What manga to start with?

Y

Yuvie

Student Council President
I've never really had the chance to really get into manga yet. I've mainly stuck with graphic novels (Watchmen, V for vendetta, dark knight returns, Sin City, The Preacher, etc) but now I've kinda run out of things to read so I'm looking to get into some decent manga. I'm looking for something with a mature and decent storyline but nothing that just goes on forever.

There's been 4 titles so far that have caught my eye. Just wondered how you peoples rate these, which might be best to start with and also any other decent mangas.

Firstly, a manga called Dead end, 4 volumes and they seem fairly cheap. Seems like quite a good storyline. I'm thinking of starting with that.

Also, Old boy, not sure how many volumes but also seems to fit my description.

I've heard that Jyu-oh-sei is meant to be quite a good manga when compared with the anime.

Finally, Gantz, mainly, for me, because of the anime. I kinda wanna delve deeper into the Gantz world but I've heard it's not exactly the best story out there. More along the lines of violent fun.

Also, Me and the devil blues, Buddha & The Push man & other stories all sound pretty decent too.
 
Black lagoon, I'm willing to try. Death note & Fullmetal Alchemist, yeah, I know the mangas go into a lot more detail but I think I'll stick with the animes.

Gantz always seems to be a popular vote so I'm thinking that & Dead end.
 
I suggest the fantastic Monster which ticks all your boxes. Blade of the Immortal is also excellent but does rather go on forever. It's not that there are many volumes but they don't come out quickly and it's still ongoing. Berserk is in a similar situation.

Of your list I've got only Jyu-Oh-Sei; I fear we may have different taste! The manga expands on some elements of the anime and has some lovingly retro design work but is only 3 (large) volumes long and you're going to spend a lot of time going over the same events you saw in the anime, if you've seen it, only with inferior art. The art does improve somewhat as the story progresses - it was drawn over a great many years - but unless you like stunningly beautiful men it's more serviceable than amazing. That the story comes in three enormous tomes also makes it feel quite heavy going to read through.

I'm not saying not to buy Jyu-Oh-Sei (I loved it!), more that I think it may not be the best one to start off with.

R
 
Yuvie said:
The anime gets a lot of stick but I thought it started fairly well it just slowly went downhill.
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I think it gets a lot of stick for that reason though, the first few episodes showed how much potential it had and it was sort of annoying to see that squandered away. Right, back on topic.

As for good manga to get into, I couldn't reccomend Fullmetal Alchemist more highly, but if you've started watching FMA:Brotherhood, then its the same storyline. Bleach is also very good so far, but I'm only 7 volumes into that.

And if romance is your thing, try train_man by densha otoko, it's a nice short series (3 volumes) and is hilarious and captivating from start to finish.
 
Rui: I'll check out Monster for sure. Sounds decent. Maybe I'll scratch Jyu-oh-sei off the list for the time being.

devilrules666: Yeah, I think so. I've seen most anime but the one anime that made me wanna read the manga is Gantz because the ending was so non-conclusive. I'm looking for something a little different.
 
I think you should read Berserk. A pretty generic choice, but if you're starting off and you're well above the age of normal forum regulars (Not to rub it in, just speculation and observation on my part) I think you might enjoy it. If you've watched the anime and didn't like it, my bad.
 
Gantz is a good choice. I would like to second Black Lagoon though it does not quite capture the energy of the action from the anime.

Spiral The Bonds Of Reasoning is worth a go. It looks like we are going to get more answers than the anime.
 
I'd recommend Lone Wolf and Cub...Ogami Ittō, formidable warrior and a master of the suiō-ryū swordsmanship, serves as the Kogi Kaishakunin (the Shōgun's executioner), a position of high power in the Tokugawa Shogunate. Along with the oniwaban and the assassins, Ogami Ittō is responsible for enforcing the will of the Shogun over the daimyō (lesser domain lords). For those samurai and lords ordered to commit seppuku, the Kogi Kaishakunin assists their deaths by decapitating them to relieve the agony of disembowelment; in this role, he is entitled and empowered to wear the crest of the Shogunate, in effect acting in place of the Shogun.

After Ogami Ittō's wife Azami gives birth to their son, Daigorō, Ogami Ittō returns to find her and all of their household brutally murdered, with only the newborn Daigorō surviving. The supposed culprits are three former retainers of an abolished clan, avenging the execution of their lord by Ogami Ittō. However, the entire matter was planned by Ura-Yagyū (Shadow Yagyu) Yagyū Retsudō, leader of the Yagyū clan, in order to seize Ogami's post. During the initial incursion, an ihai (funeral tablet) with the shogun's crest on it was placed inside the Ogami family shrine, signifying a supposed wish for the shogun's death. When the tablet is "discovered" during the murder investigation, its presence condemns Ittō as a traitor and thus forfeits his post.

Possibly a bit long at 28 volumes though.

The Akira manga sounds like it might be up your street too.
 
Thanks for the input.

Lone wolf & cub & Samurai executioner are two series I actually have but that's about the only mangas I really got into.

Anyone seen and read both the Monster anime & manga? Which is the better?
 
Well, I don't like to say it, but the manga is, inevitably, better. I'm about to re-read it, actually, once my stuff comes in the post.
 
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