The Manga Thread [Archive]

lovejuice

11-04-2009, 10:29 PM

Technically this could be a part of the comic book thread, but since many of you seem to be into Urazawa, it might not be such a bad idea to have a manga thread on match-cut. (Though this might end up being just Qrazy and me yapping about Naruto.)

Lately I started reading Mysterious Girlfriend X, and still can't quite get a hang of it. It's overly cliche at a time -- perhaps intentionally. The idea is to give a classic, ie. worn-out, romcom formula some sexual spin. 3 episodes in, and I'm intrigued. Don't know how it'll fare out in the long run.

Some of the artwork are quite impressive.

http://img3.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire1/bad3025843ebe299a87ca5146c6866 f31225105719_full.png

EyesWideOpen

11-05-2009, 02:09 AM

The only current manga I'm reading is 20th Century Boys, Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, and Detroit Metal City.

Old manga I'm slowly catching up on: Monster (I only own two volumes and love it but sooo many volumes to catch up with) and Parasyte.

Various Manga volumes I own but haven't read yet: Battle Royale 1 & 2, Gunslinger Girl 1, Lone Wolf & Cub 1, Museum of Terror 1-3, Octopus Girl 2,3.

number8

11-05-2009, 05:35 AM

I found an adaptation of Frankenstein by Junji Ito recently. It's pretty damn awesome. Ito's rendition of the monster is horrifying.

lovejuice

11-05-2009, 05:54 AM

I found an adaptation of Frankenstein by Junji Ito recently. It's pretty damn awesome. Ito's rendition of the monster is horrifying.
i am a mollusca-phobia, so i never really dare to check any of his work, but that sounds awesome.

number8

11-05-2009, 08:05 AM

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/7692/050e.jpg

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/3987/051e.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4124/052e.jpg

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/2702/053ee.jpg

Sycophant

11-09-2009, 04:31 PM

I'm nearly done with Urasawa's Monster. I've read volume 15. I'm gonna start volume 16, and volumes 17 and 18 (end) are on their way to me. I can't believe I've torn through this book so fast, but it's damn hard to put down. And from the very beginning, it's been exquisite.

number8

11-10-2009, 07:08 PM

I should reread Monster again.

lovejuice

11-10-2009, 07:19 PM

i love debating with myself which one is better: 20th century boys or monster.

number8

11-10-2009, 07:32 PM

I like Pluto more than both.

number8

11-10-2009, 07:32 PM

By the way, having now read a lot of Junji Ito's stuff, I'm beginning to think that Uzumaki is his weakest.

Saya

11-11-2009, 01:58 PM

I haven't read much manga yet, just Berserk, Lone Wolf & Cub, Samurai Executioner and some chapters of Yotsuba&!.

I'm hearing so much praise for Monster that I have to check that out.

lovejuice

11-11-2009, 02:12 PM

I like Pluto more than both.
i too love pluto, but it's a short series, and to me, hard to compare with the others.

Sycophant

11-18-2009, 10:41 PM

I finished reading Monster's 18th and final volume some time in the last week. Then I read some reviews on goodreads.com and elsewhere and everyone was all like "It leaves so much unanswered" and "loose ends" and "needed to explain more" and I was like "what."

I hate that. I guess I don't give near as much of a shit about plot and background information and conspiratorial nonsense as most people do. Or most nerds, at any rate.

The conclusion of Monster was a perfect philosophical, moral, and emotional conclusion to one of the best-crafted graphic works I've ever read. That's what I care about.

number8

11-18-2009, 10:56 PM

Good. Now apply that to Battlestar Galactica and you get me.

Sycophant

11-18-2009, 11:04 PM

I respect where you're coming from, 8, though I don't agree.

number8

11-22-2009, 09:42 PM

We had a discussion on Shintaro Kago somewhere, right?

lovejuice

12-03-2009, 11:23 AM

number8

12-07-2009, 09:10 AM

What the fuck. Some guy tattooed a Maruo art on his arm.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qO435PjkW8Q/SxMuhcADO3I/AAAAAAAABKE/-OpxAByqlQI/s1600/sam_maruo.jpg

Qrazy

12-07-2009, 09:47 PM

I wonder if anyone has ever tattooed shit dribbling down their leg.

Thirdmango

12-09-2009, 11:30 AM

on the latest issue of naruto.

urg...hope we don't have to hear anymore lovely-dovely stuff from kishimoto. that's awkward. almost as awkward as inoue confessing to kurosaki in bleach. URG! on the plus side, dunzo vs madara promises to be epic. or so i hope.

The trouble with Naruto is since the shikumaru vs. the religious akatski they haven't really known how to do epic. I mean this is the story that made me shit myself when Garra and Rock Lee fought. But yet they seem to have forgotten how to properly use the panels and size. It makes me wish they would let him go up to 26-30 pages cause they just can't seem to use 17 to their advantage.

Sycophant

12-10-2009, 05:12 PM

That's why I downloaded some Maruo a while back but never read it.

lovejuice

01-03-2010, 11:34 PM

i've been arranging my manga shelves for the past two weeks. being absent from home for 11 years and constantly moving around tend to have my bookshelves in jumble. i estimate more than 6,000 mangas in my collection which is nothing for comics but quite a lot for a personal collection of mangas.

i am so happy seeing my babies getting in order day by day. :pritch:

Qrazy

02-04-2010, 05:39 PM

Granted I'm not reading Monster and I'm watching the anime but I'm not impressed in the slightest. There's enough there to keep me watching but I can't say the characters, the story, the quality of the animation or the style are very interesting.

number8

02-05-2010, 02:39 AM

Two very different things.

Qrazy

02-05-2010, 03:41 AM

Two very different things.

Certainly in terms of animation quality and style but I feel criticisms of character and story carry over.

number8

02-05-2010, 04:15 AM

Qrazy

02-05-2010, 05:51 AM

Urusawa's main strength is his storytelling. He is an absolute master at breaking dialogue and dramatic moments. The fact that the anime is not an applicable gauge for how brilliant the manga is has nothing to do with the animation or style. It's pacing.

Fair enough but I don't see how pacing would change my overall story complaints. Although I got a bit further along now and once the Monster enters the story proper everything suddenly became much more engaging.

Qrazy

02-05-2010, 08:13 PM

AGGGH I hate you Inspector Runge.

Qrazy

02-09-2010, 04:38 PM

Ah k, he redeemed himself.

number8

02-09-2010, 05:00 PM

It's amusing that I know what you're talking about.

Sycophant

02-09-2010, 05:36 PM

Are you still just going off the anime? I haven't seen it, but I can't help but think you're making a mistake if you are.

Some time soon, I'm gonna reread volumes 1-7 of Urasawa's Pluto in anticipation of its conclusion next month.

I think I need a new manga series. I'm not gonna start reading 20th Century Boys until it's significantly closer to finishing its US publication schedule.

Qrazy

02-09-2010, 06:41 PM

MONSTER SPOILERS

Yes I continued with the anime and finished it today. I kind of doubt the manga would have alleviated all of my criticisms. There's nothing wrong with the pacing of the anime. What I dislike is the general visual blandness both in the animation quality but also in the general compositions. Just because something is well tense or well paced, that will not alleviate issues I have with the structure, themes or narrative. Inglourious Basterds was well paced, but I did not like the film much.

Now to be clear I did ultimately like Monster but I also found it blunt and repetitive. Revelations in the series come in two forms... a) Oh my god Johann was beyond yet another series of murders! b) He's so much like the devil himself. Every time a new mysterious plot line was introduced the answer to the riddle was self-evident. That is of course except for the ultimate mystery involving Bonaparta and the mother. The reveals with that storyline were much better and made the anime worthwhile overall.

It's good to hear Pluto is ending though. I'll read it when it's done.

Sycophant

04-14-2010, 01:18 AM

So Pluto finished its American run and I read it and it was glorious.

number8

04-14-2010, 12:10 PM

Finally!

lovejuice

05-04-2010, 11:56 PM

Bleach is getting supremely stupid at the moment.

it's all ramdon people showing up, doing random thing to Aizen. He still stands just so Ichiko can eventually kick his ass in the end.

megladon8

05-20-2010, 01:42 AM

Anyone read(ing) "Saturn Apartments" (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=2244)?

Sounds really cool.

Qrazy

05-27-2010, 07:57 PM

Gantz is sucking so hard right now. I mean yeah it was mediocre before, but it just sucks now. Get on with the STORY already.

number8

05-27-2010, 08:04 PM

Story? Gantz is only good for boobies and gore.

Qrazy

05-27-2010, 08:10 PM

Story? Gantz is only good for boobies and gore.

Nah man I remember you telling me you'd abandoned the manga. We're on the cusp of discovering what the Gantz technology is all about now but they're revealing it so god damn slowly.

EyesWideOpen

05-30-2010, 03:53 AM

I've been reading and picking up a bunch of stuff lately.

I bought the first One Piece: East Blue volume which collects the first three One Piece volumes and it was a lot of fun. I also read the first volume of Ooku which was great and today in the mail I got the first 4 volumes of Planetes from a poster on another forum for $15 shipped.

Thirdmango

05-30-2010, 11:46 PM

I bought the first One Piece: East Blue volume which collects the first three One Piece volumes and it was a lot of fun. I also read the first volume of Ooku which was great and today in the mail I got the first 4 volumes of Planetes from a poster on another forum for $15 shipped.

Yay! I support One Piece love.

lovejuice

07-15-2010, 02:48 AM

Um. Qrazy, I pick up an issue of Kenichi, the Mightiest Discipline, and I don't really get it. Is it supposed to be a tongue-in-cheek comedy or a more serious/realistic martial art comic? Or is the ambiguity part of its charm? You once express some fondness for it, correct?

lovejuice

08-04-2010, 04:07 AM

as a fan of these old series, i find this (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-04-12/clash-of-the-titans-posters-by-saint-seiya-kurumada-posted#gallery_top) really awesome.

number8

08-04-2010, 01:05 PM

What the hell did they call Saint Seiya when they imported it to the US? Horoscope Warriors or some shit?

D_Davis

08-04-2010, 10:38 PM

What the hell did they call Saint Seiya when they imported it to the US? Horoscope Warriors or some shit?

I think it was just Saint Seiya.

number8

08-04-2010, 10:51 PM

I think it was just Saint Seiya.

Knights of the Zodiac. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0161952/)

D_Davis

08-04-2010, 11:04 PM

Knights of the Zodiac. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0161952/)

Ah, that's right. For some reason I totally forgot about that name change.

EyesWideOpen

09-06-2010, 05:10 AM

Just read Bakuman Vol. 1 (new series by the creators of Death Note) and I'm hooked. I felt the same way after this volume as I did with the first volume of Pluto and 20th Century Boys, I can't wait to get more of this universe.

I finally got the final volume of Planetes so I'm gonna start reading that series soon.

I'm 8 volumes away from having all of Naoki Urasawa's Monster and I'm dying to read it but I want to wait until I have them all.

EyesWideOpen

09-07-2010, 10:44 PM

If anyone is interested in the first volume of Planetes (I got an extra copy thrown in when I won an auction for the 4 1/2 volume). I'll send it out for free to a good home.

Thirdmango

09-09-2010, 09:09 PM

If this really is leading up to the end of Bleach, I will be so happy. If not then bleh.

EyesWideOpen

09-19-2010, 04:04 AM

http://images.comiccollectorlive.com/covers/36e/36eddf01-fbe6-4acc-a5d5-927892100bde.jpg

Just finished the first volume and really enjoyed it. The core story is about a used manga store and it's owners and customers but each individual chapter (which there are 6 or so in each volume) revolve around an actual classic manga/comic series and how it relates to the customers and owners in the story. And at the end they have an actual real manga store owner/historian in Japan give you a summary of the manga from each chapter and it's historical significance.

EyesWideOpen

09-21-2010, 07:53 PM

Used my mycomicshop.com credit today to order:

A Drifting Life
All My Darling Daughters
Detroit Metal City Vol. 6
Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Vol. 1
Naoki Urasawa's Monster Vol. 10, 11, 16
MW (Osamu Tezuka)
Ode to Kirihito (Osamu Tezuka) Vol. 1-2
One Piece: East Blue Vol. 10-11-12
Parasyte Vol. 2
Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms HC
Twin Spica Vol. 1

Thirdmango

04-19-2011, 04:02 PM

I read the first issue of silver spoon, the new manga from Hiromu Arakawa the lady that did Full Metal Alchemist. It's about a kid who goes to a farming school because he wants to be the top of his class but then finds out that OH NO everything he must learn is about farming which he knows nothing about. It was incredibly dull, had way too many OH NO I'M SHOCKED moments. Also every characters is reused art from FMA. Even Armstrong shows up as a teacher. He's not called Armstrong but he looks exactly the same even with the sparkle.

number8

02-12-2012, 06:16 PM

I was reading Shintaro Kago's "Suck It" when I realized that I should really be doing something better with my Sunday afternoon.

number8

12-31-2012, 05:00 PM

I just started Naoki Urasawa's Billy Bat and I'm loving it already.

number8

05-07-2015, 02:41 PM

Man, the lightsaber duels in the Star Wars manga adaptation by Hisao Tamaki look awesome.

http://i.imgur.com/mh2Iqpg.png (http://i.imgur.com/mh2Iqpg.png)http://i.imgur.com/czyZpVM.jpg (http://i.imgur.com/czyZpVM.jpg)http://i.imgur.com/sAdHTh8.png (http://i.imgur.com/sAdHTh8.png)

http://i.imgur.com/S7UDosv.png (http://i.imgur.com/S7UDosv.png)http://i.imgur.com/VDcWksI.png (http://i.imgur.com/VDcWksI.png)http://i.imgur.com/PkKPt49.png (http://i.imgur.com/PkKPt49.png)http://i.imgur.com/QHmMKIv.png (http://i.imgur.com/QHmMKIv.png)http://i.imgur.com/jNAroaR.png (http://i.imgur.com/jNAroaR.png)