Mangas were things actually happen!

[Daniel E.]

As of this moment, I have half the mind to drop the Ah My Goddess manga. My reason for doing it is that nothing important seems to happen anymore.

New characters are introduced in almost every volume, and once their stories are over, they either dissapear forever or make random cameos every couple of months, not seriously adding anything to the story on the whole; The relationship between K-1 and Belldandy has become a secondary thing and the development of the rest of the main cast has been pretty much non-existent for quite a while now.

Because of this, I want to hear some suggestions on mangas were things actually happen. Mangas that have the cojones to move past their initial setting and don't drag some story points for all eternity.

I am all for romance, comedy, drama, action, and slice of life; And while I have nothing against them, I am currently not in the mood for stuff similar to Naruto, Bleach or One Piece.

Recently, I have only checked a handful of titles, so pretty much anything you guys suggest could work.

Some of those titles that I have read/still reading are:

-Ichigo 100%
-Lilim Kiss
-Claymore
-Ichigo Mashimaro
-Negima *
-Black Laggon *

* Checked only a bit of these.

[Theowne]

Nodame Cantabile? Things happen, settings change....and it's a great romance/drama/slice of life.

[Daniel E.]

Originally Posted by Theowne

Nodame Cantabile? Things happen, settings change....and it's a great romance/drama/slice of life.

Yeah, this could work. Been wanting to check the anime for a while now, so I may as well start with the manga.

[mit7059]

Maybe Cross Game? Its the only manga I am currently reading, it seems to be wrapping up right now, probably just a couple more months until it's complete.

[jedinat]

Well, you've got to be more specific. It seems like you probably read a lot of shounen/action, shounen/romance... and those types of stories do tend to drag on and on, many with sort of the sitcom mechanic of everything resetting to the status quo after each chapter or "episode."

Just move outside the shounen genre and you will usual see things "actually happen." I could list dozens of manga, and it would be helpful if you specified what you're looking for... but I'll just list a few manga I like:
Emma
Kanata Kara
Kiseijuu
Outlanders
Koukou Debut

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Daniel E.

Yeah, this could work. Been wanting to check the anime for a while now, so I may as well start with the manga.

Can you read Japanese?
Tsukuyomi Moon Phase is relatively fast paced... just completed in Japan.
(Tokyopop is stalled at the moment on english version of this...)
Toradora! is very fast paced imo... only a few volumes out so far.
(no english version yet)
Stuff where "nothing" happens but who cares --- ARIA
and have a few light novel series I'm plodding through in Japanese (Haruhi, Ookami to Koushinryou, Toradora!).

Otherwise, I'm enjoying in English ->
Love*Com (english version still in progress)
Chibi Vampire (shudder... Karin; english version is about complete)

Manga where "not so much stuff happens but its a fun read" --
Lucky*Star (english version just starting up; though I've read the JP version)
Yotsuba& (english version about to be released by Yen Press)
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (english version is about 3 volumes so far)

I'm also reading Kuro (shoulder-coffin girl), S.S. Astro (english version may have died on the vine though.... need to check), G.A. Art Class.

Otherwise, I'm reading Negima like you...

Kare Kano is on my to-do list... I did read a few 'harem series' (Love Hina, Ai Yori Aoshi) and started/dropped two (Ichigo100%, Pastel). I'd say LH and AYA are good reading but they plod a lot and ramble in the middle - strong finish on both though.

[mit7059]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Kare Kano is on my to-do list...

Kare Kano is one of the few mangas I've actually read in their entirety and I can say that it was simply amazing. The issues that they delve into are so much deeper and more interesting than anything that went on in the anime. If you have seen the anime then you have to read the manga to get not only the real ending but the real feel for the series. If you haven't seen the anime, the first half is worth watching but then it's probably time to switch over to the manga.

[Daniel E.]

Originally Posted by mit7059

Maybe Cross Game? Its the only manga I am currently reading, it seems to be wrapping up right now, probably just a couple more months until it's complete.

This is also one I am interested in. Why, I think I even mentioned here in the suggestions section in a different thread.

Originally Posted by jedinat

Well, you've got to be more specific. It seems like you probably read a lot of shounen/action, shounen/romance... and those types of stories do tend to drag on and on

Well, like I said in the opening post, My problem with AMG is the fact that it's currently drowning itself in side-stories (read: filler). Started reading that thing in 1994 (dark horse release) and I just got tired about K-1 and Belldandy never moving their relationship to the next level. I mean lol, even the characters in the manga have questioned K-1's sexual preferences.

I'll check the titles you mention (all except Outlanders, just hated the damn thing after checking it a few years back. Caravan Kidd is so much better! )

Originally Posted by Vexx

Can you read Japanese?

Oh dear no, the english barrier alone is already challenging all on it's own.

Originally Posted by Vexx

Otherwise, I'm enjoying in English ->
Love*Com (english version still in progress)
Chibi Vampire (shudder... Karin; english version is about complete)

Don't know a thing about these two, but both sound like comedies.... or at least I get that impression from their titles.

From the rest you mention..... I'll try Yotsuba& and Kare Kano.

And Ichigo 100% was a title I also almost dropped.

Originally Posted by mit7059

Kare Kano is one of the few mangas I've actually read in their entirety and I can say that it was simply amazing.

Two mentions, will check this out.

[Vexx]

Love*Com has many comedy moments but it really is quite a romance with a satisfying ending (you haven't seen the anime, I take it? Its still unlicensed - all the dialog is in kansai-ben). It has some great supporting characters as well .... technically I think its shoujo?? Love*Com is actually short for Love*Complex or Lovely*Complex. Initially the very tall girl and the very short boy conspire to help each other catch their crushes. Sounds a bit like Toradora but execution is from the girl's POV.

Chibi Vampire (actually "Karin" ... terrible english renaming by TokyoPop) has some situational comedy but a fair amount of it is quite dramatic and even depressing/tragic. It concerns a vampire girl who's "handicapped"(mutant) by her own kind's standards... and the human boy who becomes her friend. This also has a complete anime series (which differed somewhat in plot) that is licensed.

Yeah, I'd heard that Kare Kano was superb in the manga and that many fans were unhappy with the last half of the anime.

[jedinat]

Originally Posted by Daniel E.

I'll check the titles you mention (all except Outlanders, just hated the damn thing after checking it a few years back. Caravan Kidd is so much better! )

And here Outlanders was my one concession to what I supposed your chosen genre was! lol. Couldn't stand Caravan Kidd myself... Maybe it's better that I make no further suggestions... I seem to be in the wrong thread.. *glances around furtively"

[Cyz]

Why not try Bitter Virgin, Love Monster, Beauty Pop, or Red River? If you want that still on going, then try reading Record of the Fallen Vampire and Pastel. Also, since you read Ichigo 100% and Lilim Kiss, try reading Hatsukoi Limited?

--> I commend you for reading Oh My Goddess. I lost track of that series and yes it doesn't seem to have any developments

[Daniel E.]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Chibi Vampire (actually "Karin" ... terrible english renaming by TokyoPop) has some situational comedy but a fair amount of it is quite dramatic and even depressing/tragic. It concerns a vampire girl who's "handicapped"(mutant) by her own kind's standards... and the human boy who becomes her friend. This also has a complete anime series (which differed somewhat in plot) that is licensed.

I think I am actually starting to remember a bit about this show now. Never saw anything related, but I may have seen some comments and images about at some point.

Originally Posted by jedinat

Maybe it's better that I make no further suggestions... I seem to be in the wrong thread.. *glances around furtively"

Oh, hope I didn't come out as harsh or ungrateful. I really will check the other titles you mentioned. 4 out of 5 is a very good feedback rate!

I do appreciate the time you take to make those suggestions.

Originally Posted by Cyz

Also, since you read Ichigo 100% and Lilim Kiss, try reading Hatsukoi Limited?

Character designs were the best thing for me about Ichigo 100% and Lilim Kiss. If this goes along the same lines, I'll try out a few chapters too!

Originally Posted by Cyz

--> I commend you for reading Oh My Goddess. I lost track of that series and yes it doesn't seem to have any developments [/font][/color]

I tend to forget about it for months, only to jump back and catch up with the latest bunch of chapters released.

Same for Claymore!

Regardless, I think this should do the trick!

I want to at least check a few chapters of all the titles mentioned here. So I am gonna go with this for a while. Thanks again for your suggestions and do remember to check your CP before leaving!

EDIT:

Oh crap, Jedi I can't give you a cookie just yet. My log says that I gave you one on July 17 and the forum still won't let me do it again.

[jedinat]

Originally Posted by Daniel E.

Oh, hope I didn't come out as harsh or ungrateful. I really will check the other titles you mentioned. 4 out of 5 is a very good feedback rate!

Ah, don't worry about that; that's not what I meant. Sometimes I say things that are more to myself than to other people... which it turns out is even less communicable on the internet, lol.

[Shadow Kira01]

I have a number of suggestions:

Blassreiter -Genetic-: This is sort of like a spinoff to the original anime as that it tells the story of Snow, a female Demoniac who got herself killed by a berserk Joseph in the anime.

Ga-Rei: The anime was the prequel in which it tells the story of how Isayama Yomi ended up as one of the villians. As for the manga, you will learn more about this guy who looks like a shorter version of Arisato Minato from Persona 3 FES, not to mention that blue butterflies follow him wherever he goes. This guy is the antagonist.

Kara no Kyoukai: Mirai Fukuin: This is most likely a sequel to the Kara no Kyoukai films as that there is a Ryougi Mana who is most likely the daughter of Ryougi Shiki and Kokutou Mikiya.

Shiki: The story is about a village with some 1300 people in which mysterious incidents occur one summer. I am guessing that these mysterious incidents relate to either zombies or some sort of hostile supernatural entity.

Shin Megami Tensei: The story loosely relates to the original RPG from Atlus as that the characters are no longer the same, while the story also underwent some changes. Nonetheless, it doesn't change the fact that this is the only manga adaptation available.

[Daniel E.]

Originally Posted by Shadow Kira01

I have a number of suggestions:

Thanks again!

From the ones you mention Shiki sounds the more promising.

And I guess I should have mentioned horror and mistery as genres I am also interest in, btw; Nothing like some blood, guts and a head roll to make things interesting.

[Falkor]

if you are planning to purchase manga, I can't help but second some of the stuff Vexx's has already suggested. :P Yotsubato and S.S. Astro would be my top priorities, though---they are simply too funny to be missed.

Yotsubato: (thread at AS)

Originally Posted by B-U

Yotsuba is a strange little girl with a big personality! Even in the most trivial, unremarkable encounters, Yotsuba’s curiosity and enthusiasm quickly turn the everyday into the extraordinary!

you just have to read it. :P

S.S. Astro: (thread at AS)

Originally Posted by B-U

At Asashio High, the new school year brings new faces, both in the student body and on staff. The new crop of teachers are all former students, and it quickly becomes obvious they have yet to grow out of their hilariously juvenile ways. From romantic entanglements to otaku obsessions, these teachers just go to show that the fun doesn't have to end after high school!

S.S. Astro has been on hiatus since 2007(?) and there's only one volume so far released. it's a 4-koma but it has to be one of the funniest out there. The main characters are all teachers---not the students for once---and they all have strange if not very unique traits. highly recommended!


In addition to these two, I would suggest Mirai Nikki (Future Diary), Fujoshi Rumi, and Pandora Hearts.

Mirai Nikki: (thread at AS)

Originally Posted by B-U

High school 2nd year, Amano Yukiteru, is a boy who has problem making friends. He thinks of himself as a bystander and will always write down everything he sees in a cell phone diary.

Tormented by solitude, Yukiteru began to imagine things like a friend called Deus Ex Machina who is apparently the Lord of Time & Space. Seeing Yukiteru's miserable state, Deus gives him a new ability. His diary will now record events that will happen in the near future. Yukiteru is then forced to participate in a game which the winner will become Deus's successor.

I hate and love this manga. The premise is very interesting, but also kinda hard to describe: it has a bit of mystery, lots of action and plenty of wtf-situations, so to speak---and there's a yandere character that will put the Higurashi girls to shame. :P overall, it's quite an enjoyable title and rarely fails to be entertaining.

Pandora Hearts: (thread at AS)

Originally Posted by B-U

Oz Bezarius, heir to one of the duke houses, has just turned fifteen. His life is rich and carefree, darkened only by the constant absence of his father. At his coming-of-age ceremony, however, everything changes. For no reason that he can discern, he's cast into the prison known as the "Abyss", only to be saved by a "chain" known as Alice, the bloodstained black rabbit. Why was he cast into Abyss, how does Alice factor into it all, and what does the organization known as "Pandora" want with him...?

The anime is currently airing, but the manga is such a delightful thing to read: great characters, great story and plenty of dark of elements. There's a great mystery also, and every chapter ends in a cliffhanger that will make you yearn for the next one.

Fujoshi Rumi:

Originally Posted by B-U

It’s a shoujo-style romantic comedy about a quadrangle of two fujoshi (i.e. otome, female otaku) and two straight (though very bishounen) guys. The story is about a fangirl who tries to hide her otaku fetishes, while having lots of yaoi daydreams about the boys in her class.

fujoshi's fantasies were never this funny. hilarious, so hilarious... oh let me warn you that the manga has a good amount of "BL (boys' love) situations"---not that surprising due to its nature, but they are kinda harmless. on the bright side, you will learn how a fujoshi mind works...

They are all available through amazon (or they may be at a later time).

I wonder if you have given One Piece a try. it's probably one of the longest manga out there with 50+ volumes, but it's one of the few that despite its length I've come enjoyed immensely. it's still as interesting as it was at the beginning, and it's not really long for the sake of being long. can't really say much about the anime, but the manga tells a very good story.

I can suggest other stuff that has not been licensed, but your criteria is too broad. :P

[Cyz]

Another suggestion, try reading Suzuka and Kimi no Iru Machi too? Those are great romance mangas.

[Daniel E.]

Originally Posted by Falkor

if you are planning to purchase manga, I can't help but second some of the stuff Vexx's has already suggested. :P Yotsubato and S.S. Astro would be my top priorities, though---they are simply too funny to be missed.

Have seen several avatars from this manga around here from time to time. The manga is obviously doing something right to trigger that.

Originally Posted by Falkor

I can suggest other stuff that has not been licensed, but your criteria is too broad. :P

That was the whole idea!

And sorry to say.. but I am not interested in the slightest when it comes to One Piece. I would much rather go back to read Bleach or Naruto instead.

Originally Posted by Cyz

Another suggestion, try reading Suzuka and Kimi no Iru Machi too? Those are great romance mangas.

Will do!