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Advice on what to read next?


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rimking



Joined: 21 Aug 2008
Posts: 5
PostPosted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:34 pm Reply with quote
Dear denziens of the animenewsnetwork, I have a problem and it's basically this: I have no idea what to read next! I've been reading manga for a couple of years now and although i started with, ok mostly borrowing, the usual shonen fare (naruto, one piece, death note.etc.) it's all gotten a bit boring and well i abondoned japanese comics altogether for a while.

However i've recently gotten back into it and my taste generally covers the less typical shonens such as eyeshield 21 and yaketate! japan (both of which are awesome simply for being funny) and seinen titles such as berserk (character dev is brilliant only problem is that they're is so much of it just mentioning the rape could be considered a spoiler), vagabond and monster. I'm also a big fan of beck and mushishi both of which i can just dip into and enjoy.

Of course i say taste but what i really mean is that i've read those and i'm looking for more. What should i read next?

P.s. If you could, don't suggest yotsuba! oh and i've already read planetes which was fantastic.

Right. thanks in advance!
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Tamaria



Joined: 21 Oct 2007
Posts: 1512
Location: De Achterhoek
PostPosted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 1:21 am Reply with quote
Battle Angel Alita - This is a major seinen series and if you're going the seinen route you can't skip this one. It's sci-fi though and I don't know if you're into that.

Hikaru no Go - Very good shounen series. If you like the more unusual shounen series, you should definitely give this one a try. You don't even have to know what go is to be able to enjoy this manga; it explains the basics of the game pretty clearly.

GinTama - another unusual shounen series, but this one is hilarious. You know how the typical shounen series revolves around justice, friendship and fights? Well, Gintama is the anti-thesis of the shounen manga.

Jing: King of Bandits - Good shounen series. It doesn't have an overarching storyline, so you can just pick up a random volume and start reading. First series is better than the second.

Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service - One of the greatest comics out there right now... and people hardly read it. It mixes horror stories with some hilarious dark humor.

Sexy Voice and Robo - Sadly, this series was never finished, but Viz bundled all the material there is in a neat omnibus.

The Embalmer - I agree with the review.

Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms - Two short stories about Hiroshima years after the bomb. Highly recommended.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - I'm sure you've heard of it.
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Dorcas_Aurelia



Joined: 23 Jul 2006
Posts: 5344
Location: Philly
PostPosted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:06 am Reply with quote
You could try Claymore. It starts off a little like typical shonen, but dark, and lots of people compare it to Berserk. There's a nice big thread about it if you want some more information before looking into it.

Great Teacher Onizuka is pretty good too. I wasn't particularly impressed with the comedy (maybe I'm too much of a prude), but the characters and the drama are great.
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stuckinfresno



Joined: 21 Aug 2007
Posts: 223
Location: Fresno, CA
PostPosted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 12:19 pm Reply with quote
I'm going to have to second a few suggestions:
The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service - amazingly detailed art and a punchy storyline.
The Embalmer - largerly unheard of, very well written
Claymore - another shounen work but off the beaten path that most shounen works tread

Others to consider:
Mail - 3 vols work that is done in the style of Kurosagi since it is by the same author if you feel nervous about Kurosagi this is a cheaper work to test the waters with
MPD-Psycho - since Berserk was on the list I thought I'd include this the work starts a little slow but very good
Battle Royale - Very dark storyline where students have to kill fellow students to survive if interested you can get omnibus editions that are hardbound
After School Nightmare - a softer work that the ones listed but extremely good
Rurouni Kenshin - treands the shounen line but I think it stands above the classic shounen idea very funny and contains a lot of action but still has its serious moments
Pet Shop of Horrors - this one might be a little off based on your guidelines but I think it is worth looking into the series is going OOP and is hard to find select volumes but the sequel is easy to obtain and you don't really need to read the first work

And lastly Yotsuba&! Wink Sorry I couldn't resist with that opening.
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auberginedreams



Joined: 10 Aug 2008
Posts: 29
PostPosted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 11:51 pm Reply with quote
I suggest either Paradise Kiss or Welcome to the N.H.K. Both are amazingly good. They are both a lot different than the titles you listed, but if you're looking for something different, I recommend those. I'm not gonna lie, Paradise Kiss can get a little "girly" (the main theme is fashion design/modeling) but I really recommend it, it's one of my favorite mangas. I guess I'm a little bit biased since I'm really into fashion, but still, you should try it.
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Youkai Warrior



Joined: 07 Aug 2008
Posts: 505
Location: Sarayashiki
PostPosted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 10:35 pm Reply with quote
I recommend
Rurouni Kenshin - a shonen title, but unlike Naruto, One Piece and Death Note. It has action, comedy, and teaches a bit of Japanese history.
Yu Yu Hakusho -Another shonen, sorta tournament style, but it's got action and humor and deals with creatures of Japanese mythology like youkai, kitsune, and the like. Different from the usual shonen fare, I'm sure you'll be satisfied.
Trigun and Trigun Maximum - This one is a mix between shonen and seinen. Lotsa action and quite a bit of violence.
Fullmetal Alchemist - This is a deep and meaningful manga, unlike Naruto and Death Note which seem to follow "free kill", Fullmetal Alchemist explains why life is important, and what happens when you cross God's domain.
Bleach - Another shonen title, but this one's got style. If you turn out to like Yu Yu Hakusho, you'll like Bleach. No tournament in this one. It's also darker than say Naruto and One Piece, even Death Note, although some may disagree with me on that. There is a bit of humor as well, and unforgettable heroes and villains. The main character Ichigo also has attitude, and isn't in your face like Naruto. He's a bad boy, but with a good heart, not those typical loudmouths who like to show how strong they are, say they are for justice and peace, then turn around ready to kill just because they are strong.
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Dark Elf Warrior



Joined: 26 Nov 2007
Posts: 228
PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 8:31 pm Reply with quote
Both of you already gave suggestions, why are you going down on another person's suggestion? Just let it go. Like Youkai Warrior said, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, even if you don't agree with it. You're just picking on people. Not everyone is going to like the same thing, got it?

For Rimking, I suggest:
Trigun
Ranma 1/2
Record of Lodoss War (if you can find it)
Case Closed
Fullmetal Alchemist
Rurouni Kenshin
And if you are interested in Japanese mythology
No Need for Tenchi
Yu Yu Hakusho
Inu Yasha

And of course, you should try out Nausicaa. And, I also suggest Bleach, and it is up to you if this series is your cup of tea.

[EDIT: For future reference, please do not quote multiple posts to make yours a giant-ass one as a result of it. It would be easier to just address them by user name in bold or something less obtrusive. Thanks. -TK]
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Tony K.
Subscriber
Moderator


Joined: 18 Nov 2003
Posts: 11452
Location: Frisco, TX
PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 10:15 pm Reply with quote
I apologize for having to delete a few lengthy posts, but I received two separate reports about the little "debate" beginning to develop over a certain Shounen Jump series named after a laundry chemical.

And after (careful?) consideration, I think it'd be best if we just let the author decide for himself if the title in question will be to his liking or not. He's only posted twice since joining and hasn't even shown the courtesy to reply and say thank you or further inquire to your suggestions, so blah to that.

If he wastes his time reading 30+ volumes of "bland genericism" and feels like he could've better spent his time, then I guess it's bad karma. Who knows?...
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rimking



Joined: 21 Aug 2008
Posts: 5
PostPosted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 9:06 am Reply with quote
right, well thanks for all the advice everyone! Sorry it was a bit late of a reply but well with holiday + university it's been slightly busy.
ha, i do remember watching yu yu hakusho when i was a kid.. that was good times. Well anyway, in leu of those suggestions i'll probally get on to reading claymore or rourou kenshin ( a friend of mine has couple of volumes worth stealing) when i eventually get the time.

oh and to tony, i don't think i've read 30 volumes of any manga.

Right then, cheers guys! I'll probally be slumming the boards at some point or another.


Last edited by rimking on Sun Oct 12, 2008 9:20 am; edited 1 time in total
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rimking



Joined: 21 Aug 2008
Posts: 5
PostPosted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 9:08 am Reply with quote
oh and i've started reading fullmetal alchemist. Awesome.
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StealthLink



Joined: 02 Nov 2005
Posts: 14
Location: USA, east coast
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 12:18 am Reply with quote
oh yes another one for Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind amazing series of 7 books with beautiful art and gorgeous colorful posters with maps of the world on the back from viz
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IchigoK90



Joined: 13 Aug 2005
Posts: 1634
Location: Scarborough, Ontario
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 4:55 pm Reply with quote
I have two shounen series that have not been mentioned but should be read. If I were to rank them in order from most favourite to least favourite long running shounen series I'd rank them #3 and #4. Those two series would be:

Hajime No Ippo and Hunter X Hunter.

For Hajime No Ippo I do have some warnings for you. This series has been running since 1989 and so it has accumulated 825 Chapters to date which is over 300 more than One Piece. However this series is really good (it has to be right? I mean 825 Chapters and its still going) with both character development (which I took into account since you said you had read Berserk) and comedy (as noted that you have read both Eyeshield 21 and Yakitate! Japan). The cast of characters is large and every character gets their spot in the light and each character is fully developed (recurring characters get more development as time goes on). If you have time to invest in a long series than this is perfect for you.

For Hunter X Hunter you have another great shounen series with really well thought out and developed characters. The series is 282 chapters long (as of now) and is worth reading. However I will caution you that this series doesn't have as much humour as my previous recommendation but it more than makes up for with interesting, quirky and lovable characters. The first 200 or so chapters are by far the most interesting with the most current arc (just as interesting) but with a lot more gore. Also the artwork takes a dip in some chapters but I loved the series enough to not care about it.
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Kenshin_Himura93



Joined: 24 Jul 2008
Posts: 45
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 5:40 pm Reply with quote
I would deffinatelly have to suggest Rurouni Kenshin, or Fullmetal Alchemist. If you are looking for a longer series, I suggest Inu Yasha.
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rimking



Joined: 21 Aug 2008
Posts: 5
PostPosted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 2:36 pm Reply with quote
right thanks! well i've i've read scantalations of hunter x hunter before but it didn't really appeal to me. Something about gon....hm
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.Metal.



Joined: 16 Oct 2008
Posts: 64
PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 10:03 am Reply with quote
rimking wrote:
right thanks! well i've i've read scantalations of hunter x hunter before but it didn't really appeal to me. Something about gon....hm


It gets better. The beginning wasn't my favorite either, but as it progresses it gets better quickly.
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