AnimeSuki Forums

ChibiDusk · 2014-12-06, 22:03

I've been reading a lot of great manga lately, but I've exhausted my backlog and I'm not sure where to go from here. I have an unusual taste. I prefer seinen & josei titles, and rarely enjoy manga aimed at a younger audience. I connect with titles that are darker/bleaker than the usual output. Having said that, I want a title that is coherent: I've heard about the issues with Gantz. I do not have any interest in overly sentimental romances. I am also not interested in titles that are overtly sexualized for the sake of fanservice. I'm a gay male, but homosexual content in manga is mostly aimed at women in Japan and it leaves me feeling cold. Thriller is likely my favourite genre, and I lean toward a steampunk/early 90's aesthetic. I do not enjoy elongated titles for the sake of serialization. For this reason, I mostly stick to one-shots, short works or 8-volumes or less series.

My favourite titles include Kyoko Okazaki's Helter Skelter, Katsuhiro Otomo's Domu: A Child's Dream, Shūzō Oshimi's The Flowers of Evil and Usamaru Furuya's Lychee Light Club.

I've also enjoyed Kyoko Okazaki's Pink, although it didn't quite connect with me in the same way her latter works have. Usamaru Furuya's No Longer Human was hard to put down, but it isn't the masterpiece that the aforementioned title from him is.

Fumi Yoshinaga's What Did You Eat Yesterday? is the closest I've gotten to liking homosexual content in manga, but even that didn't quite click.

Is there any chance for me finding a new love? Help!

jedinat · 2014-12-07, 00:49

Kiseijuu is really good; there's a decent anime adaption going on right now but as usual the manga is better...

You might like Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä, it's got a slightly dated steampunk aesthetic I suppose. It's a radically different work than the film.

ChibiDusk · 2014-12-07, 05:35

I actually just finished Parasyte! I enjoyed it. I was watching the anime adaptation, until I decided that watching it alongside the manga didn't do it any favours.

I thought Nasicaä was an average Ghibli film; hearing that the manga is different definitely tempts me.

Tempester · 2014-12-07, 10:37

Would be great if you posted all of what you have already read in the form of a list.

I'd recommend Urasawa Naoki's Pluto the most. It is a fantastic sci-fi thriller/drama.

Saikyou Densetsu Kurosawa is a great mix of a thriller and a coming-of-age story.

For some good psychological drama, check out A Lollypop or A Bullet.

Akito Kinomoto · 2014-12-07, 11:32

Watashitachi Shiawase no Jikan is some p heartwrenching drama. There's also Girlfriends, which handles its subject with a lot of respect.

Utsuro no Hako · 2014-12-07, 13:26

If you like Oshimi, you have to try Inio Asano. A few of his shorter works (Solanin, Nijigahara Holograph) have been officially published in English, but his masterpiece, Oyasumi Punpun is only in scanlation. It's a bit long (13 volumes) but worth it. The plot's hard to summarize, but there's this abused kid (who for reasons of symbolism is always drawn as a simplistic cartoon bird against realistic backdrops) who drifts through life with no strong moral grounding, which leads to ... stuff.

There's also Oshimi's new series, Inside Mari (Boku wa Mari no Naka) about an hikikomori who one day wakes up inside the body of a sixteen year old girl -- except maybe he's a fragment of the girl's schizophrenic mind that she's called forth to avoid problems in her own life.

ChibiDusk · 2014-12-07, 17:02

Tempester, I thought it would be easier to focus on what I enjoyed. I’ll work on a list! Besides the aforementioned, I recently read and enjoyed (but didn’t love) Felipe Smith’s Peepo Choo & Keiko Suenobu’s LIMIT.

Saikyou Densetsu Kurosawa's art style looks like a lot of fun! I'm definitely interested in that one. A Lollypop or A Bullet, on the other hand, looks a bit too cutesy for me. I really don't like art styles that purposely make every character attractive/adorable/etc.

I have a question about Watashitachi Shiawase no Jikan... is it overly dramatic/sentimental? I find stories with such dramatic highs and lows pretty artificial if not handled well. I'm not really looking for relationship dramas or romance.

Oyasumi Punpun is really intriguing! I might start with that one.

Thank you for the recommendations, keep them coming!

RichardFromMarple · 2014-12-07, 18:06

With The Light is a very good read it's a about a boy with learning difficulties & his family's efforts to cope with it. Plenty of ups & downs along the way.

Akito Kinomoto · 2014-12-08, 08:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChibiDusk

I have a question about Watashitachi Shiawase no Jikan... is it overly dramatic/sentimental? I find stories with such dramatic highs and lows pretty artificial if not handled well. I'm not really looking for relationship dramas or romance.

Its does a good job at not being overdramatic, and a better job of making compelling characters. Development is smooth as ice, while there's a romantic element to the story but it's closer to a spiritual journey than anything else.

ChibiDusk · 2014-12-12, 23:13

Really into spiritual films lately, exploring the works of Kim Ki-Duk and Apichatpong Weerasethakul, so that actually sounds right up my alley.

frubam · 2014-12-13, 12:36

When someone asks for good seinen manga, I always recommend the manwha, Cheese in the Trap. Compelling and intelligent main heroine that has a lot of depth to her character. The series has been labeled a "romance thriller" due to the slight psychological interpretations of the main heroine about the social interactions around her. The romance is hardly sentimental with more of a realistic approach. It starts off a bit slow, but after a few chapters, you get a gist of the depth of the series. Can't link it, but there is an english translation done in a very clever way by Oddsquad scans(who are on 'season 3') and the official translation by Naver(who are mid-'season 1').

2014-12-06, 22:03	Link #1
ChibiDusk Back From The Dead? Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Canada Age: 34	Manga Masterpieces I've been reading a lot of great manga lately, but I've exhausted my backlog and I'm not sure where to go from here. I have an unusual taste. I prefer seinen & josei titles, and rarely enjoy manga aimed at a younger audience. I connect with titles that are darker/bleaker than the usual output. Having said that, I want a title that is coherent: I've heard about the issues with Gantz. I do not have any interest in overly sentimental romances. I am also not interested in titles that are overtly sexualized for the sake of fanservice. I'm a gay male, but homosexual content in manga is mostly aimed at women in Japan and it leaves me feeling cold. Thriller is likely my favourite genre, and I lean toward a steampunk/early 90's aesthetic. I do not enjoy elongated titles for the sake of serialization. For this reason, I mostly stick to one-shots, short works or 8-volumes or less series. My favourite titles include Kyoko Okazaki's Helter Skelter, Katsuhiro Otomo's Domu: A Child's Dream, Shūzō Oshimi's The Flowers of Evil and Usamaru Furuya's Lychee Light Club. I've also enjoyed Kyoko Okazaki's Pink, although it didn't quite connect with me in the same way her latter works have. Usamaru Furuya's No Longer Human was hard to put down, but it isn't the masterpiece that the aforementioned title from him is. Fumi Yoshinaga's What Did You Eat Yesterday? is the closest I've gotten to liking homosexual content in manga, but even that didn't quite click. Is there any chance for me finding a new love? Help! Last edited by ChibiDusk; 2014-12-07 at 05:36.

2014-12-13, 12:36	Link #11
frubam simp for Lyria Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: on the Grandcypher Age: 40	When someone asks for good seinen manga, I always recommend the manwha, Cheese in the Trap. Compelling and intelligent main heroine that has a lot of depth to her character. The series has been labeled a "romance thriller" due to the slight psychological interpretations of the main heroine about the social interactions around her. The romance is hardly sentimental with more of a realistic approach. It starts off a bit slow, but after a few chapters, you get a gist of the depth of the series. Can't link it, but there is an english translation done in a very clever way by Oddsquad scans(who are on 'season 3') and the official translation by Naver(who are mid-'season 1'). __________________ Pure of heart, precious as life (^,^ )

2014-12-07, 00:49	Link #2
jedinat Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Age: 38	Kiseijuu is really good; there's a decent anime adaption going on right now but as usual the manga is better... You might like Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä, it's got a slightly dated steampunk aesthetic I suppose. It's a radically different work than the film.

2014-12-07, 05:35	Link #3
ChibiDusk Back From The Dead? Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Canada Age: 34	I actually just finished Parasyte! I enjoyed it. I was watching the anime adaptation, until I decided that watching it alongside the manga didn't do it any favours. I thought Nasicaä was an average Ghibli film; hearing that the manga is different definitely tempts me.

2014-12-07, 10:37	Link #4
Tempester Japanese Culture Fan Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Planet Earth Age: 33	Would be great if you posted all of what you have already read in the form of a list. I'd recommend Urasawa Naoki's *Pluto* the most. It is a fantastic sci-fi thriller/drama. *Saikyou Densetsu Kurosawa* is a great mix of a thriller and a coming-of-age story. For some good psychological drama, check out *A Lollypop or A Bullet*.

2014-12-07, 13:26	Link #6
Utsuro no Hako Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011	If you like Oshimi, you have to try Inio Asano. A few of his shorter works (Solanin, Nijigahara Holograph) have been officially published in English, but his masterpiece, Oyasumi Punpun is only in scanlation. It's a bit long (13 volumes) but worth it. The plot's hard to summarize, but there's this abused kid (who for reasons of symbolism is always drawn as a simplistic cartoon bird against realistic backdrops) who drifts through life with no strong moral grounding, which leads to ... stuff. There's also Oshimi's new series, Inside Mari (Boku wa Mari no Naka) about an hikikomori who one day wakes up inside the body of a sixteen year old girl -- except maybe he's a fragment of the girl's schizophrenic mind that she's called forth to avoid problems in her own life.

2014-12-07, 17:02	Link #7
ChibiDusk Back From The Dead? Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Canada Age: 34	Tempester, I thought it would be easier to focus on what I enjoyed. I’ll work on a list! Besides the aforementioned, I recently read and enjoyed (but didn’t love) Felipe Smith’s Peepo Choo & Keiko Suenobu’s LIMIT. Saikyou Densetsu Kurosawa's art style looks like a lot of fun! I'm definitely interested in that one. A Lollypop or A Bullet, on the other hand, looks a bit too cutesy for me. I really don't like art styles that purposely make every character attractive/adorable/etc. I have a question about Watashitachi Shiawase no Jikan... is it overly dramatic/sentimental? I find stories with such dramatic highs and lows pretty artificial if not handled well. I'm not really looking for relationship dramas or romance. Oyasumi Punpun is really intriguing! I might start with that one. Thank you for the recommendations, keep them coming!

2014-12-07, 18:06	Link #8
RichardFromMarple Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Stockport UK	With The Light is a very good read it's a about a boy with learning difficulties & his family's efforts to cope with it. Plenty of ups & downs along the way.

2014-12-12, 23:13	Link #10
ChibiDusk Back From The Dead? Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Canada Age: 34	Really into spiritual films lately, exploring the works of Kim Ki-Duk and Apichatpong Weerasethakul, so that actually sounds right up my alley.