Manga Recommendations Thread

Post about anime's sister, manga in here. Manga reviews accepted in here as well.

Postby mysngoeshere56 » Sat Apr 24, 2010 8:04 pm

I've read and own all three volumes of .hack//Legend of the Twilight... It's pretty good, depending on what you're into. I liked the concept and everything, also. It's probably not something I'd put in my top ten if I read more manga, but I definitely don't regret reading it.

Here's a review here if you want to see it: http://www.christiananime.net/manga_reviews.php?display=188

I generally agree with it. Language was about as bad as described in the review (though there may have been an a bit more, not sure... I do remember a couple times when they said the Lord's name in vain). Same with the violence, sexual content, etc. I'd give it more of a 7 or an 8/10 overall, but other than that, I pretty much agree with the review.
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Postby AnimeGirl » Sat Apr 24, 2010 8:12 pm

^ Thanks alot you guys! ^.^

And yes, when it comes to manga, you have to take a leap of faith sometimes. Like with Amazing Agent Luna, I just purchased it with no knowledge of the title, and loved it.
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Postby mysngoeshere56 » Sat Apr 24, 2010 11:07 pm

No problem. ^_^

Anyway, I'm looking for some stuff to expand my manga realm a bit too... I'm pretty picky, but when I find something I like, I really like it.

Here's the kind of stuff I'm looking for: something slightly dark, melancholy, maybe a little gothic, but I also want something with some lightheartedness and romance too (NOTE: different manga with with just one aspect or another are wonderful (though if just one or the other, I lean toward the first). manga with both is perfect.)

Here's just a tad bit of what I've read with aspects of what I'm looking for, to give you a glimpse of what I'm looking for...

Angelic Layer - It's not my favorite of all time, but I always thought it was cute. I wasn't exactly finding the concept something exceptional, but the romance and family values in it made it a winner for me. I liked the anime quite a bit, but I just can't get into the manga for some reason. I think it's because the artwork isn't as good. I've read/watched a lot of CLAMP stuff, so I know the artwork isn't nearly as good as it could've been.

Cardcaptor Sakura - I've only read a bit of the manga, but I do like the little bit I read. I watched and enjoyed the entire anime, if that counts for anything.

D.N.Angel - My favorite manga. One of the two that also got me into manga.

Full Moon wo Sagashite - I haven't read much, but what I've read so far has been great.

Fullmetal Alchemist - I haven't read much of the manga, but I like the anime quite a bit. I plan on catching up on the manga once I have the time.

Fruits Basket - Could do without some language in the Tokyopop version, but that aside, it's my favorite shojo series of all time.

Goth - Excellent idea for a story, but all the gruesome moments made it a tad too much for me. I'm perfectly fine with violence, but this crossed my limits a bit. I probably would've been able to take it in a novel (or longer, with the SUPER gruesome moments pushed so they're few and far between), but since this is manga, I felt it was too much. And the fact that the potential romance between the two main characters wasn't focused on much was another drawback for me (not that I expected it to be all "lovey dovey", but it would've been nice if it was touched on a bit more). Wouldn't have finished if it was over 1 volume.

Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch - Overall, a horrid manga by my standards. But still, it had sweet moments that were worth noting... I liked some of the nice moments between the mermaids and their lovers, but other than that, I couldn't stand reading it... I only finished it because I'm typically too curious to find out how it all turns out.

Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE - My other favorite, and the other one that got me into manga.

Rurouni Kenshin - Another good one. Definitely an exciting shonen story!

Vampire Knight - One of the best I've read of all time, and a nice blend between melancholy and romance.

I can take most language, but what I dislike most is the use of the Lord's name in vain. Sexual content and nudity I can tolerate, depending on the degree and frequency. If there is any objectionable religious content, just let me know and I can see if it's forgivable or not by my standards.
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Postby Atria35 » Sun Apr 25, 2010 6:49 am

*Phew* Okay, mysn, I think I may have one or two titles that could work for you!

One of my most favorite titles of all time is Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan. Yeah, it's unlicensed. This is a bit of a dark romance- girl fals in love with a guy on death row. It has both touches of lightheartedness and darkness. I haven't had the heart to pick it up in a month or so, but I think there was only one or two swears in the whole thing, if any. In fact, I don't remember any swearing at all, but I feel that since it's been a while, I should say one or two just in case.[spoiler] There's implied rape (you don't see it happen, just the beginning of the attack and the girl after, covered but clearly abused). You see a dead body and implied death (though none of it's graphic- just some blood and a hand or feet, and there's a bit of a twist about it all). And the girl's aunt is a nun, but shown as an imperfect human, as she didn't have the courage to report the attack. [/spoiler]

Gakuen Alice might also fit- there's a thread in the manga section about it. It is also very lighthearted, but definitely has its moments where it's fairly depressing.

Then there's Someday's Dreamers. This has no nudity, no language, no sexual situations. Both uplifting and melancholy. [spoiler]This does happen in an alternate world where magic is considered somewhat commonplace, and the girl is trying to become a mage through training. So she's learning how to grant wishes to those who make requests through the agency she's training through. There's also the suicide of an older person who made a wish request (complicated setting- the mage-in-training doesn't help her in any way, and is much grieved when it happens). And you see a dying girl from an accident- no graphic gore, just blood.[/spoiler]

+Anima might also be a good pick. There's a review for it up on here- http://www.christiananime.net/manga_reviews.php?display=271. I haven't read that much of it myself, but it's really good.

Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms, is another good one, as well as Shinigami no Ballad. There's also reviews for those.

....And those are all I can think of, at the moment. I hope this helps!
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Postby Mr. Hat'n'Clogs » Sun Apr 25, 2010 7:50 am

mysngoeshere56 (post: 1390093) wrote:No problem. ^_^

Anyway, I'm looking for some stuff to expand my manga realm a bit too... I'm pretty picky, but when I find something I like, I really like it.

Here's the kind of stuff I'm looking for: something slightly dark, melancholy, maybe a little gothic, but I also want something with some lightheartedness and romance too (NOTE: different manga with with just one aspect or another are wonderful (though if just one or the other, I lean toward the first). manga with both is perfect.)

Here's just a tad bit of what I've read with aspects of what I'm looking for, to give you a glimpse of what I'm looking for...

Angelic Layer - It's not my favorite of all time, but I always thought it was cute. I wasn't exactly finding the concept something exceptional, but the romance and family values in it made it a winner for me. I liked the anime quite a bit, but I just can't get into the manga for some reason. I think it's because the artwork isn't as good. I've read/watched a lot of CLAMP stuff, so I know the artwork isn't nearly as good as it could've been.

Cardcaptor Sakura - I've only read a bit of the manga, but I do like the little bit I read. I watched and enjoyed the entire anime, if that counts for anything.

D.N.Angel - My favorite manga. One of the two that also got me into manga.

Full Moon wo Sagashite - I haven't read much, but what I've read so far has been great.

Fullmetal Alchemist - I haven't read much of the manga, but I like the anime quite a bit. I plan on catching up on the manga once I have the time.

Fruits Basket - Could do without some language in the Tokyopop version, but that aside, it's my favorite shojo series of all time.

Goth - Excellent idea for a story, but all the gruesome moments made it a tad too much for me. I'm perfectly fine with violence, but this crossed my limits a bit. I probably would've been able to take it in a novel (or longer, with the SUPER gruesome moments pushed so they're few and far between), but since this is manga, I felt it was too much. And the fact that the potential romance between the two main characters wasn't focused on much was another drawback for me (not that I expected it to be all "lovey dovey", but it would've been nice if it was touched on a bit more). Wouldn't have finished if it was over 1 volume.

Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch - Overall, a horrid manga by my standards. But still, it had sweet moments that were worth noting... I liked some of the nice moments between the mermaids and their lovers, but other than that, I couldn't stand reading it... I only finished it because I'm typically too curious to find out how it all turns out.

Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE - My other favorite, and the other one that got me into manga.

Rurouni Kenshin - Another good one. Definitely an exciting shonen story!

Vampire Knight - One of the best I've read of all time, and a nice blend between melancholy and romance.

I can take most language, but what I dislike most is the use of the Lord's name in vain. Sexual content and nudity I can tolerate, depending on the degree and frequency. If there is any objectionable religious content, just let me know and I can see if it's forgivable or not by my standards.


Finishing FMA is something you definitely should do. It's by far my favorite manga.

I mentioned this before, but you might enjoy Soul Eater. The first six or so chapters have a lot of fanservice, but after that it mostly goes away. Fanservice aside, it's pretty awesome, and since you said you like shonen, it's kind of like Bleach, only much better.

xxxHolic is by CLAMP, whom you seem to like, and seems like something that fits your criteria. I can't tell you about content, because I've only read the first volume.
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Postby Wyntre Rose » Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:17 am

Mr. Hat'n'Clogs (post: 1390115) wrote: xxxHolic is by CLAMP, whom you seem to like, and seems like something that fits your criteria. I can't tell you about content, because I've only read the first volume.


I would second this recommendation wholeheartedly to you. There's no nudity, sex, etc...though Yuuko's clothing tends to be immodest, and she has no concept of other people having or needing personal space. Nothing obscene, though. Swearing is pretty minimal. The usual d*mn and h*ll is about as far as I can remember it going. Violence is rare, and more implied than anything. Not gory whatsoever. Religious content - well, the whole premise is about a young man who can see and attract spirits, so those show up in abundance. There's a fortune teller, and one story deals with a ouija board - though it's not presented as a positive thing at all. A main character later on is revealed to be a medium - and an exorcist - though she comes to a lot of grief because of it, just like the main character does. The medium's mother abuses her, and though it's not graphic, it is shocking. So far, that's all I can think of. It isn't finished yet, but if you liked Tsubasa, you'll find a lot of things are explained more fully in xxxHolic.

The storyline is rather melancholy - this takes place in the same universe as Tsubasa, after all, and Tsubasa got pretty dark after a while. xxxHolic is no different. Having said that, there's some moments of absolute hilarity - the interactions between the main character - Watanuki - and Yuuko, as well as Watanuki and Doumeki are priceless. And romance isn't the focus, but Watanuki has a very sweet friend that he's head over heels for, and his feelings for her drive several of the story lines. Oh, and don't let the fangirls fool you. This isn't a yaoi/shounen ai series.
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Postby AnimeGirl » Sun Apr 25, 2010 3:46 pm

Wyntre Rose (post: 1390117) wrote:Oh, and don't let the fangirls fool you. This isn't a yaoi/shounen ai series.


Yes, she is right. Not at all yaoi, nothing even hinting such. The fangirls are just....crazy. Why do so many people match Watanuki and Doumeki in their fanfictions? HOW MANY TIMES HAS HE SAID HE HATED HIM??! HOW MANY!!! XD!!
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Postby Lynna » Sun May 02, 2010 3:00 pm

I would like a manga recommendations!
these are the mangas I have read/am reading:
ARIA/Aqua
Gakuen Alice
Kimi ni todoke
Strobe Edge
Fruits Basket
Full Moon wo Sagashite
Naruto
Skip Beat!
Shugo chara!
Mint na Bokura
Marmalade boy
Inuyasha
Hoshi wa Utau
Gentleman's Alliance Cross
Chobits
Dance!Subaru
Oh wow...I didn't realize just how much I've read untill I wrote that all down...and even then, I could be missing a few. 0.0

As you can see, I read mostly shojo, but theres a few exceptions. what I would like is a manga with good characters and a deep and interesting plot...although it doesn't necisarily have to be that.
Thank you!!
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Postby Mr. Hat'n'Clogs » Sun May 02, 2010 3:12 pm

FMAFMAFMAFMAFMA. I can not reinforce this enough.

Ouran High School Host Club is pretty awesome, and lasts longer than the anime.

Tegami Bachi. It's shonen, but kind of shojoy at the same time since it isn't as much about the action as it is about drama. Great manga.

Millenium Snow is an okay shojo vampire manga, by the same mangaka as Ouran.

D.N. Angel is shonen and shojo at the same time, and is pretty fun, if not particularly deep or anything.

If I knew how you feel about content, I might be able to recommend more, I just didn't want you to keep things at a 13 or younger level and recommend Blade of the Immortal.

So now it's my turn. With the completion of Solanin, I've needed a new manga to read. Similar criteria, preferably not the length of JoJo's or One Piece, Blade of the Immortal is about the level of content I mind. If it's worse the BotI, I probably would mind, but I'm fine with BotI, so it'll probably be fine for whatever you recommend, as long as it isn't Berserk.

Manga I've Liked:
If you couldn't tell, I kind of like that one FMA thing.
Yotsuba&!
Solanin
Azumanga Daioh
Blade of the Immortal
Tegami Bachi:Letter Bee
Ouran High School Host Club
Soul Eater

On a final note, I do plan on reading 20th Century Boys once I have monies for buying it.
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Postby Atria35 » Sun May 02, 2010 4:17 pm

Lynna (post: 1391688) wrote:I would like a manga recommendations!
As you can see, I read mostly shojo, but theres a few exceptions. what I would like is a manga with good characters and a deep and interesting plot...although it doesn't necisarily have to be that.
Thank you!!

Okay, seconding Ouran,Tegami Bachi, and FMA. Adding To The Terra, Baby and Me, Liar Game, Hikaru no Go, Natsume Yuujinchou, and +Anima.

Mr. Hat'n'Clogs (post: 1391691) wrote:So now it's my turn. With the completion of Solanin, I've needed a new manga to read. Similar criteria, preferably not the length of JoJo's or One Piece, Blade of the Immortal is about the level of content I mind. If it's worse the BotI, I probably would mind, but I'm fine with BotI, so it'll probably be fine for whatever you recommend, as long as it isn't Berserk.

Manga I've Liked:
If you couldn't tell, I kind of like that one FMA thing.
Yotsuba&!
Solanin
Azumanga Daioh
Blade of the Immortal
Tegami Bachi:Letter Bee
Ouran High School Host Club
Soul Eater

On a final note, I do plan on reading 20th Century Boys once I have monies for buying it.


Wow. All over the place :sweat:
If you like Yotsuba&, you might also like Bunny Drop.
Solanin brings to mind Seizon -Life-, Adventure Boys, and A Distant Neighborhood (aka Harukana Machi-E).
Azu Dai and Ouran? Perhaps Bamboo Blade would also be your speed.
I'm also not familiar with Blade of the Immortal's content, so I'm going to leave it at that.
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Postby TheSubtleDoctor » Sun May 02, 2010 4:23 pm

Mr. Hat'n'Clogs (post: 1391691) wrote:I've needed a new manga to read.
You would dig Battle Angel Alita. I haven't kept up with it in a while, but it's universally regarded as a classic. I remember the first 3 volumes being outstanding (plus if you read this, Falx will be your friend forever). It's dark cyberpunk w/ depth and a bit o' the old violence. Now that I am thinking about it, I'll probably go and read my copies... =)
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Postby Mr. Hat'n'Clogs » Sun May 02, 2010 4:38 pm

Atria35 (post: 1391709) wrote:Wow. All over the place :sweat:
If you like Yotsuba&, you might also like Bunny Drop.
Solanin brings to mind Seizon -Life-, Adventure Boys, and A Distant Neighborhood (aka Harukana Machi-E).
Azu Dai and Ouran? Perhaps Bamboo Blade would also be your speed.
I'm also not familiar with Blade of the Immortal's content, so I'm going to leave it at that.

Bunny Drop looks interesting, I can't tell if I like or dislike the art style though. The other three look cool, but I think I'll pass for now on those. I'll keep them in the back of my mind. The Bamboo Blade anime is pretty fun so far, so I'm guessing the manga is of similar caliber then, so I'll have to try it too.
TheSubtleDoctor (post: 1391713) wrote:You would dig Battle Angel Alita. I haven't kept up with it in a while, but it's universally regarded as a classic. I remember the first 3 volumes being outstanding (plus if you read this, Falx will be your friend forever). It's dark cyberpunk w/ depth and a bit o' the old violence. Now that I am thinking about it, I'll probably go and read my copies... =)

Oh, thanks, I'll have to check that out as well. BAA sounds pretty cool, even if it is long, and I probably should have thought of this. It's a Viz license, right?
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Postby TheSubtleDoctor » Mon May 10, 2010 11:38 am

Mr. Hat'n'Clogs (post: 1391720) wrote:BAA sounds pretty cool, even if it is long, and I probably should have thought of this. It's a Viz license, right?
It's only 9 volumes, and yeah it's Viz. BAA: Second Order is currently still being made, tho. Viz has the first dozen or so translated and for sale.
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Postby impact777 » Mon May 24, 2010 12:04 pm

I'm a totally newbie on the manga sector. The only manga I've read so far is Yotsuba, and I love it. :) Could you please recommend me some manga? I think I like all genres. I don't like "bad religion" and nudity. Thanks a lot. :)
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Postby steenajack » Mon May 24, 2010 8:08 pm

I would like to reccomend to you Hikaru no Go (as well as the anime). It's a coming-of-age, slice of life, shonen-sports manga about a boy who finds this mysterious Go board which the ghost of a professional go-player from the Heinan period (aka, a long time ago). The Ghost inhabits the boy's body, and it set's them both off on a journey in the world of the game of GO. (Go is an actual Japanese board game BTW.) This manga is one of my favorites. The characters are so engaging, the story is intense and interesting despite the fact that it's about a board game, the art is beautifully detailed and realistic, and all in all this is a pretty great series. HIGHLY recommended!
The manga is completely clean; swearing is VERY VERY rare, no nudity, there is only a couple of innuendos in volume 18, pretty much no violence, and last but not least a certain main character is in fact a "ghost", but he's portrayed very friendly and it's not dark at all. They have a review for the anime on this site. The storyline and content is about the same:http://www.christiananime.net/reviews_anime.php?display=232
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Postby Atria35 » Tue May 25, 2010 6:36 am

impact777 (post: 1396240) wrote:I'm a totally newbie on the manga sector. The only manga I've read so far is Yotsuba, and I love it. :) Could you please recommend me some manga? I think I like all genres. I don't like "bad religion" and nudity. Thanks a lot. :)


I'm going to second the recc for Hikaru no Go. It's amazing- I don't like shounen that much, I don't like sports manga, but I like this manga!

Aria/Aqua would also be a great choice if you like Yotsuba&! It's very clean, and very sweet- you'll see an Aria-love thread over in the Anime section. (Aqua is the prequel to Aria)- the only bad religion that really exists is that [spoiler] the cats sort-of have their own 'dimension' on Aqua where they can hang out and party with the King Cat. While I've only read both volumes of Aqua and five of twelve of Aria, this has only been pertinent to two chapters- and the chapters are short.[/spoiler]

Ouran Host Club might also be a fun choice. You may have already seen the anime, but the manga has different storylines and has a confession of love, instead of hinting at it. [spoiler]While for the most part it is very clean (and I've read 14 of the volumes so far), there is one arc where Haruhi is attacked and Kyouya corners her on the bed to try and get it through to her that she's weaker and would be in great danger if men attacked her. Then you also have the implied homosexuality of two characters- but even that implication seems toned down in the manga compared to the anime.[/spoiler]

Skip Beat! is also an amazing manga- I do not recommend watching the anime of this one merely because it covers so little of the manga! It's about a girl who'ss trying to get revenge on her ex because he was using her, and since he's now so close to the top stardom, he dumped her. So now she wants to be a top star and show him up. .....It's a lot better than that sounds. In any case, zero nudity and so far pretty much no religion. [spoiler] She is shown to have been neglected rather harshly by her mother, and another character blames herself for the death of her mom [/spoiler]
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Postby impact777 » Tue May 25, 2010 7:12 am

Wow! Thank you steenajack and Atria35! :) I'll check your recommendations out.
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Postby Atria35 » Wed May 26, 2010 5:33 am

impact777 (post: 1396512) wrote:Wow! Thank you steenajack and Atria35! :) I'll check your recommendations out.


We're glad to help :) And always here if you'd like other recommendations
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Postby Seto_Sora » Sat Jun 19, 2010 5:56 pm

Hey, I am trying to find good manga forto learn the style and thereby write. But I don't want just trash. So I have been looking high and low for a good one. Something without perversion. I tried code geass until I found somethings about it so I can't stand it anymore. Now I am looking at .hack though bro said that it ended weird. Is the manga good? Do you all have any other recommendations... sci-fi meybe? action? perhaps fantasy? I dunno. Oh, and no demons, vampires, or magic. :D

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Postby blkmage » Sat Jun 19, 2010 9:10 pm

PatrickEklektos (post: 1402184) wrote:Hey, I am trying to find good manga forto learn the style and thereby write. But I don't want just trash. So I have been looking high and low for a good one. Something without perversion. I tried code geass until I found somethings about it so I can't stand it anymore. Now I am looking at .hack though bro said that it ended weird. Is the manga good? Do you all have any other recommendations... sci-fi meybe? action? perhaps fantasy? I dunno. Oh, and no demons, vampires, or magic. :D

SDG

Bakuman.
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Postby Atria35 » Sun Jun 20, 2010 5:36 am

PatrickEklektos (post: 1402184) wrote:Hey, I am trying to find good manga forto learn the style and thereby write. But I don't want just trash. So I have been looking high and low for a good one.

As Blkmage said, Bakuman! Awesome manga!

Do you all have any other recommendations... sci-fi meybe? action? perhaps fantasy? I dunno. Oh, and no demons, vampires, or magic.

Fantasy w/out magic? >.>"

Some good sci-fi would be
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou- (nothing really that objectionable here, just a very relaxing sci-fi story. Not really any action to speak of, but very feel-good.)
Please Save My Earth (only read the first two volumes, a little bit of suggestive themes in the first volume, but they pass very quickly, and is overall a very interesting story)
To The Terra (Read all the way through, amazing manga)
Pluto (It's by Naoki Urasawa, who writes the most amazing manga! Definately a must-read!)
20th Century Boys (rare nudity, a brief suggestive theme or two very late in the series, a manga that is complex and fantastic in every way... because it was also written by Naoki Urasawa)
And while I'm at it, I'll also mention Monster by Naoki Urasawa, which is more action-focused and is the only one of these three that isn't sci-fi (violence, some on-page, some not, and some cross-dressing, since when Johan wants some information or to hide he dresses like his twin sister)
Planetes (just amazing- I've seen some of the anime, nothing that objectionable other than one charrie who seems gay, but there's been no mention of his preferences thus far. Has a slightly diff storyline than the anime, more political)
Aqua/Aria (similar to YKK, but has some things that toe the line as fantasy, such as the cats having a dimention to theirselves where they can cool down on a hot day w/ some cold milk. But very much worth taking a look at- it's very sweet and charming)
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Postby Seto_Sora » Sun Jun 20, 2010 8:58 am

Alright! Thank you! Awesome! These look like some awesome titles! :D "Bakuman" Sounds totally fascinating! Mostly, probably, because I have no idea anything about it! LOL And Naoki Urasawa's works look incredibly fascinating! :D
So... LOTR had no magic... I kinda figure it can be done. LOL

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Postby Atria35 » Sun Jun 20, 2010 9:00 am

PatrickEklektos (post: 1402305) wrote:So... LOTR had no magic... I kinda figure it can be done. LOL

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Uh.... Gandalf was a wizard, and there was definately magic :sweat: Not that much, but when he's fighitng Saruman, when he casts the spirit of Saruman from the king's body, when he breaks the bridge of Kazad-dum (yes, I know, wrong spelling, but...), the swords (Sting, specifically) had spells cast on them to sense orcs. All those were instances of magic, and there are a few more besides that- just in the movies. The books had even more. It's just that the action parts far outweighed them. But magic was definately part of the world that Tolkien created.
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Postby Seto_Sora » Sun Jun 20, 2010 10:06 am

eh, well, I dunno if you read the Histories of Middle Earth, but Tolkien wrote his world such that there wasn't actually magic per se. All the elvish swords had the power to sense orks and that because they were forged by elves who were taught how to forge by some sorta angel creature, I forget what Tolkien called 'em. The mythology never specifically said that the Wizards practiced magic but implied they were the helpers of those Angels (again, name escapes me) sent to rule over the earth. Tolkien had the same complex that those like myself had, magic and witchcraft don't glorify God. That was the whole reason for LOTR; a mythology that would not conflict with our belief in God. :)

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Postby blkmage » Sun Jun 20, 2010 10:33 am

The argument that the Middle Earth mythos does not contain magic is a technicality, in that even if it's not called magic or mentioned explicitly, that mechanic still functions in the role of magic in a fantasy setting. It's like saying Fullmetal Alchemist doesn't have any magic; it's technically true, because it has alchemy, but alchemy really plays the role magic ordinarily would have. Just because the Ainur or Valar or whoever taught the lesser races something doesn't make it not magic.

My problem with people putting Tolkien's work on a pedestal as a work of good Christian fantasy is that property of his work is not immediately obvious. I'll concede that it probably is, but a simple reading of it would not lead you to that conclusion. Rather, it takes an incredible amount of literary analysis before you understand the worldview he's trying to present through his works. And it seems to me that people are unwilling to take the same kind of effort into analysing other works before deciding whether they're good or not.
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Postby Seto_Sora » Sun Jun 20, 2010 10:59 am

blkmage (post: 1402319) wrote:My problem with people putting Tolkien's work on a pedestal as a work of good Christian fantasy is that property of his work is not immediately obvious. I'll concede that it probably is, but a simple reading of it would not lead you to that conclusion. Rather, it takes an incredible amount of literary analysis before you understand the worldview he's trying to present through his works. And it seems to me that people are unwilling to take the same kind of effort into analysing other works before deciding whether they're good or not.


Good point. I like it. If a work is Christian, then it ought to be outright so. I struggle with how to accept "Christian" literature on that level as well. As a rule, I take LOTR as I do any other piece of literature. It is not offensive or irritating so I accept it as just another literary work, just like I would with "Crime and Punishment" or "War and Piece" (a good comparison as W&P was written from a quasi-Christian perspective of Tolstoy was not so when he wrote it; therefore making the work a good analysis piece). But still, I cannot myself enjoy such works that are overtly magical such as Harry Potter. Meybe its inconsistent but my conscience is my guide and I shan't violate it. Not to say other's consciences are going to be the same. Thats why one asks questions, that is how one learns.

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Postby MasterDias » Sun Jun 20, 2010 11:02 am

blkmage (post: 1402319) wrote:The argument that the Middle Earth mythos does not contain magic is a technicality, in that even if it's not called magic or mentioned explicitly, that mechanic still functions in the role of magic in a fantasy setting. It's like saying Fullmetal Alchemist doesn't have any magic]not immediately obvious[/I]. I'll concede that it probably is, but a simple reading of it would not lead you to that conclusion. Rather, it takes an incredible amount of literary analysis before you understand the worldview he's trying to present through his works. And it seems to me that people are unwilling to take the same kind of effort into analysing other works before deciding whether they're good or not.


^This.
Also, the Ainur and Valar borrow about as many influences from various mythological pantheons of gods (particularly the Norse pantheon) if not more than the Christian angelic hierarchy.

But since I want to actually be helpful...
PatrickEklektos, try Rurouni Kenshin. It's a good action title, and it makes a solid introduction to manga. It has nothing that could be interpreted as "magic."
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Postby Seto_Sora » Sun Jun 20, 2010 11:13 am

MasterDias (post: 1402323) wrote:PatrickEklektos, try Rurouni Kenshin. It's a good action title, and it makes a solid introduction to manga. It has nothing that could be interpreted as "magic."


That looks AWESOME!!! I just checked out the review and it looks perfect! I am going to try to find it today! Thanks!!!

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Postby firestorm » Tue Jun 22, 2010 4:47 pm

PatrickEklektos (post: 1402327) wrote:That looks AWESOME!!! I just checked out the review and it looks perfect! I am going to try to find it today! Thanks!!!

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Since you were asking about sci-fi works in your introduction thread. I'd also recommend any of the Gundam series. I'm sure that they have their urks but I'm sure they don't have magic either. since it's all... you know big robots and stuff. XD
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Postby wildpurplechild » Wed Jun 23, 2010 5:36 pm

Is there any good Kitsune centered manga?
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