Manga to read, maybe. · 9:23am Oct 2nd, 2014
I don't know if any of you read manga, but I do.
As comics and other things have started making their way online, a movement called 'scanlation' has started, where fans scan and translate Japanese comics into English and post them online for other fans to read. It's a kinda-sorta gray area; the translators claim 'fair use', although that probably doesn't actually cover what they're doing... still, some of these comics would never get an official translation anyways. If you're the sort who doesn't mind maybe infringing a little copyright, or are willing to read online now and support officially later since the exposure might benefit the authors anyways, it's interesting to look into.
Either way, here are few of the better manga that I read, and maybe you'll enjoy them too.
Yamada and the Seven Witches A fantasy romantic school-days comedy about a group of people with special abilities centered around kissing.
I like this one because it avoids a lot of the really stupid rom-com tropes; it's not a harem, the main character isn't a wimp, there's no idiotic confusion leading to even more idiotic misunderstandings, and the humor is wonderfully ridiculous. The relationships are more 'real' than most, and the plot is both intriguing and well developed. It has passed what might have been the originally intended end of the series, since there's now much more than seven 'witches', but I don't think the quality has dropped.
Arpeggio of Blue Steel A near future sci-fi where strange and alien robots, shaped like ships and called the Flee of Fog, have driven humanity off the oceans. It centers around the crew of a certain Fog submarine who has defected from the fleet for unknown reasons to side with humanity.
This one has cute girls who are also ships, sweet naval battles with actually good tactics, and some of the best art I've seen. I like the sci-fi, I like the air of mystery, I like that it's a post-apocalypse (sort of) which is NOT a dystopia. I like the art, and I really like the tsundere heavy cruiser. Seriously, Takao is the best. Also, if you're a history buff, you may like the accuracy and research put into this series; it seems each Fog ship is named and modeled after an actual WWII vessel.
Ran and the Ash-Covered World A sort-of urban fantasy, centered around the adventures of the youngest daughter of a family of powerful magicians.
This one is... different. It's got themes of romance, adventure, and slice of life, but also some fairly heavy themes on growing up and maturity. I like that it doesn't veer too far into sweet or dark, and the magic is both satisfying and intriguing. The art is good, and Ran's struggles with trying deal with being powerful but immature are well done. She really doesn't know what she's getting into, but the author manages to toe a fine line between being too harsh or too gentle with her. All in all, a very satisfying read.
Well, I did this on a whim, but I hope a few of you enjoy these recommendations. These all on the list of comics that make me go 'Wooo!' when they update, and I think the latter two, at least, are less well known. I'd do this again, if people like it; there's at least three more comics on my lists that fit those criteria.
I like the sound of every one of these! Definitely putting them on my to-read list. Thanks for recommending!
2929493 Woooo! Hope you have fun!
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Oh! And niiiiice avatar and username. Did you know The Little Prince is getting an animated film adaptation this year?
2929575 Thanks! it makes me feel clever, which is fun, and it gets some nice comments. (like this one!)
I did not! Googling... Seems somewhat adapted... scored by Hans Zimmer? Intriguing! And that animation! Super short teaser, but I'll have to keep an eye out for this. Thanks for the tip!
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Happy to help! And check out the English voice cast--the aviator's Jeff Bridges!