AnimeSuki Forums

Irenicus · 2008-02-16, 02:51

I know it's been said that the Suggestions forum is the garbage dump of the forums, but I hope my request is unique enough for the manga masters to pay attention to.

Anyway, I just caught up with the manga series Historie recently, and was utterly impressed, and is looking for more of the same, or similar, or not so similar but recommended anyway since [please explain why]. I'm a hungry creature and is trying to devour every good manga in sight, but that's probably a little too big of a framework to ask for suggestions from.

(Some of) What I like about Historie:

- It felt really authentic. Virtually all of the characters showed that their values are framed according to what we know of their culture back in the day. It is amazing to see Greeks act as Greeks, even (especially) the bad side of the Greeks that one has to read between the lines of their writings to know. I think this is one of the best marks of good historical fiction.

- Of course, that the main character is more anachronistic than most (but still highly believable) is not a negative. He's supposed to intrigue everyone around him after all.

- The art was great. It felt detailed, clean. And occasionally (though not as often as, say, Berserk) very breathtaking. Those gigantic shots that encompass big areas really show the manga-ka at his/her best.

- The brutality of the era is portrayed in a frank manner. Somehow it hit me well: not in melodrama, but in a deeper way.

- Soldiers. Battles. War. You don't get to see enough of that stuff in manga.

- The plot was awesome.

What I'd like to see more of (i.e. if a manga fits a few of these categories, that's probably what I want):

# Historical fiction. Of course if something's not historical but you feel like I'll like it anyway then that's not a problem.

# Authentic feel. Focus on the feel, I'm not one of those historians who get angry at every little factual inaccuracy. Mind you, I'm also one of those people who think the movie "Troy" is trash and so is "Braveheart" and "Gladiator." On the other hand, stuff like "Rome" hits me so hard I cried out Etruscan tears.

# Soldiers. Battles. War. I want to see more of that stuff in manga.

# It doesn't have to be manga. It just have to be accessible in North America and/or the Internet somehow. I vaguely remembered some Chinese or something comic about Cao Cao that felt very similar to Historie. Needless to say it was my favorite...and I no longer remember the title, the length, or what it was.

If anyone knows then I'll give you a cookie and a kiss, both optional.

# And finally, if a manga doesn't fit any of these categories, in a completely different genre or whatever, but you like it so much that you think I'm missing out by, well, missing it, be aware that I'd love to hear your opinion anyway.

And just so that the final category won't clutter up the thread or my original intention, this is a list of some of what I've read and short comments:

Spoiler for Some 'representative' manga's I've read:

Spectacular_Insanity · 2008-02-16, 02:57

The only one that immediately come to mind is Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I can't think of any others at the moment.

KholdStare · 2008-02-16, 03:00

Well I don't have a manga for you, but a novel. Seirei no Moribito (Guardian of the Sacred Spirit) is fictional historical, but it feels like a story. I got the same vibes off Lord of the Rings for Seirei no Moribito.

Irenicus · 2008-02-16, 03:18

Thanks for the recommendations! It's a start.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spectacular_Insanity

The only one that immediately come to mind is Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I can't think of any others at the moment.

Do you have a link? Say, ANN or mangaupdates link. There's such a large volume of literature/comics/etc. that use that name that I'm not sure which one is your suggestion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KholdStare

Well I don't have a manga for you, but a novel. Seirei no Moribito (Guardian of the Sacred Spirit) is fictional historical, but it feels like a story. I got the same vibes off Lord of the Rings for Seirei no Moribito.

Is it translated into English?

Crystal_Method · 2008-02-16, 03:20

Kiseijuu
Vinland Saga
Eden
Dangu
Threads of Time
The Ravages of Time
Shin Angyo Onshi
Sidooh

Side note: Kiseijuu is made by the same manga-ka as Historie.

jedinat · 2008-02-16, 03:42

I was also very impressed by Historie. Do check out Kiseijuu as Crystal_Method suggests.

So you've read Sexy Voice And Robo; did you read Japan Tengu Party Illustrated by the same mangaka? It's interesting... you may like it; I was really intrigued at first, though I sort of lost interest a ways into it.

You might possibly enjoy Crying Freeman; lots of casual blood and nudity. A good manga; I especially liked the first volume.

Try Mysterious Girlfriend X for a very strange and interesting high school romance.

Irenicus · 2008-02-16, 04:00

Crystal_Method: You're awesome! That's a nice list; from the descriptions I'm particularly interested in Vinland Saga and Kiseijuu, though I'll check out all of them in time.

I'm not much of a horror fan though so it remains to be seen if the manga-ka's other work is as appealing to me as Historie is.

jedinat: I've read Sexy Voice and a few one-shots from Kuroda, and they're always interesting even if some of them are not as impressive as Sexy Voice, but not Tengu Party yet. I'll definitely check it out.

KholdStare · 2008-02-17, 01:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Irenicus

Is it translated into English?

Definitely.

# ISBN-10: 0545005426
# ISBN-13: 978-0545005425

Irenicus · 2008-02-17, 05:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by KholdStare

Definitely.

# ISBN-10: 0545005426
# ISBN-13: 978-0545005425

Awesome; thanks! I loved the anime but didn't know that the novel has been licensed. This is great news.

Xellos-_^ · 2009-01-05, 14:40

it has been since may since vol4 was release. Anyone knows if vol5 has been rls? I will raw or any language.

MuraKami · 2009-01-06, 07:38

No Lone Wolf and Cub? This one bares the title of a life-time manga for a reason.

Seconds for The Vinland Saga and The Ravages of Time for the authentic feel. Great depiction of battles of various scale, fleshy and remarkable characters.

Irenicus · 2009-01-06, 16:33

^The thread is almost a year old (I'm getting nostalgic here -- a thread I've made! XD), Xellos-_^ just revived it to ask a question.

But thanks all the same: I forgot completely about Lone Wolf and Cub, should really try it some time. As for Vinland Saga and The Ravages of Time, I've long since become a devoted fan of both thanks to, in fact, this very thread.

2008-02-16, 02:51	Link #1
Irenicus Le fou, c'est moi Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA Age: 34	Manga similar to Historie I know it's been said that the Suggestions forum is the garbage dump of the forums, but I hope my request is unique enough for the manga masters to pay attention to. Anyway, I just caught up with the manga series Historie recently, and was utterly impressed, and is looking for more of the same, or similar, or not so similar but recommended anyway since [please explain why]. I'm a hungry creature and is trying to devour every good manga in sight, but that's probably a little too big of a framework to ask for suggestions from. (Some of) What I like about Historie: - It felt really authentic. Virtually all of the characters showed that their values are framed according to what we know of their culture back in the day. It is amazing to see Greeks act as Greeks, even (especially) the bad side of the Greeks that one has to read between the lines of their writings to know. I think this is one of the best marks of good historical fiction. - Of course, that the main character is more anachronistic than most (but still highly believable) is not a negative. He's supposed to intrigue everyone around him after all. - The art was great. It felt detailed, clean. And occasionally (though not as often as, say, Berserk) very breathtaking. Those gigantic shots that encompass big areas really show the manga-ka at his/her best. - The brutality of the era is portrayed in a frank manner. Somehow it hit me well: not in melodrama, but in a deeper way. - Soldiers. Battles. War. You don't get to see enough of that stuff in manga. - The plot was awesome. What I'd like to see more of (i.e. if a manga fits a few of these categories, that's probably what I want): # Historical fiction. Of course if something's not historical but you feel like I'll like it anyway then that's not a problem. # Authentic feel. Focus on the feel, I'm not one of those historians who get angry at every little factual inaccuracy. Mind you, I'm also one of those people who think the movie "Troy" is trash and so is "Braveheart" and "Gladiator." On the other hand, stuff like "Rome" hits me so hard I cried out Etruscan tears. # Soldiers. Battles. War. I want to see more of that stuff in manga. # It doesn't have to be manga. It just have to be accessible in North America and/or the Internet somehow. I vaguely remembered some Chinese or something comic about Cao Cao that felt very similar to Historie. Needless to say it was my favorite...and I no longer remember the title, the length, or what it was. If anyone knows then I'll give you a cookie and a kiss, both optional. # And finally, if a manga doesn't fit any of these categories, in a completely different genre or whatever, but you like it so much that you think I'm missing out by, well, missing it, be aware that I'd love to hear your opinion anyway. And just so that the final category won't clutter up the thread or my original intention, this is a list of some of what I've read and short comments: Spoiler for Some 'representative' manga's I've read: - Air Gear. Hated it. Shonen Junk. - Bleach. Liked it, but too long. (i.e. none of that stuff please) - Suzuka. Annoying melodrama. Please don't suggestion things like that. - Love Hina. Liked it, but that's not what I'm looking for in this thread. - Same for other ecchi comedies: To-LOVE-Ru, Pretty Face, Negima (not all comedy, I know), etc. - Berserk. Is infinitely more awesome than anything else I've ever seen drawn at that length. I certainly am listening to the suggestions of another Berserk fan. - Vagabond. Also utterly amazing. Kind of fits my own request too, but I've already read it so... - Special A. Shoujo, I liked it a lot. I love happy fluffly shoujo at times. - Also, Lovely Complex. And a new manga, Akuma to Dolce (which is kind of weak on development, but cute anyway). - I don't mind if you guys suggest that kind of stuff. - Boys Over Flowers; sort of liked it. The "really hot guy" whose actions occasionally went directly off the road is not my thing though. It must be something of a "bad boy" appeal to the feminine population, but I for one can't connect with that. I thought I'd shoot the bastards and be done with it. The girl is cool though. - Hot Gimmick. I want to burn every existing copy of that junk. - Sexy Voice And Robo. Brilliant. Those experimental manga are fine in my book. - BECK. Adolescent awesomeness in a book. - Is downloading, but have yet to read, another new manga: Cesare. I was daydreaming another day about working on some things from the Renaissance era Italy. Well, this manga-ka seems to have preempted my daydreaming!

2008-02-16, 02:57	Link #2
Spectacular_Insanity Ha ha ha ha ha... Graphic Designer Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Right behind you. Age: 35	The only one that immediately come to mind is Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I can't think of any others at the moment. __________________

2008-02-16, 03:00	Link #3
KholdStare ISML Technical Staff Graphic Designer Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Phoenix, AZ Age: 35	Well I don't have a manga for you, but a novel. Seirei no Moribito (Guardian of the Sacred Spirit) is fictional historical, but it feels like a story. I got the same vibes off Lord of the Rings for Seirei no Moribito. __________________ Kholdy's MAL, ISML Chat, Saimoe Blog, Saimoe Wiki

2008-02-16, 03:20	Link #5
Crystal_Method I want dreads... Artist Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: a cardboard box Age: 33	Kiseijuu Vinland Saga Eden Dangu Threads of Time The Ravages of Time Shin Angyo Onshi Sidooh Side note: Kiseijuu is made by the same manga-ka as Historie. __________________

2009-01-05, 14:40	Link #10
Xellos-_^ Not Enough Sleep Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: R'lyeh Age: 48	it has been since may since vol4 was release. Anyone knows if vol5 has been rls? I will raw or any language. __________________

2008-02-16, 03:42	Link #6
jedinat Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Age: 38	I was also very impressed by Historie. Do check out Kiseijuu as Crystal_Method suggests. So you've read Sexy Voice And Robo; did you read Japan Tengu Party Illustrated by the same mangaka? It's interesting... you may like it; I was really intrigued at first, though I sort of lost interest a ways into it. You might possibly enjoy Crying Freeman; lots of casual blood and nudity. A good manga; I especially liked the first volume. Try Mysterious Girlfriend X for a very strange and interesting high school romance.

2008-02-16, 04:00	Link #7
Irenicus Le fou, c'est moi Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA Age: 34	Crystal_Method: You're awesome! That's a nice list; from the descriptions I'm particularly interested in Vinland Saga and Kiseijuu, though I'll check out all of them in time. I'm not much of a horror fan though so it remains to be seen if the manga-ka's other work is as appealing to me as Historie is. jedinat: I've read Sexy Voice and a few one-shots from Kuroda, and they're always interesting even if some of them are not as impressive as Sexy Voice, but not Tengu Party yet. I'll definitely check it out.

2009-01-06, 07:38	Link #11
MuraKami Phase Angle Join Date: Apr 2008	No Lone Wolf and Cub? This one bares the title of a life-time manga for a reason. Seconds for The Vinland Saga and The Ravages of Time for the authentic feel. Great depiction of battles of various scale, fleshy and remarkable characters.

2009-01-06, 16:33	Link #12
Irenicus Le fou, c'est moi Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA Age: 34	^The thread is almost a year old (I'm getting nostalgic here -- a thread I've made! XD), Xellos-_^ just revived it to ask a question. But thanks all the same: I forgot completely about Lone Wolf and Cub, should really try it some time. As for Vinland Saga and The Ravages of Time, I've long since become a devoted fan of both thanks to, in fact, this very thread.