best manga titles
 

(dunno if this should be in comic section but I know there should be manga readers here)

I am big on anime but have just been getting into manga, I have all of the Vagabond series since it came out as well as the really big expensive Akira volumes.

I am looking to branch out and pick up a few different series so that I have different things to read while waiting on the next vagabond to come out -_^

I saw that Kenshin and Naruto broke into the 100 best seller list of books in America and manga is getting much large in America, There are at least 30+ titles to choose from at the local book store these days...

sooooo What are the most popular titles and what are YOUR personal favorites and explain what they are about so that I can make an informed pick instead of just randomly picking out some and ending up with something I don't like.

Right now I plan on getting Naruto and I was thinking about Kenshin since it seems SOO popular but I am not really a fan of the anime so I am not sure.

I don't plan on reading anything to "kiddie" so please don't mention yugihoo ;)

Other then that I am kinda open to whatever, when it comes to anime I seemed to love everything from Love Hina to Ninja Scroll and Excel Saga so I plan on being the sameway with manga.

Thanks for the help :cool:

EDIT: I like very violent stuff like Vagabond :D is the fist of the northstar manga any good, including the art? That was a violent anime.

I did a search here and found many of these same threads and it helped out alot, if you still want to give advice feel free...

but since I already found out please no, "This post has been done 100hundred times do a search for it dirtbag" flames. -_^

Well another popular Manga is FLCL (Fooly Cooly/Furi Kuri) a personal fave of mines GTO, which is also popular. Its hilarious and I think you would enjoy it. I don't think you'd enjoy Paradise Kiss I'ts a romance but those are good, so ya. Hope I helped *laughs and walks off*

I just ordered X-day which sounded good in another post, teens plan to blow up there school.

And also the first GTO its sounds funny so I figured I would give it a try. thanks for the tips.

Gav, don't double post, please.

I'll bet that the X-Day information was from me. I am the manga expert. Heh. Just kidding. But I have read at least 35 series and an approximate total of 165 mangas, as of the last time I counted... I know I've read at least five new mangas this week though....

But I promise to not make a huge post like I usually do in manga threads... I'll just think of some of the best ones.... which is hard... since there are so many good ones.

Personal Favorites:
Vampire Game- Don't let the title throw you off if you aren't into vampires, it's a really great book. Hilarious, yet has action in it too. I say you should definately give this one a try.
Demon Diary- If you like humor, this is a MUST. It's about a boy, Raenif (sp?), who is chosen to be the next demon lord, ruling over a powerful demon named Eclipse. Except... Raenif is the complete OPPOSITE from a demon lord. He's super friendly and naive, and has a habit of embarrassing Eclipse by not being your typical demon lord. I love it because it's actually from the villain's point of veiw for once.
Ragnarok- Very good, but can be a bit confusing if you aren't good at keeping your characters and stories straight.
Ceres- Awesome story. It's the manga that the anime series "Ayashi no Ceres" is based on.

And just for the record: I've read five of the YuGiOh mangas, and they are WAY different from the show. Not as "kiddie" as the anime (I mean, heck, they go up against a chainsaw-weilding psychopath...and torch him. a LOT less card-playing in the manga), but I would say it's probably more kiddie than the other ones I mentioned.

Your actions have infuriated me and thus you shall be flamed with great vengeance and violent anger.

If Vagabond is the series by Inoue Takehiko about the adventures of Musashi, I must say that it's not bad... but I much preferred Slam Dunk to it. Akira manga is good, but too rich for my blood.

I violently recommend Blade of the Immortal, Naruto and Usagi Yojimbo.

And every single one of those translated mangas is too expensive.

sooooo What are the most popular titles and what are YOUR personal favorites and explain what they are about so that I can make an informed pick instead of just randomly picking out some and ending up with something I don't like.

Get Naruto, you fool! GET IT NOW!!!!!1111Oneoneone!!!

Hmm, why I like Naruto? Because Kishimoto has unique character designs, incredible drawing skills, an eye for plotting, excellent fight-chorepgraphy sklills, a quirky sense of humor and the manga's about ninjas. Apart from that, it's just personal preference.

But that said, BUY IT. Go to narutofan.com and download the scanned eps if you want to try-before-you-buy. It's a definite keeper, though.

Then... next up is Blade of the Immortal. The author, Hiroaki Samura, has the best pencil work I have EVER seen, and I've seen quite a bit. His plots are meaningful, his characters deep and interesting, and the contrast between philosophy and pragmatism is always evident.

Plus, the manga is quite literally blood sausages a-splattering during the combat scenes. The main character (Manji) is immortal, and although he can still die by having his head chopped off, losing limbs doesn't worry him much. And bodies in BotI fall apart faster than a wet noodle in a cuisinart. I noticed you like violence, so this should be right up your alley.

Lastly, Usagi Yojimbo. You'll probably think this is kiddy stuff after seeing the art.

You could not be more wrong.

Usagi Yojimbo is classic Japanese storytelling at its very best, rephrased into an easy-to-understand format. Miyamoto Usagi, patterned after Miyamoto Musashi, is a ronin rabbit samurai wandering the country searching for enlightenment. That's the basic premise. Along the way he meets and encounters strange people and things, usually based on traditional Japanese stories. However, the stories revolving around him are deeply illuminating and quite... profound.

Just think of it as samurai movies and stories brought to a mature level, then re-presented in a form appealing to even the youngest child.

Good, you have an open mind. Keep it that way, but don't let just anything fall in.

You're wel- Hey! I was supposed to flame you! Ah well. I forgive your insignificant acts and henceforth command you to go forth and do good, failing which the righteous wrath of the just shall be visited upon you.

Pedro: NOOOOOOO!
Dante: Shut up.

Fist Of The North Star is incredibly violent in all forms. Kenshiro just has to touch a guy and they'll explode, cut their own heads off, et cetera. The most carnage comes when the Nato Seiken fighters rear their ugly heads, because their fighting style is based on slashing people to bits with their bare hands.

However, the manga goes to crap after Raou dies. At least, that's my opinion.

Just to inform you, the manga of Yu-Gi-Oh is very different from the cartoon. As for manga recamendations try Shaman King or Fushigi Yugi.

I violently recommend the two (only two!?!?) Cowboy Bebop mangas. The first mangas I picked up, and I was really impressed. The original storyline and artwork are great, and I loved it without even really seeing the anime. It's probably not violent enough for you, but it's fantastic. And is usually cheaper than the rest of the self-fodder.

Hehehehe. Spike gets cavity searched in the first Bebop manga. :p There are two types of Bebop manga, and its easy to confuse them. Mine are by Nanten and Yatate.

Mmmm, I must get Blade of the Immortal. I'm a big fan of over-blown violence. A real story line is almost too good to be true. I got all Island (a Korean comic) just for the fun demon-slicing scenes. Tokyo Pop distributes it, but it's rated M for violence. Don't know if you'd go in for that kind of thing?

I think I'll take up CelesJessa's recommendation. Demon Diaries sounds like a load of fun. :cool: The artwork is nice, too. Might give up buying Hellsing for this.