#manga recc

[bookmunchies]

So I read Hourou musuko and I really think people should read it, but if you do happen to read it you really shouldn't look at it from a western storytelling lens cause, it does it such a great disservice. It's a very well done story but when I went to look through the comments they were mostly negative because, in the opinion of the commentators, it's a story about trans solidarity, or transition, that failed because it did not give them what they wanted to see, and it involved a lot more heavy topics than they think were needed, when it's a coming of age story that follows Shu-chan, and all the people who shape her childhood and young adulthood, and the difference between her and those those seemingly like her. Then there was anger at 'badly done representation' in the case of a character that turned out different than they wanted and at the friends and people around her not being supportive enough, in their opinion -assuming usamerican because of the tone but might be a diff western country- and I really don't understand how basically everything about this very good work was made so bad in their heads, everything was twisted and I fail to see the reason for even reading when you will just mindlessly consume the pages in such bad faith, misinterpretating most of the manga and absolutely ignoring everything that is not outright stated, I mean, why read manga if you don't want to pay attention to what is shown visually, and just look at what's written in speech bubbles?

[vacalimpia]

Recommendation of the day!!! Goodbye, My Rose Garden by Dr. Pepperco! It is a very emotional story about the romance between two women in the 1900's England. Very beautiful illustrations and engaging story. I cried like a baby, I was so moved by it ... So moved I must recommend it. You should totally read it if you're interested in seeing the struggles of being a lesbian woman back in an age where it was seen as a crime and a shame.

[isekaiconnoisseur]

Royal Marriage

The symbol of beauty and money, Tatiana Cartien, is the most eligible bachelorette of the Freya Empire. After the despair of being betrayed by her trusted fiancé and deceit from her family, she will find the one person who wants her for what she has: her body. In order to survive, Tatiana is happy to grab the hande of the devil, Kainel Towncent.

[inevitablesurrender]

Okay, I’ve had two days to recover from re-reading Trigun Maximum.  So, let me make a recommendation.  If you like stories that Put You Through Something, but leave you with actual hope and Good Shit Payoff at the end.  If you like "Don't get attached, don't get attached, don't get--FUCK--" and characters treated with legitimate empathy even when their views oppose Main Character Hero.  If you like masculinity and femininity Not Really Treated as Much of Anything, Actually.  If you like beautiful artwork and that very classic Starts Off as Silly Fun Entertainment and Swells Into JFC How Did I Get Here layered in with Christian Symbolism Through a Very Japanese Lens and body horror and violence sprinkled throughout.  If you like A Simple Tale of Family Except it is Also a Space Western Except it is Also an Exploration of Personhood Rather Than Just "Humanity" (important distinction) Except Also it is Going to Punch You in the Chest so Hard That You Won't Even Stumble, You'll Just Be on the Ground Looking Up at the Stars.  They're Beautiful Stars.  If you want a tale of trauma and love where the losses actually matter.

May I suggest heading over to Trigun Ultimate Overhaul and either reading Trigun/Maximum online or downloading the whole thing.  The official DarkHorse translation is still available in various places, but it... uh... starts to reek of "I don't get paid enough for this shit" at moments when you really, really need to understand what's happening, and this read-through didn’t have me backtracking several times to try and figure out what’s actually going on.  Takes a little of the magic out of a work, you know?

Yeah, me wondering about a small detail in regards to Livio got me to say to myself "You  know, I may as well just read the whole thing over, it's been too long..."  And it has been and I did and I don't regret as much as I'm just still laying in the dirt recovering because it’s a lot but it’s so good and its influence on me is going to be so damn obvious but sshhh.  I do still love the '98 anime, "sex pest" being treated as a cute little character quirk and all (some of those lines still make me laugh so much), but it's also a very '90s anime and only scratches the surface of Maximum's echoing depth.

In case you need more encouragement, beneath the cut are a few bits of dialog regarding my favorite wider themes that get explored directly and indirectly, with context/spoilers edited out.

[animehouse-moe]

Delicious In Dungeon Episode 6: Court Cuisine/Boiled In Saltwater

Being a manga reader, I really don't have much to say in the world of story for Delicious In Dungeon. Conversely, I have a world of stuff to say about the adaptation end of things, but I'll keep it short.

Keita Nagahara, the storyboarder for this episode, perfectly understood the assignment. They know what Trigger does best, and they know how to make the most of the source material.

Comedy, action, excessive character animation, Nagahara's episode has it all in spades, wrapped up under very solid awareness of dimensionality and space.

Their use of foreground obstruction to force depth and awareness of space is incredible, and insanely novel. Using party members as those obstructions is impeccable, and I love how they further subvert expectations by using party members for first person perspectives as well.

It's certainly recency bias telling me that this episode is the best of the season, but at the very minimum it is 100% on par with episode 3. Makes me wonder if every episode that's a multiple of 3 will be this good.

[devildomwriter]

Ten Manga I Think They’d Enjoy

Lucifer

He likes manga that reads like classic literature, dark stories, mysteries, psychological stories, and occasionally something sweet or cute

Monster, Devilman, Children of the Sea, A Country Without Humans, Doomsday With My Dog, Island in a Puddle, Erased, For the Kid I Saw In My Dreams, Innocent, Shonen Note

Mammon

He likes stories involving his personal hobbies like working on cars, gambling, etc. he also enjoys funny stories and secretly cute romances or relatable romances

The Brave-Tuber, Call of the Night, Fruits Basket, Life Lessons With Uramichi Oniisan, Initial D, Fairy Tail, Chio’s School Road, Gambling Apocolypse, Kakeguri, Prince Freya

Leviathan

Leviathan loves everything but he’s especially a fan of gaming manga, magical girls, monster girls, isekai, and the classics

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Black Butler, Berserk, Darling in the Franxx, Dragon Goes House Hunting, I Want to Be A Wall, The Great Snake’s Bride, Puella Magi Madoka, Sailor Moon, Magical Girl Incident

Satan

Satan loves manga that reads like classical literature but he also loves stories about cats, dark mysteries, psychological stories and ones with characters he finds relatable

Chi’s Sweet Home, Ascendance of a Bookworm, Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten, Evil Secret Society of Cats, I Am a Cat Barista, Case Closed, Night of the Living Cat, Natsume’s Book of Friends, Summertime Rendering, The Promised Neverland

Asmodeus

Asmodeus mostly enjoys romance whether it’s cute and fluffy or extremely erotic

Ouran High School Host Club, Lovesick Ellie, Monster Musume, MADK, Yarichin Bitch Club, Cherry Magic!, Dick Fight Island, Sweat and Soap, Shiori’s Diary, Nina the Starry Bride

Beelzebub

Beelzebub is a big fan of manga involving food but he also enjoys a good action adventure and sports manga

Food Wars, Delicious in Dungeon, Farming Life in Another World, Mashle, Sachi’s Monstrous Appetite, Starving Anonymous, Something’s Wrong With Us, Eyeshield 21, Kaiju No 8, Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skill

Belphegor

Belphegor likes stories with relatable characters which can be hard to find but he also loves adventures, horror, and Slice of life; he’s a little all over the place

Sleep Princess in the Demon’s Castle, The Girl From the Other-side, Hell’s Paradise, Mieruko-Chan, Tokyo Aliens, Shibuya Goldfish, Non Non Biyori, Kemono Jihen, Beyond the Clouds, Laid Back Camp

Solomon

Solomon loves compelling narratives, dark psychological stories, stories that take a deeper look a humanity and immortality, and one’s that involves demons/angels/sorcerers. He does also love cat books like Satan

Death Note, Creepy Cat, No Longer Human, Devils and Realist, Frieren, Made in Abyss, Mao, Sakamoto Days, A School Frozen in Time, Stein’s Gate, Happiness

Thirteen

Thirteen is a little all over the place, she likes to see what’s popular but she also enjoys slashers, one’s that take a closer look at death and spirits, and dark romance

Elfen Lied, Attack on Titan, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, Momo the Blood Taker, Assassination Classroom, Can’t Stop Cursing You, Love of Kill, Angels of Death, Vampire Knight, Toilet Bound Hanako Kun

Simeon

Simeon enjoys reading manga that have some religious aspects, he likes ones about authors since they are relatable, and he enjoys some random ones here and there that are cute or funny. He’s also a sucker for a pure romance

Heaven’s Design Team, Gabriel Dropout, The King’s Beast, Merman in My Tub, My Girlfriend’s Child, A Sign of Affection, Tsubaki Chou Lonely Planet, An Incurable Case of Love, Monthly Girl’s Nozaki Kun, Perfect World

Raphael

Raphael canonically likes coming of age sports dramas. I believe he’s also he amused by one’s involving ant Christian aspects about angels and demons, heaven and hell. He also enjoys one’s that include his hobbies like security, military, and anything to do with fashion

Blue Lock, Haikyu, Blue Exorcist, Vatican Miracle Examiner, Maiden of the Needle, My Dress Up Darling, Not Sew Wicked Step Mother, Witch Hat Atelier, A Bride’s Story, Wind Breaker

Luke

Luke loves to try everything but his books are monitored to make sure he doesn’t stumble upon anything inappropriate for his age ana angel status. He loves ones about food, animals, adventure, and a good slice of life or 4-panel.

Happy Happy Clover, Yuzu the Pet Vet, Yotsuba&!, Sui and Tai-Chan, My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, Dinosaur Sanctuary, Kitchen Princess, Astro Boy, Naruto

Michael

Michael enjoys funny books, one’s that take a closer look at humanity and war, classical adaptations, and one’s involving angels and demons.

Spy X Family, Maximum Ride, Takane and Hana, Obey Me! The Comic, Mr Villain’s Day Off, Hetalia: Axis Powers, Les Miserables, Apothecary Diaries, Deer King, Yona of the Dawn

Mephistopheles

Mephistopheles likes books that involve history, nobility, prestigious jobs, mystery, and equestrian sports. He also enjoys one’s about demons and servants.

From the Red Fog, Derby Queen, The Elusive Samurai, Imperfect Girl, Peach Boy Riverside, The Splendid Work of the Monster Maid, Tales of the Kingdom, Tokyo Ghoul, Noragami, The Rose of Versailles

Barbatos

Barbatos prefers books that are dark and disturbing as well as insightful books on time, immortality, grief, morality vs law, etc.

Phantom Tales of the Night, My Dear Curse Casting Vampiress, A Silent Voice, Orange, Moriarty the Patriot, Nicola Traveling Around the Demon World, Royal Tutor, Usatoki Rhetoric, The Valiant Must Fall, To Your Eternity

Diavolo

Diavolo absolutely loves cute family manga, funny manga, one’s that involve demons and angels, cute romances, and exciting action and adventure. He isn’t picky and will read anything if it’s been recommended to him.

Wolf Childen, Earthian, The Devil is a Part-Timer, Seraph of the End, Mama Akuma, Little Devils, Cells at Work, Snow White With Red Hair, The Vampire and His Pleasant Companions, Azumanga Diaoh

[irritablesnoutband]

Jjk in a nutshell

[flamingeaux]

Fan edited phone backgrounds I made (except the last one) for LOVE BULLET by inee💘

[von-leg]

Color wheel meme I never posted here !! The theme was underated mangas that I need everyone to read rn.

[sftk0o]

the best genre moodboard!

[shoujo-dump]

Kiyoku, Yamashiku, Modokashiku.

[birdbrainedboy]

Does anyone have any recommendations for manga similar to Ranma 1/2? All the recommendations seem to touch on similarities that I don’t care for rather than ones I do…

Things I like about ranma that I’m looking for:

• ranma and akane bickered a lot and had great banter, but it was still very obvious they cared about each other, and ranma wasn’t always overly mean (like if he was ever mean enough to hurt someone’s feelings, he would IMMEDIATELY apologize). I feel like most manga with bickering couples have the guy being an ASSHOLE for no reason and it just is accepted by the FL????

• FL who isn’t a complete pushover/ doormat, with a strong personality

• romcom that also focuses on stuff besides romance

• actually developed side characters

• good comedy and a fun dynamic

Things I don’t really care for (don’t factor into being “similar” for me)

• harem

• genderbender

[elalalune]

"To relieve their suffering... You're kinder than you appear, arent you."

( 07 ghost AU )

(Link of the twt thread for my ideas for the au in the comment section)

[lestcat-de-lioncourt]

I just started watching Handa-Kun and… wow this anime is absolutely hilarious??? But also, this poor guyy. Plus, the opening animation is so wild and amusing?! And catchy. New current favourite, complete series, not a recent release.

“Hated by everyone around him, Sei Handa goes about his high school life regarded as an outcast—or at least that is what he believes. In reality, Handa is the most popular student on campus, revered by all for his incomparable calligraphy skills, good looks, and cool personality. However, due to an endless series of misunderstandings, Handa perceives the worship he receives from his legions of fans as bullying, leading the school's idol to shut himself off from the rest of his classmates.

But distancing himself from his peers does not deter them from adoring him; in fact, his attempts at drawing attention away from himself often end up unintentionally converting even the most skeptical of students into believers. Fashion models, shut-in delinquents, obsessive fangirls, and more—none can stand against the brilliance that is Sei Handa.”

[animehouse-moe]

Questions Of Love In Bucchigiri!?

Hiroko Utsumi is no stranger to distilling homoeroticism into their works, but Bucchigiri!? is able to take it a step further as it intertwines with the hypermasculine idea of fighting and gangs. Because of that, Bucchigiri!? poses two questions to the definition of love and how people experience it.

"What is love versus lust?"

Truthfully, it's a rather simple question to answer (at least to someone outside of high school). The point being the depth of feeling. Lust is strong but shallow, while love moves much deeper.

And the second episode in particular expresses this very strongly through the two gang leaders, Marito and Ken.

They don't feel any way in particular about Arajin until they feel their punch. After that, like Marito says, they just can't forget about it. That's all they know about this kid, "his" punch. And that's all they want from him as well.

The point is to express superficial lust towards Arajin because of something they only experience one single time. They believe that they want the strength behind the person no matter what because of a single moment.

And it's a great comparison to make against Matakara's feelings for Arajin.

Matakara doesn't need to feel "Arajin's" strength to know how he feels about him. On the contrary, he only ever needed to fight (really train) beside him to come to understand that emotion. Even more than that is Matakara's understanding of Arajin outside of fights, and he focuses in specifically on Arajin's passivity and carefulness.

Because of that, you can begin to draw the conclusion that "Lust" is represented by actions involving violence and action, while "Love" stems more from passivity and aversion in this context. Which I think is really really great. It's sort a sort of symbolic explanation of the whole point of violence being boorish and shallow while other communication is deeper and more valuable.

"How much is love worth if they don't love you for who you are?"

Super easy example here with this one. Just look at the Love Forever stone Arajin gives Mahoro vs the friendship one that he gave Matakara.

The whole point is that Arajin's love in the hands of someone who doesn't love him isn't valuable at all, nor is it valuable in the hands of someone that doesn't love him for who he is.

Marito and Ken can only feel something for Arajin because of the strength channeled through him by Senya. It's something entirely foreign to Arajin as a person, and represents both how shallow the gang leaders are, but also how shallow Arajin is.

Loving yourself is something that's tricky to do, and obviously especially so for high school kids. I think it's well understood at this point that Arajin struggles to love himself in a meaningful way, and that's expressed by his willingness to take on Senya.

Case and point being that he intentionally used Senya's strength to try and make himself look good in front of Mahoro, and in the same way used it against Ken to the same effect.

He's afraid of being and accepting himself, so he's allowed something else to speak for him. And while that catches the eye of many, including Matakara, Arajin himself already knows that it's nothing more than a farce to save face.

It's just... really great work in terms of narrative as it bundles so many different aspects of love together to create this complicated web that all stems from Arajin's inability to love himself. Matakara loves the current Arajin, but that Arajin is unable to face himself so he runs from the reflection that Matakara offers and buries himself in lust and unrequited romance.

And that all just comes from high school kids duking it out for fun alongside mystical fighting people that can merge with humans.

It's definitely a step up the symbolic ladder in comparison to Sk8 The Infinity, but I think it's allowed Utsumi to express much more in terms of romance through implicit narratives.

These first two episodes have been incredible, and I'm loving every moment and want to share every bit, but the overall production effort Mappa's been putting in leaves me in an awkward spot for sharing stuff like this.

I really love to, and I want to celebrate the efforts of the staff behind the series, but Mappa rains on that parade with its terrible scheduling and work ethic. The credits are a veritable mess that make episodes like this an incredible feat. And I'll celebrate that and share what I want to, but I do also want to call out Mappa for their terrible work as a studio.