WELCOME Nettaversers to my newest series~ dedicated to bringing you the best in manga (IMO) entertainment. :D Y'all get an anime every week and now you'll get anywhere from 3-5 manga (or manwha which is the Korean name) a month. Instead of doing this series weekly, I've decided to do it at least monthly with the possibility of bonus entries throughout the month. The main entry will feature at least one manga for girls, one for boys and a third for both. Sometimes there will be 5- one for young girls, one for 20+ gals, one for young boys, one for 21+ guys and one for all. For this month, I'm going to feature some of my all time favorite series~ LET'S GOOOO!
Wellllllllllllllllllllll, This would not be a list of my favorites without featuring the manga that got me into the *cough*
smut *cough* Josei subsection of manga which is primarily aimed at older readers who want more than sparkly typical romance found in girls manga. I was debating between featuring this one or
Midnight Secretary since I read them both around the same time (as well as
Love Bird but that one wasn't all that great- you can check out a video review I made about the first 16 chapters
here). buuuuuuuuuuut this one wins simply because it was the first and still holds a remembered place in my heart. Unfortunately this series was never released with an official English translation so the only way to read it is online. Oh, and I also made a video about the series back when I was part of Itadakimasu Studios. Check it out
here!
Desire Climax // 欲情©MAX (Yokujo©MAX)
# of Chapters: 48
Status: complete as of 2006
Genres: Drama, Romance, Shojo, Smut, Josei
Synopsis:
The Omori are a poor family.Mio Omori's father died when she was
young, and her mother has been hospitalized for some time with an
unspecified illness. She lives alone with her little brother Hinata,
doing a number of part-time jobs to get by. One night, when going home
after work, she encounters upon a violent young man who throws money at
her, saying he'll 'buy her', after stealing her first kiss.
The next day her mother tells Mio that their landlord, who happens to
be among her father's closest friends, has offered her a job as a maid
at their mansion. Eager to help the family, he feels that it will be
safer at night that way, and her mother agrees to this despite her
daughter's opposition. To her horror, Mio finds out that the violent man
who stole her kiss is none other than Shoei Jinnai, the son of their
landlord and the most popular and high-achieving student at her high
school; so much so that he is widely known as 'Prince Jinnai'
In his own strange way, the Prince starts to treat her as his
girlfriend, going so far as to tell Mio he loves her. When they finally
start dating, Mio's brother Hinata becomes extremely jealous and tries
to interfere with their relationship. When Mio catches them kissing, she
runs home, but the next morning their house is demolished on the
Prince's order.
While this one is primarily written for the dudes, I really enjoyed the drama aspect of it. While most Seinen manga are meant to be a little more pervy, this one didn't really give off that vibe. Seinen manga is actually aimed at older business men who in a way get part of their sexual needs meet by reading comics... at least that's what a lot of websites have said. I can't really vouch for that since the only Seinen I've read is this and a few other series such as
Sun Ken Rock (i really wanted to feature that series as well but I can't feature two for the older guys!
Sadface.jpg).
Bitter Virgin // ビターバージン
# of Chapters: 32
Status: complete as of 2008
Genres: Drama, Romance, School, Seinen
Synopsis:
As a junior high school student, Hinako was sexually abused by her
stepfather and became pregnant. Her mother learned of the pregnancy when
Hinako miscarried, but did nothing. As a result, the abuse continued,
and Hinako soon became pregnant again. She was told that the pregnancy
may make her incapable of bearing children again, but since the doctors
felt an abortion at that point would be dangerous, she carried the baby
to term and her mother had it put up for adoption immediately after
birth without Hinako ever seeing the child.
Hinako ends by saying that although she never wanted the child and
was relieved to have it adopted, and had never seen him, she wonders
whether it would be all right if she at least celebrated his birthday,
which is today. As she breaks down in tears, a stunned Daisuke,
desperate for a proper answer, assures her that she has the support of
God. This manages to calm Hinako down, and she thanks him and leaves.
At first, Daisuke cannot believe Hinako's story. However, the next
day a baby carriage's brakes slip, and it begins to roll down on its
own. While Daisuke instinctively jumps to protect Hinako and manages to
stop the carriage, both of them are knocked to the ground. In the
process, Hinako's skirt gets hitched up, revealing a scar on her stomach
which Daisuke recognizes as a Caesarean-section scar, similar to one he
saw on his mother's stomach as a child.
With Hinako's story proven true, Daisuke realizes that her ordeal was
the cause of her aversion to men. Unable to get her out of his mind and
worried for her well-being, he resolves to keep her secret safe and to
help her in any way he can, and soon finds himself falling in love with
her.
#1 recommendation for the month!
I KNOW I already featured two manga for older audiences.... but this one is the only manga that even made straight up a waterfall of tears fall from my eyes. A lot of anime fans (well the ones in my age group) tend to recommend the anime version of this but they haven't read the manga which is far superior. Normally reading something, even if I feel sad, won't make me cry but I can't read this series without a few tears forming no matter how many times I read it. Everyone I've asked has said the same thing. While this manga does have a very slow, gorey start- don't let that off set you from reading it. Out of all the manga I'm featuring here this one is my number one recommendation for the month. Hands down the best manga I've ever read overall (it does take reading the whole series to get the full feel because it does start out seeming like it's just going to be fanservicy and gore filled without any real pay out).
Elfen Lied // エルフェンリート
# of Chapters:107
Status: complete as of 2005
Genres: Action, Drama, Romance, Supernatural, Seinen
Synopsis:
Elfen Lied takes place in Kamakura, Japan, focusing on a new strain of the human race, Diclonius,
similar to human beings with invisible arms called vectors but
different at the genetic level and notable due to physical
abnormalities, particularly a pair of short horn-like protrusions. One
such Diclonius, Lucy,
is the main character of the series: Initially held in a facility built
for experimentation, located off the coast of Kamakura, she manages to
escape and wreak havoc, but is injured in the process, an event which
causes her to develop a secondary, childlike personality known as Nyu.
Lucy is found by two locals, Kohta, who studies at the local university, and his cousin Yuka. They take her in, and become involved with the numerous, often brutal, attempts to recapture her by a Special Assault Team and a number of other Diclonius, who shift frequently from oblivious to murderous.
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Bartender follows the nightlife of Ryū Sasakura, a bartending prodigy who is said to mix the best cocktails anyone has ever tasted. Sasakura bides his time in a bar named Eden Hall, hidden in a nook of the Ginza district in downtown Tokyo. It is said that normal people cannot simply find and enter Eden Hall, but they must be invited in by the host. Over the course of the anime, various figures of high and low stature, all of whom share unusual troubles and heavy burdens, are "invited" into Eden Hall and are treated to Sasakura's fine drinks, which, with guidance from the young bartender, lead the customers to reflect upon their lives and decide on a course of action to tackle their problems.
