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01/26-31 Added a bunch of series and went through checking mangaka names and other works.
One Shots now have their own section at the bottom of the document.
©? column indicates licensed status in the US.
Scans? column indicates whether or not scanslation is still in progress, to the best of my knowledge. Doesn't apply to complete series.
Title To Chapter Genre ©? Scans?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
20th Century Boys v21 Horror/Action/Mystery yes yes
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3x3 Eyes v27 Action/Adventure yes yes
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A Girls 4 Romance? no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Addicted to Curry 44 Light Drama no yes
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Agharta 53 Action/SciFi no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Ai Kora 12 Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Ai Yori Aoshi 29 Light Dromantedy yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Air Gear 72 Action/Skating yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Ai-Ren Complete!(5v) Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Aishiteruze Baby Complete!(7v) Light Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Akkan Baby Complete!(3v) Light Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Alice 19th Complete!(7v) Mahou Shoujo yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
ALIVE 6 Action no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Antigravity Boy Complete!(3v) Shoujo Romance/Fantasy no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Aoi Spice Complete!(2v) Shoujo Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Appare Jipangu! Complete!(3v) Shoujo Adventure/Comedy no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Aqua 1(HQ),Comp(LQ) Slice-of-Life no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Arcana Complete!(2v) Light Crime/Psychic no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
ARIA 3 Slice-of-Life yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
At Cafe Kichijoji 9 Weird Comedy yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Atashi wa Bambi Complete!(3v) Shoujo Drama/Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Awasete Ippon Complete!(3v) Shoujo Sports/Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Azumanga Daioh v3c1,Comp(Raw) Comedy/Slice-of-Life yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
B.O.D.Y. 11 Shoujo Romance/Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Baby Pop Complete!(2v) Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Bad Company Complete!(1v) Light Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Baku Complete!(1v) Fantasy no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Banya 6 Action/Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Baroque 5 Action no no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Basilisk Complete!(5v) Ninja/Action yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Battle Angel Complete!(9v) SciFi/Action yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Battle Angel: Last Order 49 SciFi/Action yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Beauty Pop 13 Light Dramedy yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
BECK 75 J-rock Drama yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Beyond the Beyond 12 Fantasy/Adventure no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Binbou Shimai Monogatari 17 Slice-of-Life no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Binetsu Shoujo 19 Shoujo Drama/Romance no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Black Cat 167 Action yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Black Lagoon 7 Action no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Bleach 169 Action/Fantasy yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Blue Seed Complete!(2v) Action no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Boku no Futatsu no Tsubasa 23 ... no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Brave Story 8 Fantasy/Action no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Bremen Complete!(9v) Action no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Busou Renkin 7 Light Action/Fantasy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Butsu Zone 6 Adventure no no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Change Guy 296 Fighting no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Chikyu Misaki 7 Fantasy/Drama yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Chisa x Pon 3 Drama/Romance/Ecchi no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Chobits Complete!(8v) Romance/Comedy yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Chocolat v2c3 Comedy/Romance no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Chokotto Sister 32 Comedy/Light Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Claymore 15 Action yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Confession Complete!(1v) Suspense no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Cotton Complete!(1v) Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Cross Over 12 Basketball no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Cry Out for Love... Complete!(1v) Romance/Drama yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
D.Gray-man 26(HQ),39(LQ) Action no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Dawn Tsumetai Te 7 Horror no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear 10 Light Drama/Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Death Note Complete!(12v) Mind Games yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Deep Love - Ayu no Monogatari 7 Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Desire Climax 17 Shoujo Romance/Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Dokkan Love Complete!(1v) Comedy no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Dragon Ball Complete!(42v) Action yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Dragon Voice 35 Comedy yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
DVD 6 Comedy yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Eat-Man 77 Action/SciFi yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Eden 76 Drama/Action yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Eden no Hana v5c1 Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
EDENs BOwY 37 Fantasy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Eien no With Complete!(1v) Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Emma Complete!(7v) Romance yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Eternal Sabbath Complete!(8v) SciFi no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Eureka seveN 11 Action/Mecha yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga Complete?(1v) Parody/Instructional yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Eyeshield 21 160 Comedy/Football yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Five 5 Shoujo Light Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Flame of Recca Complete!(33v) Action yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Freesia 38 Psychotic Action/Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Fruits Basket 1 Shoujo Drama yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Fuguruma Memories Complete!(1v) Fantasy/Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Full Metal Panic! 13 Action/Comedy yes ?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Full Moon wo Sagashite Complete!(7v) Drama(/Romance?) yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Fun Fun Factory 15 Shoujo Comedy/Fantasy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Futari Ecchi 47 Drama/Comedy/SexEd no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Gacha Gacha Part2c36 Comedy/Romance? yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Gakuen Alice 15 Dramedy yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Gamerz Heaven 3 SciFantasy Adventure yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Genjuu no Seiza 22 Supernatural Dramedy yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Genshiken 36 Nerd Comedy yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Getsu Mei Sei Ki 11 Historical no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Gintama 24 Comedy/Adventure yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Girlfriend 14 Variety/Romance/Ecchi no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Girls Saurus Complete!(3v) Comedy no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Girls Saurus DX 22 Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Go! Baajinaru Hanayuki 5 Shoujo Drama/Romance no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Good Morning Call 41 Shoujo Romance/Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Goong v8c5 Shoujo Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
G-Senjou Heaven's Door 12 Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Haibane Renmei - Original Doujinshi no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Happy World 36 Comedy/Light Romance no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Hayate the Combat Butler 41 Comedy yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
He Is My Master 10 Fanservice yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Hime-chan no Ribon 13 Magical Girl no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi 41 Comedy/Martial Arts no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Hitsuji no Uta Complete!(7v) Drama/Vampires yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Honey & Clover 11 Comedy/Drama/SliceOLife no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Honey Bunny Complete!(2v) Shoujo Weird Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Hot Blooded Woman Complete!(24v) Shoujo Comedy no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Hotman 104 Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Hot Milk Complete!(2v) Light Adventure no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Hunter x Hunter 259 Action yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Hyakkiyakou Shou 4 Paranormal no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Hyakuman Tsubu no Namida Complete!(9v) Weird no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
I''s Complete!(16v) Romance/Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
I'm Doushirou 3 Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Ichigeki Sacchuu!! Hoihoi-san 10 Comedy no no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Ichigo 100% Complete!(19v) Harem no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Ichigo Mashimaro 40 Slice-of-Life/Comedy yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Ii Hito v3c5 Drama no ?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Imadoki! Complete!(5v) Shoujo Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Inu Neko Jump Complete!(5v) Sports/Drama/Comedy no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
IO 51 Supernatural/Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Jinrui Nekoka 8 Light Romance/Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Jiraishin Complete!(19v) Cop Action/Drama yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure 123 Epic Action no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kaede Typhoon Complete!(1v) Ninja Romance Comedy no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kagen no Tsuki Complete!(3v) Weird no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kagetora 16 Light Action/Comedy yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kaguya Hime 5 SciFantasy Adventery no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kajika Complete!(1v) Short Adventure no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kamichama Karin 21 Magical Girl yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kakumei no Hi Complete!(2v) Uhhh... yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kamichu! 13 Moé no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne Complete!(7v) Magical Girl yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kamisama no Tsukurikata 16 Shoujo Action/Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
KaNa Complete!(4v) Action/Fantasy no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kanna 8 Action no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kare First Love 29 Shoujo Romance yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou 88 Shoujo Drama/Romance yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Karin 18 Comedy/Light Romance yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kashimashi ~Girl Meets Girl~ 26 Pseudo Shoujo-Ai/Harem no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Katekyo Hitman Reborn 25 Comedy yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Katsu 64 Drama/Sports no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kekkaishi 40 Action yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kilico Complete!(4v) Action no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kimagure Orange Road Complete!(18v) Comedy/Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kimi no Kakera 4 Fantasy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kimi no Kokoro, Boku no Kokoro 1 Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kimi Shika Iranai Complete!(2v) Shoujo Romance/Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kimi wa Pet 28 Drama yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
King of Thorns 17 SciFi/Survival/Action yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kirara Complete!(6v) Comedy/Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kiseijuu 57 SciFi/Action no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Koi Kaze Complete!(5v) Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Koi Suru Piano Complete!(1v) Shoujo Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Koigokoro Fantasia Complete!(1v) Shoujo Light Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Koudelka 12 Action? no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Koukou Debut 18 Shoujo Romance/Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kurogane 6 Samurai Action yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kurozakuro 32 Action no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kurozuka 28 Action no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Kyou Kara Ore Wa!! 7 Comedy no no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Level E Complete!(3v) Various, Mostly Comedy no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Lilim Kiss Complete!(2v) Light Comedy/Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Living Game Complete!(10v) Light(?) Drama/Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Love Catalogue 12 Shoujo Light Romance no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Love Celeb 10 Shoujo Ecchi/Romance no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Love Hina Complete!(14v) Romance/Comedy yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Love Letter Complete!(1v) Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Love Monster 52 Shoujo Romance/Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Love Roma 8 Love Roma yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Love Strip Complete!(1v) Romance/Ecchi no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Lovely Complex 16 Shoujo Romance no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
LucuLucu 15 Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Luno Complete!(1v) Fantasy no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Mahoraba 50 Comedy/Romance no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Mahou Sensei Negima 15 Comedy/Harem yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Mai-HiME 26 Action no no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Maison Ikkoku Complete!(15v) Comedy/Romance yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Majin Devil Complete!(2v) Action no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Manga Mitaina Koi Shitai Complete!(1v) Light Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
MÄR 127 Adventure yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Meisou Kuiki Complete!(2v) Suspense/Mystery no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Mekakushi no Kuni Complete!(9v) Light Fantasy/Romance yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Midori no Hibi Complete!(8v) Comedy/Light Romance yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Migiko Nippon Ichi!! Complete!(1v) Comedy/Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Milk Closet 18 Bizarre/SciFi no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Milk Crown Complete!(2v) Light Romance/Comedy no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Milk Crown H! Complete!(5v) Light Romance/Comedy no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Milk Crown Lovers 9 Light Romance/Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Minami-ke 19 Comedy/Slice-of-Life no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Minori no Hibi 21 Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Mistelteen no Mahou 6 Fantasy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Mokke 4 Supernatural no no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Monster Complete!(18v) Horror/Drama/Mystery no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Monster Collection Complete!(6v) Action/Fantasy yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Moon Phase 24 Neko Mimi Moudo, ne? yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Mushishi 8 Spirits And Stuff yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Nagasarete Airantou 19 Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Naisho no Tsubomi v2c3 Light Shoujo no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Naked Complete!(1v) Light? Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Narue no Sekai 4 Comedy/Light Romance yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Naruto 244 Action yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Natsunokumo - Spinning Web 9 Action/SciFi/Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Complete!(5v) Fantasy yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
NHK ni Youkoso! 24 Psychotic Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Nico Nico Diary 8 Light Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Night Exile 7 Fantasy/Horror no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Niji-Iro Togarashi 44 Comedy/Adventure no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Nodame Cantabile 18 Comedy yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
One Piece 305 Adventure/Comedy yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Onikiri Jyuzo 12 Fantasy/Adventure no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Ookiku Furikabutte 2 Baseball no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Open Sesame 38 Light Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Orfina 8 Fantasy yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Otogi Matsuri 23 Action yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Parallel Complete!(4v) Light Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Parfait Tic v14c7 Shoujo Drama/Romance no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Pastel 69 Light Romance/SOL yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Penguin Revolution 8 Light Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Perfect Girl Evolution 30 Comedy yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Peshi 20 Comedy/Slice-of-Life no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Peter Panda 6 Shoujo Comedy yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Petshop of Horrors 3 Horror/Supernatural yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Pita-ten Complete!(8v) Drama/Romance yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Planetes Complete!(5v) Light Drama yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Ppoi! 7 Romance/Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Pretty Face Complete!(6v) Comedy/Light Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Prism Palette Complete!(1v) Light Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Psychic Academy Complete!(11v) Action/Romance yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Psycho Trader Chinami Complete!(2v) Comedy no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
PuchiMon 34 Adventure/Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Random Walk 11 Shoujo Light Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
RAVE 79 Action/Adventure yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Read Or Dream 7 Action yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
REC 1 Light Romance/Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Reikan Shouhou Kabushikigaisha 11 Supernatural no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Remote 48 Action/Mystery/Suspense yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Ringo Complete!(2v) Light Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Rocket Princess 22 Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Rockin' Heaven 4 Romance/School Life no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Rokutousei Supika Complete!(1v) Fantasy no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Rose Hip Rose Complete!(4v) Action no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Route 20 Complete!(1v) Light Drama/Action no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Rurouni Kenshin Complete!(28v) Action yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Ryo 25 Shoujo/Time-travel no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
SaiKano Complete!(7v) Drama/Romance/Tragedy yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Sakura Rhythm Complete!(1v) Shoujo Romance/Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Salad Days Complete!(18v) Short Story Series no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Samurai Baby Complete!(3v) Shoujo Light Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Sasameke 5 Soccer no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Sayonara Papa Complete!(1v) Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
School Rumble 16 Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Sensei 18 Romance/Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Seto no Hanayome 11 Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Sexy Voice and Robo Complete!(2v) Character Study yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Shikeisyu 042 6 Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Shikotama 3 Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Shin Angyo Onshi 12d Action no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Shinayaka ni Kizutsuite Complete!(2v) Shoujo Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Shinshi Doumei Cross 16 Comedy/Romance/Drama yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Shirley Complete!(1v) Slice-of-Life no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Shounan Jun'ai Gumi 42 Juvenile Comedy/Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Sing "Yesterday" For Me 20 Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Sirius no Kizuato Complete!(4v) SciFi no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Smuggler Complete!(1v) Crime/Action yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Sorayume no Uta Complete!(1v) SciFi/Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Street Fighter 7 Action yes ?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Stroke Material - My Fuckin' Lover Complete!(1v) Dramatic Romantedy no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Sumire 16 17 Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu 6 Comedy/SciFi no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Sweet Blood Complete!(2v) Mystery/Supernatural no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Tactics 6 Folklore yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Tenka Musou Complete!(2v) Light Action/Ninjas yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai 17 Shoujo Romance/Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
The Hating Girl 82 Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
The Hour of the Mice 6 Drama/Suspense no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
The Legend of Zelda: OoT Complete!(2v) Adventure no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
The Legend of Zelda: MM Complete!(1v) Adventure no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
The Legend of Zelda: MC Complete!(1v) Adventure no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
The Music of Marie 7 Fantasy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
They, Too, Love 8 Comedy no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Threads of Time 31 Historical/Action/Drama yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Today in Class 5-2 Complete!(1v) Comedy/Slice-of-Life no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Togari Complete!(8v) Action no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Tokko - Devil's Awaken 4 Action no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Tokko - Phantom Hunter 2 Action no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
To-LOVE-Ru 19 Comedy/Romance no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Tona-gura 16 Comedy/Romance no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Uchuu no Stellvia 7 Comedy/Drama/Action yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Uncivilized Planet Complete!(2v) Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Ultra Maniac Complete!(5v) Shoujo Magical Girl yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Unplugged Boy Complete!(1v) Comedy/Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Vampire Juuji Kai 11 Tragic Action no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Vampire Knight 11 Vampires yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Video Girl Ai Complete!(15v) Angsty Romance yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Vitamin Complete!(1v) Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Wanted Complete!(1v) Shoujo Mystery/Romance no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Wanted! 3 Comedy/Light Adventure no no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Watashi no Ookami-san Complete!(2v) Comedy/Light Drama no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Worldend Fairytale 11 Drama/Action no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Yakitate!! Japan 152 Comedy yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Yamato Gensouki Complete!(2v) Action/Fantasy no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Yaya 10 Drama/Romance no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou Complete!(14v) Slice-of-Life no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Yoroshiku Master 3 Christmas no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Yotsuba&! 39+Pilot Comedy/Slice-of-Life yes yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Yubisaki Milk Tea 12 Romance/Drama yes no
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Yumekui Kenbun 13 Supernatural Mystery no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Yurara no Tsuki 7 Shoujo Light Paranormal no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Yuunagi no Machi, Sakura no Kuni 2 Drama no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
ZeroIn 9 Action no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Zettai Kareshi Complete!(6v) Shoujo Romance/Drama yes -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Zombie Loan 15 Action/Comedy/Horror no yes
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Zombie Powder Complete!(4v) Action/Horror/Comedy no -
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
TITLE
Mangaka's Family Name Given Name - Other Manga I Have By The Mangaka (Other Manga I Don't Have By The Mangaka)
Synopsis paragraph
Opinion paragraph
Note: Synopses with a * beside them are pulled from an online review or scanlator's website.
Note2: Removed the objectionable content overviews because I couldn't be bothered to keep them up to date. Just use common
sense and don't start reading something new in an environment where objectionable material might cause problems.
20TH CENTURY BOYS
Urasawa Naoki - Monster, Beta!!, (Happy, Yawara)
*20th Century Boys is the story of Kenji as he fights to save the world against the mysterious "Friend." The story skips back and forth between the present day, 1999, and Kenji's childhood in the Sixties. "Friend" wants to take over the world using a plan that Kenji came up with as a child. The only thing that's worse is "Friend" is one of Kenji's childhood playmates. But which one?
An awesome manga, full of action, suspense, intrigue, interesting characters, and just great storytelling. The art is very nice as well. There's not much in the way of humor or cuteness, so look elsewhere for that, but for what it is, it's the best. If you enjoyed Monster (or haven't read it), definitely check this out.
3x3 EYES (SAZAN EYES)
Takada Yuzo - Blue Seed, (All-Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku, Genzo Hitogata Kiwa, Everyday is Sunday)
Normal high school student Fujii Yakumo meets a girl, Pai, who claims to be an immortal Sanjiyan Unkara, a mythical 3-eyed monster. She has been searching for him for 4 years, bearing a message from his father who died in Tibet after failing to keep his promise to make Pai human. And so he decides to go along with it for now and take on his father's promise. But before he can even start, he is killed by one of Pai's pets gone berzerk, and in desperation, Pai eats his soul, making him an immortal, regenerating "Wu" until Pai either dies or becomes human. And so both of them set off to discover a way to become human.
An excellent action/adventure story with likeable and interesting characters, pretty nice art, an involving plot, a little bit of a romance angle, a little humor... pretty much just covering all the bases. I can't imagine anyone not finding something in here to make it well worth their while.
A GIRLS
Itabashi Masahiro / Tamakoshi Hiroyuki - Gacha Gacha, (Boys Be)
High school first year Kazao has lived on an island all his life along with 71 other parentless children and the 35 adults that take care of them. But now his parents have been found, and Kazao must leave the island and his friends behind...
Nice so far.
ADDICTED TO CURRY
Funatsu Kazuki
Koenji Makito works alongside a schoolgirl to save her travelling father's curry restaurant.
Hmmm... reserving final judgement. Current analysis is decent but overrated light drama.
AGHARTA
Matsumoto Takaharu
*After a major natural disaster, earth is slowly transforming into a desert in which mankind tries to survive. Water becomes a precious resource and the center of political intrigues. In the middle of this, a young boy, member of a gang, encounters a beautiful girl who's a merciless warrior and holder of the key to the salvage of humanity.
Post-apocalyptic setting, interesting characters, mysterious distant pasts, and a healthy dose of ass-kicking. Throw in some nice art, and I think it's safe to say we have a winner here.
AI KORA
Inoue Kazurou - Midori no Hibi
*Hachibe Maeda is all about a girl's parts, nothing else. Especially the legs, the eyes, the voice, and of course, the breasts. After living in a small town for his entire life, he has been unsuccessful in finding a girl with all his ideal parts. But after finally persuading his parents, he will now be attending a high school in Tokyo - where he hopes he can also find is ideal parts. After reaching Tokyo, he is run over by a girl on a bicycle, almost killed by a woman in a car, and finds out his dorm has just been burned down. Not having a place to stay, he is offered a place to stay in the girls dorm - where, to his delight, he learns that there are four girls living there, each with one of his ideal parts!
Predictable and funny. An entertaining read.
AI YORI AOSHI
Fumizuki Kou
*Sakuraba Aoi, heir to the massive Sakuraba fortune, leaves home to find her childhood crush Hanabishi Kaoru, a struggling college student in Tokyo. Kaoru has seperated himself from his harsh and unloving, but well connected family, and thinks Aoi has been sent to bring him home. Her goal is only to marry the man she believes Kaoru has grown into from the boy who was so kind to her as a child. As they spend time together Kaoru realizes Aoi cares deeply for him and starts to return her feelings, but her guardian and his wild friends make getting to know each other difficult. Her guardian, the strict Miyabi, has been instructed by Aoi's family to keep Aoi and Kaoru from getting too close since it is Aoi's duty to marry well and continue the Sakuraba legacy.
A cute and entertaining romance/drama/comedy with a nice amount of fanservice as well. Unfortunately, getting more in the collection may prove challenging to impossible, but both anime series are great and fairly easy to get, and there's always the option of buying the U.S. release.
AIR GEAR
Oh! Great - Majin Devil, (Tenjou Tenge)
Minami Itsuki is the strongest guy in east gang. He lives with four sisters that were friends of his family. He often goes to watch a local girl skating with "Air Treck" motorized high-tech roller blades and wonders what it feels like. Then one day a rival gang calls in a favor from a gang that uses Air Treck to fight, and the east gang and Itsuki are crushed. Shortly after, he gets a chance to try Air Treck and avenge his gang and enters the world of the Storm Riders.
Fights and skating and fanservice. Typical Oh! Great style. Good art, good characters.
AI-REN
Tanaka Yutaka - (Itaike na Darling)
*Ikuru is a boy who doesn't have long to live. Questioning the purpose of his life and the reason for his death, he's grown up constantly confused and lonely. Now, learning that he hasn't long to live, he requests that a special "girl" called a AGH-RMS be given to him. These people are genetically made so that they help heal and ease the mental burdens of someone who hasn't long to live. This manga is cute, sad and ultimately a story about life, death and humanity.
Well, the synopsis sums it up fairly well, so I don't really have much to add. A moving and bittersweet story that I'd recommend to anyone who can handle a serious story and won't be bothered by some tasteful nudity.
AISHITERUZE BABY
Maki Yoko - Atashi wa Bambi, Shining Hearts
Highschool playboy Katakura Kippei must take care of his 5-year old cousin Yuzuyu until Yuzuyu's mother returns.
Funny, cute, and heartwarming manga that's borderline shoujo, but don't let that stop you. Interesting characters, excellent pacing that shifts around seamlessly between comedy, drama, and a little romance. Art is really good for a shoujo manga, taking a middle ground in between the stereotypical shoujo/shounen art types. No action here to speak of though, so look elsewhere for that. Also, the anime is great too.
AKKAN BABY
Miyauchi Saya - Eien no With, Naked, "Kimi no Kokoro, Boku no Kokoro"
*High schoolers Yuki and Shigeru aren't dating, but still enjoy a highly active sexual relationship. Naïve and still very child-like in the way they think, it comes as a great shock to them when Shigeru discovers she's pregnant. The two are confronted with the decision of aborting the baby and wounding Shigeru, or to keep it and face great opposition from their parents and high school, and *gasp* miss their beloved Conflict concerts!
While it deals with a number of serious issues, this is also a highly entertaining, funny, possibly informative (probably not to anyone who would get it from me though), and sometimes touching manga. Simple-minded yet complex and sympathetic characters, fairly standard but still good art, and good pacing.
ALICE 19TH
Watase Yuu - Appare Jipangu!, Imadoki!, Zettai Kareshi (Ayashi no Ceres, Fushigi Yuugi, and others)
*As you might be able to guess, Alice is the main character of the story. One day, she saves a strange rabbit from being hit by a car, only to be nearly hit herself. Fortunately her senpai, Wakamiya Kyou, rushes in and saves them both. A lucky break for Alice, both because she didn't run over and because she has a huge crush on Wakamiya. Unfortunately so does Alice's older sister, Mayura. But what about the rabbit? It later reveals itself to be a strange girl named Nyozeka who starts spouting stuff about "Lotis, the power of words" and claims Alice can use this power. Alice has more important things to worry about though, Mayura has confessed her love to Kyou! As you might expect from what eventually becomes a magical girl manga, Alice is less about strange powers and more about the characters. Lotis is barely mentioned for most of the first volume, instead dealing with Alice, her sister, and their relationship with Wakamiya. There are comedic moments, but for the most part Alice is a serious story. And as you might expect of Watase Yuu, the art is excellent.
Hmmm... well, basically a shoujo magical girl manga by one of the masters. Art, characters, and story are all pretty good, but nothing earth-shattering and they keep pretty close to accepted form for the genre.
ALIVE
Kawashima Tadashi / Adachitoka
A worldwide epidemic of mass suicides throws the world into panic. Shortly after the first wave of suicides, people with supernatural and deadly powers begin to appear, following a bloody but unclear agenda. And Kanou Taisuke and his friends are caught right in the middle of it, their normal highschool life crumbling in the blink of an eye.
So far, a really nice scifi/action/light-drama/fantasy with memorable characters and a good range and use of moods and tempos. Recommended.
ANTIGRAVITY BOY
Azuki Ryou - (Hissatsu! Madonna Densetsu, Love Wan, Seishun Shiteru Kai, W-Pinch)
*Fuuko, in her first year of high school, is the energetic type that worries only about why her hair is not blonde and straight. One day, Fuuko took a strange photo, and in it a classmate called Funakoshi Ruka was walking on thin-air. From then on, she started to pay more attention to Ruka, and Fuuko got closer to him in order to find out his true identity, Later on, she finds out that Ruka has [Anti Gravity Powers].
A weird but fun shoujo romance story.
AOI SPICE
Tajima Mimi - (Gakkou no Ojikan, Ichigo Channel, Koi Suru One Fourth)
*Ageha wishes she could spend her 16th birthday with someone special, but instead gets dumped by her boyfriend. As if that wasn't enough, Ageha later gets herself handcuffed for a day to a two-faced pop idol named Ren. Will her 16th birthday wish come true after all?
Fairly standard shoujo romance manga. Art is in the stereotypical shoujo style, maybe ever-so-slightly above average. Fairly stock characters. Fairly predictable plot. It's not bad, just not great either. Oh, it also includes some short one-shots that are decent enough.
APPARE JIPANGU!
Watase Yuu - Alice 19th, Imadoki!, Zettai Kareshi, (Ayashi no Ceres, Fushigi Yuugi, and others
*This story is about "Yusura" who was left under a cherry tree 15 years ago. She grew up as a daughter of a pharmacist and works as a "Hikeshiya", who can erase sadness from people by using the Kongoumaru which turn's blue as it absorbs people's sorrows then sends it back to the person guilty of causing the sorrow.
Decent shoujo light adventure/comedy/romance.
AQUA
Amano Kozue - Aria
A 2-volume prequel to "Aria," this follows the daily life of a young woman who moves to the planet Mars, far in the future after it has been terraformed and is 90% covered in water. She is there to become an Undine, one of the traditional sightseeing guides that row the gondolas through the canals of Neo-Venezia. Many exciting days await her in this peaceful little town.
A wonderful change of pace from most of the stuff here, from what I can tell this is more along the lines of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou or the quieter parts of Haibane Renmei. The art is absolutely beautiful, and the pace and feel of the manga are excellent. I greatly look forward to reading more.
ARCANA
Kotegawa Yua - Shikeisyu 042
*Arcana features a humorous plot starring two detectives, Murakami and Nakabayashi, and an unidentified mysterious girl who possesses the power to see spirits. As the story unfolds, Murakami and Nakabayashi have been assigned to a serial bombing case that specifically targeted elementary school kids. Neither of them have any idea of what to go about. Their only source: the prophecy of a patient suffering from amnesia and currently undergoing rehabilitation at a local mental clinic. What will happen from now on? Will they capture the serial bomber? What will await the strange and unusual duo?
An entertaining manga that doesn't seem to fit perfectly into any particular genre. The characters are odd and the interaction among them is quite humorous, yet the crimes are fairly serious and provide some action and suspense. But so far they seem to be resolved fairly easily, which takes the focus off them somewhat. I dunno, but I do like it. The art and character designs are also pretty good.
ARIA
Amano Kozue - Aqua
*On the planet Aqua (formerly Mars), Akari Mizunashi has made her home in the charming town of Neo-Venezia, a reproduction of the ancient Earth city. Determined to become an undine, Akari spends her days training in the labyrinths of canals throughout the city. She enjoys the primitive lifestyle of her ancestors and has no qualms about doing her own laundry or cooking meals from scratch. Pursuing this career and becoming independent are her dreams and, with the help of some curious Martians, underground dwellers and even wild creatures, Akari will one day captain her own gondola through the city of Neo-Venezia.
I'm a sucker for well-done slice-of-life with beautiful art, so I've really enjoyed ARIA (and its prequel, Aqua) so far. Needless to say, not a lot happens, but if that's okay with you, you might just check this out.
AT CAFE KICHIJOJI
Negishi Kyoko / Miyamoto Yuki
A bunch of weirdoes runs a cafe while they fight, joke, and bicker amongst themselves.
Haven't read a lot of this, but what I did read was somewhat entertaining. It's not just constant hilarity, but it has its moments. It might get better once the setup is done. Also, it has a distinct lack of cute chicks. T-T
ATASHI WA BAMBI
Maki Yoko - Aishiteruze Baby, Kareki ni Koi wo Sakasemasu, Shining Hearts, Star Blacks
After an unhappy time in middle school, Yoshimura Mai has worked to change herself and have a fun high school life. And above all, she must find a boyfriend!
A nice shoujo romance/drama. The end.
AWASETE IPPON
Kawamura Mika - Daa! Daa! Daa!, Shin Daa! Daa! Daa!
*Asuka is a typical high school girl with two big loves in her life; Judo, and Kujyo-senpai. One day, Asuka finally gathers up her nerve to confess her feelings to Kujyo-senpai. But before she can do so, a boy from her past transfers to her school and challenges Asuka to a judo match – if he wins, Asuka will have to be his girlfriend for three months. Who is this boy? Will Asuka ever get a chance to confess to Kujyo-senpai? Who will win this match?
Decent filler.
AZUMANGA DAIOH
Azuma Kiyohiko - Yotsuba&!
This series of 4-panel comics follows a group of girls through their 3 years in high school.
This is a hilarious comedy that also does a great job of capturing the everyday lives of its bizarre but strangely familiar characters. The translation and scans I have don't quite do it justice, but they're decent enough for the most part. Anyway, go read it. Now. Or watch the anime. Or both.
B.O.D.Y.
Mimori Ao - I Don't Need You
Sakura Ryouko has recently started to like her new deskmate, Fuji Ryounosuke. He seems honest, mature, and composed. But one day after school, she finds out that he's working as a host, and the guy who she thought she knew was just an act to avoid standing out at school. Disgusted by the real Fuji, she declares, "I'll absolutely never like a guy like you!" Intrigued, he responds, "In that case, I'll absolutely make you like me."
Interesting.
BABY POP
Ogawa Yayoi - Candy Life, Extra Heavy Syrup, Kimi wa Pet
After her mother remarried and then died in a car accident shortly thereafter, 14-year-old Okuda Nagisa learns to deal with her mom's second husband, and grows up along the way.
A nice semi-episodic drama with some humor thrown in for good measure. It seems considerably longer than the two volumes it's actually comprised of... maybe it's just the amount of text per page. Anyway, good art, an interesting story with interesting characters... ya might give it a shot.
BAD COMPANY
Fujisawa Tohru - Shounan Jun'ai Gumi, Rose Hip Rose, Tokko, (Great Teacher Onizuka)
This manga details the first meeting of Onizuka Eikichi and Danma Ryuji and subsequent events up to the formation of the Oni-Baku Gumi. This is the first Onizuka series chronologically, but I believe it was made last.
Excellent little 1-volume prequel to Shounan Jun'ai Gumi and Great Teacher Onizuka. The art, storytelling, and characters are all top-notch, and of course it's interesting to see the GTO characters in their earlier years. A decent amount of action as well, though it's not really the series' strong point and not too interesting in and of itself. Also features a bit of that famous GTO fanservice and a good dose of humor to boot.
BAKU
Hakase Mizuki - (Empire of Midnight, Kuruizaki no Hana, Maybe Blue, The Demon Ororon)
*There are two stories in this one volume work. The first is about Takeshi UESUGI, a high school boy with an extraordinary power. His frightened mother finally decides to do the unthinkable... and murder him with a knife! Near death, Takeshi meets a snow woman named Yukiko who claims he is the reincarnation of a "baku" - a monster that eats nightmares... What does fate have in store for Takeshi? The second story is called Mephisto.
Short and consequently rather shallow, but interesting nonetheless. Unique but well-done art style. Mostly serious tone, but not too serious or without humor. A good read worth the minimal effort required.
BANYA
Kim Young Oh
Quickly. Accurately. Safely. The postmen of Saya Desert will deliver anything, anywhere! Normal is 100 Bot, Express is 180 Bot, Emergency is 250 Bot, Hazard Fee is an additional 100 Bot. Prices subject to change depending on distance, situation, and weight.
An entertaining read, with plenty of action and comedy and some nice art to boot. Mostly episodic and fairly fast-paced. Remember to read left to right!
BAROQUE
Ueda Shinsyu - Dawn Tsumetai Te, (Eikou no Te)
Apparently based on some game... 2 chapters out so far and I'm clueless. The protagonist must kill the Mad God with a special gun in order to atone for his past world-destroying sins which he cannot remember.
Beats me... a bit weird so far, but nice art and I'm guessing it's gonna turn into a "dark" action manga.
BASILISK
Yamada Fuutarou / Segawa Masaki - Onikiri Jyuzo
The old treaty between the Kouga and Iga ninja clans has been voided and the 10 strongest from each clan must fight for survival and glory, while the two young leaders of the clans, lovers, are caught in the middle.
Incredible art, bizarre abilities, fast-paced action in front of a backdrop of political intrigue. Not too deep and devoid of humor, but if you want ninja battles, you'll get yer damn ninja battles.
BATTLE ANGEL
Kishiro Yukito
*The people and cyborgs of the Scrap Yard live beneath the flying city of Tiphares, whose inhabitants dump their junk in the Scrap Yard and rules above it's inhabitants. One day doc Ido, a former Tipharean citizen, finds the intact head of young cyborg-girl in a vast pile of scrap. He takes her in and gives her a body and the name Alita. Alita then discovers since long forgotten fighting techniques hidden in her body and decides to become a hunter-warrior like Ido.
From what I've read, a decent scifi action manga. I don't really care for Viz's localization (Flipping L/R is annoying, but I can handle it. When you change the name of the main character, I think you've crossed the line.), but honestly it shouldn't affect enjoyment of the series that much. See Battle Angel: Last Order.
BATTLE ANGEL: LAST ORDER
Kishiro Yukito
A continuation/"director's cut" of the Battle Angel story, Last Order picks up from around the end of volume 9 of the original manga, finishing the story as the author originally intended.
Flipping through, the art seems better than Battle Angel. Other than that, I imagine it should be more of the same. That is, if you enjoyed Battle Angel, you'll probably enjoy this.
BEAUTY POP
Arai Kiyoko - (Angel Lip)
*This is a funny story of 3 boys, a hairstylist, a nail artist and someone responsible for the overall balance. They are the make-over team in school and they select a girl who they will transform into a beauty. Naturally they are popular, but does it really give them the right to pass judgment around as they do? Well there seems to be an anonymous hairstylist with rivaling talent around who doesn't share their opinions and offers help to whoever needs it... Just give it a try people ^^
Seems like a fun series so far. Light, humorous shoujo. Don't really know where it's ultimately going, but I have faith in it.
BECK
Sakuishi Harold - Under The Bridge, (Stopper Busujima)
*Yukio (also called Koyuki) is somewhat of a loser. He's not very popular, athletic or musically talented. In fact his favorite musician is an idol singer. His life seems to be on an upswing when he gets reacquainted with a childhood friend, Izumi and when he meets Ryusuke, a musician with connections to the very popular American band, Dying Breed. Through Izumi and Ryusuke, Yukio becomes acquainted with the world of rock music and finds that he loves the Dying Breed. He then aspires to be a musician and begins to learn the guitar. His quick progress with the guitar and his incredible voice earn him a spot in Ryusuke's band, Beck.
An interesting read. The art is a little odd in the early volumes but not too bad. Really interesting characters and story. The storytelling is very dense and while not incredibly fast-paced, not ever boring either. There's a good mix of drama, comedy, romance, and even a little action. Overall, a good manga. Highly recommended. (Let's just say I read all 18 volumes available at the time in a single night. Not terribly uncommon for me, but I never do it for no good reason.) So far the anime seems pretty good too if you can tolerate incredible amounts of engrish.
BEYOND THE BEYOND
Watanabe Yoshitomo - Fun Fun Factory, (Gin no Yuusha)
Even though Futaba is already in 6th grade, everyone still treats him like a kid. Because of his family's overprotectiveness, his cell phone makes him feel tethered. But on his way home from school, a girl he's never met before falls from the sky and lands in front of him and starts addressing him as "Master." Before he can figure out what's going on, a shadowy magician appears and tries to kill him and capture the girl, Kiara, whom he refers to as the "Eternal Flower." After escaping, Kiara realizes that Futaba is not, in fact, her master. She opens a gateway to another world, but interference from the sorceror allows the gateway to get away. With Futaba's help, Kiara manages to catch up to the gateway, and they both rush through, one in search of a master, the other, freedom.
It's been a while since I've read something with the same sense of adventure and wonder as this. I'm really enjoying it so far. The art is also very appealing, and the characters are more interesting than most in the genre. Overall, I'm really looking forward to more.
BINBOU SHIMAI MONOGATARI
Kazuto Izumi
*The gambling loving father racked up a huge debt and disappeared. The mother has passed away. The sisters, Kyo and Asu are the main characters. The two of them are all alone in this world and are very poor; they live in a 40-year-old apartment (no bath, one room plus kitchen, 26,000 yen rent). With dreams, hope and economizing they live in harmony. Indeed, today as well as tomorrow!
Quality slice-of-life. Some of the early chapters seem a little forced, but it seems to be getting better at that. Anyway, a nice manga.
BINETSU SHOUJO
Miyasaka Kaho - Kare First Love, (After School, Kiss in the Blue, Miseinen Lovers)
Shoujo high school romance.
Not much to say.
BLACK CAT
Yabuki Kentaro - To-LOVE-Ru, Yamato Gensouki
Two years ago Train and Sven tried to leave behind their pasts as an assassin under a mysterious organization and a detective, respectively, to become proffesional "sweepers" (legal bounty hunters). But soon they will find that the past has a way of following you wherever you go...
Hmmm... a decent action manga. Some nice fights, decent art. Honestly the writing leaves quite a bit to be desired. Overall, decent.
BLACK LAGOON
Hiroe Rei
*Meet Dutch the Boss, Benny the Mechanic, Levi the Two Hands, and Rock the ex-businessman from Japan. They're the crew of the Black Lagoon, and they're the baddest motherfuckers on the Asian Sea!
Subtlety? Hell with that! Depth? Who needs it!? Character development? Psh! What we got here is a good old- fashioned shoot 'em up! Helicopters, killer maids, shady deals, and rival mercenaries... the crew of the Black Lagoon will take on all that and more if the price is right!
BLEACH
Kubo Taito - Zombie Powder
High school student Kurosaki Ichigo has been able to see ghosts for as long as he can remember. But one day a "Hollow," a rampaging spirit monster, drawn by his spiritual power, attacks his home. A shinigami, or soul reaper, saves his life, but is too injured to keep fighting. So Ichigo is forced to become a temporary shinigami to defeat the monster and save his family. But things are never as simple as they seem...
Bleach is a great manga. Its focus is obviously action, which it does very well and interestingly. But the series also has a good amount of humor and character development, and the characters and storytelling are really well done. The art is fairly standard, but good. Ummm... just entertaining all around.
BLUE SEED
Takada Yuzo - 3x3 Eyes, (All-Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku, Genzo Hitogata Kiwa, Everyday is Sunday)
*Momiji is an average girl until the day she finds she is the descendant of the great Kushinada family. Only she, with her Kushinada blood, can stop the Aragami, demonic plant-like monsters threatening to destroy Japan.
Halfway decent action manga from Takada Yuzo. Certainly not as good as 3x3 Eyes, but it's not bad, either, and it's interesting to see an earlier work.
BOKU NO FUTATSU NO TSUBASA
Yui Toshiki - Kirara
*Hiromi can't wait for her cousin Makoto to come live with her - but when "he" finally shows up, she gets a good deal more than she bargained for. Toshiki Yui turns a hentai fetish into the plot hook of this high school situation comedy.
Weird.
BRAVE STORY
Ono Yoichiro
*Wataru Mitani's life was as ordinary as any other until he found the new transfer student to his school battling a giant monster in his neighborhood. In search of clues to this, he finds a door to a world called Vision, a fantasy world where magic exists. When Wataru’s life starts to crumble around him, he embarks on a journey beyond the door to change the fate that has befallen his family.
Looks good so far.
BREMEN
Umezawa Haruto
This manga (loooooosely based on the classic children's tale "The Musicians of Bremen") follows Hino Reijii as he travels to Tokyo, gradually forming a band along the way. Once there, the band, which the members dub "Bremen", strives to rise to the top and become the gods of rock. The manga is split about equally between a fighting/action manga and a comedy.
Interesting manga. Bremen has very unique characters and an unconventional (but good) art style. Occasionally gets bogged down in bizarreness and the pacing is at times a little off, but overall a decent read. By the end of volume 1 you'll know if you can tolerate the series' idiosyncracies to get to the decent manga inside.
BUSOU RENKIN
Watsuki Nobuhiro - Rurouni Kenshin
Killed by a monster while trying to save a mysterious girl, high school junior Mutou Kazuki is given a second chance at life... if he can master his new powers of alchemy before the forces of darkness come back to finish the job.
Well, I only have 5 chapters of this so far, but it moves fairly quickly and so far it seems like it'll be pretty good. Doesn't seem like anything too original, but it is well-executed. The art and pacing are well done and the characters are appropriately likeable or hateable. Looking forward to more.
BUTSU ZONE
Takei Hiroyuki - (Shaman King)
Action/adventure manga incorporating a lot of Buddhist mythology. A buddha statue comes to life to protect and guide a young girl on her journey to become the "Mirokou." But the biggest problem may be convincing the girl.
Decent action, decent characters, a simple but well-done art style, and also pretty informative. Overall, a decent action/adventure manga.
CHANGE GUY
Eun-Ho Son / Myung-Soo Choi
Too-Jee Kang is the strongest delinquent in Gi Sang High School. Woo-Soo Choi is the top student in Myung-Sung High School. When they are both accidentally run over by a pair of scientists desperate for human test subjects, they become the guinea pigs for an experiment in teleportation that ends up with their minds switching bodies. The scientists dump their unconscious bodies back on the streets, unaware of the experiment's side effect. And when Woo-Soo Choi wakes up and takes his body to the hospital, he's mistaken for the criminal that injured Woo-Soo Choi and is chased off, leaving his body with an amnesiac mind that's regressed to an apparent age of 3. With nowhere else to go, he tracks down Too-Jee Kang's boarding house and school, and begins his life as Too-Jee Kang!
A decent enough action manga, I suppose. Don't expect great literature, but if you want delinquents, street fighting, and martial arts, with an occasional hint of comedy or romance(?), Change Guy delivers.
CHIKYU MISAKI
Iwahara Yuji - King of Thorns, Koudelka
*Makishima Misaki is moving back to her mother's home town, Hohoro. It's a small, quiet, snowy town that boasts it's own local legend, the Hohopo. Misaki is soon to discover that the small secret that lies in Hohoro is greater than she thought.
Well, this seems to be somewhat different from Iwahara's usual work, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'll have to see how it develops. Good art and character design as usual.
CHISA X PON
Nakano Junko
Description pending.
Good so far.
CHOBITS
CLAMP - (Angelic Layer, Cardcaptor Sakura, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, X, xxxHOLIC, and many others)
Motosuwa Hideki is a first-year ronin and all-around nice guy, if a bit backwards and naEe. One night he finds a cute and mysterious robot girl in the trash and takes her home. Upon activation, it seems that her memory has been erased and all she can say is "chii." Thus she earns herself a name, and Hideki and Chii's life together begins. Both of them have a lot to learn about the world.
A great, funny, and cute romance story with great characters, storytelling, art, and everything else. Highly recommended. The anime is also great, btw.
CHOCOLAT
Kubonouchi Eisaku
*Chocolat is a mature comedy series about halforphan Tatsumi Chiyoko whose father was caught in huge debt. Now living with Omugi Matsukichi, an ex-underground king who opened a pastry shop, she gets to know people like Katou Ichigo, an ex-inmate. With people after her father's whereabouts, what will happen to her?
Not sure what that synopsis means by "mature," but so far this has been an amusing comedy. More manga need to have Yakuza, honestly.
CHOKOTTO SISTER
Zappa Go / Takeuchi Sakura
College student Kawagoe Haruma wakes up one Christmas to find Miss Santa at his window with a delivery: the little sister he asked for as a kid. He names her "Choko" after the anchoko (slang for a guide book) she's always consulting, and so their new life together begins.
A fun and entertaining pseudo-love comedy/slice-of-life series with nice art, interesting characters, and quite a bit of fanservice. What more could you possibly want?
CLAYMORE
Yagi Norihiro - (Angel Densetsu)
*In a medieval world, villages are being attacked by the youma, demons that can take the appearance of their victim. The only people who can stop them are the Claymore, a group of young women named for the swords they use. They are half-human, half-demons who willingly became Claymore. Don't pass this up as "just another action manga" though- through character development and the author's unique style, this manga isn't to be missed.
Action-packed demon slaying in a fantasy setting. Fun stuff.
CONFESSION
Fukumoto Nobuyuki / Kawaguchi Kaiji
Asai and Ishikura have gotten lost at the height of 3,200 meters on Mt. Owari. Ishikura, who is badly injured and has resigned himself to death, confesses the murder he commited in the past. But the lodge is closer than they thought, and so the two must wait inside for a day or two to be rescued when the storm clears. Does Ishikura regret his confession? Will he try to kill Asai to recover his secret? If he did, no one would know...
Nice little suspenseful story. Feels like a really long short story, as it's pretty much just got one location, two fairly simple characters, and a scenario. That's about all I've got to say.
COTTON
Konno Kita
One rainy day, the young woman Natsuki encounters a high school student in the street. Acting on an impulse, she gives the girl her umbrella and walks away. It turns out later that the girl, Michiko, is the younger sister of Natsuki’s sister’s newly-married husband. Even though Michiko has a difficult personality and doesn’t open herself to others easily, she seems to be attracted to Natsuki. Thus begins an unusual friendship between two unlikely characters who need each other more than they first realize…
Short but subtle drama.
CROSS OVER
Seo Kouji - (Suzuka)
*Ogata Natsuki is the best player on the Kakuchi Junior High Basketball Team. Which is not saying much because they couldn't even get through the 3rd round of the Prefectural Tournament from freshman year until the end of Junior High. For High School, his friends convince him to try out for the Number One High School Basketball team, Fujiwara Academy. So he goes to live with his aunt who runs a hot springs resort to go and try out for the best. Fujiwara Academy. The thing is... he's small. So people look down on him and he has trouble convincing people he's any good. Through one thing or the other, he ends up with Tachibana Mitsuki watching her school, St Mariannu High go up against Fujiwara Academy in a practice game. But the thing is, St Mariannu is very weak. Weaker than even his former school. Fujiwara is just toying with them and now they don't even want to finish the game. What will happen now? Will Natsuki ever be able to achieve his dreams of being High School Basketball's Number 1? And will it be with Fujiwara?
Decent basketball manga.
CRY OUT FOR LOVE AT THE HEART OF THE WORLD
Katayama Kyoichi / Kazui Kazumi
After his girlfriend's death, a young man recalls the time they had spent together.
A really great love story that moves fluidly between light and serious, and really develops the characters well. The art seems perfect for the story and the whole thing just comes together to be a really good read, even if it could be quite a tear-jerker. From Ivy-scans' site: An adaptation of the bestselling novel that sold over 3 million copies. The same novel was also made into a drama and movie.
D.GRAY-MAN
Hoshino Katsura - (D.Gray-man Reverse)
Exorcists and akumas and stuff like that.
A pretty good action manga with nice character design and style. It's pretty early in the story but I expect it to develop nicely.
DAWN TSUMETAI TE
Ueda Shinsyu - Baroque, (Eikou no Te)
Remember that plague desease thingy you heard about in English class? Well, it's back, and ready to infect hords of people! Follow Nagasawa, a melodramic student caught in the middle of this horrid epidemic, with absolutely no idea what's going on, trying to get through life with creepy infected people all about. Can you say creepy?
Interesting. Not sure where it's going, yet, but so far we've got zombies and I've got a good feeling about it.
DEAR
Fujiwara Cocoa - Watashi no Ookami-san
*Meet Chiruha: She lives alone in a small secluded house deep in a mountainous forest, the TV her only connection to the outside world. After years of watching and dreaming of what life must be like in the outside world, she has gathered up her courage to venture out and explore the local village. However, she must be careful not to stand out among the humans, for Chiruha holds a secret... Kisara also holds a secret...and a grudge. He's searching for who- or whatever cursed him, and he may have finally found the answer...
Another cute, entertaining, and involving story set in the WnO world. The old characters seem to have something to do with the plot, but the focus has shifted again, much like it did between volumes 1 and 2 of Ookami-san. Either way you shouldn't miss them too much, because Chiruha and Co. are great as well. The tone, pace, and feel are all pretty much the same, so if you've read Wno (and I suggest you do before reading this) and enjoyed it, I'd recommend picking this up as well.
DEATH NOTE
Ohba Tsugumi / Obata Takeshi - Hajime, (Ayatsuri Sakon, Hikaru no Go)
Ryuuku, a shinigami (god of death), gets bored of business as usual and leaves a "Death Note," a book which causes the people whose names are written within to die in the manner described, lying around in the human world in hopes that someone interesting will find it and amuse him. Yagami Raito, a 17-year-old excellent student and son of the director of Japan's police forces, is equally bored. When he finds the Death Note, his curiosity gets the better of him and he decides to try it out. Convinced that it's real, he decides to start executing criminals that appear in the news, in order to create a just and peaceful society and become the god of his new world. But the police can't just sit back while hundreds of people are dying, so they turn to the brilliant detective "L". And so the games begin...
A very interesting and suspenseful manga with nice art, great plot, and interesting characters. If you like suspense and mind games, definitely give it a read.
DEEP LOVE - AYU NO MONOGATARI
Yoshi / Yoshii Yuu
*Based on Yoshi's cult novel series, "Deep Love" depicts the struggling life of Ayu, a 17 years old high school girl who believes neither in a future nor the happiness it could bring her. By selling her body as a teenage prostitute, she's trying to justify her existence, which is as bleak as her heart: it's void of joy, sorrow, love. It's not until her encounter with a kind-hearted old lady that Ayu begins to realize the true meaning of happiness...
Dunno yet.
DESIRE CLIMAX
Ukyou Ayane
*Omori Mio is 17 years old. To help out her desperately poor family, she takes on a part-time job. Then, one night, a boy snatches a kiss from her and offers her money, saying, "I'll buy you." Who is the boy who stole Mio's first kiss. . .!?
Ecchi shoujo drama/romance. Not bad.
DOKKAN LOVE
Kusunoki Kei - Girls Saurus, Girls Saurus DX
Where there is an evil organization bent on world domination, there must also be a hero! And where there is a hero, there must also be a girl who loves him!
A silly 1-volume story of heroes, villains, and high school romance. Funny stuff.
DRAGON BALL
Toriyama Akira - Kajika, (Dr. Slump, Sandland, etc.)
The classic adventure/fighting manga! Son Goku fights a lot of strong bad guys and collects the wish-granting dragon balls!
Well, I'd bet just about everyone is at least familiar with this. The Dragon Ball Z anime is what introduced a great many people, myself included, to the world of anime and manga. So I probably don't have to cover that. Oh! And for those of you only familiar with the anime and/or the American manga releases, this manga covers the events covered in both Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. Unfortunately, the scans and translations I have are inconsistent and for the most part pretty crappy, with generally poor scan/editing quality and quite a few untranslated bubbles and misspelled names. Most of it is flipped to read left to right, but a few volumes retain the original right-to-left format, so that's another inconsistency to take note of. BUT! Despite all this, it's still a pretty damn good read, and a worthy addition to the collection.
DRAGON VOICE
Nishiyama Yuriko - (Harlem Beat, Rebound)
*This funny and entertaining manga is about a teenage boy who's good-looking and an expert in dancing but has a voice that tends to scare people away so he has given up his childhood dream of becoming a singer.. that is of course until he meets the music band "BEATMEN."
A surprisingly interesting and entertaining manga. Good art. Too many bishies, but that's to be expected given the setting. Overall, a pretty funny and weird series.
DVD
Chun Kye Young - Unplugged Boy, (Audition, Come Back Home)
*Shim Dam's friend, Sa-Jing Min, unexpectedly abandons her, and she decides to kill herself. But before that, she will have fun on her last day of life. Meanwhile, DD and Kwak Venu pursue their ideal woman. DD prefers a normal girl, while Venu longs for a woman with large breasts. Dam meets DD and Venu on that fateful day.
This has some of the funniest conversations I've read in a long time. They're so random, and yet so familiar... yeah. Anyway, if you want funny, this has it in spades. Remember, manhwa = left to right.
EAT-MAN
Yoshitomi Akihito - (Ray)
Bolt Crank is the world's greatest adventurer, a mercenary who can eat just about anything, and then reproduce it instantaneously through his skin. His past and motives are a mystery, but he always seems to end up on the right side.
A decent, mostly episodic action manga. Most chapters follow pretty much the same formula, with an occasional break to advance the story. Anyway, kinda old-school scifi action to keep you busy.
EDEN
Endo Hiroki - Endo Short Stories
Eden takes place in a post-apocalyptic future, after a large part of the world's population was wiped out by a disease that leaves its victims as empty shells. In this world shaken by constant wars, rampant crime, unrest, power struggles, and betrayal, a young man must find a way to survive and become a man that can protect what he holds dear.
This is a brutal manga on many different levels and it contains a lot of graphic content, but this is simply because the manga is unflinching in depicting its world and characters. Nothing is ever clear-cut in this story; its characters are complex and 4-dimensional, and "good" doesn't always triumph. The art is very well done and fits the setting and story very nicely. The storytelling is great and really allows the events to affect the reader. The pacing is a little slow at one or two points, but is usually good. There's quite a bit of action, at times really cool and kinda horrible at once. It also has an occasional funny part and a lot of drama and even some almost romance, so overall it's a very versatile manga. Definitely recommended if you can handle it.
EDEN NO HANA
Suetsugu Yuki - (Kimi no Kuroi Hane, Kimi no Shiroi Hane)
Wakatsuki Tokio returns to Japan to find his long lost sister Midori.
Hmmm... a mostly serious drama that's interesting enough, I suppose. All aspects decent. Covers some mature issues, so it may not be for everyone.
EDENS BOWY
Tennouji Kitsune - Orfina
*In a world with floating cities know as Eden, a young boy named Jorrne attempts to return to Eden to be reunited with his mother. Born with the destiny of bearing god-killing powers, he is the object of Eden's attention -- both as something to study, and something to destroy. Aided by a young magic-using girl named Elisiss, her sister Enefeaa, and a swordsman sent from Eden, Jorrne travels to find his way home and to discover the truth behind his power.
I've only read a volume or so of this, but from what I can tell it's a decent fantasy manga. Everything's a little amateurish, I think, but it's still a decent manga with some interesting characters. A little more humor would go a long way, as it seems a bit too serious and plot-driven.
EIEN NO WITH
Miyauchi Saya - Akkan Baby, Naked
*With her mom always fussing over her baby brother, her father busy with work, and no friends at school, Hitomi has always felt lonely. This all this changes when she volunteers to raise Eye, a guide dog, for a year. However, parting is never as easy as it seems...
Wow. A short but potentially very emotionally involving manga. Very dramatic with an overall serious tone. Broken into 3 chapters written in 1995, 2000, and 2003, respectively, there's a big contrast in the art style from one chapter to the next, but it's all nicely done. Anyway, recommended.
EMMA
Mori Kaoru - Shirley, (Sumire no Hana)
*Kaoru Mori's "Emma" is a an historical romance set in turn-of-the-century Victorian England about the maid Emma and her romance with William, an upper-class gentleman whose family disapproves of him associating with a girl of the "lower classes." Included with each volume is our own guide to understanding life in the Victorian Era, "Whisper's Guide to Emma's World," which explains things the modern reader might not immediately understand about the storyline.
Well-executed light romance/drama. I'm not generally a fan of the setting, but the presentation and characters overcome my bias here and make it an enjoyable read. I've watched more of the anime than I've read of the manga, though. Good stuff. Hmmm... note on the anime. They only had enough funding to cover the first 2 volumes, so unless they get more money, looks like the manga is your only hope for continuation of the story. And trust me, you'll want to continue.
ETERNAL SABBATH
Souryo Fuyumi - A Strange Gene, A Strange Trait, Damned Sun, The Rainbow Fish (Boyfriend, Mars, Doll, Tennen no Musume)
Genetic experiments lead to the creation of an artificial human with an incredible lifespan and telepathic powers. Soon after, the research facility is destroyed and the only survivor sets out to track down the escaped specimen before it becomes a threat to mankind.
Hmmm. I've had to revise my opinion of this. At first I couldn't really get into it and didn't really care for the characters or art, but gradually over these first 6 volumes it's really grown on me. It's just kinda hard to describe exactly what it is... It has a lot of similarities with Souryo's shorter works; you get a lot of psycho-analysis on a lot of the characters, regardless of how long they stick around. Other than that, drama, suspense, a little pseudo-action, all wrapped up in a slightly sci-fi package, I guess.
EUREKA SEVEN
Kataoka Jinsei / Kondou Kazuma
*Renton is a 14-year-old boy who occasionally helps out his grandfather as a mechanic. But his feelings of dissatisfaction and frustration grows as his mundane and routine work clouds his visions for his future and he dreams of flying around the world. It isn't until one day, a large human-like mech, a LFO(Light Finding Operation), falls from the sky in front of Renton and appearing from the depths of the machine is a beautiful young girl named Eureka. And as she asks the dumbfounded Renton for repairs, the two will embark upon a fantastic journey into the unknown.
Well, the airboarding mecha are weird, but otherwise the series is rather unremarkable. Still, it's entertaining enough and I like the character design.
EVEN A MONKEY CAN DRAW MANGA
Aihara Koji / Takekuma Kentaro
A mock-instructional manga about the path to dominating the world through manga.
A bizarre, silly series of lessons on becoming a manga artist, from Lesson 1: The Pen Name to Lesson 21: How To Submit Work To Magazines. Addendum: Has moments of freaking hilarity and unfortunate truth.
EYESHIELD 21
Murata Yusuke / Inagaki Riichiro
A superhero comic/comedy disguised as a sports manga, this is the story of Kobayakawa Sena, a high school student with (figuratively) Golden Legs. His years of experience being used as a go-for to keep from getting beat up have given him almost super-human speed and maneuverability. Shortly after entering high school, he is discovered and subsequently forced to join the American Football Club by the club's devilish president, Hiruma. To keep his secret weapon from being stolen by other clubs, Hiruma gives Sena a helmet with an eyeshield that covers his face and a codename: Eyeshield 21! And so it begins...
I was really surprised at this manga. I don't like sports mangas in general, so I almost passed over it despite its recommendation. But in reality it's a very funny comedy combined with the double-identity scenario of a superhero comic, with a setting that just happens to be a high school and its football field. The characters are very memorable and the story is told in a very fast-paced, comical way. The art is fairly standard but well-executed, with character designs that are very caricatured and striking. Anyway, pretty nice.
FIVE
Furukawa Shiori - (Number Boy, Tsuki wo Dakishimeru)
*Hina has repeatedly transferred schools due to her father's job, and had always dreamed of a normal high-school life. At her new school, however, she finds that her class is comprised solely of guys! On top of that, five mischievous boys from her class have taken a liking to her...!?
A fun series with unique characters and art.
FLAME OF RECCA
Anzai Nobuyuki - Rocket Princess, MÄR
Hanabishi Recca is a high school student and wannabe ninja with the ability to spontaneously create fire. One day he tries to save a girl who happens to go to his school, but when he gets beat up and the girl uses her unusual healing powers on him, he decides to become her personal ninja. Soon after, a series of bizarre events occur that seem to trace back several hundred years to the age of the ninja and a mysterious clan with mystical abilities. From the creator of Rocket Princess and later MÄR.
Yay ninjas! Anyway, a very good action manga with some humor and decent character and plot development. I guess there's not much else to say, so go read it! Edit: Apparently the anime is crap in comparison, butchering a lot of stuff and ending halfway through the story. So read this even if you didn't like the anime.
FREESIA
Matsumoto Jiro - Keep on Vibrating, Uncivilized Planet
*Freesia is set in an alternative Japanese society that is at war, and has passed a law legalizing retaliatory killings. If somebody kills your loved one, you are legally sanctioned to kill, or hire someone to kill, the victimizer. The manga is set around a character who works for a firm that specializes in these retaliatory killings.
Another messed-up series from Matsumoto. Action and psychotic drama, with of course a bunch of sex scenes thrown in. Some interesting characters, though.
FRUITS BASKET
Takaya Natsuki - Boku ga Utau to Kimi wa Waraukara, (Illusional Shadow Fantasy, The One With Wings)
*Fruits Basket is about Honda Tohru and her relationships with the Sohma family. Tohru was recently living with her mother until one day, her mother died in a car accident. After living with her grandfather for a short while, she has to leave because he has decided to renovate his house. Having no place to go, she decides to live in a tent. However, the place she has chosen is owned by the Sohmas, and when they discover she is living there by herself, they insist that she stay in their house with them. But the Sohmas have a terrible secret. They turn into animals when hugged by a member of the opposite sex!
Dunno. I really oughta get around to collecting more of this... Scanslations are on like v17 now.
FUGURUMA MEMORIES
Toume Kei - Acony, Hitsuji no Uta, Kurogane, Luno, Sing "Yesterday" For Me, The Hour of the Mice
*Yoh is the only human being living in a strange town that exists somewhere between this world and the Twilight World. Residing in this town are spiritual manifestations of real world objects that were forgotten or thrown away by men. Yoh is the owner of a lifelike doll named Ian who has the special ability to take photos of other beings’ memories. With her help he is running a photo studio called “Fuguruma.” The manga revolves around those specters who seek the studio’s service and the stories they have to tell…
A kind of melancholy little series of connected short stories, told at a relaxed pace, with beautiful full-color art (except a little prequel chapter at the end) by Toume Kei. It doesn't get better than that.
FULL METAL PANIC!
Gatoh Syouji / Retsu Tateo
Sgt. Sagara Sousuke of Mithril enters high school to protect a girl with innate knowledge of "black technology." But who will protect them from each other as hilarity ensues?
FMP ownz j00! I've only read about a volume of the manga, but both animes are top-notch, so I imagine the excellence will continue in the manga as well. Anyway, a great action/comedy with excellent characters, plot, timing, and everything else.
FULL MOON WO SAGASHITE
Tanemura Arina - Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, Shinshi Doumei Cross, (Ion, Time Stranger Kyoko)
*Kouyama Mitsuki is a 12 year old girl who dreams of becoming a singer. Two years ago, she made a promise to her friend Eichi-kun that when they next met, they would each be closer to their dreams. However, Mitsuki has throat cancer which makes it difficult for her to sing. One day, two shinigami (gods of death) named Meroko and Takuto appear out of her wall and tell her she has one year left to live. Mitsuki realizes she must fufill her dream more then ever. Takuto transforms Mitsuki into a sixteen year old in order for her to audition, and she wins. Will Mitsuki become a famous singer and get to see Eichi-kun again?
Only read one chapter, but that seemed pretty good and I've heard a lot of good things about it.
FUN FUN FACTORY
Watanabe Yoshitomo - Beyond the Beyond, (Gin no Yuusha)
*Chiya took Michiru to a very interesting cafe on her birthday. Upon eating the customized dessert, she was possessed by a prank-loving witch who intends to bring misfortune to the ten "Hoshi no Juusha" - the other ten boys who had also ordered from that day's special menu?
An entertaining and fairly lighthearted fantasy with a large cast of interesting if somewhat stereotypical characters. An enjoyable read.
FUTARI ECCHI
Katsu Aki - Psychic Academy, (Haapii Chokuzen, Hoshikuzu Paradise, Love Lucky, Tenkuu no Escaflowne)
A young couple learns about love and sex after their arranged marriage.
Okay, despite the title, synopsis, and content, I have to stand by the mangaka's contention that this is not hentai. Yes, it is about sex and it contains some fairly graphic content and it shouldn't be read by kids or even some adults, but from what I've read of it I'd have to say it's not really perverted or even particularly erotic. Now that that's out of the way, I'd say this is a pretty good drama that takes an open look at the facts and views on sex in the world right now.
GACHA GACHA
Tamakoshi Hiroyuki - A Girls, (Boys Be)
Lately Kouhei has been thinking about his childhood friend Clara a lot; he might even like her. But ever since she returned from a vacation to Hawaii, sometimes she seems like a completely different person. What's going on?
A nice if slightly ecchi little comedy/romance. Not much else to say at this point. Note: Volume 5 seems to be the end of Kouhei and Clara's story. Part 2 concerns a kinda dorky guy who, because of an accident with the Gx2 machines, changes into a girl when he sneezes.
GAKUEN ALICE
Higuchi Tachibana - (Swan Lake)
Sakura Mikan, age 10, 4th grade, goes to Tokyo looking for her friend Hotaru. who transferred to a school for geniuses. But when she arrives at the so-called "Alice Academy," it turns out to be a place for those with special abilities, or "Alices". Luckily, this means that she may have a chance to get in, because the teacher who found her thinks she may have an Alice of her own.
Fun stuff. The anime's also pretty nice (at the moment it's releasing faster than the manga, too, so...). Anyway, about 50/50 comedy/drama, I guess.
GAMERZ HEAVEN
Murakami Maki - (Gravitation)
A video game addict receives a copy of a mysterious game that pulls him inside it and has a strange connection with the real world.
Well, I like video games, so this got instant points from me right there. Aside from that though, it's shaping up to be a pretty decent scifantasy adventure manga. Edit: Bah, it was licensed after 3 chapters, so it prolly won't ever get a finished scanslation since it's a rather marginal comic. But you can go buy it if you want.
GENJUU NO SEIZA
Akino Matsuri - Night Exile, Pet Shop of Horrors, Shin Pet Shop of Horrors, Reikan Shouhou Kabushikigaisha, (Elixir)
*Kamishina Fuuto has dreams... night after night, dreams where he gets devoured by birds. ...Which means he's the high priest of the little independant Asian country of Darashaal. Or at least, that's what the guy with a bird's head and wings keeps insisting to Fuuto. Of course he won't believe it. He just transferred to a new school and he doesn't want to stand out for once in his life. However, others in Darashaal won't believe Fuuto is the new high preist either, for they just appointed the new one, so Fuuto must obviously be a fake. So what do you do when a fake appears and threatens the throne (even though he's never once claimed to be the high priest)? Why send assassins after him, of course...
I dunno. This has been sitting in the "Incomplete Data" section for a long time, as I wasn't really sure where it was going. I'm still not very sure, but I have enough confidence in it to add it to the collection. The characters have kinda grown on me and they've also developed quite a bit in the 10 chapters released so far. The art is kinda odd, but not bad by any stretch of the imagination and you get used to it quickly. Anyway, check it out and see for yourself.
GENSHIKEN
Kyo Shimoku
Sasahara Kanji, college freshman, joins the Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture (Gendai Shikaku Bunka Kenkyuukai, or "Genshiken"), which is pretty much a fancy way of saying "Otaku Club." Kasukabe Saki is reunited with her childhood friend, Kosaka Makoto, who has become quite a bishounen, but is also a hopeless fighting game fanatic and all-around otaku, and another freshman member of Genshiken Hilarity ensues. Watch as Sasahara comes to terms with his own dorkiness and Kasukabe learns to resist punching the members of Genshiken.
Overall, I think I enjoyed the anime a bit more, but the manga is excellent as well.
GETSU MEI SEI KI
Morita Kenji - (Stay After Me)
*The end of the Edo period, the Bakumatsu (between 1853 and 1867), was an era of uncertainty and chaos, a time when the line between right and wrong was indistinguishable. During this era, Hijikata Toushizou, determined to live by his own rules, led his reformed Shinsengumi -- formerly a ragtag group of mercenaries which became the elite Samurai fighting force of the shogunate -- to glory. This is the story of his life.
Any manga that starts off by comparing the Shinsengumi to Morning Musume is o-kay in my book. Seriously though, it's a good story so far.
GINTAMA
Sorachi Hideaki
Aliens have taken over a bizarro-world futuristic Japan and swords have been outlawed. One day while Shinpachi is being harassed by some alien customers at his job, a mysterious boy with a sword and a natural perm beats up his antagonists, but then runs off, leaving Shinpachi with a bloody sword, no witnesses, and police seconds away and closing fast. Shinpachi chases after him, and ends up joining his freelance business.
Fast-paced, almost frenzied storytelling and decent art combined with a cock-eyed sense of humor and a bizarre setting make for an entertaining if ultimately disorienting and somewhat detached manga. Edit: This series has really grown on me. It constantly shows a real wit and sense of comedic timing. Closest thing I can compare it to would probably be Level E, but with less parody and more randomness and character-driven humor.
GIRLFRIEND
Hokazono Masaya / Bettencourt
*Penned by Masaya Hokazono (Inugami, Watashi wa ai) and illustrated by Bettencourt (Prince Standard, Harukaze - Bitterpop), Girlfriend features charming and sexy short stories involving romantic relationships between high-schoolers in contemporary Japan.
I didn't think much of this manga at first, but after 3 volumes, there have been enough good stories, and other stories further developed, that I can confidently recommend it.
GIRLS SAURUS
Kusunoki Kei - Dokkan Love, Girls Saurus DX
After Chiryu Shingo is beaten within inches of his life by a strange and monstrous girl, he develops an intense fear of women. To try to get over his fear of women, he joins a combat boxing club so he can defend himself... but it turns out that there are only women in the club, and most of them are a bit... off in the head. Wacky hijinks ensue.
Well, there's bizarre comedy and lots of fanservice. So that's good. On the other hand, there's grotesque overweight naked women. That's bad. So it's all a matter of tolerance for/ability to ignore the latter. And while the table up there says "complete," it doesn't really reach a conclusion, and thus is continued in Girls Saurus DX.
GIRLS SAURUS DX
Kusunoki Kei - Dokkan Love, Girls Saurus
A continuation of Girls Saurus, Chiryu Shingo continues his struggle to overcome his fear of women.
See the entry for Girls Saurus.
GO! BAAJINARU HANAYUKI
Mizuto Aqua - Koigokoro Fantasia, Milk Crown, Wanted
*It all starts when Tomoe's hair gets caught in Kouga's button. Like a red-string of fate they're tied together. Through a twist of that fate Tomoe is forced to work in a house of prostitution lead by the Yakuza, and who might be one of the Yakuza heads, but Kouga. Funny and dramatic, but more innocent than you think ^_~.
Dramatic, tragic, and cute at once. I look forward to more.
GOOD MORNING CALL
Takasuka Yue - (Ohisama Company, Sakuragaoka Angels, Ue wo Muite Aruko)
Yoshikawa Nao has one more semester until middle school graduation, so when her parents move out to the country to take over her grandfather's farm, she convinces them to let her live by herself in an apartment closer to her school. But when she arrives, it turns out the real estate agency rented it out to both her and Uehara Hisashi, the most popular guy in her school, for half the actual rental fee each and then left town. With nowhere else to go, their life of cohabitation begins.
A great and lighthearted shoujo romance/comedy manga! Right there you should probably know if you'll like it or not. Anyway, the art is fairly standard, but decent enough. The character design is also pretty standard, and sometimes it's hard to tell the main character and a few of the minor characters apart, but it's not much of an issue. Anyway, a fun read.
GOONG
Park So Hee
*If the prince of Korea suddenly transfered to your school and you overheard him proposing to another girl, how would you react being told you have to marry him?
A pretty good drama. Don't always care for the art, but it's a good read.
G-SENJOU HEAVEN'S DOOR
Nihonbashi Yoko - Ikioku, Flowers
A strange dramatic manga about two young manga artists with more issues (not the printed kind) than you can shake a screen tone at.
Good so far, but I'll have to see where it goes from here.
HAIBANE RENMEI
Abe Yoshitoshi - (Essence, NieA _7)
These are (some of?) the original doujinshi that later became the basis for the "Haibane Renmei" anime. Some are just collections of concept sketches, some are parts of the Old Home story, some are funny little 4-komas.
Well, Haibane Renmei is one of my favorite animes, so I think these are pretty cool. The artwork alone is amazing, but these also contain some humor and little tidbits of information to flesh out the Haibane's world, as well as giving insight into the development process. If you've seen the anime, definitely check these out. If not, definitely go see the anime, then check these out. ;p
HAPPY WORLD
Takeshita Kenjirou
After 3 days of pure bad luck, beginning with his house burning down, Oomura Takeshi is visited by an angel, Elle, who tells him that he has been chosen as the one person who will receive only bad luck, and she is here to protect him from it.
A pretty entertaining comedy/pseudo-harem/pseudo-romance manga. Good art, characters, comic timing, etc. Check out the OAV's too; in fact I'd probably recommend watching them first.
HAYATE THE COMBAT BUTLER
Hata Kenjirou
*Hayate Ayasaki, 15, world's fastest delivery boy. Currently working because his parents are unemployed. After his boss finds out that he's under the minimum age requirements, he gets fired... and his paycheck goes to his parents. To his dismay, they spent it all in the casinos, and racked up an incredible debt, which then leads to him being chased by the Yakuza, because his parents sold his organs to them. Not knowing what to do, he comes up with a plan to pay off the debt - a plan that involved kidnapping a young girl all alone in the park. After a series of events, he ends up being this girl's butler. This is the story of a butler's love, sweat and blood!
Silliness and parodies and misunderstandings... what more could you ask for?
HE IS MY MASTER
Mattsuu, Tsubaki Asu
A perverted, lonely rich kid whose parents have died and left him everything hires three cute live-in maids. Hilarity and fanservice ensue.
Well, it's contrived and riddled with fanservice, but it's not without a heart and the art is good. It's also pretty funny. So go read it. And watch out for alligators.
HIME-CHAN NO RIBON
Mizusawa Megumi - (Caramel Diary, Kami-sama no Orgel, Toe Shoes)
Himeko-chan is a tomboy. One day she is visited by a princess that looks just like her from the world of magic, who gives her a ribbon that lets her transform into anyone for one hour. And so begin her adventures as a magical girl.
Pretty entertaining little manga. Recommended if you like/can tolerate shoujo magical girl manga.
HISTORY'S STRONGEST DISCIPLE KENICHI
Matsuena Syun
Throughout middle school and probably even before that, Shirahama Kenichi was bullied constantly. After entering high school, he immediately joined the karate club so he could become stronger and protect himself... but his club senpais just use him as a punching back and make him clean the floors. One month after school began, he meets an innocent-looking girl named Miu, and through circumstances the two become friends. But sometimes Miu's habits seem no different than an assassin's...
An entertaining but fairly predictable comedy/martial arts manga. The art is probably a little weak, but it doesn't hurt to look at it or anything (especially with Miu wearing seemingly painted-on clothing half the time ¬_¬). The action so far isn't too interesting, but it may develop more later. I think the main point is the comedy.
HITSUJI NO UTA
Toume Kei - Acony, Fuguruma Memories, Kurogane, Luno, Sing "Yesterday" For Me, The Hour of the Mice
Since age 3, when his mother died, Kazuna has lived with his adoptive parents, thinking himself fairly normal. But after blacking out at the sight of blood a few times and being reunited with the sister he'd forgotten he had, he discovers that his family has a history of vampirism and that his symptoms were simply late in awakening.
A somewhat dark manga that's nevertheless a very good read. Scanned directly from the TokyoPop version, so if you enjoy it, please consider buying it as they did a pretty good job.
HONEY & CLOVER
Umino Chica
"A six-jou room, plus a 3-jou kitchen. No shower. A ten-minute walk to the university. Standing for 25 years. Rent 38,000 yen. None of the rooms are sound-proofed. All of the rooms are occupied by students. It faces east. The morning sunlight is blinding. I was accepted into an art university, so I moved to Tokyo. But was surprised by all the fields that surrounded the campus... Surprised by the horrible taste of my own cooking... Surprised by the price of public baths... Surprised by the amount of homework we were assigned... But now, everything's a part of the daily routine."
Love and silliness and everyday life at a small art university. Great characters, great mood, story, humor, timing, pace... a really nice manga so far. The anime is completely awesome as well.
HONEY BUNNY
Ikuemi Ryo
*A story of unrequited love and alien possesion! Chiyo, a homely high school girl, hates the handsome Tsubaki for his cruel ways, but she can't help but have a crush on him at the same time. Pushed to the breaking point, she prays for him to go away, and that's just what happens. But where does alien possesion fit into all of this? Read and find out. This is a shoujo manga like no other!
At first I wasn't crazy about this one, but I stuck around 'til it finished, and I ended up liking it.
HOT BLOODED WOMAN
Hwang Mi Ri
Bullied by her older brothers, Ha Li Kang resolved to become strong, and through hard work became the leader of a biker gang. But then she got in an accident, and a death god mistakenly ends her life. While trying to sort out the mixup, Hwa Li ends up in the body of a comatose girl, Aram Han. Stuck in a weak body and a target for a group of bullies, what will Ha Li do?
Decent series, from what I've read.
HOTMAN
Kitagawa Shou - (Chinatsu no Uta, Nineteen)
Former gang leader Takaya Enzo, now a teacher, raises his step-siblings and his 5-year old alleged daughter, who was left on his doorstep.
A kinda weird but enjoyable drama.
HOT MILK
Nagatomo Kenji
Fumioshi Saruno gets hired to protect the young heiress to a really big and possibly shady corporation. Unfortunately for him, she's dedicated to helping as many people as she can, no matter the danger or trouble. At least she's cute, though. A 2-volume light action-comedy.
This is a very enjoyable little story with nice characters and very good interaction between them. It's mostly episodic in nature, so you won't ever get bored, especially since it's only 2 volumes. The storytelling is light and fast-paced with a lot of comedy and slapstick to keep it moving. The art is pretty good. I think this might've been the first series I completed, incidentally.
HUNTER X HUNTER
Togashi Yoshihiro - Level E, (Yu Yu Hakusho)
This is the story of Gon Freaks, who sets off from his quiet little island town to become a "hunter" and find his father, the legendary hunter Jin. Along the way, he faces many trials and makes some friends.
Well, this is an alright story with interesting battles and a large cast of so-so characters. The story unfolds rather slowly, but it holds interest well enough. The art is decent. The main point is the battles.
HYAKKIYAKOU SHOU
Ima Ichiko - (Adult's Problem, Suna no Ue no Rakuen)
Various stories about paranormal events surrounding Ritsu, a guy who can see spirits.
The synopsis may sound kinda generic, but the manga itself is pretty interesting. It reads more like a series of one-shots with a common viewpoint than a sequential, protagonist-centric serial. Maybe something like Mushishi?
HYAKUMAN TSUBU NO NAMIDA
Yuana Kazumi - Sorayume no Uta, (Fukai Nemuri no Hana)
*Hiromu leads a normal life in his normal high school, with friends, a girlfriend, and everything a boy could want. Then one morning, during his gym class, he ask about Tetsuya. Hiromu can't seem to find Tetsuya anywhere. Yet, no matter who he asks, no one seems to know who is he talking about. Then he finally meets someone who remembers Tetsuya, yet the strange boy only says that Tetsuya was "delicious!". What's going on, and why does this mysterious boy think that Hiromu's real name is Glorious Lily?
A strange yet oddly fascinating story of those who devour entire existences in order to live forever. Interesting art. Slow-paced but not boring. Not really any action or comedy, just plain storytelling. Can't really think of anything to compare it to.
I''s
Katsura Masakazu - Video Girl Ai (DNA^2, Iria-Zeiram the Animation (Character Design), Zetman, etc.)
Well done romance story with a fairly standard (and thus unimportant) setup.
Hmmm... it's good, it's complete. If you like this kinda thing, go read it.
I'M DOUSHIROU
Nishimori Hiroyuki - Kyou Kara Ore wa, (Tenshi na Konamaiki)
*What would happen if you took a normal Japanese kid, flew him to Nevada, and then raised him on stories of feudal Japan? I'm Doushirou would happen. Now Doushirou is back in Japan and is facing the difference between what he's been told all his life and what his own eyes and ears are telling him.
Weird and amusing.
ICHIGEKI SACCHUU!! HOIHOI-SAN
Tanaka Kunihiko - (Key the Metal Idol (anime-character design), Ruin Explorers)
In the future, bugs have overcome all current forms of pesticides, and so a Japanese company has developed and released a series of tiny, heavily-armed robots to serve as exterminators. The series follows Aburatsubo, the somewhat obsessive owner of a Hoihoi-san, who seems to funnel most of his income into accessories and clothing for his interceptor doll.
I guess I can see this being something of a niche manga, but personally I love it. It's got a kind of crazy, pointless sense of humor and Hoihoi-san is both adorable and creepy at the same time.
ICHIGO 100%
Kawashita Mizuki - Kaede Typhoon, Lilim Kiss, (Akane-chan Overdrive)
Third-year middle school student and aspiring filmmaker Manaka Junpei goes up to the roof of his school building one day after school to see the view, but instead gets an eyeful of strawberry-patterned panties as a beautiful girl he's never seen before falls from above the doorway. She runs away immediately, and Junpei becomes obsessed with finding out who the girl was so he can film a scene just like the one on the roof. As the series progresses, a lot of girls fall for him in standard harem manga fashion, and of course he's torn over the decision.
Well, like I said it's a pretty standard harem manga, but the art and character designs are really nice and while the story is fairly predictable, it's hard not to care on at least some level. And who doesn't like strawberry-patterned pantsu? ^_^v Anyway, the story is decent if you can stand the cliches of harem manga. Heh. Pantsu. Heheh.
ICHIGO MASHIMARO
Barasui
Everyday antics of five girls, aged 12-16.
Hmmm... nice little episodic manga. Great and very expressive art. Amusing and familiar characters. Actually, perhaps a bit too familiar; some parts seem to be almost intentional ripoffs of Azumanga Daioh. But at other times it's original enough and whether it's being original or not, it's always entertaining. I had some issues with telling some of the characters apart early on. Don't worry, that gets fixed. So bear with it (those first few chapters made me decide not to read it the first time around; a lot of the humor is lost when you're spending all the time trying to figure out who's who). Anyway, an enjoyable manga with a good ear for those everyday conversations and some good art for the lolicon in all of us.
II HITO
Takahashi Shin - Sayonara Papa, Kimi no Kakera, Saishuuheiki Kanojo (SaiKano), (Suki ni Naru Hito, Love Song 2002, etc)
"Ii hito" would literally translate to something like "a good person," and that's exactly what this story is about; it tells the story of Kitano Yuji, a simple, hardworking, kind, painfully honest man whose dream is to sell shoes. Follow him as he deals straightforwardly with this treacherous world and affects those around him by his deeds.
A refreshing and entertaining series. Also see Sayonara Papa, as the two stories share many characters (Ii Hito comes first).
IMADOKI!
Watase Yuu - Alice 19th, Appare Jipangu!, Zettai Kareshi, (Ayashi no Ceres, Fushigi Yuugi, and others)
*Yamazaki Tanpopo is a girl with a dream of attending a high school in Tokyo. Yet when her dream comes true and the famous Meio High accepts her, all isn't what it seems. Students are sorted only by family connections and wealth, meaning friends are nowhere to be found. Taking matters into her own hands, she starts a gardening club. As the year progresses Tanpopo gains what she's wanted (maybe even more) and one by one, people weave into her life in a way that'll change her life forever.
A pretty good shoujo romance. If you've read anything by Watase Yuu, you should pretty much know what to expect. This is probably my favorite manga of hers that I've read, though, so make of that what you will. Anyway, enjoy.
INU NEKO JUMP
Hattori Mitsuru
*Ever since middle school, Ozu Takahiro was famous in the world of track and field as the “long jump specialist." But after losing his final competition in high school, he hung up his track shoes for good. Now in college, having taken up smoking, he just wants to get a girlfriend and lead a normal student life. Watsuki Noriko has had a crush on Takahiro since she first saw him jump and wants him to join the college track team so she can get close to him. Hoguchi “The Headphone Girl" Yuki, a high school student who likes to hang out at the university, claims Takahiro took her virginity 13 years ago when he was in kindergarten. She considers him her property to do with as she pleases. Throw in a full cast of zany and unique characters, sprinkle with fan service, and you have the world of Inu Neko Jump.
"Track and field love comedy" that's a little perverted but still a good read, I suppose. Nice art, characters, and story. Still not far into it though, so we'll see how it goes as more is translated.
IO
Koio Minato - Ringo
*Nakabaru Taiyo came to Okinawa in the pursuit of beautiful ladies and the blue sea... But while trying to hit on a cute girl, she told him that her mother hated him... And then a wonderful story of scuba diving, beautiful women and adventure begins!
This is kinda a paranormal/drama/romance/adventure manga. The cover art and first few pages seemed a bit odd, but it quickly goes to a more familiar style and I got used to the story's pace fairly quickly. Overall, a good read if you don't need lots of action or fast plot or hilarious comedy or overt fanservice.
JINRUI NEKOKA
Mizutani Naoki
*The basic story: a high school student (Nanase Hokuto) living away from his parents (who are in Australia) shares an apartment house with three older girls. His exposure to their whimsical and teasing nature leaves him pretty much despising females. However, the high-school idol (Taniyama Maina) ends up having a crush on him. Her best friend is Nakajima Atsumi, your typical sukeban. Hokuto's best friend, Moriyama Syuuichirou, is the young-punk biker. These two friends conspire to hook Hokuto up with Maina, much to Maina's delight and Hokuto's chagrin. Into this setting we interject the jealousy of the rest of the high school, a female rival for Hokuto's attention, a number of fights, the inevitable parents recalling Hokuto, and Maina threatening to run away from home. We could go on, but pretty much everything is in here.
A fun, old-school shounen high school romance/comedy. The scanslators are kinda stalled at the moment for lack of translators, but hopefully the second (final) volume should get finished before too long.
JIRAISHIN
Takahashi Tsutomu - Dead Flowers
*Tsutomu Takahashi's first manga, Jiraishin is a cop drama which ran in Afternoon KC.. it revolves around our hero, Kyoya ,who's a very cold, hard cop. In a bleak, gritty representation of Shinjuku, Kyouya doesn't take any crap from anyone, and he doesn't waste his time suffering fools. He just deals with the case getting closed and the bad guy getting what he deserves. He'll put his job above just about everything else in his life, it seems. He's not exactly popular amongst his superiors, but he's known for being the best detective around, so they'll put up with his somewhat caustic attitude.
Well, the main character's about as interesting and deep as a sheet of cardboard, and there's not much in the way of ongoing plot or character development, but it does its job as an episodic action/thriller. Note that while it says it's licensed up there, what's available in the US is a hacked-apart version of a few of the early volumes, under the name "Ice Blade." There don't seem to be plans for a proper stateside release.
JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE
Araki Hirohiko - (BAOH, Steel Ball Run)
This is an epic tale of the Joestar bloodline's struggle against nigh-unkillable vampires and their hordes of undead minions, divided into 3 parts translated when I wrote this.
At first I didn't really see anything great about this manga. The art style is very detailed and unconventional for a manga. The characters and setting aren't typical manga fare, and seem rather uncool at first. And the story takes quite a while to get anywhere. But once it gets going, this is a top-notch action manga, and it especially picks up in Part Two, I think. At first it seems to have a standard action style featuring battles of strength and endurance and guts, but much more than that the battles in JBA are battles of wits, and the various turns and double-takes of the battles are very entertaining, even causing me to laugh out loud on several occasions as the brilliance hit me. The characters at first seem rather boring, but they gain dimension and personality as the series progresses. But don't expect there to be a lot of drama or comedy or narrative depth to this; at its heart it's still a straight-up action manga, it simply does that very well.
KAEDE TYPHOON
Kawashita Mizuki - Ichigo 100%, Lilim Kiss, (Akane-chan Overdrive)
A young ninja girl searches for a man stronger than her that she can marry, according to the rules of her clan. But as she meets Yuusuke and gets to know him, she finds that love doesn't always follow rules or expectations. And thus the two have to deal with her family and the assassins sent by her fiance.
A one-volume manga pretty typical of this mangaka... great art and character designs, decent setup, some humor, some fanservice, and a somewhat anticlimactic and incomplete ending. To be honest it took me a long time to finally decide to keep it, and it was a close decision, but the fact that I did keep it should tell you that overall I think it's probably worth reading.
KAGEN NO TSUKI
Yazawa Ai - Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai, (Gokinjo Monogatari, Kaze ni nare, NANA, Paradise Kiss)
*Mizuki is a girl who wants to run away from her life. As she smiles at everything sad that happens to her, her soul becomes heavier day by day. Her escape door is Adam, an English singer. But is he really real, or is everything they've been through just a dream? Adam sees his dead Japanese girlfriend in Mizuki, but strangely, nobody, apart from a girl who met her at the gates of heaven, can see Mizuki. This is a story that takes place somewhere between dream and reality.
Weird and rather slow, but interesting enough. Probably won't be most people's cup of tea.
KAGETORA
Segami Akira
Kagetora is a ninja. His assignment: protect the cute but klutzy princess of the powerful Toudou family and teach her the martial arts. And so he goes under cover as a student at her high school, and hilarity ensues. But dang, she's cute... Can Kagetora keep his mind on his mission and carry it out like a good little ninja?
Ninjas! This is a really good, if predictable, action/comedy manga... Sure, there's nothing here we haven't seen before, but it's just executed so well that I can't help but like it. The art and character design are appealing, and the episodic storytelling is nothing fancy but very competent. There's quite a bit of comedy, mostly slapstickish stuff. There've been a few fights so far, well done but nothing spectacular. The character interaction is really good, if sometimes a bit overdone. Mostly though, there's just something about it that makes you smile while reading it. And Yuki-hime is cute. Hmmmm... maybe there's a connection here...
KAGUYA HIME
Shimizu Reiko - (22xx, Milky Way, Papillon, Tsuki no Ko, Wild Cats)
*On Kabuchi-jima, an island ruled by Princess Kaguya, 10 children were raised as sacrificial victims. While they were still in that island, Akira, Yui, and Midori became good friends. They accomplished a death-defying escape and went on to lead separate lives... until the other children who escaped with them started to die mysteriously. To rid themselves of the fear of death and to escape from their various unhappy lives, the 10 children return to Kabuchi-jima through a camp run by an underground American military base.
Not bad so far.
KAJIKA
Toriyama Akira - Dragon Ball, (Dr. Slump, Sandland, and many more)
The second project by Toriyama Akira after he finished DragonBall. A strange boy with special powers tries to rid himself of a fox's curse by doing good deeds. And stuff.
Well, while the 1-volume length of this manga is a surprise considering its source, the plot, style, and characters will all seem very familiar to fans of DragonBall. So right there you should be able to tell if you'll like it or not.
KAKUMEI NO HI
Tsuda Mikiyo - (Family Complex, Princess Princess)
Yoshimura Kei is quite troubled by the fact that he hasn't been growing, and that everyone teases him because of his cute face. To make matters worse, lately he hasn't been feeling very well. One day he collapses, and the doctor tells him that he is actually a girl. And so, he drops out of school for half a year for surgical procedures and to learn how to be a girl. And so as the new school year begins, she starts her new life as high school first year Yoshimura Megumi.
An unusual but surprisingly good manga.
KAMICHAMA KARIN
Donbo Koge - (Tiny Snow Fairy Sugar (character design, creator), Di Gi Charat, Pita Ten)
*Kamichama Karin is a story about a girl, Karin who's just like any ordinary girl; bad with studies, bad in sport, and keep forgetting things. After her parent died, she live with her aunt and her cat, Shii-chan . But after Shii-chan died one day, she's felt that her world tear apart. Later, she met a boy and a girl who claim her a God, and a mysterious group who's after her power. What will happen to her? And why is she claimed to be a God? Join this yet another uberly cute manga from the creator of Pita Ten.
Good stuffs if you like magical girl manga. I'll be watching it with interest.
KAMICHU!
Besame Mucho / Uon Taraku - (TV: Character Design: Onegai Teacher/Twins, R.O.D. OAV+TV) / Hanaharu Naruko
Yesterday, Hitotsubashi Yurie became a god. She's not really sure what kind of god yet, but she's got more important things to worry about, because middle school is hard enough as it is!
Really cute and enjoyable, much like the anime. Recommended.
KAMIKAZE KAITOU JEANNE
Tanemura Arina - Full Moon wo Sagashite, Shinshi Doumei Cross, (Ion, Time Stranger Kyoko)
*Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne is a 7-volume "mahou shoujo" manga series by Tanemura Arina that was also turned into a 44-episode anime. The story revolves around a young girl named Kusakabe Maron, who is a high school student by day and the mysterious thief Jeanne at night. As the incarnation of Joan (pronounced Jeanne here) of Arc, she's doing her best to fight the demons who are plotting against God, as she "steals" objects to seal the demons away. However, she struggles with her own demons everyday, because not only is her best friend unwittingly trying to capture her alter ego, but her parents have left her alone in the world. And to complicate matters, a rival has entered!--the mysterious and handsome Kaitou Sinbad...
*Shrug* I'll get around to seeing if it's good one of these days...
KAMISAMA NO TSUKURIKATA
Takada Shinichiroh - Sirius no Kizuato
Koharu is destined to be the goddess who will defeat the evil and powerful Yusemi. To this end, she has been locked in the Goddess Palace for the first 15 years of her life along with the 800 women who serve and train her. But after hearing that she'll probably need at least another 20 years of training to defeat Yusemi, she decides that this time, she definitely must escape and see not only the outside world, but more importantly, men! And so she does. Thus begins the goddess' adventures in the outside world.
A pretty good action/comedy/light drama. Not too far into it yet, but I expect it to continue at more or less the same pace and style.
KANA
Tamegai Tohru / Sagara Naoya
One night, Abe Yuuji saw a strange girl staring at him in the otherwise deserted train station. He talked to her. Her name was Kana. As he would later discover in their future meetings, she was a half-demon. And she lived in a world far beyond Yuuji's comprehension, of mythical creatures and an evil organization that wants to control Kana's power at any cost.
Well, so far I must say this is an excellent manga. Great art, characters, story, just all around great. End of series edit: Well, after waiting over a year for the end of it, I gotta say I'm a little disappointed. It seems it was probably cancelled prematurely with little notice, as there's no hint of the end until the last chapter where it kinda fastforwards and leaves you with mostly hints of what was supposed to come after. I've seen weaker endings, but rarely on something with so much potential.
KANNA
Kirishima Takeru
*Sagaki is an average guy who is retaking his exams. He works in a restaurant in the day and goes to cram school at night. He has a boss that gets on him about working harder and he's got coworkers who are cordial with him. But Sagaki keeps having these weird dreams... Its about this little girl and she's always looking for her father. The thing is, the little girl looks too much like someone from Sagaki's past. But it couldn't be her... could it? And who's this person beside him on the bed? Just who is this little girl? What's her connection with Sagaki? Why are there people after her? And where is this father she's looking for?
Not very far into it, but it seems to have great potential. Nice art and character designs, interesting characters, good pace and storytelling. I look forward to reading more.
KARE FIRST LOVE
Miyasaka Kaho - Binetsu Shoujo, (After School, Kiss in the Blue, Miseinen Lovers)
Well executed but fairly standard shoujo romance.
Hmmm... I suppose the synopsis says pretty much everything. Not quite sure what to think of it yet, so I guess I'll see how it develops.
KARESHI KANOJO NO JIJOU
Tsuda Masami - (Akai Mi, Meet Me Again Tomorrow in the Forest, The Tiger and the Chameleon - A Promise for One Week)
Miyazawa Yukino is an ego-maniac who struggles to become the best at everything so everyone will praise her. But her great life is disrupted by the appearance of a rival, Arima Souichiroo. When he becomes the center of everyone's attention, she trains furiously to defeat him. But her victory seems somehow hollow...
*Shrug* More later.
KARIN
Kagesaki Yuna
*Karin is not your normal high school student. Even among the members of her vampire family she is different. Instead of sucking blood, her blood multiplies! And ever since the transfer student Usui Kenta showed up her school life has been turned upside-down. Why is it that whenever she gets near him her heartbeat goes crazy? A vampire romantic comedy that's sure to make you laugh!
The synopsis doesn't really do it justice, but ah well... a cute, funny manga with likeable characters, adorable art, and a good sense of humor. If that sounds like your thing, go read it!
KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN
Amano Akira
*Katekyo Hitman Reborn is a comedy manga about a boy who is chosen to become a mafia boss. He unwillingly undergoes training from Reborn, an assassin from Italy. Reborn's main instrument of choice in teaching Tsuna is the 'dying will bullet' which will make the person be reborn as a stronger self intent on fulfilling his dying will. This manga has guns and babies, what more could you ask for?
A funny series with good art and a lot of weird characters.
KASHIMASHI ~GIRL MEETS GIRL~
Akahori Satoru / Katsura Yukimaru
*Hazumu confessed his love to Yasuna, but she turned down him. To ease his heartbreak, he went to Mt. Kashimayama where he had met her first. He lost his way in the mountain, and it got dark. He saw a big shooting star, and when he began to wish, he found something was wrong. It wasn’t a shooting star, but it was a falling space ship. He was involved in the crash. He managed to survive by the help of the alien. However, he became a girl due to the accident during the reconstruction of his body.
Shoujo-ai with a built-in excuse! It doesn't get much better than that.
KATSU
Adachi Mitsuru - Niji-Iro Togarashi, Shindo, (Cross Game, H2, Jinbe, Miyuki, Nine, Rough, Touch, etc.)
Sayotama Katsuki joins a boxing gym to get closer to the gym owner's daughter, Mizutani Katsuki, the girl he likes. Unfortunately it turns out that because of her father, Katsuki hates boxing and anyone who boxes. But the gym fees can't be refunded, so eventually Katsu decides to stick it out, and a lot of stuff happens along the way.
Hmmm... Considering the subject matter, it's surprisingly good. More character-centered than most sports manga I've read, but not by a lot, so it's still just decent. I also found that Adachi (the mangaka) was often a little too self-indulgent, constantly breaking the fourth wall and making references to Katsu as a manga and to Adachi's other works. I dunno.
KEKKAISHI
Tanabe Yellow
Sumimura Yoshimori, successor to the Sumimura clan's magical barrier arts, fights spirits at night to protect Karasumori, a place of mysterious power and dark secrets.
Starts okay and gets progressively better. Good action series.
KILICO
Kiba Koichi
*Detective Akira Yusa sees his brother Shinichi killed before his very eyes. He spots a young girl, Kilico Sakaki, at the scene of the crime and instinctively knows that she did it. After a bloody fight, Akira arrests her. Trained as a professional assassin by her stepfather, Toshio Sakaki, in everyday life, Kilico acts like an ordinary college student. Her arrest is treated as a mistake when she manages to hide all evidence of Shinichi's murder. Akira's subsequent investigation of Kilico runs into difficulty when he finds that it's too big for a police detective to handle. Her encounter with Akira makes Kilico remember her terrible past and have doubts about being an assassin. Kilico goes to Taiwan to train as a jewel connoisseur, the Sakaki family's legitimate business, behind which they hide all their illegitimate business. Fired for taking his investigation too far, Akira follows Kilico to Taiwan.[...]
Well, it's got some good action and some interesting twists. Most of the time I had no idea why the characters did what they did, and the ending was somewhat anticlimactic, but overall I think I enjoyed it.
KIMAGURE ORANGE ROAD
Matsumoto Izumi
Kasuga Kyousuke has just moved to a new town with his family for the seventh time after it was discovered again that they are ESPers. Shortly after moving in, he meets a strange delinquent girl who later turns out to be in his class. And so begins this strange love story.
Well, I suppose it's considered to be something of a classic. And it is a pretty nice little manga, I suppose. Just prolly a little overrated.
KIMI NO KAKERA
Takahashi Shin - Sayonara Papa, Ii Hito, Saishuuheiki Kanojo (SaiKano), (Suki ni Naru Hito, Love Song 2002, etc)
*Kimi no Kakera (Pieces of You) is the newest manga by Takahashi Shin (of SaiKano fame). It follows two children as they search for the sun and themselves. Really good story, btw. We don't see storytelling of this caliber in shounen series very often.
Only read one chapter so far, but it certainly has promise... I'll be watching it closely.
KIMI NO KOKORO, BOKU NO KOKORO
Miyauchi Saya - Akkan Baby, Eien no With, Naked
*KimiBoku is a series about dog therapists -- people who train dogs for hospital visits to help patients recover -- and their dog partners, or therapy dogs. *Note: This series is still running in Japan (with a slow release rate), and as the first volume has only 2 chapters which are almost like stories in themselves (yet they're related as a whole), at this point it's reeeaaally hard to say what direction the manga is heading in, so I apologize for an incomplete synopsis. I still greatly urge you to read this series, though, as it's off to a very wonderful start. >.> A more thorough summary will be up once I get volume 2... Sorry. -- Tsuki
Miyauchi's kinda an animal nut, huh? Ah well, it's good, so I suppose that's okay.
KIMI SHIKA IRANAI
Yoshizumi Wataru - Random Walk, Ultra Maniac, (Datte Suki Nandamon, Marmalade Boy, Mint na Bokura, etc.)
*Kimi Shika follows the story of 16-year-old Totoki Atsumu in his attempt to win over the first and only girl he's ever liked, Kurihara Akane. That would be simple, if it wasn't for Akane's unusual past.
Hmmm... a pretty good shoujo romance/drama. It seemed a bit short and rushed at times, but it's not a deal breaker. It just would've been interesting to see how it would've turned out had the mangaka not cut it's length because she needed a break. Good art, good characters, etc. It's pretty complex for the length. Anyway, a good read if you like shoujo dramas.
KIMI WA PET
Ogawa Yayoi - Baby Pop, Candy Life, Extra Heavy Syrup
*On top of being sexually harrassed by her boss, demoted and dumped by her fiancee for his pregnant mistress, Sumire finds a homeless boy on the street. In an attempt to scare him off, she offers to take him in as a pet and he gladly accepts.
Hmm... not much to say. It's good. Oh, and for now I've thrown Candy Life in with Kimi wa Pet, 'cause I haven't yet decided if it deserves its own spot, and it ties in loosely with the story/characters of KwP.
KING OF THORNS
Iwahara Yuji - Koudelka, Chikyu Misaki
A group of people infected by the mysterious cell-hardening disease "Medusa" enter cryo-suspension and awaken in a world that seems to have changed drastically. The facility in which they slept has been overrun by thorny vines and monsters, and it seems the disease is still progressing.
So far a pretty good action/light drama. Interesting characters. Good art. A good read so far.
KIRARA
Yui Toshiki - Boku no Futatsu no Tsubasa, (Kagome Kagome)
The day that Konpei and Kirara were to be married, Kirara died in a car accident on her way to the ceremony. Pleading with god to let her be with Konpei again, Kirara wakes up beside him... but he's still in High School before he met her and she's a ghost. Wacky hijinx ensue.
An entertaining enough paranormal love comedy, I guess. Art takes some getting used to. Overall, the writing is somewhat poor; the ending especially seemed very rushed and somewhat unsatisfying. But it has its moments, and a decent amount of fanservice, so I guess I'll hang on to it.
KISEIJUU
Iwaaki Hitoshi - (Historie)
One night Izumi Shinji was attacked by an apparently extra-terrestrial parasite that tried to take over his body, but only managed to invade his hand instead. Meanwhile, there have been a number of grisly murders in the area that seem like they could be connected to the same species as the the thing living in Shinji's hand.
A weird scifi series; the scenario is kind of a "Midori no Hibi goes horribly wrong." But it's different in every other aspect and not nearly as good. But it's still interesting enough.
KOI KAZE
Yoshida Motoi
Nanoka and Koshiro were separated at a young age when their parents divorced. Now, 10 years has passed, Koshiro has already forgotten about his younger sister. Yet, Nanoka has decided to attend the nearby high school and came back to live with her father and brother. However, the two have met just before Nanoka came back to live together and without knowing each other's real identity, they went on a date, only to find out that they were actually siblings...
A pretty good drama with nice art. The theme is kinda shaky territory, but it at least plays by the rules and doesn't resort to easy cop-outs.
KOI SURU PIANO
Matsuno Mika - Tsuki Iro Secret
*Nakaba used to play piano with her friend Haru, and they both enjoyed playing a song composed by Chopin, which then became their little secret piece. When Haru tranferred to another city, Nakaba decided to give up on piano because she thought that the notes were just some mere dots on the paper and it was just too hard to understand them. Six years later her childhood friend Haru comes back and moved to her school just to see her again. Despite knowing that Nakaba had stopped playing piano for years, he still wants to play their secret piece and practice in a duet wtih her. Unfortunately, as Nakaba realizes, it is not going to be like old times because Haru has changed and he doesn't seem so gentle like before. What will Nakaba do?
Honestly I don't remember much about it at the time I'm writing this, but it was a pretty nice shoujo short story.
KOIGOKORO FANTASIA
Mizuto Aqua - Milk Crown Series, Wanted, (Go! Virginal Hanayuuki, MY BOY MY LOVE, etc)
Kanata goes searching for her first love from 10 years ago. But as she gets lost easily, she enlists the aid of a boy from her class that she meets along the way...
Nice.
KOUDELKA
Iwahara Yuji - King of Thorns, Chikyu Misaki
*This manga is something of a side story to the Playstation game of the same name, though you don't have to have played the game to understand it. London, 1899: A girl with special powers runs away from the sanatorium, a hospital where she'd been kept. Her name is Koudelka, but that's all she remembers about herself. She meets up with a boy called Joshua, and together they flee from the agents of the sanatorium, who seem to be obsessed with her. Will Koudelka be able to escape from her pursuers, regain her memories, and discover the mystery that is her own power?
So far this seems to be a well-executed action/drama. One volume into it, it's still not entirely clear what's going on, but the plot and characters seem to have some depth to them. Anyway, I'll be watching this to see where it goes.
KOUKOU DEBUT
Kawahara Kazune - Ai no Tame ni, Sensei
*High school romance from the mangaka of 'Sensei!' Haruna Nagashima gave her all to softball in middle school, and now that she's made her high school debut she's decided to give her all for a new goal. Getting a boyfriend and falling in love! However, she has one small problem. Since she never paid any attention to fashion or trend in middle school she has no idea how to go about attracting her yet-to-be-found love. But a chance encounter with with Yoh Komiyama provides her with the opportunity she needs. If he coaches her in how to become attractive, surely she can find herself a boyfriend!
An entertaining shoujo romance comedy. It's late, so I can't think of much else to say. But it's good.
KUROGANE
Toume Kei - Acony, Fuguruma Memories, Hitsuji no Uta, Luno, Sing "Yesterday" For Me, The Hour of the Mice
*In medieval Japan, a samurai swordsman, Jintetsu, is resurrected and freed from hell by a brilliant scholar of forbidden western science. But Jintetsu has no memories, no home, no family and no friends. Alone in the world of the living, he is ambivalent about returning to the world of souls. Concerned only that his life is not lost without meaning, Jintetsu embarks on a solitary quest armed with his prized "talking" sword. This is the story of his adventures.
A pretty cool samurai story with a lot of style. Nice art with the signature Toume Kei sketchy quality to it, some nice action, and interesting characters. Not really sure where it's gonna go, but I bet it'll be interesting. Note: I'm leaving it listed as "still being scanslated," but it's being dropped after volume 3 because it's licensed.
KUROZAKURO
Yoshinori Natsume - Togari
*"I don't want to hurt other people... If someone has to be hurt, it's better if it's me..." Those are the words of pure-hearted high school student, Sakurai Mikito, who is gifted with fearful power by the mysterious child Zakuro. But who would have thought that power would be a portent of a transformation into a human-eating ogre! Now, a door leading to a dark fate, opens...
A fun if not completely original (at least initially) action series. Just don't forget your trusty +9...
KUROZUKA
Yumemakura Baku / Takashi Noguchi
*Escaping from a brother who had just ascended the throne, Yoshitsune, along with his servant, comes across a house in the middle of a desolate mountain. Oddly enough, only a young woman lives there, who seems to possess a very dark and ominous past.
A weird but pretty cool action manga that starts with a historical setting and characters and then veers off into crazy scifi stuff with vampires and mutants and cyborgs and a post-apocalyptic future. It takes a while to really see where it's going, especially since the story skips around in time at the beginning, but it doesn't really let you get bored while it gets there, so don't let that scare you off. Anyway, a "gritty" and violent fantasy/action story. Enjoy.
KYOU KARA ORE WA!!
Nishimori Hiroyuki - I'm Doushirou, (Tenshi na Konamaiki)
Two first-year delinquents take on their high school.
Crudely-drawn but still reasonably entertaining comedy. Oh, this is marked as an inactive project on the scanlator's page, so I don't know if they'll ever finish it.
LEVEL E
Togashi Yoshihiro - Hunter x Hunter, (Yu Yu Hakusho)
Currently, several hundred species of aliens inhabit and roam the Earth, and the only ones unaware of this are the earthlings... This is an account of mankind's early dealings with these extra-terrestrial life forms.
A delightfully twisted series of loosely connected stories, ranging from semi-horror to parodies of RPGs and power rangers, but all containing the same bizarre, dry wit. Highly recommended.
LILIM KISS
Kawashita Mizuki - Ichigo 100%, Kaede Typhoon, (Akane-chan Overdrive)
Takaya Saiki unwittingly releases the seal on a necklace containing a succubus. She convinces him to let her stay at his house instead of sealing her up again, but as time goes on he starts to wonder if she sees him more as food than a boyfriend.
A mostly light and fanservice-filled comedy/romance, I guess. Nice art and character designs. At two volumes, the plot may seem a little short and predictable, but it's still good. Overall, a very enjoyable manga.
LIVING GAME
Hoshisato Mochiru
*This story takes place in Tokyo. A young man Fuwa-san is having trouble finding a place to rent. Just as he rents a new flat, the company he is working for moves in and make his flat look like an office. He is really angry about this, but then suddenly a new worker arrives. She is Izumi-chan a 15 year old girl with no place to stay, so she has to live with Fuwa-san in his flat-office. And this is where all the fun and romance begins...
Excellent light romance/drama/slice-of-life. Highly recommended.
LOVE CATALOGUE
Nagata Masami
*Hanamoto Mika is a shy, self-conscious 17-year-old-girl who wants very much to love and be loved. Hopelessly superstitious and unhappy with her current self, Mika tries to find answers and guidance to her life through fortune-telling and romance magazines. When the boy of her dreams showed up, Mika decided to take destiny into her own hands and make her dreams reality. Thus begins her sweet and wacky journey of romance! A delightful story about friendship, family, teenage life and, of course, romance!
Well, not much has been translated so far, but what's there is very good. Looking forward to more.
LOVE CELEB
Shinjo Mayu - Love Strip
*Nakazono Kirara is an aspiring starlet. She used to think she'd do whatever it took to get a starring role in a drama and have a CD. But her manager, Hanamaki, proves her wrong when he sends her into a room full of horny producers to sleep her way into a role! Kirara wants no part of it! She's a virgin, and these guys are scary!! Especially the silver-haired one named Gin... He seems to be in charge. But he lets Kirara leave the party with her virginity and his phone number, and it seems like nothing lost, nothing gained... until Kirara is suddenly the most famous new starlet for no apparent reason!?
Ecchi and entertaining. I like it.
LOVE HINA
Akamatsu Ken - Mahou Sensei Negima, (A.I. Love You, Itsudatte My Santa, Rikujyou Bouei Tai Mao-chan)
Urashima Keitaro has failed the entrance exams for Toudai (Tokyo University) for the second year in a row, delaying his promise to a girl 15 years earlier that they would go to there together. His parents have kicked him out. And so he heads to his grandmother's inn for a place to stay, unaware that it's now an all girl's dormitory.
A classic romance/comedy that's just great all around. Go read it. Or watch the anime. Or both!
LOVE LETTER
Asada Jiro / Nagayasu Takumi
*Goro just got out from jail, but a police officer wants to talk to him right away. He announces to him that Goro's wife is dead and that he has to go to Chiba and take her body. Goro has no recollection of having a wife, but then he remembers he married a Chinese woman a long time ago. He married her for the money, and she married him because she needed a Japanese visa to work. In fact, she's a prostitute who came to Japan hoping to find better life. At first, Goro can't be bothered by this situation, but he goes to Chiba just because he can earn a lot of money. Later on, during his trip, Goro finds a letter she wrote him and through it he discovers the pure person that lies beneath this common prostitute. She is a woman of such kindness and love that Goro is moved to learn something about the woman he married. With those few words of love and tenderness, he understands her fears, her goals, and her hopes for the future -- a future that he knows will never come.
Interesting. Not particularly enjoyable on a normal level, but interesting nonetheless. Note that this doesn't mean it was an unpleasant read either, just different. Technically well done. That's about all I've got to say.
LOVE MONSTER
Miyagi Riko
*After failing the entrance exams to her school of choice, Osora Hiyo gets an acceptance letter from SM Academy. But she didn't even apply or take its exam! When she arrives, there's something amiss -- all the students are... monsters!? And the head of the student council says he's her fiancé right before he sprouts giant black wings! What strange fate brought Osora to SM Academy, and what supernatural fate awaits her after this!?
Hmm... I'm not feeling very talkative (writeative?) at the moment, so I'ma just let this one speak for itself.
LOVE ROMA
Toyoda Minoru
*Most romance stories (not just manga) fall into two basic categories:
*1) The story is entirely about the "chase", as it were -- as soon as the characters get together, it's the end of the story and we're supposed to imagine that they live happily ever after. This is the way most romance-themed manga seem to work, where most of the plot is in the difficulty of the pair getting together.
*2) The second type of story relies on a lot of melodrama, soap-opera type love triangles, betrayals, cheating, etc. to keep things interesting. The constant threat of breakup hangs over the pair even if the story is ultimately about their successful get-together.
*Rabu Roma (Love Romance) is neither of these stories. One day, a student named Hoshino comes up to another student named Negishi and announces that he likes her and wants to go out with her. The story follows their developing relationship without resorting to cheesy melodrama, harems, or any of the usual manga plot devices. The stories are about fairly mundane events -- first date, first kiss, first fight, etc., but the mangaka is very skillful at making these seem interesting (or perhaps the mudane automatically seems interesting because it's different from what we usually expect out of this kind of story).
*The main theme of the manga seems to be the idea that "honesty is the best policy" -- Hoshino first asks out Negishi because he was convinced that everything would be fine if he would just tell the truth. Her initial reaction is "no", but he responds that he likes how her response is so clear. All throughout the series the same idea seems to come up -- just communicate your feelings and everything works out OK. This also goes against the usual romance manga plot device of nobody telling anyone else how they really feel until it comes out in some embarassing or melodramatic manner.
*The art is a little odd and may take some getting used to, but overall I think it works well -- the art is a bit quirky, like the story.
I pretty much agree with the review up there. It kinda reminds me a bit of Narue no Sekai, sans space ninjas and other scifi trappings. So far, a very enjoyable manga with a unique style. Also pretty funny.
LOVE STRIP
Shinjo Mayu - Love Celeb
*Yuuko is in her third year in Junior High (freshman in high school in US). She is a glasses wearing... four eyed nerd. She's suddenly getting tutoring from perfect Ryuunosuke-kun, but that is not the only thing that Yuuko is getting tutoring for... Yuuko's dangerous summer hoilday is about to begin!
Short, funny, and ecchi.
LOVELY COMPLEX
Nakahara Aya - (HANADA, Love! Love! Love!)
*Koizumi Risa, current height 170 cm. Her surname is translated to "small river". A girl taller than most other girls her age. Otani Atsushi, current height 156 cm. His surname is translated to "big valley". A guy way below the average height of a highschool boy. They're both known all around school as the comedian duo for looking like nothing but funny while standing beside each other. Due to this fact, they've been on one another's bad side ever since they first met. One day, a new transfer student shows up and he happens to be very tall! Koizumi immediately gets interested in this boy and Otani suddenly proposes a silly idea to Koizumi. The idea is that they are to help each other out to get their respective love interests by all means! Koizumi undoubtedly agrees to this but as in all other shoujo mangas, things never turn out the way people want it to.
Cute.
LUCULUCU
Asari Yoshitoh
Suzuki Rokumon wakes up to find demons living in his house and his father splattered on the walls of the living room. The demons don't seem to be much of a threat though... in fact, their princess is kind of cute. What the heck is going on?
A funny little gag manga with a unique style and extreme manzai antics. The art takes some getting used to, but it's good and fits the manga well. The characters hit just the right note of bizarreness and the light, episodic storytelling is entertaining enough. It's released on kind of a slow and erratic schedule, but that just makes it all the better when a chapter gets released.
LUNO
Toume Kei - Acony, Fuguruma Memories, Hitsuji no Uta, Kurogane, Sing "Yesterday" For Me, The Hour of the Mice
A young boy, a creepy old mansion on the outskirts of town, and the power of immortality.
Interesting little one-volume manga. One of the mangaka's darker stories, but not excessively so. Due to its short length, it doesn't have the depth that it might otherwise, either. But for what it is, a melancholy little fantasy/adventure story, it's pretty good.
MAHORABA
Kojima Akira
Shiratori moves to Tokyo so he can be closer to his art school, and the boarding house he's living in is run by a cute childhood friend that he can't really remember. And it turns out she has multiple personalities. And the other tenants are all weirdos. Lovable weirdos, but weirdos all the same. So begins his hectic life in Tokyo.
Funny, cute, serious, touching, heartwarming manga. The characters are likeable and well-drawn, the story is interesting and told at a relaxed pace, the art is nice... overall, just good stuff. No action, not much suspense, very little (traditional) fanservice, so look elsewhere for any of that. The anime is also highly enjoyable, though so far it doesn't seem to have the same depth to it.
MAHOU SENSEI NEGIMA
Akamatsu Ken - Love Hina, (A.I. Love You, Rikujyou Bouei Tai Mao-chan)
10 year old Negi Springfield must go teach at an all-girls high school in Japan in order to become a great mage. Insert wacky hijinx and fanservice here.
Decent harem-type manga, though I don't think the protagonist could possibly get any of the girls, just because that would be so wrong. Heh. Anyway, good art, good character design, though it's sometimes hard to tell all the girls apart and remember who's who. But it's funny enough and fast-paced, so it's pretty entertaining.
MAI-HIME
Kimura Noboru / Satou Kenetsu
Tate Yuuichi transfers to a new school, where he finds girls that can materialize weapons fighting big monsters and each other. And for some reason they're calling him a "key."
Haven't read much of this... it's significantly different from the anime, though they were developed at about the same time so you can't really say either was an unfaithful adaptation. From what I've seen, I think I like the anime better.
MAISON IKKOKU
Takahashi Rumiko - (Urusei Yatsura, Ranma½, Inuyasha, etc.)
Godai Yusaku is a repeated entrance exam failure plagued by an obnoxious bunch of fellow tenants in the Maion Ikkoku apartments. One day, just when he's had enough of it and is about to leave for good (really this time), a young woman comes in and introduces herself as the new manager of Maison Ikkoku. Yusaku instantly decides to remain there, and etc, etc.
Well, I suppose it's generally considered a classic, and it's written by one of the most well-known mangaka around. Honestly, from what I've read of it, I think it's kinda overrated, but then again I have the same opinion of pretty much all of Takahashi's work that I've read, so if you liked Ranma or whatever, y'know, be my guest. Note that when I say "overrated," I don't mean bad, just not all that good. Anyway, comedy/romance I guess. Rather old-style art (cause, well, it's old).
MAJIN DEVIL
Oh! Great - Air Gear, (Tenjou Tenge)
Vampires and biker gangs and a dork... that about sums it up.
Well, this is a pretty decent action manga. It seems more interesting before it fast-forwards and shifts focus, but it's still pretty good throughout.
MANGA MITAINA KOI SHITAI
Yagami Chitose - (Kurumi-tic Miracle)
Rena Sakura, 8th grade, secretly a shoujo romance mangaka, no actual experience with love. So, for the sake of her art, she asks a guy out when he discovers her secret.
Cute but somewhat shallow and forgettable short shoujo romantic comedy. Keeping it since it's the best of Yagami's manga that I've read and it's alright to kill 20 minutes with.
MÄR
Anzai Nobuyuki - Rocket Princess, Flame of Recca
From Anzai Nobuyuki (Rocket Princess, Flame of Recca) comes this adventure tale about Ginta, a nerdy kid who always dreams of the magical land of Märchen, a place his father used to tell him stories about before he disappeared. One day a magical door appears before him, and upon entering he finds himself in Märchen. Soon he finds himself in a struggle to save this land from the Chess no Koma, aided in his quest by his living weapon and a ragtag band of heroes he meets along the way.
Excellent action/adventure manga all around. Not much else to say, and I'm feeling lazy right now.
MEISOU KUIKI
Houjou Yutori - (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Watanagashi
*As a child, Amasawa Rei had attended Shirohato Park Institution. After her parents were killed in a car accident, she lived at the institution and befriended a boy. She doesn't remember anything from the time she spent at the institution, not names, not faces, nothing, only that she and the boy shared a secret --a secret much darker than she thinks it is. Now, as a new student at Shirohato Academy with her old classmates from the Park, she is assailed by fragmented memories of the past. What was the secret? Why does she feel driven to find that nameless boy? And most importantly, why doesn't Rei remember anything from her past?
Suspense, mystery, dark pasts, and interesting characters. Sometimes a little too confusing, though that might not be as much of a problem reading it start to finish instead of a chapter or two every few weeks.
MEKAKUSHI NO KUNI
Tsukuba Sakura - Penguin Revolution, Yoroshiku Master
"If there existed a world of blindfolded people... would there be someone who would understand what seeing is? My blindfolder... sometimes it loosens and slips off..." Thus begins Mekakushi no Kuni, an excellent manga about Otsuka Kanade, a girl who can sometimes see a person's future when she touches them. As the story begins, she meets a new transfer student at her school, Naitou Arou, who under the same circumstances will see a person's past.
Okay, I guess this'd technically be considered shoujo, but I would highly recommend it even to people who hate shoujo manga or even manga in general. It's a very well-crafted tale with great characters, an interesting concept, flawless execution, very nice art... pretty much just condensed excellence. So go read it, 'kay?
MIDORI NO HIBI
Inoue Kazurou - Ai Kora
"Mad Dog" Sawamura Seiji is the most fearsome delinquent around, unbeatable with his "Devil's Right Hand." But all he really wants is a quiet, normal life and a girlfriend; something made all the more difficult because all the girls are afraid of him. On the evening after his 20th rejection, in a fit of loneliness he yells out for someone to please be his girlfriend. And suddenly a girl he's never seen before appears in miniature where his deadly right hand used to be...
Okay, this is actually the manga that got me into manga. It's The Best Thing Ever™ and you should go read it right now. But if you need more convincing, it's a great comedy with perfect timing and sense of humor, with a little light drama/romance thrown in for good measure. The characters are great, the art is great, the story is great, the humor is great, the action is great, the telling is great, everything is just bloody great. Edit: Over time, I've revised my opinion. This may not actually be the best thing ever. But it's still awesome.
MIGIKO NIPPON ICHI!!
*As children Sakon confessed his love for Migiko and promised to protect her, but not long after suddenly cut all ties with her. Now, many years later, Migiko is determined to make Sakon take notice of her by becoming Japan's Number 1 idol.
Incredibly silly.
MILK CLOSET
Tomizawa Hitoshi - (Alien 9, Battle Royale II: Blitz Royale, Treasure Hunter Jubei)
A bunch of kids are recruited to save the the multiverse using symbiotic tail-like creatures to fight an army of bug creatures.
A really, really weird and kinda creepy manga. I'll see where it goes before I say more.
MILK CROWN SERIES
Mizuto Aqua - Wanted, Koigokoro Fantasia, (Go! Virginal Hanayuuki, MY BOY MY LOVE, Knighting Night, etc)
Tachibana Oto moves into St. Ryuugasaki's special class Z's dormitory as a maid. There, she finds that it is pretty much inhabited by weirdos. And so it begins. Fluffy romance and comedy with a pinch of drama. Bizarre characters.
I've read a title and a half, good stuff. Interesting characters, good art; not generally laugh-out-loud funny, but still entertaining. A bit cheesy at times, but not too bad. Oh, and I guess it'd prolly be classified as shoujo, but it has a very shounen look and feel to it.
MINAMI-KE
Sakuraba Coharu - Today In Class 5-2
Follow the amusing daily life of three oddball sisters.
I normally don't add things so quickly anymore, but based on "Today In Class 5-2" and the chapters I have of this, I'm fairly confident that this'll be quality stuff throughout. Anyway, good art, funny characters, what more could you possibly want? Edit: Confirming that this is completely awesome. If Azumanga Daioh or Ichigo Mashimaro are your type of manga, you might check out this or 5-2. Also, Volume 1 contains a chapter of 5-2 that didn't make it into the tank with the rest.
MINORI NO HIBI
Inoue Hirokazu
*Minori no Hibi is a cute short manga about a girl that goes to live with her wacky grandfather. Her grandfather, an inventor of strange items, likes to try them out on Minori. Many escapades then ensue as Minori learns to cope with these situations day by day. Note: No, this is not the sister manga of a certain series about a guy with a doll on his hand. All similarities in title are unintentional.
Silly and pointless and fun.
MISTELTEEN NO MAHOU
Amahara Fuon - (Yumekui Danjon)
After high schooler Karasawa Makoto finds out that she was really adopted and is given a strange memento left behind by her real parents, she starts to encounter some strange people who appear out of nowhere and vanish just as mysteriously. Why do they address her as master? And why did one of them kiss her!? The jerk!
Well, only a few chapters out so far, so... we'll see.
MOKKE
Kumakura Takatoshi
Meet Mizuki and Shizuru, two sisters who can be haunted by and can see spirits, respectively. Follow them as they encounter various spirits because of their powers.
Well, I only have 4 chapters of this, but it's interesting enough so far.
MONSTER
Urasawa Naoki - 20th Century Boys, Beta!!
*The story begins when Kenzo Tenma, a gifted Japanese doctor who is living in Germany, saves the life of the 10 year old Johann(Yohan), rather than the life of an influential politician. This act of saving Johann will result in the death of many people. For it turns out the little boy whose life he has saved is the terrible 'Monster'. The story follows Tenma and the many other characters he encounters as he follows the murderous trail the Monster seems to leave behind. Along the way observe as Tenma's life disintegrates around him and how he reacts to his ongoing nightmare.
Finally got around to reading this, and I have to say it's a really good drama/suspense manga. Deep and interesting characters, decent art, good and involving story. There's a lot of text and I wouldn't say it makes for good casual/light reading, and it takes a little while to get into it. And personally, most of the time I really wouldn't be in the mood for its pace and feel. But if you're in the right mood, it is a really good read. It's also got a really curious habit of following a side character for chapters or volumes at a time, and you may not see the main character for quite a while.
MONSTER COLLECTION
Itoh Sei
*Six elements govern the Universe of the Six Gates: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Light and Darkness. Everything that exceeds knowledge. Everything that is heterogeneous. Everything unmeasurable. Everything fantastic. Everything that this realm inhabits. Everything that has a spirit. Everything that sleeps in the deep of this land. There was a lineage of wizards that knew the spells to summon every magic being in the Universe of the Six Gates. They were called Monster's Sorcerers.
Despite apparently being based on a customizable card game, this is actually a surprisingly good action/adventure/fantasy manga. While the characters and plot are all kinda standard, it's all executed fairly well and the art and pacing are pretty good. So there you have it.
MOON PHASE
Arima Keitarou
Morioka Kouhei is a cameraman with an over 70% chance of taking ghost pictures despite the fact that he doesn't have an ounce of spiritual sense or power. He just wants to be a normal cameraman, though, and one night he sees on the roof of a castle a mysterious girl that he immediately decides he wants to model for him. So off he goes to the supposedly abandoned castle one night in hopes that he'll find the girl again. He finds her, but it turns out she's an incredibly cute vampire girl. And she needs Kouhei's help to get out of the castle... but somehow, he won't turn into her slave no matter how many times she bites him or looks into her eyes, and it annoys her to no end.
I haven't read much of the manga, but the anime was great. I think I prefer the anime's art to the manga's, but neither is bad. Some comedy, some more serious parts... Anyway, good stuff.
MUSHISHI
Urushibara Yuki - She Got Off The Bus At The Peninsula, The Labyrinth Cat
Hmmm... well, it's got, like, this expert on these spirity creatures.
Interesting stuff.
NAGASARETE AIRANTOU
Fujishiro Takeshi
*Ikuto Touhohin just had a fight with his old man, one that led him to make a rash decision to run away from home. He boards a ship, deciding to take a vacation, but the ship is suddenly hit by a huge storm - one that sends Ikuto overboard! When he regains consciousness, he realizes he is still alive… on some island. An isolated island. An isolated island with nothing but girls. Beautiful girls. Stranded on an island with only girls, no electricity, gas, radio, television… like he was back in the stone age.
Pretty standard harem manga, with a focus on the comedy rather than fanservice or drama. I enjoy it.
NAISHO NO TSUBOMI
Yabuchi Yuu - Kimi ga Mai Orite Kita, (Chiko no Negai, (Shin) Mizuiro Jidai, Pure Pure, Shoujo Shounen)
*Naisho no Tsubomi tells the story of Tsubomi Tachibana, a fifth grader dealing with issues such as her mother's pregnancy, her first period and the strange feelings she has started to get when she has been around boys.
Err... that synopsis sounds a bit weird, but oh well. I'm writing this at the end of the first volume, which is a very cute, self-contained story about growing up.
NAKED
Miyauchi Saya - Akkan Baby, Eien no With, "Kimi no Kokoro, Boku no Kokoro"
*Naked is a one-volume manga containing 3 stories that revolve around 2 boys, Ayumu and Chihiro. The first two stories are set when they are in 5th grade, and revolve about them becoming friends and making a new friend. The final story is set several years later in high school and is about Ayumu's first love.
Nice little short drama about life and friendship. Very good.
NARUE NO SEKAI
Marukawa Tomohiro
One rainy day on his way home Iizuka Kazuto came across an abandoned puppy sitting in a cardboard box in the rain. As he stopped to consider helping the poor doggy, a mysterious girl rushed up, pushed Kazuto out of the way, and proceeded to splatter the puppy across a nearby wall with a baseball bat, because it was "a trap." Then she ran off, leaving only a bat with the name "Nanase" etched on it. That rainy day, the mysterious girl stole Kazuto's heart.
This is a very nice, unorthodox love story/comedy with great characters, great pacing, a great feel... overall, just a great manga. I only have 4 chapters right now, and I don't know if I can find the rest since it was licensed, but I'll definitely try and I do have the whole anime anyway, so you can get that from me if the manga chapters here interest you.
NARUTO
Kishimoto Masashi
A young, loudmouth ninja struggles to claim the title of Hokage, the best ninja in the village.
A decent read. Pardon the crappy translations/scans for the first few volumes.
NATSUNOKUMO - SPINNING WEB
Shinofusa Rokuro
*Coil is a man whose idea of "life" is his alter ego in an online world. A place where the hearts of people come together... and it is not a pretty place. The slender spiderweb that connects their souls within this endless world brings greater pain than reality itself.
Interesting and pretty spiffy.
NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND
Miyazaki Hayao - Too much to list.
*A millennium has passed since "Seven Days of Fire," an apocalyptic war that almost wiped out human civilization. Since then, the earth is covered with an ever-growing "Sea of Corruption," a vast forest of fungi that secretes poisonous miasma and invasive spores, along with large and deadly insects inhabit within. In order to fight for more habitable lands unpolluted by the Sea of Corruption, the Kingdom of Torumekia has declared war against the Dorok Empire. Nausicaä, princess and heir of a small city-state named "Valley of the Wind" which pledged alliance with Torumekia, is now forced to join Torumekian to invade Dorok Empire. This war will change her life and the fate of human race forever.
Classic. Unfortunately, it's an early Viz version, so it's left to right and for the most part in single issues instead of tankoubon. I haven't read it yet, so I dunno how the translation etc. is.
NHK NI YOUKOSO!
Ooiwa Kenji / Takimoto Tatsuhiko
Satou Tatsuhiro has not left his apartment for 4 years or communicated with another human being for close to a year. His parents have just cut his funding, and to top it all off, the guy who moved into the apartment next door last month has been playing anime songs at full volume nonstop all morning. At this lowest point in his life, while under the influence of legal(?) drugs he bought online, with the guidance of his household appliances he realizes the existence of a vast conspiracy by Japan's broadcasting industry to turn people into recluses like himself. And so he takes it upon himself to fight against this evil shadow organization. Or something.
A hilarious and kinda twisted comedy. Good stuffs all around, though the humor may not be widely accessible.
NICO NICO DIARY
Ozawa Mari - (Sekai de Ichiban Yasashii Ongaku)
Eight years ago, Takanashi Kei was the manager for an upcoming star, Shino Mifuyu. Back then, Mifuyu secretly gave birth to a daughter. Mifuyu's mother, who has been taking care of the girl, died recently, and now Mifuyu wants Kei, who she has not contacted in 8 years, to take care of her daughter. And as indignant as she is, Kei just can't bring herself to turn away the little girl, Nico.
Nice little story. Kinda crudely-drawn, but it works.
NIGHT EXILE
Akino Matsuri - Genjuu no Seiza, Pet Shop of Horrors, Shin Pet Shop of Horrors(Elixir, Reikan Shohou Kabushikigaisha)
*He doesn't remember who he is, but he wanders the European nobility in search of the truth. On nights of the full moon, he thirsts for blood and the human memories they contain, hoping to reclaim his own.
Vampires seem to be a popular subject...
NIJI-IRO TOGARASHI
Adachi Mitsuru - Katsu, Shindo, (Touch, H2, etc.)
In a Japan of the future that looks much like the Japan of the past, after the death of his mother, Shichimi moves in with his 7 half-siblings from an unknown father. And a lot of random stuff happens.
Entertaining enough. Not very involving, but amusing.
NODAME CANTABILE
Ninomiya Tomoko - (Heisei Yopparai Kenkyujo, Torendo no Joou Miho)
Chiaki Shinichi is a gifted piano player who wants to become the world's best conductor, but he's stuck in Japan because he's afraid of flying. One day he meets Noda Megumi, a haphazard girl with a unique playing style and an apartment that just might develop sentience and devour passersby at any time. And that's the story so far.
Pwn.
ONE PIECE
Oda Eiichirou - Wanted!
Monkey D. Luffy sets out to become the Pirate King during the golden age of pirates! Along the way he of course gathers a crew and fights a lot of pirates and marines and other opponents.
Great action/adventure/comedy manga with a unique style. Go read it! The anime is great too!
ONIKIRI JYUZO
Segawa Masaki - Basilisk
*After being sealed in a sword for 800 years, Douman, the master of all demons, is released, and takes the body of a human to wreak havoc on the world again. Jyuzo must now retrieve that body, which is that of his own brother, and stop Douman's schemes.
Nice fantasy action/adventure set in ancient Japan. Not much else to say.
OOKIKU FURIKABUTTE
Higuchi Asa
*Voted the number one baseball manga of all time! Ookiku Furikabutte isn't just a baseball manga. It's the story of a timid young man who was made an ace pitcher in middle school because of family connections. Now he's in high school and it's his time to shine as an ace in his own right. Reading this story will get your blood boiling, heart pumping and tears flowing. It has been popular since it was serialized, a true Japanese high school baseball manga!
I dunno where exactly it was voted number one, but it is certainly the best one I've read. Granted, I don't read many baseball manga... Adachi's "Touch" is the only one I can think of at the moment. Anyway. This has a different feel than most baseball stuff I've seen, and the characters seem pretty interesting. I look forward to more.
OPEN SESAME
Kawakata Kaoru
*Danjou Yamato is a high school student who lives in the countryside and is the boxing champion of the region. However, when his family has to move out to live in Tokyo, he is transfered to a school in Tokyo that was previously an all-girls school. Girls have a lot of power and give the guys a hard time. But Yamato will not bow down to the power of the girls, and on his way to claim power for the guys in the school, he finds out something about his past...something that he had forgotten long ago...
No comment.
ORFINA
Tennouji Kitsune - EDENs BOwY
*The Kingdom of Granza is steadily building up their power and expanding their realm. Fleeing from the attack on her home, Faana and her companions hide in the woods, hoping to escape from the Granza Military. However, as her group is hunted down, Faana is the only one fortunate enough to escape alive. Half-dead, she somehow manages to travel several kilometers to the Kingdom of Cordeaa, where she passes out in a lake. Upon awakening 3 days later, she is surprised to find herself inside the castle of King Yogufu, the ruler of Cordeaa. Faana is even more surprised though, when she meets his daughter, Princess Orfina -- the two girls are identical strangers. The two become fast friends, but this period of happiness doesn't last long as Granza soon advances it's power into Cordeaa...
No comment.
OTOGI MATSURI
Inoue Jyunya
While goofing off with his friends during lunch, Yousuke accidentally broke a shrine and saw a bright light come from it that no one else noticed. Pretty soon, he started having weird dreams and hearing voices in his head. Is there a connection between what he's been seeing and the grisly murders that started around the local temple shortly before he broke the shrine?
Decent action/fantasy manga.
PARALLEL
Kobayashi Toshihiko - Pastel
*Nekota and Hoshino were always arguing at school, but in reality, Nekota actually has a crush on Hoshino. One day, he finally gets up his courage to tell Hoshino his true feelings, but she rejected him with mixed feelings. Feeling sad, Nekota goes home to find that his dad is remarrying another woman, but the catch is that Nekota has to live alone with the woman's daughter while the two parents goes to Europe. The daughter of the woman, however, is Hoshino... What will happen between the two while they live together?
A nice little light drama/romance that's well done in all aspects and remains fairly light-hearted most of the time. A good read if you're not looking for something really serious or action-packed.
PARFAIT TIC
Nanaji Nagamu
A by-the-book shoujo romance manga. Erm... if you're still reading, I guess I don't have much more to add. The setup's not too important. Oh, each of the early volumes also includes an unrelated one-shot short story.
Like the description says, this is pretty much as standard shoujo romance as it gets... complex plot, lots of angst, generic shoujo art style, etc. Also moves kinda slowly. Still, it's okay if you like/can tolerate standard shoujo manga. Also, the one-shots are a good deal better than the main story, as the characters are generally more interesting and the story doesn't get dragged out for 11+ volumes.
PASTEL
Kobayashi Toshihiko - Parallel
*Tadano Mugi just broke up with his girlfriend, and his friend, Kazuki, took him to his aunt's store to help out so that he can try and forget about the girl. One day, Mugi was working behind the store and saw a beautiful girl, Tsukisaki Yuu, undressing. Not only did the girl not get mad, but soon, they even became friends, but would it ever be more than that? What will happen between them?
A very good light drama/romance. The character design and initial setup are very similar to Kobayashi's Parallel, but as it progresses, it quickly distinguishes itself from both that and a lot of other stories in the genre. There's quite a bit of character development and a really nice story, backed by a leisurely pacing and just a nice overall feel. Definitely recommended.
PENGUIN REVOLUTION
Tsukuba Sakura - Mekakushi no Kuni, Yoroshiku Master
*Fujimaru Yukari is a high-school girl with the ability to see star-potential auras in the shape of birds' wings. Yukari sees small wings on the back of Katsuragi Ryouko, the vice president of the student body. But Ryouko is actually a boy, a talent from the showbiz company, PEACOCK. What kind of secrets does Yukari uncover? It is a first installment of a dream revolution.
Only one chapter out so far, so I'll just go ahead and admit that I'm adding this simply because I loved Mekakushi no Kuni so. Hopefully this'll be similar in quality.
PERFECT GIRL EVOLUTION
Hayakawa Tomoko - (Dengeki Love Machine, Kirei na Otoko no Ko, Ou-sama no Tamago, Risou no Kaoi wo Motsu Otoko, etc.)
*A landlady is giving four handsome guys free lodging in her huge mansion while she is gone, all they have to do for her is one thing...to make her niece,who will be their housemate, into a lady. Doesn't sound too hard for these 4 guys, until they actually meet the girl...
Bizarre and amusing series. Weird characters. Etc.
PESHI
Furomae Ari
The everyday adventures of a group of third-grade kids.
Reminiscent of Today in Class 5-2 or Azumanga Daioh, but the characters are younger and kinda toned down. You'll seldom laugh out loud at this, but you'll be chuckling through a good part of it.
PETER PANDA
Na Yeri - (Glory Age, The Boy From the Moon)
*The main character, Rui, is a hardworking and happy girl. One day, her neighbor moves away and leaves behind a stuffed panda bear. Rui decided to take it home, since she's always loved panda bears. She goes to sleep with it one night, and discovers herself in bed with a stranger (who also happens to look like her ideal man) the next morning. He introduces himself as Peter, and that is how she ends up meeting three other guys...
This is kind of a difficult case, because it got licensed and dropped before it ever made it to my collection. Since I'll likely never get more scanslations of it, I'm faced with the options of deleting it from my "Incomplete Data" folder (where I put series that have potential but haven't proved themselves yet), leaving it there in limbo (which bothers me), or putting it in the collection with the 1 volume of information I have, for the entertainment value of said volume alone and the exposure so anyone looking to buy something can get a sample. In the end, I chose the latter.
PETSHOP OF HORRORS
Akino Matsuri - Elixir, Genjuu no Seiza, Night Exile, Reikan Shouhou Kabushikigaisha
*Count D, a petshop owner in the vague and mysterious world of Chinatown, sells his merchandise in the form of love and dreams. An American policeman, Officer Orcot, comes to investigate Count D after many unexplainable deaths were reported. All victims had one thing in common- A pet purchased at Count D's petshop. New characters and animals are consistantly passing through Chinatown, and every story holds a moral.
Horror/supernatural short stories connected by the story of Count D and his petshop. If you like the Twilight Zone or things like that, you may like this.
PITA-TEN
Koge Donbo - Kamichama Karin, (Koi Hime Sosi, Yoki Koto Kiku)
*Kotaru's life is lonely...his mother recently passed away and his dad is always away on business but his life is turned upside down when a hyper girl called Misha moves next door and openly claims to be an angel and soon meets a demon called Shia and that's just the start.....
Don't know. Looks good.
PLANETES
Yukimura Makoto - Vinland Saga
*In the year 2075, mankind has reached a point where journeying between Earth, the moon and the space stations is part of daily life. However, the progression of technology in space has also resulted in the problem of the space debris, which can cause excessive and even catastrophic damage to spacecrafts and equipment. This is the story of Technora's Debris Collecting section, its EVA worker, Hoshino "Hachimaki" Hachirota, and the newcomer to the group, Tanabe Ai.
I haven't really looked at the manga yet, but the anime was quality drama with a bit of humor, a little romance, and some traces of action mixed in. I've only heard good things about the manga, so I would bet it lives up to the same high standard. Also, volumes 2-5 are scans of the TokyoPop version, so if you enjoy it, you might want to go buy it.
PPOI!
Yamazaki Takako - Zero
*Amaro Taira is your average junior high student who has a problem with his height. Join him and his friends as they journey to many places and experience many hardships during their teenage years. This is a heartfelt school drama with a little bit of everything.
Ah, youth.
PRETTY FACE
Kano Yasuhiro - Snow in the Dark
High school student and karate champ Randoh Masashi gets in a terrible bus accident that leaves him in a coma and his face burnt beyond recognition. When he wakes up a year later, he finds that the world believes him dead and his face has been reconstructed to look like a picture he was carrying with him. Unfortunately the picture is not of Randoh but of the girl he likes, Kurimi Rina. To make matters worse he runs into Rina shortly after and is mistaken for her twin sister, Yuna, who has run away. Now he is torn between wanting to help Rina by posing as her sister until he finds the real Yuna, and getting his own face back.
A funny, crazy manga that's more perverted in concept than in execution. It's technically well done, and has lots of comedy and action to keep it plenty entertaining throughout. Recommended if the concept doesn't weird you out too much. Ends a little abruptly and perhaps not as satisfyingly as it might have, but overall it was enjoyable.
PRISM PALETTE
Peach-Pit - Zombie Loan, (DearS, Rozen Maiden, Shugo Kyara)
Based on an H-game. Standard harem of girls interested in the protagonist and their various troubles. Not much fanservice, though.
Nice, but unremarkable.
PSYCHIC ACADEMY
Katsu Aki - Futari Ecchi, (Tenkuu no Escaflowne)
*Well, Psychic Academy is a kind of love story surrounded by weird fights between masters of aura fighting techniques. The setting is a high school for children blessed with the ability to fully control their auras... granted, the main character doubts that he has the ability to compete with all of these amazing people...
A pretty good action/drama/romance. Recommended. Not much else to say and I'm feelin' kinda lazy.
PSYCHO TRADER CHINAMI
Kimura Akihiro
*Chinami was born with psychic powers. She has always wanted to join the Psycho Police Force. However, she doesn't know how to control her powers, so she failed the entry exam. However, after being saved from a psychic criminal, she joins the Psycho Merchants instead.
Well, I've only read 6 chapters so far, but from what I can tell it's a pretty good semi-episodic action/comedy series. All aspects are decent to good. Very cheerful manga. Feelin' lazy right now, so that's it.
PUCHIMON
Nanase Aoi - (Angel Dust)
Melty Bagel, 13 years old, enters a school for questers, aspiring to become a great swordswoman.
Silly, lighthearted little episodic adventure manga. Really cute art, too.
RANDOM WALK
Yoshizumi Wataru - Kimi Shika Iranai, Ultra Maniac, (Marmalade Boy, Mint na Bokura, many others)
Fairly standard shoujo romance manga, though perhaps a little less idealistic than most. Not much out right now, so we'll see where it goes.
See above.
RAVE
Mashima Hiro
When the criminal organization Demon Card disrupts his peaceful life on Garage Island and he becomes the master of holy stone, RAVE, Haru Glory embarks on his quest to destroy the corrupting stones, Dark Brings, and restore order to the world.
A nice adventure manga. At the moment, most of the scans I have are the TokyoPop version, and unfortunately it's a pretty bad localization, misusing and overusing slang to try to sound "hip." The dialogue generally sounds (re)written for 11-13 year olds. But still, it's a pretty good manga, so check it out.
READ OR DREAM
Kurata Hideyuki / Ayanaga Ran
Follows the adventures of the paper sisters, Michelle, Maggie, and Anita, before the events in R.O.D. TV.
Good stuff. If you've seen either R.O.D. anime or read Read Or Die, you prolly know if you'll like it or not.
REC
Hanamizawa Q-tarou
The story of Matsumaru Fumihiko, disillusioned general affairs worker who once had dreams of being in marketing, and Onda Aka, novice voice actress, who by coincidence or fate have been thrown together under one roof.
Just kinda throwing this out here early while the anime is just starting. Looks good so far. Edit: A reliable source tells me the manga isn't near as good as the anime. I'll probably still collect it, but reading sounds iffy.
REIKAN SHOUHOU KABUSHIKIGAISHA
Akino Matsuri - Genjuu no Seiza, Night Exile, Pet Shop of Horrors, Shin Pet Shop of Horrors (Elixir)
*Tokiwa Kanenari likes to masquerade as a substitute science teacher, but he's actually in the business of dealing with the spirit world. And there are spirits in all sorts of things around him, from amber necklaces to unfinished paintings and even abandoned satellites.
A decent ghost-of-the-week manga. It's kinda uninspired and predictable, but it's an okay read.
REMOTE
Amagi Seimaru / Koshiba Tetsuya
*Ayaki Kurumi is told by her fiance that they will have to put off the wedding -- they just can't afford it yet. They both decide to work harder to earn the money, and Kurumi is given the assignment of working in the Unsolved Crimes Division, Special Unit A. This is where she meets Inspector Himuro, a young genius who is unable to leave the underground room in which he resides, and who is physically unable to feel emotions. She acts as his ears and eyes as they attempt to uncover the mystery of the serial clown murders.
A nice suspense manga. These are scans straight from the TokyoPop version, so if you like it, you might want to pick up the real books.
RINGO
Koio Minato - IO
*Seventeen year-old high-school student Tamao Ohtsuka loves to draw pictures of Ringo, his fantasy girl, in his sketchbook. But his life changes overnight after he succesfully tests his secret VIII Project. Tamao soon discovers that creating a walking, talking virtual idol is a long and difficult process...
Reasonably interesting so far.
ROCKET PRINCESS
Anzai Nobuyuki - Flame of Recca, MÄR
An android girl with a rocket pack creates much havoc for a bunch of other wacky characters. Has quite a few similarities so far to the mangaka's later work, Flame of Recca, except this is much more comedy-oriented.
Pretty funny little series. If you liked Nobuyuki's other works, check it out. Be aware that it lacks the polish of his later stuff though, and the focus is more on comedy.
ROCKIN' HEAVEN
Sakai Mayu - Nine Puzzle, (Nagatachou Strawberry)
Looking forward to wear the school’s uniform, Sawa applied to enroll in Heaven’s Wing Academy. However, she least expected the academy to be a previously all boys' school! And the guy, Ran seems like the BOSS of the class! Speaking of the guys in the class, not only did they go against the sensei, they even hid Sawa's shoes.. they are all a bunch of mischievous makers! Despite all this, Sawa is not discouraged, when she was getting ready to get her shoes back, she accidentally fell in. Unexpectedly, Ran ended up saving her. While Sawa was helpless against Ran's sudden gentleness towards her, she swore "to spend her days in class happily". What will her days be like for the rest of her school life?
Reminds me a lot of Tanemura Arina's work, not only in art and page composition, but also story and overall feel. Anyway, seems promising.
ROKUTOUSEI SUPIKA
Onodera Akira - (Hayabusa)
*Supika studies at a school that teaches the magics of astrology and astronomy. Astrologers like Supika can use three magic items, a sun, moon, or star. Supika uses the star Spica (Virgo's brightest star), which is the most powerful item she can use at her level. In the school, however, women are stuck as third class students -- they aren't allowed to reach the higher levels boys can. Of course, Supika doesn't really agree with the obsolete rule and tries to get more powerful in order to become first class. Amano (*_*) though, the son of the principal, doesn't agree with Supika's free spirit and tries to stop her from becoming a first class astrologer...
Decent little shoujo fantasy story, plus an extra one-shot. It may have ended a bit too fast, but it's still a good read as is.
ROSE HIP ROSE
Fujisawa Tohru - Bad Company, Shounan Jun'ai Gumi, Tokko, (Great Teacher Onizuka)
A high school girl fights crime.
Hmmm... a decent action manga. It often seems to lack a bit of logic and flow, as well as feeling a little disappointing and unfinished overall, but it has nice characters and art and an interesting if overused premise. Recommended if you need a relatively short action manga. Check out the prequel, Rose Hip Zero, too.
ROUTE 20
Sadamoto Yoshiyuki - (Neon Genesis Evangelion, Character Design: .hack, FLCL, Gunbuster, Nadia, Wings of Honnemaise)
In a domed city in the future, Akagi Utsuo wants the freedom of the outside world. A 1-volume short story.
A well-done little scifi short story that feels more like the beginning of a larger story. Kind of a THX-1138/Logan's Run crossed with a tamed-down Akira.
RUROUNI KENSHIN
Watsuki Nobuhiro - Busou Renkin
*During the violent era known as the Bakumatsu, there was an Ishin assassin known only as the Hitokiri Battousai, whose skill and brutality became near legendary in the age of Restoration he helped to build. However, as the time of fighting drew to a close, he vanished without a trace, only to resurface eleven years later as a wandering swordsman, Himura Kenshin. Now staying at a kenjutsu dojo maintained by a fiery-tempered woman named Kamiya Kaoru, and surrounded by newfound friends like the streetfighter Sagara Sanosuke, ex-samurai's son Myoujin Yahiko, and the shrewd doctor Takani Megumi, he seeks to carry out his vow to protect the weak without killing in order to atone for the lives he's taken. It's not long, though, before this vow is put to the test, and the shadows of his past return to haunt him and everyone he holds dear.
Everyone should have heard of this by now, so I don't think I really have to tell you much about the manga itself. For the first few volumes the scans are pretty bad, but after that they're decent enough, and even the first few are tolerable. Surgeon General's warning: Reading this while in possession of a katana may prove hazardous to someone's health.
RYO
Ueda Rinko - (Home, Pump up!, Tsuki no Shippo, Tsuki no Toiki)
*Ryo thinks she is a normal girl living a normal highschool life in modern day Tokyo. But is she? On a school trip, a mysterious man attacks her and claims that he is Benkei, the legendary warrior monk who collected 999 of his opponents'swords in battle during the Heinan era. And he also claims that she is Ushiwakamura, the 1000th opponent, that according to folklore, beat Benkei and became his master. But...Ushiwakamura was a man! And Benkei and Ushiwakamura existed in 13th century feudal Japan! What ensues is a tale of lost identity, time travel, honor, love, laughter and heartache.
*Shrug*
SAIKANO
Takahashi Shin - Kimi no Kakera, Ii Hito, Sayonara Papa, (Suki ni Naru Hito, Love Song 2002, etc)
In a quiet little town in Hokkaido, Shuji and Chise have just started dating. As they awkwardly struggle through their first relationship and slowly fall in love, the problems of a world in conflict seem so far away. But such problems have a way of forcing their existence to be recognized, and soon Chise is abducted and made into a living super weapon. As their world crumbles around them, they must try to cope with the changes and their feelings as best they can.
An excellent if somewhat depressing manga. Great art, great characters, great storytelling. Highly recommended if you don't need happy. Same goes for the anime. Edit: I recently got scans of v1-6 of the TokyoPop version, and I should be able to get the seventh and final volume before too long. They seem to have done an alright job, barring a few things that just don't work (Shujikins? WTH?) and some changes in how characters address each other. So if you like it, you might consider picking up the US version.
SAKURA RHYTHM
Usami Maki - Caramel Milk Tea, Kanon, The Elevator That Takes You Into Darkness
*Satsuki, to whom he said some incredibly disrespectful words to, had the worst reunion with him in the high school entrance ceremony! He was the little master of a famous construction company...? A love story of the season of sakura, where things become precious and love forms!
Nice.
SALAD DAYS
Inokuma Shinobu - (Toritsu Mizusho)
A series of short love stories, some loosely connected, others not, as well as one semi-serialized story that pops up in most of the volumes.
An excellent series if you like this kinda thing. Great art, writing, and characters. The translation and scans are somewhat bad, and indeed a lot of it is only romanized japanese, so it requires a decent knowledge of conversational Japanese. But none of that is by any means a deal-breaker... it's a great manga, so go read it.
SAMURAI BABY
Wakatsuki Senju
*The two high school girls, Hanazono Mito and Tatsuda Seshiru, have been friends since kindergarten. But while Seshiru is an honor roll student, Mito is constantly breaking school rules. One day, Mito helps Seshiru evade the advances of the arrogant Ran, a rich boy and model who mistakes Mito's interference for jealousy (because of course every woman wants Ran for herself! Yeah, right). This lands Mito in hot water with Ran's fangirls, who later gang up to kick her ass! A new transfer student with wild hair is the one who saves her, but he won't tell Mito his name...!?
The only series here so far to have "samurai" in the title has very little to do with samurai. Semi-angsty high school romance/drama. 'Nuf said.
SASAMEKE
Gotsubo Ryuji
*Rakuichi was a better soccer player than anyone when he was in elementary school. But after 3 unsuccessful years in Italy, he returns home in defeat. Upon arrival he's confronted by a host of different characters. His cousin Biwako who is now a teacher despite her uncontrollable personality. His childhood friend Inae who is cute and nice but who turns into a crazed stalker when it comes to cool, attractive guys. Touzan who is cool, mysterious and seems to be good at everything. And Maiko, who is incredibly beautiful but turns violent on the slightest whim. Great artwork, hilarious comedy and a unique style are the hallmarks of this manga.
Wins.
SAYONARA PAPA
Takahashi Shin - Kimi no Kakera, Ii Hito, Saishuuheiki Kanojo (SaiKano), (Suki ni Naru Hito, Love Song 2002, etc)
In kindergarten, naive Mitsuko began to think of Yoshioto, who was staying at her house, as her papa. And she vowed that she would be Yoshioto's bride when she grew up. Can this dream be fulfilled? In the journey to see him, she slowly understands her own feelings and her heart that refuses to mature, but nonetheless thinks she's already mature. In her search, they gradually melt into one.
Only read a chapter, but considering the source it's prolly pretty good.
SCHOOL RUMBLE
Kobayashi Jin
The hilarious story of a strange and easily-influenced high school girl in love with an oddball, and the delinquent in love with her.
Funny. Go read! (Or watch the anime.)
SENSEI
Kawahara Kazune - Ai no Tame ni, Koukou Debut
Shimada Hibiki has started to like Itou-sensei, who teaches history(?) at her school. But the barrier between teacher and student is not easily overcome...
Nice shoujo drama/romance.
SETO NO HANAYOME
Kimura Tahiko - (My Name Is Zushio)
*Nagasumi gets saved from drowning by a mermaid but, according to mermaid law, if a human sees a mermaid's true form, both have to be killed. The only solution to the problem is for him to marry her. But can they keep her secret from being found out?
I'll have to see where it goes from now, but so far it's pretty good.
SEXY VOICE AND ROBO
Kuroda Iou - (Nasu, Dainippon Tengutou Ekotaba)
Hayashi Niko, codenamed Sexy Voice, is a middle school student with a gift for analyzing voices and people. As our story begins, she meets a mysterious old man with a seemingly shady past and soon after decides to work for him doing missions that only her unique skills can handle. And thus begins our little story.
Very interesting little episodic manga with unique, well-developed characters and an equally unique, thick-lined art style. The manga is mostly character study, with a little added action and almost-comedy. Anyway, a good read, and since it's only 2 volumes long, what've you got to lose?
SHIKEISYU 042
Kotegawa Yua - Arcana
*Tajima Ryohei, aka Shikeisyu 042 is sentenced to death for murdering 7 men. However government is planning to abolish death sentence for good. In order to accomplish this Herculean goal Ryohei must prove that ex-criminals such as him too can live within the society in a perilous experiment. During the 3 years he lives outside the prison, he will meet more than 1,000 people, clean restrooms, plant flowers and define the value of human life and kindness.
An interesting and well-executed drama, but it's a little early to say for sure.
SHIKOTAMA
Suzuki Noritaka (Character Design: (Idol Project, Samurai Pizza Cats, Tenbatsu Angel Rabbie))
Demons and a ramen delivery service... can't really tell much from 2 chapters.
See above.
SHIN ANGYO ONSHI
Youn In-Wan / Yang Kyung-Il
Long ago, in Jushin, special secret agents named "Angyo Onshi" wandered the country and restored the order. But now that Jushin is destroyed, only one is still wandering...
A good action manga with nice art and style. Very interesting.
SHINAYAKA NI KIZUTSUITE
Kitabama Miyuki
*Ai was just a normal girl minding her own business when she met this guy. The guy was so poor and down on his luck that he couldn't even pay for his own meal. Ai took pity on the guy and decided to treat him out for lunch. What should have been a fairly innocent meeting with the guy turns rather weird when she decides to take him home and give him a place to sleep. That should have been all since the guy left very early in the morning and nothing untoward happened... but... is it possible? After how long, has she met the guy again?
A decent shoujo romance. Not much else to say.
SHINSHI DOUMEI CROSS
Tanemura Arina - Full Moon wo Sagashite, Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne
*Otomiya Haine, a cheerful daughter of a failing furniture business, is attending the Imperial Academy, where she falls in love with an old crush. Her crush, Touguu Shizumasa, is from one of the most prestigious families around, and Haine would do anything to be near him. One day, under strange circumstances, she's given the opportunity to help him. What strange events will plague them now?
Not much to say.
SHIRLEY
Mori Kaoru - Emma, (Sumire no Hana)
*Yet another maid-tastic manga from Kaoru Mori, "Shirley" is an evocative glimpse into the daily life of winsome, 13-year-old Shirley, a maid in turn-of-the-century England. It is often compared to Yokahama Kaidashi Kikou, as both mangas feature languid pacing, atmospheric backgrounds, and a female main character who works in a cafe. If you like YKK, have a weakness for "cute," and/or have a maid fetish, this is the manga for you. No hentai, no fanservice, zero, zip, nada. Just pure maid-tastic moemoe.
Not much to add to the description. Just a nice, light-hearted little slice-of-life manga.
SHOUNAN JUN'AI GUMI
Fujisawa Tohru - Bad Company, Rose Hip Rose, Tokko, (Great Teacher Onizuka)
The first manga featuring Onizuka Eikichi and Danma Ryuji, but the events take place between Bad Company and GTO. Comedy and light drama.
Well, this is honestly nowhere near as good as the other two mangas in the series, but it is interesting to see where it all began. Anyway, this manga is mostly about the legendary delinquents fighting other gangs and trying to get laid. It's juvenile to the core, and the art kinda sucks, especially at first, but I did find some redeeming qualities to it, and maybe someone else will find more.
SING "YESTERDAY" FOR ME
Toume Kei - Acony, Fuguruma Memories, Kurogane, Hitsuji no Uta, Luno, The Hour of the Mice
Uozomi Rikuo is out of college and working full-time at a convenience store. He barely/almost manages to pay his rent and bills, the girl he likes is living in another town, and now a strange girl who keeps a pet crow has started hanging around him.
This is a very good, very understated drama/love story that abandons the common plot-driven, fanservice-riddled romance style and instead takes a more character-driven approach. The art has a rather "sketchy" quality to it, but it's very good. The character designs are very complete, and visually they're nice to look at without being über-cute. Anyway, highly recommended.
SIRIUS NO KIZUATO
Takada Shinichiroh - Kamisama no Tsukurikata
*In an high-tech underground gladiator league known as "Dogfight," humans, or rather, cyborgs without the ability to use their brain for anything other than their deep human combat instincts, are pitted against each other in a duel to the death. Among these cyborgs arose one whose name struck fear into the those that were gambled against it -- Le Blanc Treizieme. Destroying mercilessly for 30 straight kills, Le Blanc Treizieme earned the coveted title 'Sirius.' But one day Sirius somehow regained her consciousness. Standing upon the battlefield was no longer Le Blanc Treizieme, the Ice Queen Sirius, but Tachibana Sayoko, a teenage girl. Regaining her consciousness turned out to be a disaster, however. The inability to transfer Vitamin B to the brain has caused it to rapidly decay. At the most, she has 7 days left before her brain ceases functioning.
Dunno, haven't read any yet. Since it seems like it'll be short, I'll wait til it's all translated before starting it.
SMUGGLER
Manabe Shohei - (Dead End)
*Ryosuke Kinuta, is a young man with no stable job. He wants to become an actor but has lots of unpaid debts from loan sharks. In order to pay them back, the loan sharks introduce him to a job as a "carrier" wherein he must carry dead bodies of murdered people. He has entered a scary world in which one mistake can lead to death.
Decent crime/action manga. Pretty much every aspect of it is an acquired taste, but overall I enjoyed it and I imagine some other people will as well.
SORAYUME NO UTA
Yuana Kazumi - Hyakuman Tsubu no Namida
*In the future, a devastating war has forced mankind to take refuge under ground. While most of humanity is content, several people dream of the impossible Eof seeing the sky. The Narise Corporation has been researching just how to do that, using a special robot, Ciel, who has the unique ability to conjure up images of the world above ground through his songs. However, when murder strikes the company, Ciel has to run away... but he won’t ever forget his promise to lead his friend to the sky.
Not as weird as Hyakuman Tsubu no Namida. It's pretty good.
STREET FIGHTER
Various
Based on the video game series. In full color.
The only U.S.-produced comic in my collection. Nothing too interesting as far as plot or characters; if you've played the games or have absorbed even a bit of info through the collective nerd knowledge pool, you won't find anything new here. But the art is very nice and there's some decent action in here, so you might give it a look.
STROKE MATERIAL - MY FUCKIN' LOVER
Atsuta Kotobuki
*Very funny story with a title we could NOT resist! People have gone so far as to call Kaname-kun a "sex machine" and "a man who exists solely for obscenity and sin." But now he's fallen in love for the first time with the super cool beauty Yumi-sama. Even when his only reward is her cold gaze, he persists in his desire to win her love -- but he's struggling and suffering because his wooing technique gets incredibly clumsy when he actually cares about the result!
Cute and funny, in a twisted sort of way.
SUMIRE 16
Nagayoshi Takeru - (Sumire 17)
On her first day of high school, Ohyama Renge meets a life-sized doll named Sumire with a strange old man behind her. It turns out that they're in the same class, and through various events, they become friends. For better or worse, the rest of her school days will never boring!
A weird and funny series.
SUZUMIYA HARUHI NO YUUUTSU
Tanigawa Nagaru / Tsugano Gaku
Kyon, high school freshman, gets roped into establishing the SOS-dan, a club dedicated to investigating aliens, time-travelers, espers, and all other curiosities of the universe by the eccentric and beautiful Suzumiya Haruhi. And unbeknownst to either of them, those same mysterious entities are equally bent on finding Haruhi!
So far, not as good as the anime, but since the anime is probably in my top 5, that's not saying much. It's still a good manga that I'd highly recommend.
SWEET BLOOD
Mamahari Eri - (Hitokui no Taki)
*Possessing extraordinary detective skills and even helping out at the police department can't be normal, and anyone who knows Uryuu Nanao knows that she's different from the rest. It is this distinctiveness that draws both Karasuma Nozomi and Sakuragawa Nozomi to her despite Nanao's attempts to distance herself from them both. However, a series of murders take place and Nanao is forced to enlist their help in order to unravel the truth behind her father's murder. Just who is the real mastermind behind the ongoing murders and why are they targeting Nanao? And what is the secret left behind by Nanao's father?
Huh.
TACTICS
Kinoshita Sakura - Matantei Loki Ragnarok / Higashiyama Kazuko
Ichinomiya Kantaro is a folklore researcher and part-time youkai hunter. And finally he has found the legendary youkai-eating tengu that he has been searching for since he was little! And he names him Haruka! What crazy adventures will the two get into?
Fun.
TENKA MUSOU
Sasaki Akane
During the destruction of her village, ninja girl Han is entrusted with the task of protecting the Tenka Musou, half of a pair of scrolls that when combined will grant anything the user desires.
Hey, it has ninjas! And it's cool! And funny! So uh... Yay! Decent stuff.
TENSHI NANKA JA NAI
Yazawa Ai - Kagen no Tsuki
Saejima Midori got nominated for student council while she was absent, but luckily the guy she likes also seems to be running, and they end up working together for the year. Determined not to waste this chance, Midori gradually gets to know him through their time together.
I wasn't too sure of this one after the first few pages, but I stuck with it and I'd have to say that it's a fairly decent manga so far, even if I don't really care for the setup or character designs.
THE HATING GIRL
Rokunishi Koji
Yamada Ryouji transfers to a new school where he meets Torii Asumi, a girl with an arrow stuck through her head. Fascinated by the arrow and mystified by her bizarre behavior, he resolves to find out what kind of person she really is... and how she changes clothes, wears a hat, gets through airport security checks, or, well, got an arrow stuck in her head.
Eh. Weird high school comedy; starts fairly strong, quickly becomes mediocre. Final analysis: the good outweighs the weak parts enough to keep it around.
THE HOUR OF THE MICE
Toume Kei - Acony, Fuguruma Memories, Kurogane, Hitsuji no Uta, Luno, Sing "Yesterday" For Me
*Maki Takano and his three best friends Ryo, Natsume and Mei are students at a private academy for highly gifted children. Like all the other students of this isolated and heavily guarded school, they have never seen the outside world since they were brought to the school at the young age of three. When a new female student named Kiriko Hinatsu arrives, Maki has the strange feeling that he has met her before. However, he seems to be the only person who can remember the girl. When he confronts her with his discovery, Kiriko reveals the unbelievable truth about their existence: The school they have been living at all this time is actually an experimental facility and all the students are but guinea pigs who are being used for sophisticated neurological experiments. Maki now has to decide: Will he continue his false but sheltered life or will he help Kiriko escape even if that means putting himself at risk?
Only about 4 chapters in so far, but Toume-san hasn't let me down yet, and doesn't look likely to this time, so into the collection it goes. Also, see kotonoha's forums for some interesting discussion on this series.
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA
Himekawa Akira
Based on Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and The Minish Cap.
Well done adventure manga. Seems to move a little too fast sometimes, but thankfully they didn't try to make it a 1:1 translation from game to manga. Also, the scans can be a little hard to read at times.
THE MUSIC OF MARIE
Furuya Usamaru - A Room Full of Clouds, Happiness, (Jisatsu Circle, ShortCuts)
*Created by Usamaru FURUYA, The Music of Marie is a fantasy epic of truly magnificent scale with gorgeous illustrations. In just two volumes, the author manages to create an incredibly rich and fascinating world that is full of wonders and enchanting beauties. A world in which men are watched over by the mechanical goddess Marie who at times appears on the sky. Marie's music brings people happiness and harmony. Their life is free from advanced technology and the longing for progress. The main story centers around Kai, a young man who develops a deep affection for Marie. His quest for enlightenment leads him inside Marie's mechanical body where he learns the unbelievable truth about her and his own world.
Well, it's not very far into it, but the art really is great and the pace and feel of everything is very enjoyable. Looking forward to the rest of it.
THEY, TOO, LOVE
Seo Moon Da Mi
*Jung Euimoon and Eun Myroyung are both members of the second Biology Club, which has been downgraded to the oldest facilities in the school to make room for the new Biology Club. Jung Euimoon uses Bunsen burners to cook his breakfast and routinely camps out at the Biology Club room to get away from his numerous siblings. Eun is a loner and reads tarot cards—which always foretell unhappy auguries—to amuse herself. They each think the other is strange. These two seem to be opposites, but they have more in common than they think. Who knows what the future holds in store for them.
Weird and funny. I can't think of anything else to say.
THREADS OF TIME
Mi Young Noh
*High school student Moon Bin Lee has difficulty sleeping due to a recurring nightmare: he's stranded over a thousand years in the past chasing a dark-haired girl into a deep abyss. Before long, the nightmare overwhelms him, and he is unable to tell whether he is Moon Bin, a Seoul teenager at the end of the second Millennium, or Sa Kyoung Kim, the son of a prominent warrior family in the middle of the first Millennium. People in his present-day life assume roles in his historical life as he struggles to learn exactly who he is and what he's expected to do, straddling a transmigratory portal through time and space. In the present, his school's kendo club battles to stay in the championships ... but in the past, Moon Bin finds himself at the threshold of a territorial dispute on the plains of Mongolia ...
Complex, rich, and intense story with a lot of action and interesting characters. Recommended.
TODAY IN CLASS 5-2
Sakuraba Coharu - Minami-ke
Cute, funny, and familiar record of fifth grade life that follows Satou Ryota and company as they explore the world of collarbones, superballs, storage sheds, and much more.
I really enjoyed this one. It's short and episodic, but there's a surprising amount of depth and charm to it. The only real problem I had was keeping track of the characters and telling a few of them apart. Highly recommended. Edit: If you liked this, seriously check out Minami-ke, as not only is it awesome in its own right, but Volume 1 includes a chapter of 5-2 that didn't make it into this tankoubon.
TOGARI
Toshinori Natsume - Kurozakuro
*Tobe was a criminal during the samurai era. For this reason, he has been wandering through hell for three centuries. One day, Lady Emma, one of the ravishing denizens of the subterranean world, makes him a deal: he can leave hell if he succeeds in destroying 108 sins in 108 days. To aid him on this quest, Tobe receives a sword: Togari, which has the power to destroy the evil energies pushing men towards evil deeds...
A decent action manga with a rather weak, open-ended finish. Pretty good art. Good characters. A decent read, just keep in mind that it ends long before it seems it should.
TOKKO - DEVIL'S AWAKEN
Fujisawa Tohru - Bad Company, Rose Hip Rose, Shounan Jun'ai Gumi, Tokko - Phantom Hunter, (Great Teacher Onizuka)
Shindo is a new member of the Special Mobile Investigation Forces that responds to the recent string of grisly mass murders in Tokyo in the year 2011. Murders that seem somehow connected to his parents' deaths 5 years ago and the recurring dream he's been having recently...
So far this looks like some kind of demon-slaying action/drama. Pretty good stuff. Please note that the magazine and tankoubon versions have significant differences, so for now I'm collecting both. See hngo translations' site for more details although I'm not sure they're 100% accurate.
TOKKO - PHANTOM HUNTER
Fujisawa Tohru - Bad Company, Rose Hip Rose, Shounan Jun'ai Gumi, Tokko - Devil's Awaken, (Great Teacher Onizuka)
A spinoff of Tokko - Devil's Awaken, Phantom Hunter follows Araragi Itsuto and his sister Mayu as they hunt the phantoms involved in the Machida incident and eat their flesh to absorb their powers.
Weird but decent action manga, I suppose.
TO-LOVE-RU
Hasemi Saki / Yabuki Kentaro - Black Cat, Yamato Gensouki
*Rito is a high-school boy who just can't confess to the girl of his dreams, Haruna-chan. One day when coming home and sulking in the bath-tub a mysterious, and barely clothed girl, appears out of nowhere. Her name is Lala and she comes from another planet...
Light, fast-paced, entertaining comedy/fanservice/romance. Very enjoyable. If you don't get the title, the English word "trouble" is written in Japan as "toraburu." "Love" is written as "rabu." So "toraburu"->"to(rabu)ru"->"to(love)ru". It's hard to really romanize the pun properly, but there you have it.
TONA-GURA
Kakei Hidetaka
*The Arisaka sisters (Hatsune and Kazuki) and the Kagura siblings(Yuuji and Marie) lived next door when they were smaller. So close that they could climb onto each other's verandas from the 2nd flr.They would always play together until one day the Kagura siblings had to move. It's been 10 years and the Kagura siblings are moving back! Yuuji's turned into a perv and Marie isn't the crybaby she used to be?!
Pretty standard comedy/romance/ecchi series, so/but I like it.
UCHUU NO STELLVIA
Akizuki Ryo
*The year is 2356 A.D. - 189 years after a distant supernova caused a global catastrophe that wiped out 99% of the world population. To keep track on all space activities, mankind has built colossal space stations called "Foundations" all over the Solar System. After passing the Space Academy entrance exams, Shima Katase embarks to the Earth-based foundation Stellvia to fulfill her dream of seeing the galaxy and to prevent another interstellar catastrophe from destroying Earth.
A pretty good series, about 1:1 comedy:drama I guess. Interesting characters and setting. Seems that this is actually based on the anime, rather than vice-versa. So far it's probably not quite as good, but it's certainly not bad at all either.
UNCIVILIZED PLANET
Matsumoto Jiro - Freesia, Keep on Vibrating
*From Jiro Matsumoto (the author of Freesia) comes a story of three childhood friends - Nicolo, Cookie and Naomi - who grew up in a sleepy backwater town on an uncivilized planet. They struggle to get by while holding on to their dreams of leaving town and finding a better life... but can their friendship endure the tests of time? Can it withstand invading armies, broken dreams, conflicting ambitions, divided loyalties, jealousy and even betrayal?
Kind of a messed up and depressing manga, and likely one of the most NSFW series here, but overall I thought it was a good story.
ULTRA MANIAC
Yoshizumi Wataru - Kimi Shika Iranai, Random Walk, (Datte Suki Nandamon, Marmalade Boy, Mint na Bokura)
When Tateishi Ayu finds transfer student Sakura Nina's lost video game, Nina decides to repay her by telling Ayu her secret: she's actually from the magic world, and the thing that Ayu found was really the magic computer that she needs to be able to cast spells! Nina wants to use her magic to help Ayu, and tries many times... but while she's enthusiastic, she's not very good at magic, and always ends up making things harder for Ayu, especially when it comes to her love life.
Fairly standard magical girl manga, but it's entertaining enough.
UNPLUGGED BOY
Chun Kye Young - DVD, (Audition, Come Back Home)
*Not only does Jee Yool have high school to worry about, she has her love life to worry about, too! The guy she likes, Hyun Kyum, doesn't see her (or any other women) as more than a friend and some guy she's not interested in is obsessed with her! Her life gets more complicated, and those complications don't even include trouble from the class delinquent...
Not as funny as DVD, but a good, short read nonetheless.
VAMPIRE JUUJI KAI
Shirodaira Kyou - (Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna) / Kimura Yuri
*There is a legend that tells of how the world was almost destroyed thousands of years ago by the vampire queen after she unleashed her latent powers. Despite their efforts, the humans were unable to defeat her, and thus resorted to sealing her away until the time came that they would be powerful enough to destroy the seal and kill her. However, the humans are not the only ones after the seal. Having cast aside his kingdom and betraying his own race and the dunpeils (half-vampires), the vampire king is persistantly searching, even to this day, for where his queen has been sealed away so he may break the seal and free her before the humans do. Fearing that once the king and queen are reunited, they shall continue to destroy the world together, the humans and dunpeils hunt the king, using any method possible.
Very good so far.
VAMPIRE KNIGHT
Hino Matsuri - (Merupuri, Toraware no Minoue, WANTED)
*Yuuki's earliest memory is of a stormy winter's night when she was attacked by a vampire...then saved by another. Ten years later, she has grown up a guardian of the vampire race, protecting her savior, Kaname, from discovery as he leads a group of reformed vampires at an elite boarding academy. But at her side is a boy called Zero, who burns with hatred for the creatures who destroyed everything that he ever cared for, and is determined never to trust them. Have the vampires truly renounced their murderous ways, or is there a darker truth behind their actions? Is Kaname's infatuation with Yuuki the beginning of a forbidden romance? Or is it something in her lost memories that draws him to her? Because in this world of secrets, nothing is as it seems, and nobody is who they say they are. And the price of misplaced faith may well be worse than death.
*chomp*
VIDEO GIRL AI
Katsura Masakazu - I''S, (DNA^2, Iria-Zeiram the Animation (Character Design), Zetman, etc.)
After yet another heartbreak, a mysterious video store appears before Moteuchi "Dateless" Youta, and he ends up renting a tape, free of charge. But when he plays the tape, the girl on the screen, Ai, enters the real world, and life gets a lot more complicated.
Well, overall I don't know if I enjoyed it or not; it's a bit too angsty for my tastes. But the fact that I read the whole thing should tell you that I didn't think it was a total loss. The character designs seem somewhat outdated, but improve a bit over time and you get used to them anyway. It's somewhat ecchi at times. Not much comedy to speak of, but there is a tiny bit of action. Uh, I guess that's all I have to say.
VITAMIN
Suenobu Keiko - (Life)
A middle school girl deals with bullying by rediscovering her dream of drawing manga.
An interesting read. Short and rather serious, it deals with some mature and difficult themes. Fairly well-developed characters and a somewhat slow progression for its length. Not boring though.
WANTED
Mizuto Aqua - Milk Crown Series, Koigokoro Fantasia, (Go! Virginal Hanayuuki, MY BOY MY LOVE, etc)
Kazuha Tohri moves to a new school where a group of thieves manages to elude her for the first time in her life. Who are the thieves, and what is their objective? Also includes a number of extra one-shots.
Decent, but not amazing, shoujo romance/mystery series/collection.
WANTED!
Oda Eiichirou - One Piece
This is a 1-volume series of one-shot chapters about various criminals in a fantasy old west setting from the mangaka who later did One Piece.
Funny, action-packed, and entertaining. Watch for more. Edit: MangaCity sucks. At least it'll probably get licensed eventually.
WATASHI NO OOKAMI-SAN
Fujiwara Cocoa - Dear
*Bored of sitting around holding a wine glass all day, the Demon Lord is looking for something new. Something cute. Someone like Komomo, the level 0 heroine who has just appeared before him, ready to vanquish him like all heroes (or heroines) do. Faced with a demon king who'd rather watch TV under a kotatsu and make out with her than spread evil over the land, what will Komomo do?
Very funny and cute little manga. Bizarre and adorable characters, strange concept... just great all around. Officially, these are two separate 1-volume series, "WnO: Brave and Lycanthrope" (labelled Volume 1) and "WnO: The Other Side of Lycanthrope" (Volume 2), which is kind of a side-story focusing on Kurenai and Carol. For yet more fun stuff with Komomo et al, check out "Dear." While the focus once again seems to be elsewhere, it appears that the WnO cast will be involved in the plot.
WORLDEND FAIRYTALE
Hakoda Maki
Morisaki Koroku transfers schools to investigate his older brother's disappearance years ago, and quickly becomes involved in the bizarre events surrounding three mysterious sisters and a place known as "World End."
Excellent. It has pretty much everything, although, while not without humor, it's slanted somewhat away from comedy. Most of all it has an incredible sense of atmosphere and a very deliberate and well-executed pace and method of story- telling. Fear not, though! It also has some cool action and fantasy elements! And awesome art! And interesting characters! And...! Well, maybe you should just read it for yourself.
YAKITATE JAPAN!!
Hashiguchi Takashi - (Super Yo-Yo, Suto II Bakushou!! Yon-koma Gag Gaiden, Windmill)
Azuma Kazuma follows his dream of making the bread that will represent Japan and overthrow rice as the staple food. And so after middle school graduation he heads to Tokyo to work at the Pantasia Bakery. Also keep in mind that pan=Japanese for bread, so the title of the manga is a pun.
Okay, right, it's a cooking manga, cooking manga's can't be any good. But OMG H4X this is a hilarious and dang entertaining manga. The characters are crazy, the pacing is manic, the breads are ingenious, the art and character design are nicely done... There're a lot of puns, so be wary of that. At times, this actually has more the feel of a fighting manga; the characters talk like it's a battle, they measure the strength of the opponent, they come up with special moves and baking techniques. But even at the bread tournaments, it still has the wit and personality of a top-notch comedy series. Definitely recommended.
YAMATO GENSOUKI
Yabuki Kentaro - Black Cat
An assassin decides to become the bodyguard of the girl he was supposed to kill, in hopes that she can unite all of Japan. But the organization that sent him won't just leave it at that...
A pretty good manga with good but pretty standard art and characters and a somewhat unresolved plot. But what's there is good enough for me to keep it regardless, which should say something about it.
YAYA
Kang Eun Young - (Hissing)
*The main character of this story is a girl with obsessive compulsive disorder. On a visit to her new school, she meets a fellow student, "bad boy," and a handsome teacher. Things start to heat up later on, who will she end up with?!
Hmm.
YOKOHAMA KAIDASHI KIKOU
Ashinano Hitoshi - (PositioN)
*This is the story of Alpha Hasseno, an Alpha 7 M2 series robot. Left by her owner, she appears and acts fully human while running a small coffee shop named Cafe Alpha. It is a light-hearted story about the people Alpha comes into contact with behind the backdrop of a futuristic country-side in Japan. As we meet Alpha, she makes a shopping trip to Yokohama.
This manga is very hard to really explain, so I'll just tell you to go read it and see what it is. I can say that the art is often really beautiful, though relatively simple. If you need something to just kinda chill to and smile, this is it.
YOROSHIKU MASTER
Tsukuba Sakura - Mekakushi no Kuni, Penguin Revolution
It looks like Kurumi is going to be alone for Christmas this year. But that's okay. She's used to being alone. Or at least that's what she thinks before she meets Kaitou, her "reindeer."
Wins.
YOTSUBA&! (YOTSUBATO!)
Azuma Kiyohiko - Azumanga Daioh
This is a manga by the creator of Azumanga Daioh, Kiyohiko Azuma-dono. It's the same kind of manga, though he's abandoned the 4-koma format and the high school setting. It follows the misadventures of 6-year-old Koiwai Yotsuba after she moves to a new town with her father.
If you've read Azumanga Daioh, this will be familiar, but it still offers a lot of new stuff and is a hilarious and entertaining manga in its own right. Same art style and sense of humor though. Definitely recommended. Go read!
YUBISAKI MILK TEA
Miyano Tomochika
Girl: One day my prince will come. Wearing a white dress, I'll be a beautiful bride. It'd be nice if it was like that. I wonder where my prince might be.
Boy: Ohhh, so you have that kind of dream? Wedding dress... Sounds cool! In that case, I'll become a more beautiful bride than you, Hidari!
Girl: Ehhh? You're supposed to say, 'I'll be your prince on a white horse!'
YUMEKUI KENBUN
Mashiba Shin
*During the final years of the Taisho Era (circa 1926), the gloomy tea house Ginseikan had a very special patron. Hiruko is a Baku, a being who eats nightmares. Customers come to the tea house every night seeking release from the suffering in their nightmares, and for the price of the tasty nightmare, Hiruko will walk their twisted dreams with them.
As you might guess from the synopsis, this is a mostly episodic series, kind of similar to Mushishi or to a lesser extent Fuguruma Memories. Maybe even a little like the Twilight Zone, only usually not as bizarre and rarely as horror-ish. Hmm. It's kinda hard to describe, really, so maybe you'd best just check it out.
YURARA NO TSUKI
Shiomi Chika
*Yurara just wanted to live a normal life, that is to say... a life without needing to worry about ghosts. But that proves to be hard when her current school is filled with them. All of a sudden, she's being targeted by a ghost that lingers over her desk. What's worst is that super popular guys, Meiwa and Yakou, started paying attention to her as well. Between dodging dagger looks from girls and surviving ghost attacks, Yurara is about to unleash her other personality and her true hidden powers. How is Yurara suppose live the normal life that she dreamt of for so long?
Hmmm...
YUUNAGI NO MACHI, SAKURA NO KUNI
Kono Fumiya
*Hiroshima, 1955. Ten years after her city was consumed by a scorching flash of light, a woman's soul is still deeply shaken by the earth-shattering explosion that devastated her home and changed her life forever. The war, the atomic bomb... what did they mean to ordinary people? Fumiyo Kôno examines these questions in her most powerful book yet—an award-winning, widely-discussed masterpiece!
Hmm... how does one review this?
ZERO IN
Inoue Sora
*Kou Shiraishi was your standard high school boy with lots of problems, mostly bullies, until the day that he meets Mikuru Nazume during a bank heist. Not only is Mikuru the school idol, but she's also an agent for Minkei, a private police force. They team up as Kou and Mikuru journey to become stronger, both in their own way.
Fun.
ZETTAI KARESHI
Watase Yuu - Alice 19th, Appare Jipangu!, (Ayashi no Ceres, Fushigi Yuugi, Imadoki, and others)
*After getting suckered in once more, Riiko Izawa swears never to buy vendor goods again. And to top off her day, the queen of unrequited love suffers yet another rejection, followed by another round of ruthless teasing from her childhood friend and neighbor, Soushi. However, when a strange salesman named Gaku Namikiri claims that his company, Kronos Heaven, can furnish her with a boyfriend, the vendor's promise of amazing results is too much for Riiko to resist. Kronos Heaven delivers, but what precisely is it? When Soushi begins to view the "boyfriend" as competition, how will he handle his changing feelings towards Riiko? What details has Gaku left out, and what are they going to cost Riiko?
Angsty shoujo romance/drama by Watase Yuu. Right there you oughtta if you'll like it or not. Oh, and for the time being, chapter 27 is a raw with a textfile translation. A scanslation is being worked on, but I don't know when they'll release it. Also, there are two "chapter 30"s... it was like this in the Japanese version; no one knows why.
ZOMBIE LOAN
Peach-Pit - Prism Palette, (DearS, Rozen Maiden, Shugo Kyara)
*When a human is marked to die, a faint gray line that is invisible to most appears around their neck. As time passes, that ring becomes darker and darker, until it is eventually black, and that person dies. Kita Michiru has an unusual gift, she posses "Shinigami eyes," which allow her to see these rings. When Michiru notices that two of the boys in her Class, Akatsuki Chika and Tachibana Shito not only have rings, but that they're jet black, they reveal to her that the were supposed to die in a tragic accident six months ago. With the help of the Zombie Loan loan office, they were given a second chance at life, should they be able to pay for their debt by doing the work of Shinigami and killing malicious zombies. They petition Michiru to assist them in their efforts, and she finds her everyday life changing dramatically.
ZOMBIE POWDER
Kubo Taito - Bleach
*A world where a special powder is sought out by Powder Hunters for its power to bring the dead back to life and make the living immortal. Akutabi Gamma is one such hunter, collecting the Rings of the Dead in order to obtain the Zombie Powder!
Okay, this is a top notch action manga from the mangaka who later made Bleach. Or rather, it's the first 4 volumes of a top-notch action manga; it kind of just ends, though at least not in the middle of a big crisis. Still, good characters, great action, decent partial plot and a familiar style and feel for those who've read Bleach.
ONE SHOTS
SJ=Shoujo
#=Collection
Title Genre Class Rating
____________________________________________________________________________________
A Fairy Tale For You #SJ-Fairy Tale/Romance C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
A Room of Clouds Drama A_
____________________________________________________________________________________
A Strange Gene Drama/Character Study A_
____________________________________________________________________________________
A Strange Trait Drama/Character Study A_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Acony Weird C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Adidas Fever - Lust For Life Random B_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Adidas Fever - Those Who Will Never Return Random C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Always Together Weight Loss? C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
At The Park Drama B_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Because Goodbyes Are Coming Soon Historical/CS B_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Beloved Teddy Bear #SJ-Romance B_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Beta!! Comedy C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Blame Academy! SciFi C_
___________________________________________________________________________________
Blizzard Axel Figure Skating C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Boku ga Utau to Kimi wa Waraukara #SJ-Romance C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Bunnies SciFi/Comedy B_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Chiruru, The Girl With Supernatural Powers Random C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Damned Sun Drama/Character Study A_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Dead Flowers Drama A_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Dirty Work Drama B_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Endo Short Stories #Drama A_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Fat Horror C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Flowers SciFi/Drama A_
____________________________________________________________________________________
For Someone Light Romance C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Ghost Logic Light Occult C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Hajime Light Drama A_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Hoppie's Bear Light Drama B_
____________________________________________________________________________________
How To Colonize Space SciFi/Horror C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Ikioku - The Cooler Half Amusing A_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Indian Summer Adventure C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Locker Trade Agreement Comedy B_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Love At The Fingertip SJ-Light Romance C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Mario's Childhood Doujin/Parody C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Marsh Weird C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Metropolis Strange C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Mushroom Hunting Quaint C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
My Fair Gentleman SJ-Romance C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
My Mysterious Girlfriend X Weird Romance B_
____________________________________________________________________________________
NOIZ Light SciFi/Drama C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Rome-rome Gag C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
She Got Off The Bus At The Peninsula Stuff B_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Shindo Really Short C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Shining Hearts SJ-Light Romance A_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Shoujo Manga Light Drama A_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Snow in the Dark Fantasy/Tragedy A_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Spider-man Action C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Tengoku no Honya Light Drama A_
____________________________________________________________________________________
The Crimson Boy Random C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
The Eyes of the Assassin Drama C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
The Female Fridge No. 1 Weird C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
The Love's Red Signals Comedy/Light Romance A_
____________________________________________________________________________________
The Rainbow Fish Drama/Character Study A_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Tsuki Iro Secret Light Drama/Romance B_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Twisted Light Drama B_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Under The Bridge Anecdote B_
____________________________________________________________________________________
White Clouds Light Drama C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Window Eh C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Wreckage X Fumo C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Zansho - Kitoh Mohiro's Short Stories #Light Drama A_
____________________________________________________________________________________
Zeb-noid SciFi C_
____________________________________________________________________________________
A FAIRY TALE FOR YOU
Shiina Ayumi - (Muteki no Venus, Kimagure na Maria)
A collection of 3 short shoujo romance/fairy tales.
Decent but nothing special. Since they're fairy tales, they're really light and predictable, but they work in their own way. The art is serviceable most of the time. Characters are standard newer fairy tale archetypes.
A ROOM OF CLOUDS
Furuya Usamaru - The Music of Marie, Happiness
*The second installment of Usamaru Furuya's omnibus series "Happiness" introduces Yuno Yamase, a naive girl who is looked down at by everyone because of her "low" intelligence. Exploited and mortified
by her peers, scorned and let down by her family, she decides to leave her old life behind. Will Yuno be able to find the happiness she's longing for in this treacherous world?
A serious story that handles some rather difficult themes. Not light or happy reading, but very well done and maybe somewhat thought-provoking.
A STRANGE GENE
Souryo Fuyumi - Eternal Sabbath, A Strange Trait, Damned Sun, The Rainbow Fish
A pair of coworkers discuss the significance of appearances.
A little drama/character study with an interesting premise, likeable characters, and decent artwork.
A STRANGE TRAIT
Souryo Fuyumi - Eternal Sabbath, A Strange Gene, Damned Sun, The Rainbow Fish
A reserved young woman reminisces about her beautiful and intelligent childhood friend.
Another drama/character study by Souryo Fuyumi.
ACONY
Toume Kei - Kurogane, Hitsuji no Uta, Luno, Sing "Yesterday" For Me
Weird 4-page one-shot. Apparently there's a series that's just beginning, too... I'll see if anyone picks it up.
Kinda weird.
ADIDAS FEVER - LUST FOR LIFE
Various
A collaborative work by a number of prominent mangaka about the life of a pair of adidas.
Kinda interesting. I believe there is a continuation of it on the way. Note: Left-to-right.
ADIDAS FEVER - THOSE WHO WILL NEVER RETURN
Kamijou Atsushi - (Sex, To-Y)
Two rivals meet again on a deserted soccer field.
Short, but an interesting concept.
ALWAYS TOGETHER
Isshiki Makoto
*In order to win the heart of her dream boy, an obese girl joins forces with her cousin to loose weight... -- An amusing take on the topic "obesity" and how the right motivation can work wonders from the author of Piano no mori and Hanada shônen-shi.
Bet you've never read a manga about losing weight... A lighthearted story and a decent read.
AT THE PARK
Nananan Kiriko
A young woman prepares to tell her friend Yoko that she and Yoko's boyfriend are in love with each other.
Nice art, mood, and story progression.
BECAUSE GOODBYES ARE COMING SOON
Yukimura Makoto
A portrait of Shinsengumi captain Okita Soji during his last days in the spring of 1868.
An unusual perspective.
BELOVED TEDDY BEAR
Kamura Yoko
A collection of light shoujo romance short stories.
Hmmm... the stories are all kinda weird, but I think they work fairly well and it's an enjoyable collection overall. The art is fairly standard shoujo but unlike a lot of series, it actually looks pretty good. The characters are odd but well-done and there's enough humor and personality to keep the story flowing and interesting. Anyway, a decent read if you don't mind quirky and aren't looking for action or sidesplitting humor or anything serious.
BETA!!
Urasawa Naoki - 20th Century Boys, Monster
A short comedy about a guy who wakes up with a little censor-block over his eyes.
Heh.
BLAME ACADEMY!
Nihei Tsutomu - Zeb-Noid
In t3h futare!
This seems to be a series of mostly unrelated scenes and concepts set in a weird futuristic world. If there is a point, I think it might be the last scene tying it all together with a little thought about how some things never change.
BLIZZARD AXEL
Unknown
A high school martial artist undertakes a figure skating challenge for the sake of his girlfriend.
Honestly, a rather absurd, almost stupid manga, but good enough.
BOKU GA UTAU TO KIMI WA WARAUKARA
Takaya Natsuki - Fruits Basket, (Illusional Shadow Fantasy, The One With Wings)
A collection of short shoujo romance stories.
Sappy. Characters are all sensitive little wankers that make you want to beat them up. Still, I guess the stories are alright, just nothing special. Art's maybe a little weak but it works.
BUNNIES
Kasabe Tetsu - Locker Trade Agreement
What if you could foresee your own future? For a curious reporter, this question becomes no longer theoretical as he ends up serving as an involuntary guinea pig for a mad scientist who claims to be able to do just that. But is it what he sees really the future?
Same style, same twisted sense of humor as LTA. Pretty funny.
CHIRURU, THE GIRL WITH SUPERNATURAL POWERS
Ouhinata Gou
*Two girls, two stories...
A simple-looking manga that ends very differently than it begins.
DAMNED SUN
Souryo Fuyumi - Eternal Sabbath, A Strange Gene, The Rainbow Fish
A conversation about the means and motivation to kill a human being.
Not as morbid or dark as the synopsis might suggest. An interesting character study, I guess.
DEAD FLOWERS
Takahashi Tsutomu - (Jiraishin, Alive, Sky High, Blue Heaven)
Shuuko Souma, age 27, likes to escape on from life's problems on her motorcycle. One night, on another such ride, she comes across a wrecked minivan, and finds a young boy, Yuuya, inside, injured but alive. After getting him medical attention, she is approached by the boy's sister, who reveals that Souma and Yuuya are very similar in many respects. And so as Souma tries to help this boy, she also begins to come to terms with her own problems as well.
From the scanslator's site: "The first thing that is likely to come to your mind when you see this comic's artwork will probably be: 'Ain't this Tsutomu Takahashi's?' Well, I can assure you that your eyes don't fool you. This is indeed a work from Tsutomu Takahashi (Jiraishin, Alive, Sky High, Blue Heaven etc.) but he published it under a pen name: Ichigo Nekota. He did so to promote a movie named Ichigo no kakera (Ichigo Chips), his directorial debut, that has been shown in Japanese theaters since January 19th. Now comes the interesting part, Ichigo no kakera is a drama about a 'spoiled, selfish, creatively blocked manga artist' named Ichigo Nekota (played by Japanese actress Miho Miyazawa) and Dead Flowers is supposed to be her second work after Cherry Road, Nekota's hugely successful debut comic (whose existence is fictional of course)."
At any rate, an interesting drama/character study with very nice artwork.
DIRTY WORK
Sadamoto Yoshiyuki - System of Romance / Takaha Mako - System of Romance
Two childhood friends wait by the road to punish a teacher in a small chicken-farming town.
An unconventional love story. Good art, good writing, good characters.
ENDO SHORT STORIES
ENDO Hiroki - Eden
A collection of short stories by Hiroki Endo, including "The Crows, The Girl, And The Yakuza," "Maybe She's A Sweet Girl," "For Those Of Us Who Don't Believe In God," "Hang," "High School Girl 2000," "Platform," and "Boys Don't Cry."
Haven't read 'em all, but if you're familiar with Endo's work you'll probably know what to expect... Well-done and complex stories and characters reflecting a strange and rather pessimistic philosophy of things.
FAT
Ogatsu Kazuo
A horror story about a man whose wife has recently disappeared and whose aging mother is losing her mind.
Well, I'm not a big fan of the genre, but it was alright.
FLOWERS
Nihonbashi Yoko - G-Senjou Heaven's Door, Ikioku
*A mysterious disease. A young man fated to die. A woman whose love accompanies him to the unavoidable end.
A bittersweet little love story. Kinda weird, too, but that's not necessarily bad.
FOR SOMEONE
Ohishi Tomoya
Yamazaki tries a bunch of stuff to get a kiss from Naoko, the girl he likes.
A nice little story.
GHOST LOGIC
Hamanaka Akira / Nemoto Setsu
Jyuumonji Yumeko is an occult fanatic who always argues with her childhood friend Satoru over the existence of ghosts. But when Satoru is struck by lightning and dies, he becomes a ghost bound to Yume, who is the only one that can see him. And when rumors of Satoru's ghost appearing in the science room start spreading, it's up to them to get to the bottom of it.
Entertaining enough.
HAJIME
Unknown / Obata Takeshi - Death Note, (Ayatsuri Sakon, Hikaru no Go)
*Two kids, Kouhei and Akio, made up an imaginary girl named Hajime to take the blame for destruction of the principal's copper statue. But one day, they meet a girl that is exactly like their description of Hajime, but only they can see her.
Great little short story that's a little wistful, a little happy, a little melancholy. Great art, great characters, great storytelling. Go read it; it's like 2 chapters, what do you got to lose?
HOPPIE'S BEAR
Iwaoka Hisae - White Clouds, Flower Cookies
*One day, office worker Kurata encounters a strange girl in the city. The girl, who wears a bear "head mask" all the time, seems to moonlight at her dad's restaurant. And so begins an unusual friendship between the lovelorn man and the mature girl...
An interesting read.
HOW TO COLONIZE SPACE
Tomizawa Hitoshi - Milk Closet
*A tale about the people who have to shoulder the burden of mankind's progress.
Very similar to Milk Closet by the same mangaka. So... cute + disturbing = disturbing².
IKIOKU - THE COOLER HALF
Nihonbashi Yoko - G-Senjou Heaven's Door, Flowers
*In this beautifully drawn short story by Nihonbashi Yoko, author/artist of _G Battlefield: Heaven's Door_, the reader is introduced to the silent, beautiful Yaeko Shimura. A woman who brings new meanings to the words dutiful wife and good friend.
Interesting. Hope they pick up the series.
INDIAN SUMMER
Asada Hiroyuki
Three childhood friends meet again and go on an adventure to help one of their families.
Well, it's not original, plausible, or mindblowingly cool, but it works, and I liked it.
LOCKER TRADE AGREEMENT
Kasabe Tetsu - Bunnies
A weird little one-shot about a locker in Shinjuku Station that's a tunnel between two times.
Heh.
LOVE AT THE FINGERTIP
Unknown
Makeup!
Romance and makeup. Not bad.
MARIO'S CHILDHOOD
Taepoong Lee / Taeryong Jung
A one-page interpretation of Super Mario Bros.
Silly.
MARSH
Tsuge Yoshiharu - Mushroom Hunting
A strange woman and a hunter and a snake...
*Shrug* I didn't really get it.
METROPOLIS
Kuroda Iou
A different take on Osamu Tezuka's "Metropolis."
I really shouldn't say too much about it. Just be sure to read the whole thing.
MUSHROOM HUNTING
Tsuge Yoshiharu - Marsh
A boy and his grandfather prepare to go mushroom hunting.
*Shrug* I dunno.
MY FAIR GENTLEMAN
Yoshihara Yuki
*In order to have her ideal man, Sugioka Yoriko pays Higashiyama Osamu. But the ideal man has to go through many teachings ohooho!
*shrug*
MY MYSTERIOUS GIRLFRIEND X
Ueshiba Ri'ichi - (Yume Tsukai)
For Akira Tsubaki, the arrival of a mysterious girl in his class marks the beginning of a chain of events that turns his whole life upside down...
Weird.
NOIZ
Higuchi Daisuke
A young man with the ability to see 5 hours and 58 minutes into a person's future fights desperately against fate to change the things he has seen.
The premise is similar to the excellent Mekakushi no Kuni, though the one-shot format means it's not as developed or subtle. Still, a good read.
ROME-ROME
Hamaoka Kenji
*Being a housewife is no picnic, especially if you've to deal with an idiotic hubby, two reckless children, a mother whose hobby is it to decapitate moving "things" and those annoying zombies that're always out to have the best bite of you. A hilariously bizarre tale from the king of gag manga: Kenji Hamaoka of "Urayasu tekkin kazoku" (Super Radical Gag Family) fame.
Weird and crazy stuff. Didn't really like the art, but it has zombie beheadings, and as I loathe the undead, that more than makes up for it.
SHE GOT OFF THE BUS AT THE PENINSULA
Urushibara Yuki - Mushishi, The Labyrinth Cat
*Mitsuko Kunizaki has inherited a small grocery store from her grandmother. Being a single mother to a little boy, she intends to close it down and move on with life. However, in the solitary store that sits next to the last bus stop at the tip of a peninsula lie some long-buried memories that slowly reemerge as Mitsuko arrives at what used to be her home... memories of a lonesome childhood and people who came to the peninsula to end their life.
Hmmm... nice mood. Good art. Interesting concept.
SHINDO
Adachi Mitsuru - Katsu, (Touch, H2, Niji Iro Togarashi, etc.)
...
...short.
SHINING HEARTS
Maki Yoko - Aishiteruze Baby
Shoujo romance one-shot manga. 46 pages.
Standard light shoujo romance.
SHOUJO MANGA
Kato Shinkichi
In a post-apocalyptic future, a girl steals an old lady's bag, but it turns out that all it contains is a few shoujo mangas...
Interesting little story.
SNOW IN THE DARK
Kano Yasuhiro - Pretty Face
A somewhat darker re-imagining of the story of Snow White.
Pretty good. But what kind of name is "Larry?"
SPIDER-MAN
Kaare Andrews
Spiderman's a ninja! This is kind of an alternate universe take on the Spiderman origin story. In color.
So-so. There's supposedly a better continuation, but Scott's too lazy to find the CD he burned it to, and I don't care enough to find it myself.
SYSTEM OF ROMANCE
Sadamoto Yoshiyuki - Dirty Work / Takaha Mako - Dirty Work
A girl in love with a serial killer...
Like "Dirty Work," this kind of illustrates that love doesn't always play out how you think it will. A bit strange, but a good read overall, I think.
TENGOKU NO HONYA
Unknown (Still looking)
Satoshi-kun is out of money and needs a job. He doesn't really care what it is, nor would he care if he got one but for his need to eat. That's when a strange old man approaches him, and before Satoshi knows it, he wakes up in a bookstore in a place the old man tells him is heaven... From the SnoopyCool site: "This was actually a promotional thing for a Japanese movie entitled 'Tengoku no Honya ~Koibi~' that came out in theaters on June 5th, 2004. It's the story of a boy's job at a bookstore in Heaven."
Nice little short story. Seems a little too short, maybe, but it's still definately worth a read. Side note: I acquired the movie recently. A bit different from the manga, but not bad.
THE CRIMSON BOY
Minami Q-ta
*Two lonely souls, who seem to have nothing in common, find to each other...
*shrug*
THE EYES OF THE ASSASSIN
Hojo Tsukasa - (City Hunter, Under The Dapple Shade)
An assassin and an actor meet on a roof.
Sounds like the opening of a joke. Anyway, good story.
THE FEMALE FRIDGE NO. 1
Tori-Miki
*When I woke up, I found I had turned into a fridge and was in an unknown apartment...
A bizarre story.
THE LOVE'S RED SIGNALS
Hibiki Nami
Kobayashi Nae's nose starts bleeding whenever she sees the guy she likes, her childhood friend Manaka Shuji. How will she deal with being in the same class as Shu-chan this year?
A cute and funny little short story that's just a little on the weird side.
THE RAINBOW FISH
Souryo Fuyumi - Eternal Sabbath, A Strange Gene, A Strange Trait, Damned Sun
A young girl can't figure out what colors to use in order to make her teachers praise her.
Another little drama from Souryo Fuyumi, this time with a little bit of a message.
TSUKI IRO SECRET
Matsuno Mika
Arisu, student council president, prepares for the school festival despite a lot of complaints and insults so that one day she can meet and thank the boy who helped her during her darkest hour.
A nice little shoujo romance/drama manga. That's about all I have to say.
TWISTED
Yoshimoto Yoshitomo
The spirit of high-schooler Tsuyoshi takes up residence in 30-something year old mangaka Harumi's head after an accident at a construction site kills Tsuyoshi but leaves Harumi mostly unharmed a couple feet away.
An interesting little short story.
UNDER THE BRIDGE
Sakuishi Harold - BECK, (Stopper Busujima)
The author of BECK recounts the time he got to meet the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Interesting to get a look at the mangaka (and staff) behind BECK.
VISITORS
Otomo Katsuhiro - (Akira, Memories(Anime))
*Visiting someone else's apartment could be a very dangerous thing to do, especially if you forget to knock before you enter... -- A hilariously strange 1-shot from the renowned author of Akira and Domu.
Eh.
WHITE CLOUDS
Iwaoka Hisae - Hoppie's Bear, Flower Cookies
A tale told from the perspective of an old dog whose master has recently died.
An interesting little story.
WINDOW
Yagi Katsu
A young man's recollections of a mysterious old house and the girl who lived there when he was a child.
A kind of quiet, melancholy story. You've heard it before in some form, but it's told fairly well here.
WRECKAGE X
Iwahara Yuji - Chikyu Misaki, King of Thorns, Koudelka
A group of kids finds a treasure.
Short, but good enough.
ZANSHO - KITOH MOHIRO'S SHORT STORIES
Kitoh Mohiro - (Bokura no, Narutaru)
A collection of seven short stories by Kitoh Mohiro.
So far these are a lot lighter and in my opinion a lot better than Kitoh's later, longer works, though it's obvious from the art and themes that they're from the same mangaka. Well, I don't have much else to say. Edit: Actually, even within the collection some of the stories are kind of dark. Still a good collection though.
ZEB-NOID
Nihei Tsutomu - Blame Academy!
A bloody war that spans millenniums. Two soldiers set out to kill each other. An encounter that could change their two species' fate forever.
*Shrug* Interesting concept, I guess.
