AnimeSuki Forums

Automata · 2008-07-14, 23:49

First post. Sorry if this is old or boring.

I've been addicted to anime series for some months now and would like to find a good first manga series to read in English. Here is some anime I've really enjoyed:

1. Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo, for its classic story, for its artistic sophistication as well as its futuristic setting.

2. Last Exile, for similar reasons. It's serious, involved and emotive.

3. Death Note, for its darkness, its humor, and its unique complexity.

4. Avatar, for being a very accessible story, yet with well-developed and complicated characters, emotive plot twists and humor.

I really enjoy reading hard sci-fi with grand and profound implications, and enjoy aesthetics almost as much as narrative, the two skillfully applied being, of course, ideal.

Meanwhile, if anyone has anime recommendations, I'd also be appreciative. Thanks!

jedinat · 2008-07-15, 00:13

Not so many great sci-fi manga... but here's a few I've enjoyed:
Battle Angel Alita and its sequel, Last Order (rather a must, since it throws out the lame ending of the original)
Kiseijuu - sci-fi in the alien invasion sense. the art might not be too pretty, but its a very good manga
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou - not sure how you feel about the slice-of-life genre, but this is a very good manga. great art and characters, big ideas subtly expressed

Deus ex Digital Boy · 2008-07-15, 00:15

seconding Alita, also HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHY recommending Jing: King of Bandits. I will say tat the first volume or so is a little on the average side and the art looks like DBZ, but the artist radically redefines his style and storytelling by volume 3, and it's one of the best looking, most awesome, imaginative, and amazing stories ever from then on.

Nervous Venus · 2008-07-15, 01:17

I'm going to wholeheartedly recommend 20th Century Boys. Pretty epic manga by a pretty epic author who - I can gurantee you - continues to mind-feff us over and over again.

http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=319

I finally got a few guys to pick it up, and they've loved it so far. There is also a sequel to it called 21st Century Boys.

yezhanquan · 2008-07-15, 01:54

I'm assuming that you will try both the manga and the anime for the same series. (Sometimes, the change in media = drop in quality of enjoyment.)

A non-SF series I recommend is Monster, done by Urasawa Naoki (the author of 20th/21 Century Boys). It chills one to the bone.

signorRossi · 2008-07-15, 02:33

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is my favorite, tough stuff and thought provoking, much much better and more complex than the anime (the battle scene in the third volume at Sapata is just 'wow'). There are seven volumes in the English version by VIZ you can buy still now.
The Planetes manga is also a nice, intelligent read The childish elements of the anime are not present, but it is still funny from time to time (you learn about the importance of pr0n for long range space exploration, ha ha).
These are the 2 mangas I liked (out of 4 that I read, lol, but they are top notch).

Bye, signorRossi.

9mmx19 · 2008-07-15, 14:54

Battle Angel Alita is awesome.

james0246 · 2008-07-15, 15:43

For something similiar in design as Avatar, I suggest One Piece - a fun adventure series about a young boy who desire to become the Pirate King and the various adventures he and his friends have as they embark on their Journey. This series is also a great introduction to Shounen manga.

edit: just to make sure, but Avatar = Avatar: The Last Airbender, correct? If it is not, then my suggestion will not make sense, but if it is, my suggestion is applicable.

kk2extreme · 2008-07-17, 02:04

elfen lied, the show totally blow my mind apart from start to finish.

beanBandit · 2008-07-19, 03:39

I'll also recommend Battle Angel Alita and Nausicaa, which imo might objectively be the best manga ever created. If you're looking especially for "hard sci-fi", then it doesn't get any better than Akira. It may be a little older, but it's about as awesome and epic as manga will get (let alone sci-fi). Appleseed is also very good and super smart, though you might need to have some taste for Masumune Shirow's style, that is, it's a little slower and the action factor is turned down. The Legend of Mother Sarah is also older and good but may be hard to find... One more sci-fi recommendation: check out the Evangelion manga, one of my favorites and I actually thought it was a little better than the anime.

Some non-sci-fi:
Gunsmith Cats (my personal favorite manga)
Oh My Goddess
Marmalade Boy
Dance Till Tomorrow
Buddha
Ode To Kirihito
Adolf

and Avatar rocks.

Automata · 2008-07-19, 15:37

Thank you for your recommendations, everybody. Lots of stuff for the future!

I purchased the first two books in the Nausicaa series (the movie was one of my earliest anime loves) and the first three Battle Angel Alita books. I'm looking forward to starting them as soon as I finish the novel I'm reading. The Nausicaa books are beautiful in that larger format.

By the way, Naruto, which I've downloaded some of, is a lot like Avatar, I find. Seems Avatar got more than a few ideas from it. I only wish it were easier to read from a screen.

Rahan · 2008-07-19, 18:04

If you are into sci-fi, you should check out Planetes. There isn't much action and it isn't very epic in the beginning (it's about a space debris clean-up team, and especially one of the members who dreams to own his own spaceship), but it has a good taste of Arthur C Clarke going manga.

Automata · 2008-07-21, 22:45

I've just recently started watching the anime of Planetes, actually. I'm enjoying it so far. Thanks for the recommendation.

Coolhart · 2008-07-22, 07:09

I guess your still exploring all kinds of anime's to check where your preferences lie ha?
Try Angel Densetsu by Yagi Norihiro. Thats the guy that wrote Claymore also a very great anime/manga. Angel Densetsu just has a lot of coincidental humor in it. About this guy with a face of a demon but the heart of an angel and how he has to cope with everyday school life.
Densha Otoko by Nakano Hitori. You might have heard of the live action series or movie of this. reading this makes you really just root for this underdog.

2008-07-14, 23:49	Link #1
Automata Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008	Manga N00b Looking for First Series First post. Sorry if this is old or boring. I've been addicted to anime series for some months now and would like to find a good first manga series to read in English. Here is some anime I've really enjoyed: 1. Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo, for its classic story, for its artistic sophistication as well as its futuristic setting. 2. Last Exile, for similar reasons. It's serious, involved and emotive. 3. Death Note, for its darkness, its humor, and its unique complexity. 4. Avatar, for being a very accessible story, yet with well-developed and complicated characters, emotive plot twists and humor. I really enjoy reading hard sci-fi with grand and profound implications, and enjoy aesthetics almost as much as narrative, the two skillfully applied being, of course, ideal. Meanwhile, if anyone has anime recommendations, I'd also be appreciative. Thanks!

2008-07-15, 01:54	Link #5
yezhanquan Observer/Bookman wannabe Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Singapore Age: 38	I'm assuming that you will try both the manga and the anime for the same series. (Sometimes, the change in media = drop in quality of enjoyment.) A non-SF series I recommend is Monster, done by Urasawa Naoki (the author of 20th/21 Century Boys). It chills one to the bone. __________________

2008-07-15, 00:13	Link #2
jedinat Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Age: 38	Not so many great sci-fi manga... but here's a few I've enjoyed: Battle Angel Alita and its sequel, Last Order (rather a must, since it throws out the lame ending of the original) Kiseijuu - sci-fi in the alien invasion sense. the art might not be too pretty, but its a very good manga Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou - not sure how you feel about the slice-of-life genre, but this is a very good manga. great art and characters, big ideas subtly expressed

2008-07-15, 00:15	Link #3
Deus ex Digital Boy 21st Century Digital Boy Join Date: Nov 2007	seconding Alita, also HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHY recommending Jing: King of Bandits. I will say tat the first volume or so is a little on the average side and the art looks like DBZ, but the artist radically redefines his style and storytelling by volume 3, and it's one of the best looking, most awesome, imaginative, and amazing stories ever from then on.

2008-07-15, 01:17	Link #4
Nervous Venus Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Between a rock and a hard place. Age: 38	I'm going to wholeheartedly recommend 20th Century Boys. Pretty epic manga by a pretty epic author who - I can gurantee you - continues to mind-feff us over and over again. http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=319 I finally got a few guys to pick it up, and they've loved it so far. There is also a sequel to it called 21st Century Boys.

2008-07-15, 02:33	Link #6
signorRossi Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008	Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is my favorite, tough stuff and thought provoking, much much better and more complex than the anime (the battle scene in the third volume at Sapata is just 'wow'). There are seven volumes in the English version by VIZ you can buy still now. The Planetes manga is also a nice, intelligent read The childish elements of the anime are not present, but it is still funny from time to time (you learn about the importance of pr0n for long range space exploration, ha ha). These are the 2 mangas I liked (out of 4 that I read, lol, but they are top notch). Bye, signorRossi.

2008-07-15, 14:54	Link #7
9mmx19 Member Join Date: Jun 2006	Battle Angel Alita is awesome.

2008-07-15, 15:43	Link #8
james0246 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: East Cupcake	For something similiar in design as Avatar, I suggest One Piece - a fun adventure series about a young boy who desire to become the Pirate King and the various adventures he and his friends have as they embark on their Journey. This series is also a great introduction to Shounen manga. edit: just to make sure, but Avatar = Avatar: The Last Airbender, correct? If it is not, then my suggestion will not make sense, but if it is, my suggestion is applicable.

2008-07-17, 02:04	Link #9
kk2extreme Your wife is hot... Join Date: May 2008 Location: At your house fixing A/C	elfen lied, the show totally blow my mind apart from start to finish.

2008-07-19, 03:39	Link #10
beanBandit Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008	I'll also recommend Battle Angel Alita and Nausicaa, which imo might objectively be the best manga ever created. If you're looking especially for "hard sci-fi", then it doesn't get any better than Akira. It may be a little older, but it's about as awesome and epic as manga will get (let alone sci-fi). Appleseed is also very good and super smart, though you might need to have some taste for Masumune Shirow's style, that is, it's a little slower and the action factor is turned down. The Legend of Mother Sarah is also older and good but may be hard to find... One more sci-fi recommendation: check out the Evangelion manga, one of my favorites and I actually thought it was a little better than the anime. Some non-sci-fi: Gunsmith Cats (my personal favorite manga) Oh My Goddess Marmalade Boy Dance Till Tomorrow Buddha Ode To Kirihito Adolf and Avatar rocks.

2008-07-19, 15:37	Link #11
Automata Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008	Thank you for your recommendations, everybody. Lots of stuff for the future! I purchased the first two books in the Nausicaa series (the movie was one of my earliest anime loves) and the first three Battle Angel Alita books. I'm looking forward to starting them as soon as I finish the novel I'm reading. The Nausicaa books are beautiful in that larger format. By the way, Naruto, which I've downloaded some of, is a lot like Avatar, I find. Seems Avatar got more than a few ideas from it. I only wish it were easier to read from a screen.

2008-07-19, 18:04	Link #12
Rahan Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: France	If you are into sci-fi, you should check out Planetes. There isn't much action and it isn't very epic in the beginning (it's about a space debris clean-up team, and especially one of the members who dreams to own his own spaceship), but it has a good taste of Arthur C Clarke going manga.

2008-07-21, 22:45	Link #13
Automata Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008	I've just recently started watching the anime of Planetes, actually. I'm enjoying it so far. Thanks for the recommendation.

2008-07-22, 07:09	Link #14
Coolhart Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Amsterdam	I guess your still exploring all kinds of anime's to check where your preferences lie ha? Try Angel Densetsu by Yagi Norihiro. Thats the guy that wrote Claymore also a very great anime/manga. Angel Densetsu just has a lot of coincidental humor in it. About this guy with a face of a demon but the heart of an angel and how he has to cope with everyday school life. Densha Otoko by Nakano Hitori. You might have heard of the live action series or movie of this. reading this makes you really just root for this underdog.