest of their comrades.
While It’s another incredible and influential piece of art (which I really enjoy) I’ll not sugar coat it, it edges on problematic a few times.
Mainly because the story’s core plot revolves in part arround the aftermath of a betrayal and the damage caused by sexual assault, (which is something thst happens a few times and is depicted in *very" grotesque detail). But also because Miura made some (at least to me) unfortunate choices in regards some of the antagonistic groups races and how irl religion (like hinduism) influenced the world. Some of that is being corrected in more recent chapters, but, point still stands.
It’s best to approach it with a mature pov, also taking into account it was conceived during a hiper violent period in japanese media… Violence is plentiful, and a spectacle in berserk. this story is not for the faint of heart.
That aside, the character work in the writing is very good, is very easy to get invested in the characters, even minor ones. Personalities shine, the reader gets to really know these people, and feel for them, the good and the evil, individually and as a group.
Plot is solid, even though there are points in which the story lingers too much in uninteresting stuff. (It’s been going for so long, there were times people wondered if Miura was not that into it anymore) but it always managed to get back on track.
And the ART! Definitely the best part of the manga. Exquisitely detailed architecture, rich landscapes, astounding creature design , and very iconic and memorable character design. (It does start a tad clunky in the anatomy department, but gets it’s footing arround vol. 5), action is epic… vivid and dynamic. In short, if there’s a reason to read Berserk, it’s the art. ( I know there’s at least one good anime adaptation of the iconic arc in the manga, but I’ve never bothered with it, I just can’t see how it could make justice to what’s on the page).
All in all, berserk is a visceral experience, and as a fan of dark fantasy, it’s definitely a cornerstone of the genre, and it has been cool to dive into some of the newer stuff it has influenced, like videogames, music, other manga/ anime)
After the continuation was announced I had my doubts and couldn’t bring myself to pick it back up until a few months ago. But the work Mori and studio gaga have put in to complete Mr Miura’s story and legacy is commendable, and I have no doubt we’ll see a satisfying conclusion, in the “near” future whatever it may be.
Berserk in full. (Up to it’s latest chapter, at least)
Berserk is a great example of artist shining while not having to care about 18+ or political correctness. It just wouldn’t be the same if it was toned down
Fascinating. Thanks for such an extensive review. I’m definitely curious now (with some caution mixed in, lol), so will give it a try…
Whenever I was keeping an eye on my lil cousin we’d go to the public library bc it had a great section of Japanese manga and American graphic novels (usually mixed together) in the kid’s/teens section and we’d just sit there and read. I haven’t done that as much now that cuz is grown up. tbh I’m not a huge fan of manga, even of stories where I like the anime.
The only manga I thought was truly great was Miyazaki’s “Nausicaa”, which I ended up buying and reading multiple times. “Yotsuba” and “Azumanga Daioh” were pretty entertaining too.
tbh I’m not a huge fan of manga, even of stories where I like the anime.
That resonates heavily with me. About once every year or two I try to make a real effort to find some manga I might like, but come up mostly empty. I think part of it is that so much of it seems to be “shonen”-oriented, and I’m just not in that bracket, anymore.
Here’s a few manga I liked that don’t thread heavily into the shonen tropes:
- Monster: A surgeon saves the life of a child which later becomes a serial killer. The doctor himself soon becomes the suspect and sets out to find, understand and stop his patient.
- Pluto (same author as Monster): In a post-war futuristic world a middle-aged android cop gets pulled into the political mess and human cost left by large scale warfare. This is a reimagining of Astro Boy if you can believe it.
- Badduck: low fantasy, low scifi, low dystopia about some people getting caught up in human trafficking and escaping. As fugitives they have to cope with their past, and keep alive the hope of a peaceful existence.
- Tokyo these days: a manga editor quits his job. Very “slice of life” and chill. I haven’t finished this one yet but so far I’m enjoying it very much.
None of these are long series.
Wow, thank you…!!
