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A List of Lesser Known Manga: Because there's More to Manga than Monster and Berserk

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hteng

Banned
If anyone is into hardcore fantasy + sci fi then i would strongly recommend Five Star Stories

index.jpg


The Five Star Stories is a sweeping science-fiction/fantasy manga that began in the pages of Newtype Magazine in April 1986 and has grown to become a phenomenon with many popular model kits and art books available. Created by Nagano Mamoru, the stories tell of the events that unfold in a time of almost constant warfare among the decaying nations of the Joker Star Cluster. The events portrayed span thousands of years and many epic battles. The cast of characters is so large it can become confusing to new readers but tying all these adventures together is the tale of Amaterasu, the god of light, slowly awakening to his true nature and purpose and his beloved companion Lachesis.

The Five Star Stories encompases an interesting setting that manages to incorporate a large range of elements from both science-fiction and fantasy without sacrificing consistency. On the sci-fi side of the fence we find genetic engineering, cloning, giant robots, space travel, inscrutable aliens and high-tech warfare while the fantasy side brings us knights, dragons, kings, gods, sorcery and sword-play. A melancholy air runs through all these tales as both kings and soldiers reflect on destiny, duty and the consequences of war.

picture is the mortar headd "Knight Of Gold" with the character fatima "Lachesis" leaping through time and space.
 

mollipen

Member
hourou.png


As I wrote about before here on GAF, I'm a huge fan of Hourou Musuko (aka Wandering Son). Any additional chances I have to pimp it I will!

I can't say enough about Nausicaa; it is the manga that made me love manga, and was as defining to me in my fandom of fantasy stories on the same level as Star Wars was when I was a child.

I must also throw my support behind previously-listed titles: Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga, Short Cuts, and Secret Comics Japan. I wish I had my stash of manga here with me to make some recommendations, but off the top of my head from US-released stuff: Mai: The Psychic Girl, Xenon, annnnd... I'm totally drawing a blank. *laughs*

I've almost completely fallen off of watching anime, but I'm still a huge fan of manga. I just really wish the digital manga market would get real, because I'd love to have an iPad filled with my favorite titles. I want to support manga financially, but I just can't stand having a room cluttered with books. (Or anything, for that matter - I'm not anti-books or something.)
 

Jasconius

Member
Awesome post, just wanted to say thanks for including stuff that isn't licensed too. I've been looking for some new stuff to pick up next time I have a chance to hit up Book-Off (curse the fact that the nearest one is 700 miles away) and I'm going to have a long list this time it looks like. You seem to have somewhat similar taste to mine judging by the stuff that you picked that I've read and from the covers, too!

If I get a chance I'll post a few recommendations later~
 

El Sloth

Banned
Flawfuls, you are awesome and I will be an old man with 3 kids by the time I'm done reading all this manga. God damn.

This man needs some kind of awesome tag, preferably one to lead people back to this thread so they can have the awesomeness cripple their tiny minds.
 

RevenantKioku

PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS oh god i am drowning in them
Okay, am I the only one that laughed when Monster was in this list? C'mon.
 
I see Aoi Hana, my job is done.

I'm going to do myself a favor and not look at the specifics of the OP, but I have to thank flawfuls for compiling it.
 

Vox-Pop

Contains Sucralose
Kenak said:
Just ordered that one today :D Along with Sanctuary and FLCL. They had Azumanga Daioh (complete collection) for $2.99, but they were OOS ;_;
where? I paid 17$ for Azumanga.

No love for K-On! :(

:''''(
 

Sonicbug

Member
Most of the OP reads like my manga license wish list. I didn’t know about “Diotima”, but I love the “Adventures of Young Det” which is by the same author.

Awesome thread.
 
I just read through all of Arigatou.


dude....that was a depressing ass ending. The entire story itself was kinda funny but goddam what an ending.

This thread is bookmarked.
 

flawfuls

Member
r - b - x said:
ctrl+f fukumoto

nothing found.
fails.
will still probably be back later.

I've only seen the anime of his stuff. I've been meaning to read his work, but have never got around to it. If you want you can post your favourites and I'll add them.

Vox-Pop said:
where? I paid 17$ for Azumanga.

No love for K-On! :(

:''''(

To be honest the real reason I didn't add K-On was because everybody already knows what it is. Isn't the anime better anyways?
 

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
Flawfuls is the exact opposite of bad taste.

Am now reading Hourou Musoko, although I'll have to go through flawful's list at some point, the art was just too cute for me to resist.
 

Lard

Banned
Junji Ito's stuff - Gyo, Uzumaki, Museum Of Terror - is excellent, if you like horror.

The Suikoden III manga is also a good read.
 

Lafiel

と呼ぶがよい
Another manga that's missing from the OP is yotsuba a thread like this isn't complete without yotsuba! ;_;
 

Pein

Banned
Lafiel said:
Another manga that's missing from the OP is yotsuba a thread like this isn't complete without yotsuba! ;_;
you don't go in to a indie movie thread and ask why no one is talking about ironman 2, same principle applies here. Everyone has heard of yotsuba.


Anyway in a couple years when I get a job I'll be buying and reading a bunch more manga.
 

Lafiel

と呼ぶがよい
Pein said:
you don't go in to a indie movie thread and ask why no one is talking about ironman 2, same principle applies here. Everyone has heard of yotsuba.


Anyway in a couple years when I get a job I'll be buying and reading a bunch more manga.
Maybe true, but there are probably some people who don't know about yotsuba.:lol and i've found 20th century boys / monster. (both posted ITT) have a similar level of popularity as yotsuba.:p
 

Vox-Pop

Contains Sucralose
Lafiel said:
Maybe true, but there are probably some people who don't know about yotsuba.:lol and i've found 20th century boys / monster. (both posted ITT) have a similar level of popularity as yotsuba.:p
This thread is aimed at people who read manga, but don't know what to read outside the common stuff: yen press, viz, shonen, etc.
 
flawfuls said:
It's there I just forgot to add the picture.

I see it now, all is right. one of the craziest horror manga IMO. Recommended it to a friend and it took months to read the first 2 volumes and they couldn't bother with the last


Would it be ok to add this?

Although it did get an anime i hardly hear anyone talking about the manga


Detroit Metal City (Licensed)

logo.jpg


From wiki
Soichi Negishi is a shy and gentle young guitar player / singer who dreams of a career as a pop musician. Dreams don't pay the bills, so he's ended up as the lead singer and lead guitarist of a death metal band called “Detroit Metal City.” In stage costume he is Johannes Krauser II, rumored to be a terrorist demon from hell, to have killed and raped his parents. Another song's subtitles suggest that his fans should murder everyone, in a comic parody of the genre (if all his fans killed each other, he'd have no show). Negishi despises DMC and all that it stands for, but so help him, he's a terrific performer and can't walk away from that. As DMC's star rises Negishi tries to satisfy both worlds, but can'
 

robox

Member
nobuyuki fukumoto is a an author who's works are centered around gambling and the psychology and logic behind it. he also has a very distinctive art style. here's a quick summary of some of his currently available works.

Kaiji
kaiji.jpg

kaiji is a down and out bum who is offered a chance to erase his debts and turn his life around. little did he know that trials he is about to take would be life or death gambles, for the amusement a mysterious benefactor.

Akagi
Akagi.jpg

akagi is a genius who isn't truly engaged and whose full capacity isn't unleashed unless he's involved in life or death gambling. he ends up in the world of underworld mahjong games between gangs so it's very mahjong heavy.

Ten - Tenna Toori no Kaidanji
cover.jpg

ten is a reformed underworld mahjong player who now plays to protect his friends. story starts when he gets called in by a mahjong parlour to take care of a young hotshot who's been taking everybody's money. very mahjong heavy. akagi is sorta the prequel to this.

Gambling Emperor Zero
2088.jpg

Zero is recruited to participate in a competition to select the best candidate to represent a wealthy and mysterious benefactor. the selection process involves a series of trials... that can lead to death.
very similar to kaiji, but whereas as kaiji is the desperate loser, zero is a the gifted genius. still doesn't mean it's smooth sailing though.

Buraiden Gai
29835200.jpg

The story revolves around Kudo Gai, a mischievous 13 year old all alone in the world. He despises his classmates who live by their free will, although supported by parents, but taking it for granted. Gai soon finds out he is contradicting himself for he is being raised at an orphanage as well,and makes an attempt for independence. His actions lands him in trouble, where he is framed for murder and sent to a place in an unknown location called the 'human institute'.

Seizon - Life
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Takeda is diagnosed with cancer and feels that he has nothing to live for. His wife also had had cancer, had died of it in fact, and his only daughter has been missing for fourteen years.

One day, when he is about to attempt suicide, the phone rings. It’s the police, and they inform him that the dead body of his long lost daughter has been found, that it appears to have been a homicide. Takeda is crushed but resolves then and there to spend the remaining days of his life hunting down his daughter’s killer.

The time left for Takeda to live equals the time left to put the murderer behind bars. Life is a heart-wrenching story about a father’s willpower and his search for the truth.
 

speedpop

Has problems recognising girls
Also if you ever latch onto a certain mangaka you enjoy, track down their one-shots if possible. Often they are greater than the sagas they create.
 

grandjedi6

Master of the Google Search
Lafiel said:
Maybe true, but there are probably some people who don't know about yotsuba.:lol and i've found 20th century boys / monster. (both posted ITT) have a similar level of popularity as yotsuba.:p
iirc, Yotsuba was GAF's 3rd favorite manga when we did that best manga vote a few years back. So I think its safe to say that its well known here at least ;)
 

robox

Member
Infinite Justice said:
This one seems very interesting, need to check this out.

seizon - life is highly recommended. probably has the widest appeal out of the ones i've listed.
do i dare compare it to works by the urasawa? similar in structure and having the twists.. but it ends in only 3 volumes.
 

rykomatsu

Member
can't believe there's no mention of Amano Kozue's "Amanchu!"

World Embryo is also quite good if you enjoyed Chrono Crusade, imho.
 

Aegus

Member
hteng said:
If anyone is into hardcore fantasy + sci fi then i would strongly recommend Five Star Stories




picture is the mortar headd "Knight Of Gold" with the character fatima "Lachesis" leaping through time and space.

Five Star Stories is nearly impossible to find nowadays. Awesome story though.
 

shintoki

sparkle this bitch
Hato-kun said:
You're fucking awesome.

Good thread, need to start reading more. Only really read Elfin Lied, Azumanga, Lucky Star and K-ON.
You both are terrible.

Bookmarked the thread so I'll go through the stuff I haven't...which is about 2/3s :lol

Also, there isn't more than Berserk till Idolmaster comes out ='[
 
r - b - x said:
seizon - life is highly recommended. probably has the widest appeal out of the ones i've listed.
do i dare compare it to works by the urasawa? similar in structure and having the twists.. but it ends in only 3 volumes.

Just read it all and it was really good.

Loved the final play
proving she was alive on the 18th by quoting stock prices
:D
 

Pandaman

Everything is moe to me
ctrl+f "franken fran"

:(

22yxkx.jpg

FrankenFran
comedy/horror
contains gore/nudity.

The series follows a Frankenstein girl who is a genius in medical science, created and raised by the greatest scientist the world has ever known and taught to value life above all else. She will help anyone she can and preform any operation that might help fund her research; with results that often reflect upon her own monstrous nature. She is often joined by her 'sister', another Frankenstein girl created as a weapon, taught to respect the quality of a lives she takes. Hijinks ensue.
 
I don't know if they're well known or not, but I never see much love for these awesome ones:

Gunsmith Cats (+Burst)
My Heavenly Hockey Club
Your & My Secret
Midori Days
Princess Princess

All worth a look :)
 

Keikaku

Member
Congratulations, I've wasted much time today reading Usagi Drop. You bastard :lol

Great OP and a lot of good recommendations in here. Thanks a lot everyone!
 

Kamaki

Member
Didn't see so I thought I'd contribute; I've enjoyed what I've read so far.


The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service by Eiji Otsuka (story) and Housui Yamazaki (art); Licensed
121beqs.jpg

Five young students at a Buddhist university find there's little call for their job skills in today's Tokyo... among the living that is! But their studies give them a direct line to the dead. The dead who are still trapped in their corpses, and can't move on to their next reincarnation. Wether you died from suicide, murder, sickness or madness, they will carry your body anywhere it needs to go to free your soul!
 
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