What is your favourite manga? (besides the obvious one)

I'm actually a pretty big manga enthusiast, so I'm tempted to list a plethora of titles, but I'll try to keep it concise.

First of all, even though I had discovered Berserk recently (around 3 years ago, which is a short time compared to how many years people in this community have been around for), I quickly realized this would be the best manga I would probably ever read. I expect it to stay as my number one for a very long time to come.

That being said, currently holding the second spot would have to be Kokou no Hito (The Climber), although the Japanese title actually translates to "a solitary man". I had read it also very recently, about half a year ago and it left a fresh impact that has yet to be surpassed by something else. The manga is based on a novel with the same name, which in turn is based on a real life person by the name of Katō Buntarō who shares certain similarities with the main character. Because of this it tackles more literary themes, such as man vs self, man vs nature, adversity, self sacrifice, much like Berserk.

The story follows the life of Mori Buntarou and his heroic journey to become an exceptional mountain climber. I have to admit, the first 32 chapters don't give the best first impression. They focus on Buntarou's high school years and initiation into climbing, and they suffer from quite a couple of cliches. The artwork in the beginning is also inferior compared to the rest of the series. However, despite the somewhat misleading first quarter, it picks up abruptly for the remainder of the story.

It's a complicated story with striking art and visual symbolism, which I think is what the mangaka went for. It's a coming of age story, but not the slice of life type, it has a rather realistic/pessimistic tone to it. Even thought it's categorized as a sports series, I find it to be more of a psychological manga, but it offers a lot of insight into mountains and the sport of climbing. It does a great job at evoking powerful feelings out of the reader. I consider it to be a work of art, in the truest sense of the word.

It's a shame that it has no English publication. It was officially translated only in Italian and Chinese. I would love to have the whole physical collection in English but as of right now scans are probably the only way to read it in English.

Aside from that, other titles that I'm fond of are The Breaker and The Breaker: New Waves, which is actually a Korean manhwa series. It's one of the best Karate Kid type formulas that I have encountered. Great artwork, drama, martial arts, the whole package.

Griffith said:
I rooted for the evil main dude and felt bad that he arbitrarily lost at the end to some even more unconvincing, hastily introduced clone of the kid he'd already beat in what must have been the defining arc of the series before they squeezed out those extra few volumes.

I think his defeat was to be expected considering how bold and unrealistical his goal was. What happened at the end was a combined effort from both Mello and Near to take him down, which makes sense if you think about it simplistically, 2 great minds are better than 1. I'm a bit foggy on the details because it's been a while, but I enjoyed the ending. Light Yagami is still one of my favourite characters ever.
 
Besides Berserk, my favourites would be Monster, Vagabond, Slam Dunk and of course the great Hunter x Hunter.

I could add more like Vinland Saga, Real, 20th Century Boys, Dragon Ball, One Piece, but if I had to choose they wouldn't be my absolute favourites. I also recently started reading Kingdom and I feel that I'll like it a lot.

Walter said:
I'm at around vol 8 of Monster, but I lost interest. Seems pretty overrated to me.

Give it a second chance! :puck:

Bleac said:
Aside from that, other titles that I'm fond of are The Breaker and The Breaker: New Waves, which is actually a Korean manhwa series. It's one of the best Karate Kid type formulas that I have encountered. Great artwork, drama, martial arts, the whole package.

Then I highly recommend you Sun-Ken Rock, a manhwa too, in the same style, but way better in all aspects in my opinion. :)
 
MiyamotoPuck said:
Then I highly recommend you Sun-Ken Rock, a manhwa too, in the same style, but way better in all aspects in my opinion. :)

I had actually looked at it before but I found it to be excessively goofy for my taste. It might just be another misleading introduction though. I'm definitely willing to give it another chance, because Boichi's art style is amazing when he's serious.
 
Bleac said:
I had actually looked at it before but I found it to be excessively goofy for my taste. It might just be another misleading introduction though.

I can understand your point of view, it's possible it was a bit goofy at the beginning indeed, I don't remember exactly to be honest.

Bleac said:
Boichi's art style is amazing when he's serious.

I totally agree with you on that.
 
Vinland Saga cause how it treats psychology of a warrior with goal and without goal. Vagabond for pretty much the same reasons ( maybe without "without" part )
Akira and Ghost in the Shell for setting example in broader cyberpunk genre and inspiring culture outside Japan.
 

BiQ_

" ... "
Gunnm (Battle Angel Alita) and Nausicaä of the valley of wind are my long-standing favourite mangas after Berserk.

Although the great part of Gunnm was mostly only the original run. I have largely mixed feelings about Last Order and Mars chronicles...
 
For me its Tokyo Ghoul/Tokyo Ghoul:re

It's not the best I have read but it was the first one. Reading the new chapters every week was a new experience for me.

So it holds a special place in my heart. :griffnotevil:
 
Akira is my second favourite Manga (after Berserk). The story is fucking phenomenal and I think the best artwork I have every seen from a Manga artist. The world he built is incredible and just a joy to turn each page. Nuasica probably 3rd place for similar reasons. Stunning world-building.

I see Blame mentioned here which is great. This artwork is jaw-dropping and so unique. I LOVE this dark style and twisted sci-fi. It has to be one of the most original and atmospheric mangas in existence but unfortunately I found the story to become a horrible, horrible mess towards the end, when the author attempted to bring everything together. Really bad, it was such a shame. Ghost in the shell could also be seen in the same manner...ground-breaking originality in the concepts and drawings, but convoluted and messy story-telling at crucial points. Still great though and wort the purchase.

Claymore is also worth a mention but really becomes cliche, predictable and kiddy in the last 8 chapters. Still a 7/10 for me.

For American comics I recommend Watchmen and Alien...amazing!
 
@InnerSpace Yeah agree with you on most of those manga. Glad to see so much love being given to Nausicaa which is my 2nd favorite after Berserk of all time. Nausicaa and Future Boy Conan, are by far Miyazaki's strongest and most complete work and its not even close IMO.

I loved Akira too, my only issue was Kaneda. He felt like a somewhat weak protagonist. I always felt Kei was far more engaging. But the story, setting and mystery were amazing.

My favorite american comic is Prince Valiant. It started in the 30's and follows the life and adventures of Prince Valiant, from his adventures as a boy, all the way through marriage becoming a father and beyond. Its a truly impressive story, extremely grim at times, with shocking violence and tragedy all carried by a fantastic long running stories deeply steeped in history, warfare and even the engineering aspect of medieval life. Its set in a pseudo-Arthurian epoch, but features aspects of the Crusades, the war with the Huns and other major historical conflicts.

It'd also be absolutley heretical to not mention the jaw-dropping art of Prince Valiant. Barring Miura and Otomo I've never seen such amazing art, never faltering in consistency or ambition. Highly recommended.

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@InnerSpace
My favorite american comic is Prince Valiant. It started in the 30's and follows the life and adventures of Prince Valiant, from his adventures as a boy, all the way through marriage becoming a father and beyond. Its a truly impressive story, extremely grim at times, with shocking violence and tragedy all carried by a fantastic long running stories deeply steeped in history, warfare and even the engineering aspect of medieval life. Its set in a pseudo-Arthurian epoch, but features aspects of the Crusades, the war with the Huns and other major historical conflicts.

It'd also be absolutley heretical to not mention the jaw-dropping art of Prince Valiant. Barring Miura and Otomo I've never seen such amazing art, never faltering in consistency or ambition. Highly recommended.

I've probably heard of it before but never paid attention. Sounds really interesting, I think I might give it a look.
 
@MiyamotoPuck - Awesome! I hope you enjoy it. It gets super crazy at times, with truly tragic and grisly story twists. Prince Val can be utterly ruthless too. I think it'll surprise you. I own like 15 Volumes of it and its amazing. Fantagraphics' production value is insane too, as each volume is an archival reproduction quality, painstakingly restored by their team. I wish Dark Horse did the same with Berserk. Anyway I hope you do read it and let me know if you like it!
 
@MiyamotoPuck - Awesome! I hope you enjoy it. It gets super crazy at times, with truly tragic and grisly story twists. Prince Val can be utterly ruthless too. I think it'll surprise you. I own like 15 Volumes of it and its amazing. Fantagraphics' production value is insane too, as each volume is an archival reproduction quality, painstakingly restored by their team. I wish Dark Horse did the same with Berserk. Anyway I hope you do read it and let me know if you like it!

I'm currently reading other things so don't look forward for a feedback right now, but it's added on my reading list! :serpico:
 

Slanisbae

Slan may be a thot... But she's still my waifu!
Record of Ragnorak ( or Shimmatsu no Valkyrie )!!!
Gods have all voted to end humanity, but a valkyrie proposes the idea of tournament where the human race can get a chance to live

the whole story is a classic anime style tournament arc, but
takes mythological and historical figures and uses it as a basis, for example the first battle is Thor vs Lu Bu (one of china's most famous historical figures) and it's insane. imagine famous people throughout human history like Einstein, Musashi Miyamoto, Rasputin, Julius Caesar etc. fighting various religious gods like Odin, Zeus, Vishnu, Anubis, Quetzalcoatl etc.
still ongoing series. for this series, look at a Youtuber named: AmiasD


Others: Gantz is fuckin dope, anything by Junji Ito (THE man who popularized horror manga), Vinland Saga... I used to love Naruto and .Hack idk lol
 
Besides the obvious answer, I'd have to go with Vagabond. It's a really special series to me. I plan to start reading Inoue's other mangas as well soon.
 
I've quite gone out of my intense manga phase, I haven't read much lately beside keeping up with Berserk, AOT as long as they lasted and for a while, Vinland Saga (has some top tier material, but I gradually lost interest, planning to get into it again at some point) and Jujutsu Kaisen.

Two mangas I really loved are Akira and the Yoshiyuki Sadamoto adaptation of Neon Genesis Evangelion. I read them like 2/3 years ago, I don't know if at second reading that would change somehow. Akira may not be that deep on a philosophical level, but the art is phenomenal, the events into it are massive and it's incredible to witness how Katsuhiro Otomo adapted his own work and did a stunning job both for manga and anime. The NGE manga was an awesome, less troubling but still insightful and dramatic alternative to the original anime (which at the time, after my first viewing I kinda hated). Now that I've rewatched and revaluated the anime a lot, I'm curious about my opinion on it. The distinct artstyle and seeing a different usage of the characters (many secondary ones really shine in here) was awesome.

I'm trying to restart reading mangas, hopefully I'll find some gems along the way.
 
The only mangas I've read to completion are Berserk and Chainsaw Man. CM is a short read, but I loved the humor, art, and the story. I can't wait to continue reading it!
 
I've read a lot of manga over the years, but there are three series in particular I've followed for a very long time that I consider dear to me. One is, of course, Berserk. No need for elaboration there lol. The other two are Attack on Titan and Black Butler.

Attack on Titan was a very engaging series to follow because of all the twists and turns the story took. The situation was always changing and it was very fun to speculate about while it was ongoing and the community was very lively, though things took a bad turn once certain themes became prevalent in the story. It's got a lot of good characters and a plot that keeps you on your toes, so I'd recommend it.

Black Butler was the series that got me into anime back in my early high school days, so it's got a lot of nostalgic value for me. It's about a young aristocrat in Victorian England named Ciel Phantomhive who has made a contract with a demon named Sebastian Michaelous who will serve as Ciel's butler and help him solve his parents murder in exchange for giving Sebastian his soul once they do. Together they solve super natural crimes along with a cast of other wacky characters. It's admittedly a bit juvenile at first with a pretty jarring balance of comedy and dark moments, but once it finds its footing about seven volumes in it starts to get really good. Ciel and Sebastian are both compelling characters with a fun dynamic, and the author has a real talent for finding new scenarios to stick them in. I've always felt like it was underrated, at least in English speaking spheres. Since AoT ended and Berserk is in its current strange state, Black Butler is the only manga series I've been following for years and years that's still ongoing. Also don't watch the anime it sucks.

A more recent favorite is a manga called "Girls' Last Tour", which is a slice of life series about two girls and their kettenkrad going around a post apocalyptic mega structure. Despite the overwhelming doom and hopelessness that surrounds the two girls, it's a mostly light hearted series. The tone is kind of hard to describe, really. I'd put it in the "vaguely depressing and existential series staring cute girls" genre along with Serial Experiments Lain, school live, and Yume Nikki.

I've got more but I don't want this post to get too long lol.
 
For finished series, I got into Hellsing around the same time as Berserk back in middle school. It was super influential for me as far as being a hyper-violent edgy series, but it was also really fun and often didn't take itself that seriously. I had Berserk for the real story/ character action series and Hellsing which I could grab a volume of if I just wanted to turn my brain off and enjoy the action. I similarly got into Gantz shortly after, another super violent series with a light and wacky story. A bit later in life I discovered Dorohedoro which will always stand as one of my favourites for being both over-the-top violent while also showcasing really fun and wholesome characters along with a complicated and intriguing story. The world is also fleshed out in a very fun way with lots of little lore and details for even very small details you might not think of.

For ongoing series I still follow, Hunter X Hunter which always surprises me with the trajectory of it's story and characters. It's hopefully coming back from hiatus soon but the author seems to be hitting some health issues again which is worrying. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is really fun. I haven't finished the 8th part Jojolion but have heard it's end was pretty crap, really unfortunate sine I felt part 7 was possibly the strongest so far. I'll have to finish it up in time for part 9. Lastly, Made in Abyss is a really intriguing fantasy exploration series with a cool setting and imaginative story/characters/creatures. It gives me a bit of Souls/Bloodborne vibes in discovering and uncovering the secrets of a hostile and mysterious world, from how the creatures behave to different characters motivations.

I'm sure most people have heard of all of these but those are some of my favs!
 
Berserk and One Piece will always be my favorite manga series, and some of my favorite fiction in general. They were my only ongoing series in manga that I've been reading since 2007, constant companions through the years, now only One Piece remains...:judo:Besides my personal sentimental connection they are objectively pillars of the medium and classics.

Eiichiro Oda must be inhuman. Being able to produce One Piece since 1997 on a weekly basis, with his unique, instantly recognizable artstyle and characters, producing ideas and still managing to be this popular and fresh 25+ years later (the current post-Wano chapters are amazing), guinness records... insane. I just hope he stays healthy, because the story still has 5 years to complete, at minimum... One Piece is an epic. Legendary, like Berserk.

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Besides these two, some other favorites are Hunter x Hunter, Nausicaa and Devilman.
 
To be honest, I have not read many manga but Monster was incredible. Never saw the anime, but the read was great. One of the few manga/anime I have come across without any fantasy elements. Great ride. I also enjoyed Claymore but cannot remember if I finished. I enjoyed the art and wishes the anime kept going.

Second to Berserk, my favourite is Blame!. It's so imaginative.
Did the anime film do it any justice?
 
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