^^ Looks very intruiging I just finished OPM #17 and whilst I enjoyed it, for a title named One Punch Man I wish he was in his own books a bit more. Saitama AKA Caped Baldy/ Bald Cape is just not in it enough for my liking. One of the main reasons I enjoyed the Manga initially was the humour generated by Saitama's casual outlook on being a hero. Without him in the story enough, the quirkyness is disappearing and with it the originality and unusual tone that drew me to it. It's in danger of becoming like every other generic fighting based Shonen story, which is a shame.
Being on volume 8 myself I can see this starting to happen. This volume had a lot of focus on the surrounding characters with very small sections involving Saitama (if I recall correctly he was only really in the bonus chapters). What's most important to me is that it retains its unique humor. As of where I'm at I have hope for this as I enjoyed the focus on King. Nothing would disappoint me more if it became a generic battle manga. Also, the cover art for volume 17 is fantastic.
You're safe for a while yet but by 17 i'm really starting to notice his absence. They just keep adding more and more heroes and monsters, and the story is focusing on them. Genos and Saitama only make occasional special appearances at this point . . .
New Berserk chapter is FINALLY out after another painful hiatus. Perhaps the most painful hiatus that I've experienced in my 10+ years of reading the series. I'm glad though. Even if the story never finishes, this offers some small consolation. A moment of respite amidst the uncertainty of the story's future as a whole, borderline approaching upon closure.
Was going to post about Berserk's new chapter as well! I've been waiting on Vagabond to continue/end , but after 4 years, I doubt it'll every be completed. Read somewhere that the author has retired.
Damn that’s a shame. May I suggest the Musashi Miyamoto film trilogy to ease the pain? I remember the manga basically mirrored the first film for the majority of its first arc.
I bought and read this one on the weekend from Titan Books (Vol.1 of 2). I enjoyed it quite a bit, its hardly the most original story for a crime manga and it was quite hard to follow in places, but overall the unusual artwork style and dark imagery was a lot of fun. I will be buying the second volume for sure. The author is apparently a famous sculptor that has turned his hand to Manga. The blurb: A loving manga homage to film noir and Japanese gangster cinema, from famed Japanese artist Eldo Yoshimizu and Hard Case Crime! The bloody and beautiful saga of a Yakuza princess! Ryuko is a hard-hitting, motorcycle-riding member of the Japanese mafia – but after a criminal operation in the Middle-East turns explosive, she must return home to face Chinese gangsters, unknown terrorists, and her own personal demons... Part one of a two-part criminal saga, packed with international intrigue, complex morality, and blistering action!
Just nipped into a local charity shop, and what do i spy? - one of the workers pricing up a big box of manga books. Mostly Shojo stuff but i did manage to grab a nice little pile of six books for £11. All in mint condition! Parasyte (Kodansha) Vols. 2 / 3 / 4 (I already have Vol. 1) Devilman Grimoire (Seven Seas) Vols. 1 / 2 Jaco The Galactic Patrolman (Viz) Vol. 1 I will have to go back up later and see if i missed anything. I fucking love charity shops.
Happened upon this at my local Book Off. Can't thank you enough for the recommendation, so fat it's fantastic! I'm loving the art style.
Yeah, thats what grabbed me when i was browsing the shelves. Its a dirty and dark style that seems very fitting for that kind of crime story. It kinda reminds me of Biomega (but that is science fiction, obviously)
So this looks pretty fun! Shipping in my direction is £12, enough to scare me off, but you UK enthusiasts should be all set
In the spirit of Halloween I've been trying to read mainly horror manga this month. So far I've read Hell Baby and Lullabies From Hell, both by Hideshi Hino. I saw his work recommended earlier on in the thread and I'm so glad I gave it a try. I'd have to say Hell Baby is already one of my favorites of the genre and I highly recommend anyone who hasn't read it to give it a try.
Yes, they are classic Hino Horror. I would also say two other books of his considered 'classic' are The Red Snake and Panorama of Hell. I would say The Red Snake is probably my favourite of all his books. Check 'em out if you get a chance
Ed PIskor of Cartoonist Kayfabe recently spent a few weeks in Japan.. since then they have been posting a few manga related videos. Here's a couple of the better ones..
Awesome videos, thanks for sharing! Definitely sold on Kaze Shinobu. His art and page layout looks like a blast.
Love me some Hino. Embarrassed to say I haven’t tried Red Snake however. Caught some Hino prints at a recent horror manga exhibition in Sydney. Apologies for the shitty phone photos:
I'm getting hung up on an Manga VS American comics debate in my head and whilst there is no right or wrong answer I was wondering if anyone could potentially recommend manga series which have satisfying conclusions AND (not essential) are more mature? I find that the issue I face with a majority of both Seinen and Showa series is that they run for too long, are often repetitive in nature and the endings do not satisfy (this applies to some of my favourites as well, there just generally seems to be a penchant for weak endings at large in the medium of manga storytelling). Those who haven't let me down include Otomo, Tezuka, Ishinomori, Miura, Mizuki, Kago, Ito, Umezzu, Maruo, Nagai, Ishikawa and Yudetamago. Outside of these names, most stuff has ended up sucking! I try to avoid Shonen Jump titles like the plague.
Going by your list there, you're probably already aware of my suggestions but I'll give it a shot. Jiro Taniguchi always hits the spot for mature manga, his two book 'A Distant Neighborhood' and series 'The Summit of the Gods' in particular. Also, Children of the Sea by Daisuke Igarashi. Disappearance Diary by Hideo Azuma, Doing Time by Kazuichi Hanawa and Old Boy by Tsuchiya/Minegishi are favourites of mine. I thought Lone Wolf and Cub had one of the best endings too. Also, Sanctuary by Ikegami/Fumimura and Tekkon Kinkreet by Taiyo Matsumoto. I also think Inio Asano's endings have been great from what ive read so far. I'm not sure about their endings, but the available translations by Yoshihiro Tatsumi are all very mature and realistic, especially 'A Drifting Life' which is an autobiographical epic that kinda doubles as a history of Manga/Japan. Everyone should read that one! Maybe also 7 Billion Needles by Nobuaki Tadano, Wolfsmund by Mitsuhisa Kuji and Lady Snowblood by Koike/Kamimura. Also maybe, Biomega by Tsutomu Nihei and Dead End by Shohei Manabe. Oh, and Onward Towards our Noble Deaths by Mizuki is pretty amazing too!
Not at all, I'm unfamiliar with all of this and you have provided me with an excellent reading list, thank you. We should get you onto the first page of Google for this. For those who are considering it or may have forgotten, Dorohedoro is now finished. I remember it being wonderfully equal parts trippy and gory. Hoping it avoids an anticlimax in line with what I said earlier!
^^ Oh, and there's also some compilations of underground / mature manga that are all worth checking out if you can find them. They supply a nice antidote to 'popular' manga by giving you something more mature, or at least different. 'AX Alternative Manga, 'Comics Underground Japan', 'Sake Jock', 'Secret Comics Japan' and 'Japan As viewed by 17 Creators'.
.... And ... Don't forget 'Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms' by Fumiyo Kono. Its another little classic 'mature' manga, with light and charming artwork, but with a sometimes, dark and heavy story.
Halfway through “A Distant Neighborhood” and boy are we off to a good start. You know I’m sure we’ve all kinda imagined what it’d be like to have our current memories travel back to our brain during our high school days... it’s a cool concept to see realised and especially so sincerely and poignantly as well.