What are some of your favorite unlicensed manga out there?

[Spooky-Electric]

Let's hear your favs!

And feel free to post links to scans. ;)

[Unmei]

I actually like Megatokyo... Is it lisenced??

Anyways it is good except I hate dead Piro and Dom days!!

ohh The site for the manga is http://www.megatokyo.com

[Vicious]

My favorite unlicensed manga right now is, without a doubt, the wonderful 20th Century Boys (http://www.thehawks.org/hawks/bt/index.php?dir=.%2F20th_Century_Boys). In 2nd place comes Yakitake!! Japan (http://www.snoopycool.com/manga/japan/index.htm), which's really cool too :D

Besides these 2, I was also reading Bleach, which got licensed by Viz. When TW releases a chapter of 666 Satan (http://www.toriyamaworld.com/666satan) or Fullmetal Alchemist (http://www.toriyamaworld.com/fma), I get and read too (even though they're no match to 20th CB or Yakitake).

Actually, I read more licensed manga... One Piece, Naruto, Berserk; my favorite 3 are licensed... oh well :D

PS. Added a link to the mangas, for those who want to get it ^^

[fenrihr]

i'd say unliscenced.... 20th century boys... definitely.

monster is also by the same mangaka and is good as well (in my opinion, can be found at www.mangascreener.com )

another one is MAR which is at www.snoopycool.com

[Breogan]

You got my vote for Monster too... it's just too great :)
It's licensed here in Spain, but I think noone has picked it up in the US yet.
Also, if you like some silly fun, try Yotsubato! (http://home.nc.rr.com/momotato/yotsubato.html) (from the same mangaka as Azumanga Daioh) or an one-shot called Today in Class 5-2 (http://jinmen.sigh.org/project.php?gononi)

[Gaara11]

Here's my list:
Futari Ecchi
Haru Yo Koi
666 Satan
20th CB
GANTZ
Anne Freaks

:)

[Tritium]

no one mentioned black cat yet :( i like it :D

[xris]

Today in Class 5-2 (http://jinmen.sigh.org/project.php?gononi)

Heh, that's great! Thanks for the link :)

Mine would be Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (http://ykk.misago.org/) (Yokohama Shopping Log) and Yotsubato

[Hunter]

Yeah thank for Today in Class 5-2 , it's very funny, too bad that it's a one-shot ^^

[BME]

I actually like Megatokyo... Is it lisenced??

Anyways it is good except I hate dead Piro and Dom days!!

ohh The site for the manga is http://www.megatokyo.com


Licensed By Darkhorse, they´re publishing it anyway. But it´s still free online.

My favorite is 20th Century Boys, that´s not licensed right?

Dom Days owns. they´re not there for our pleasure you know.

[BurLoire]

I really like Yume Chu and Pretear. ^__^ Although Full Metal Alchmist is pretty good too. World End Fairy Tale is quite interesting too. :heh:

[eLstar]

I love Black Cat, one of the best out there. Bremen's not bad either but "God of Rock" sounds a little too corny for me.

[Pandora]

I see a lot of shounen manga here, but not much in the shoujo manga category. Anyway, I would say "Glass Mask", "Count Cain", "Matantei Loki", "Spiral", "Anne Freaks" (glad someone agrees with me here), just to name a few. I have way too many favourite manga. :heh:

[tsuki_desu]

Kamikaze kaitou jeanne all the way!!!!!!!!!!

[hunterx]

#1-gantz

20th cb is good but it's now just dragging on and on..

[Althalus]

Unlicensed (in the US, I take it)? Hmm, lessee... ^_^

Anata to Scandal, Break Shot, Bremen, Chikyu Misaki, Chizumi to Fujiomi-kun, Darling wa Namamono ni Tsuki, Dr.Slump, Family Compo (plus all of Hojos other unlicensed series), Gals!, Gokusen, Good Morning Call, Happy, Hajime no Ippo, Kaito Kid, Katsu! (and many of Adachis other series as well), Kimi wa Pet, Kotaro Makaritoru (in all but the most recent of its incarnations), Koucha Ouji, Living Game, Marie & Elie, Master Keaton, Midori no Hibi, Mint na Bokura, Miriam, Othello, Over Rev, Parfait Tic, Penguin Brothers, Peridot, Pluto, Sexy Voice and Robo, (Shin) Tekken Chinmi (not licensed anymore), W-Juliet, Yaiba, Yakitate!! Japan, Yawara, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, Yotsuba to!

Couldn't make it less than that... I like them all and read even more, though I only have about half of them in paper format... ^^;

Some of those are licensed and published in France and/or Germany, though. Helps a lot with being able to buy... :D


~Althalus

[Kaoru]

Some of my fav are 666 Satan, Black Cat, Count Cain, Full Metal Alchemist, Blame!, GANTZ, Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker, MPD-Psycho, Matantei Loki Ragnarok, and Spiral. I would say Bleach and Angel Sanctuary, but those got picked up. And there's still so many I want to read!

[azn_FTG]

i like so much but my favs are today in class 5-2, midori no hibi, pretty face, ichigo 100%, dear boys, sunnhy descends love these the most but i love all manga

[babbito2k]

Kimagure Orange Road
Katsu
Girlfriend of Steel 2
Yotsuba to!
River's Edge
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou
Koko wa Greenwood
Parfait Tic
Anata to Scandal
W-Juliet

FARCE! (but noone is translating it)
Mahou Tsukai Tai! (the Young Dragon one; noone is translating it)

[K3cT]

My current favorites are Midori no Hibi, Pretty Face and Vulgar Ghost Daydream.

Links:
www.snoopycool.com - MnH
www.akatsukimanga.com - Pretty Face
mangatranslation.com - VGD

I missed the whole Parfait Tic series... which group is doing it BTW?

[BlueGlassRaven]

I'm not sure if it's licensed, but "Mikazuchi: A Lengendary Sword Play" is awesome! I love it.

[Trin]

i don't know what's licensed or not in america, so i'll just say:

Pretty Face
Nebagiba
God Child
For You in Full Blossoms
and Black Cat was pretty good until Torein was turned chibi *stabs out eyes*

[Kempis Curious]

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is simply awesome, nothing compares.

Nobody mentioned "Touch"?
Is that licensed? I know it's old but it's a classic because it's really good... I remember it being mentioned in 20th Century boys.

Oh! Don't forget Guru Guru Ponchan! Really good shoujo comedy.

-k

[Deralti]

I liked 20th century boys so far, but i gave up on reading scans of it. Why? I had to zoom in on every page, and unless i'm really entranced, i won't do so.

Anyways,
If it ain't obvious enough,

BLAME! is one of my fav unliscensed mangas, and I really want to get the paper version, if it ever comes out in english >.<.

River's Edge is another great book. Anyone who complains about it, go look it up. It really happened, although the story is modified from the original, in a good way IMO.

I thought of mentioning Blue heaven but.. it wasn't very good, just a really toned down "i'm a killer whos human at random intervals" sort of story... and even that is an exaggeration.

[Spyre]

Touch
20th CB
Miyuki
Beck
KOR

In that order ;)

[Kou-chan]

Of course..

Eyeshield 21, Full Moon wo Sagashite (Time Stranger Kyoko; >_> mm this artist) , Berserk (I think it's not liscensed ><; )..
Can't think of anything else though.. a lot of things get liscensed. :x Legend of Mana is good too.

[OldCrimson]

Has Jojo's Bizarre Adventure been liscened or not? I'm getting mixed signals from Viz.

[Kempis Curious]

Before it tastes salt and runs back to its grave. I'd like to report a pair I've found since January.

Yotsubato! by the creator of the extremely awesome manga/anime Azumanga Diaoh. About a six year old girl who's full of energy and really cute. More wry humor, peaceful setting, and diginified depictions of the lives of girls. :)

As recently seen as an anime on this very bat-channel, Ichigeki Sacchuu!! Hoihoi-san. Cute little robot bug killers and the otaku who love them. And the pharmacy girl who hates them. (Not a Chobits clone, thank goodness.)

-k

curious

[snoopy]

Has Jojo's Bizarre Adventure been liscened or not? I'm getting mixed signals from Viz.
That's a positive on Jojo's. It's been licensed.

[Dorfl]

Oh! Don't forget Guru Guru Ponchan! Really good shoujo comedy.

-kGot licensed recently by Viz...or something. It wasn't bad as far as shoujo goes.

[denden2k]

Hmm Favorite has to be School Rumble, Ichigo 100%, Beck, Yakitate Japan. They are soo addicting... but english releases take forever.. :( wish i could read japanese....

Currently downloading 20th century boys and I"s... heard they were good too..

[Yoska]

I'm not entirely sure which series are licensed in the US and which are not but here's my list 20th Century Boys (surprise surprise :)), Zetman, Real, Homunculus, Beck, Biomega, Himizu (thanks snoopy), NHK ni youkoso, Black Jack ni yoroshiku, Rookies and Fullmetal Alchemist. Yotsubato! and Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou seems great too.

[UnDeaD]

Jajaja... my favorites : 20 Century Boys(Yeah... again), Monster, 666 Satan(Even with the "Naruto meets Jing King Of Bandits" feeling...), Beck, Fullmetal Alchemist and Death Note(Its Still Unlicenced?)...

[OldCrimson]

That's a positive on Jojo's. It's been licensed.

Then how come I don't see hide nor hair on it on the official site then?

[Tech^^]

20th century boys
Beck
Mar
Bowling king
I'll generation basket
Houshin Engi

in no particular order ^_^

[Kempis Curious]

Currently downloading 20th century boys and I"s... heard they were good too..

Pretty good, I liked them both. What's remarkable is the quality of the I''s anime. It stinks like the south end of a northbound skunk. :(



Oh! Don't forget Guru Guru Ponchan! Really good shoujo comedy.

-k
Got licensed recently by Viz...or something. It wasn't bad as far as shoujo goes.

Licensed?

All I can say to that is...



oh



shit.

:upset:


-k

curious

[OFFSPRiNGCo16]

Lately I've been into Death Note, Homunculus, Mar, Eternal Sabbath, and Chaos Rune. All are pretty damn good. :)

[K3cT]

Well, now things have changed. Here are my new favs:

- Shanaou Yoshitsune by Hirofumi Sawada
- Yakitate! Japan by Takashi Hasiguchi
- WildBaseBallers by Toru Fujisawa (GTO) and Taro Sekiguchi
- Megakushi no Kuni by Sakura Tsukuba
- Kimi na Kakera by Shin Takahashi

*Just realized how old this topic was.. O_o*

[LynnieS]

Well, now things have changed. Here are my new favs:

- Shanaou Yoshitsune by Hirofumi Sawada
- Yakitate! Japan by Takashi Hasiguchi
- WildBaseBallers by Toru Fujisawa (GTO) and Taro Sekiguchi
- Megakushi no Kuni by Sakura Tsukuba
- Kimi na Kakera by Shin Takahashi

*Just realized how old this topic was.. O_o* /me says, "Nothing wrong with resurrecting an old topic when it's a good one." ;)

"Megakushi no Kuni"? Who's the publisher of the title? Edit - Okay, found that it's a shoujo title, but nothing else comes up in Google besides two entries. Unusual.

Hard to say which titles I like most, but here are those that I'm actually looking forward to getting.

Definite:

- Mahou Tsukai ni Tai Setsuna Koto - Tai You to Kaze no Sakamichi by Yamada Norie-sensei. This is one slow title to come out. Beside the fact that it's serialized in a monthly manga serial, it also doesn't come out every month. Shoujo. No scanlations that I know of.

Probable, but slow to read:

- Watashi no Meshia-sama (or "My Messiah") by Suu Minazuki-sensei. Shounen (although the pretty boys, the girls might like :heh: ). No scanlations that I know of.

- Suzuka by Seo Kouji-sensei. Shounen. No scanlations that I know of.

Probable, but even slower to read:

- Addicted to Curry. Shounen. See GHD's manga tracker.

"Yakitate! Japan", yes, but for some reason, I'm not too super fond of it any longer. I can't even tell you what arc it's on now truthfully. See Snoopy's site (http://www.snoopycool.com).

[snoopy]

I'm not sure if Jojo's been officially announced by Viz... although I'm pretty sure it has. I do know that AKofTroy's translating it for Viz, though, so yes, it's licensed whehter they've acknowledged it or not.

Oh oh! Suzuka, I'm enjoying that... I wanted to translate it months ago, but those text bubbles have successfully made it way way way way way more trouble than it's worth. And this is coming fro ma guy who thinks Air Gear isn't too much trouble.

[LynnieS]

Oh oh! Suzuka, I'm enjoying that... I wanted to translate it months ago, but those text bubbles have successfully made it way way way way way more trouble than it's worth. And this is coming fro ma guy who thinks Air Gear isn't too much trouble.
The manga is like a soap opera, and I feel a bit guilty about liking it as a result. :heh: Not sure I understand what you mean about the speech bubbles, though. Do you mean their shapes?

"Yoru made Matenai", which can be found on GHD's manga tracker, by Oota Saki-sensei was another guilty read. And slow too; I'm still short the volumes. Tsukasa-kun was a really bad boy...

[K3cT]

Perhaps I should explain it a lil bit more. xD

Mekakushi no Kuni is one of the few shoujos that really got me, aside from Hanayori Dango and Parfait Tic. Well, it got published in Indonesia (up to vol6 latest) and I'm on vacation here so I happened to come across it in my sis' manga collection. What really strikes me is it's different from your average shoujos: the way the story flows and develops. The story is mainly about this girl who's able to see the future of the person she has physical contact with, sometimes. Though the premise sounds like a supernatural kind of story but the manga progresses quite differently as it focuses more on the implication of this so-called gift on her life and how she subtly changes the life of people around her. Later in this story, she comes across 2 guys who have the same abilities like her, except one of them can see the past while the other, the future, similar like her. These 2 individuals use their abilities differently (one of them even enjoy watching busy streets as he can foresee accidents!) and possess unique characters.

Well, I'm not sure whether this manga got scanlated or not but it's definitely an interesting read.

Shanaou Yoshitsune, similar to Mekakushi, got published here and it's up to vol10 right now. It's basically an alternate history of this famous ancient japanese hero called Genji Yoshitsune (and thus, the 20th CB reference in vol16: Genji Faction). It's your typical shonen with actions, humors and surprisingly, lots of drama elements mixed in. It's still a good read nonetheless.

I hope I didnt get too long-winded. ;D

[Aoie_Emesai]

For me, the only manga scans worth reading right now is
- Mahou Sensei Negima
- Pretty Face
- Full Metal Alchmiest
- Mar is pertty good

Besides these, any other to me is quite boring.

[Bullsquat]

Touch is my absolute favorite. Others would be:

2. Yakitate! Japan
3. Hen
4. I"s
5. Pretty Face

I wanted to put Miyuki in there but I already have an Adachi manga in the list. Has anyone mentioned I"s yet by the way? I'm shocked.

[音楽は死んだ]

Touch is my absolute favorite. Others would be:

2. Yakitate! Japan
3. Hen
4. I"s
5. Pretty Face

I wanted to put Miyuki in there but I already have an Adachi manga in the list. Has anyone mentioned I"s yet by the way? I'm shocked.

You put HEN above I"s 0_o Is that a mistake?

btw- anyone still doin Hen? :p

[snoopy]

The manga is like a soap opera, and I feel a bit guilty about liking it as a result. :heh: Not sure I understand what you mean about the speech bubbles, though. Do you mean their shapes?
yeah, the shapes kill me. You either have to redraw every bubble or you have to hyphenate every word :(

[stpehen]

I read Japan Tengu Party Illustrated in the past few days and I think it's the first time since reading Akira and Nausicaa that I have come away visibly moved by how potent, meaningful and consistently brilliant a manga can be.

[Dorfl]

My favourite unlicensed (and unfortunately unscanslated) titles = two shoujo and a shounen.
Patariro = at 76 volumes and climbing, I don't even expect to see this licensed any time soon. It's so funny too!
Akazukin Chacha = light-hearted and funny. It refreshes my heart.
Ushio to Tora = ;__; License? please? anyone?

I also read a lot of scanslated stuff that's been mentioned already: Ippo, Yakitate, Houshin Engi, that sort of thing. Scanslations appeal to the lazy side of me (:D) while the untranslated manga calls to the "I really want to read good manga no matter how hard it is to find" side of me.

[Fighter Volk]

I have lots and lots of unlicensed manga that I like, so I'll narrow it down to unlicensed unfinished ones. These are in no particular order, by the way.

20th Century Boys - this manga is unbelievable. Coming from my favorite mangaka, Urasawa Naoki (of Yawara! and Monster fame), this is probably the greatest manga out there right now. The plot twists never stop, the plotline draws you in and doesn't let go, and the characters, although many, are all wonderfully fleshed out. The recent volumes (16 and 17) haven't been the greatest, but they are the introductory volumes to third and probably final arc.

Death Note - I only discovered this one very recently, but I'm very glad I did. I have read through to the thirty-eighth chapter, and the quality has been great through and through. The whole manga is basically a duel of intellect between the two main characters with a supernatural backdrop. The most recent plot twist has led into a not-so-interesting situation, but I am eleven chapters behind, so anything can happen...

666 Satan - a gem in the field of the typical shonen. It has many of the elements that make up the average shonen manga (the ninth and most recent volume even has a fighting tournament, the uber-shonen cliche, although always fun) and yet it rises above most other such mangas. The scanlations and/or translations have only reached the second-to-last chapter of the third volume, but they're coming, if slowly. Chapters one through nine are available over at Toriyama's World, although it appears they have stopped the project. Ten through twelve can be found at http://koolfur.free.fr/releases.htm. The releases are slow, but at least it's an active project.

Fullmetal Alchemist - I've read the first five or six volumes of the manga and it's very enjoyable. Thus far, I still like the anime version better, but the manga is a strong standalone, too. I would definitely recommend it to any and all fans of the shounen genre, especially since it actually has a deep plot and some of the greatest characters in any shounen series I've read.

Pluto - the latest project from Urasawa Naoki. This time, he is adapting a story arc from Tezuka's Astro Boy and retelling it in his own style. It is reminiscent of Monster, albeit in a futuristic setting, but it shows real promise. The downside is, the chapters are released monthly... anyway, Mangascreener is scanlating this.

D. Gray-man - a very new Jump series. I have the first volume but so far have only read the two scanlated chapters. It seems like it could turn out to be something good eventually. The art really appeals to me, especially since the main character's design reminds me of Edward Elric from Fullmetal.

Gantz - this manga screams original. The fourteen volumes out so far and all the chapters since have not even once made me lose interest. Filled with enough violence and sex to make a Berserk fan proud, and with a superb cast of characters (of which anyone and everyone is subject to death at any time), this manga is absolutely worth reading. Good quality scanlations are being done by Omanga and Band of the Hawks, while Shocwave is the best source for lesser quality but up-to-date scanlations. Stephen has translations for the first seven volumes on his site as well.

[Guido]

My ranking for better unlicensed manga installments is sorted out the following:

# 1. Elfen Lied Explores the darkest and most twisted side of human nature. Young, psychotic diclonius girl, with nekomimi horns, Lucy, crusades to clean up society from the stench and filth of the human scum known as people or us. Driven by deep, profound feelings of hatred, vanity, and disdain, aggravated through systematic childhood abuse and isolation, Lucy hacks/rips literally through people on her way to make the world her perfect place to be. Two sides from the same coin: the vector-armed, psychologically unbalanced, hunger for murder, Lucy; sweet, gentle, kawaii, fanservicing, Nyu.

# 2. FullMetal Alchemist Two ingenious brothers who messed with mother nature and ended up losing a part of themselves. Now they vowed to each other in recovering everything that was taken from them. Join Edward and Alphonse Elric in their epic crusade for the mystical Philosopher's Stone, and so will they fulfill the promise to revert back into their original bodies.
And don't miss the smash-hit sequel parody, "The Flame Alchemist"; yeah, in your dreams Mustang.

# 3. Pretty Face Brawly and brainless karate boy (thank God, not another karate kid) gets scorched up during a car accident; immediately declared dead and spent a whole year in comatose state. When waking up, a sex-hungered, plastic surgeon had reconstructed him, and now his face is exactly as that of a dream-girl acquaintance of his. Fortunately for our misadventurous hero, Randoh Masashi, that loony-crazed doctor spared his healthy manliness (Damn!! Close to get our dream girl!!), however, his bad luck lingers on as he meets up with his girl acquaintace, Rina, and she mistakenly confuses his new face to that of her long, lost twin sister, Yuna.
Things can't be worse for him, can they?

[Wisely]

Ichigo 100%
Death Note
Hunter X Hunter
Yakitate Japan
Full Metal Alchemist

These are quite popular I guess, so no review needed.....

[mightyme]

pretty face
ichigo 100%
gantz
hunter x hunter
BECK
jisatsu circle (short and completed)

those come to mind right now

[Bullsquat]

You put HEN above I"s 0_o Is that a mistake?

btw- anyone still doin Hen? :p

You shouldn't be surprised after seeing my sig and avatar. :p

I'm so obsessed with this manga. Yuri love story to the max. :D

[Willuknight]

1) Pretty Face
2) Gantz

i'm also reading Ichigo 100%, Pastel and Gacha Gacha

http://www.animewaves.net/animewaves.php?goto=scanslations

[pyu]

Not too sure if it has been licensed, but I heartilly recommend School Rumble , its a riot reading it and recently beyond Volume 5, Tenma's class is having a semi serious paintball tournament (capture the flag) to decide what will be their activity for the upcoming cultural festival.

The tournament is a blast, and although all shots are really paintballs, they make it look like a real gun fight (they all go down after being shot... hope no serious injuries are incurred there...). Pretty impressed with how the mangaka managed to convey the feeling of desperation, angst, etc. :heh:

[Budi]

All my fav mangas are BL. :p

1. Love Mode by Yuki Shimizu (11 volumes)

www.sakura-crisis.net/translations/lovemode

2. Hoshi no Oka paradise by Jun Kajimoto (2 volumes and counting)

3. Sakende Yaruze by Satosumi Takaguchi (5 volumes)

www.neoterica.cjb.net

4. Ludwig II by You Higuri (3 volumes)

5. Ikoku Irokoi Romantan by Yamane Ayano

6. Yuuwaku no Kaori by Mako Toyama

www.hochuuami.com

7. Nothing Without You (Kimi Sae Ireba) by Shiuko Kano

8. XI by Mika Sadahiro

9. Haru wo Daite Ita by Yuuka Nitta (9 volumes and counting)

10. Hardline by Dan Karan (8 volumes)

For more BL, visit www.livejournal.com/community/tokudane

[Kempis Curious]

Thanks, y'all, for putting up those websites... manga isn't as high a priority as anime, but this is the time of year to be in warm bed with a laptop, a hot drink, and a buncha manga. :)
(At least, in the northern hemisphere it is.) :D

I've read a shonen-romance with lots of bikini girls recently, called Pastel, probably not licensed.

Also... CARN SARN IT Yotsubato! got licensed. Crap. That was a great manga.

-k

curious

[Obit]

hmm..

Gantz
Death Note
Pretty Face
Ichigo 100%
Bleach (though licenced now)
Mär
Yakitate!! Japan
Black Cat

Tried reading some 20th century boys, maybe a volume in.. haven't really intrigued me yet.

[ellifeedn]

Some of my favorite series that are not licensed (yet?) are: Change 123, Elfen Lied, Franken Fran, Kuroshitsuji, Mahoraba, Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai (The World that only God Knows), and Omamori Himari.


I'm sure those who posted here would be amazed at how many of the titles mentioned have been licensed.