Rufus’ Top 7 Manga

No my room does not look like this...

Here we are with another Top 7 Tuesday for you, our loyal papernauts. This Tuesday we will be covering manga. I am by no means an Otaku (in fact I shudder at that word and it makes me think of crazy fanboys/girls who put a lot of people off of it in the first place) but I do enjoy storytelling by many means. One of which is in comic form. Once upon a time (back in college while helping to run Otakuden a now defunct anime/kungfu store in Manhattan) I would try pretty much anything a customer told me to try. I ended up reading a lot of crap, but every once in a while something would shine through. I soon started to stay away from the long running series (with one exception that is on my list) and gave up on the perennial fan favorites Naruto and Bleach because I got bored. Not to say I hate them, in fact I really enjoyed them, its just that well time is short and I can’t play catch up when there are better things to read. So without further ado THE LIST!

7. Flame of Recca, Nobuyuki Anzai. 1995-2002. 33 Volumes.

A really good tournament manga.

A lot of the favorite mangas I hear about are tournament manga. Where one person leads a team against other teams and their powers slowly unfold. Naruto, Bleach, Hunter x Hunter, and Yakitate Japan share this basic structure and are all series that I enjoyed at one point or another but the difference is that Flame of Recca was the first that I got into. I enjoyed this series for the powers and while the story telling isn’t all that surprising or new the art is interesting and it does get pretty damn dark at some points.

6. Solanin, Inio Asano. 2005-2006. 2 Volumes.

What can I say. I like things about bands.

A manga about your first years as an adult, the pain of not doing what you dreamed, and the pain of loss and love. While not the greatest story on the subject the dialogue is what keeps this manga flowing and I’ll admit if you give me anything that involves some kids trying to start a band to do what they love doing chances are I will like what you give me. I’m easy. Throw in enough angst and humor and you’ve got me hooked. Which is exactly what Solanin did.

5. Beck, Harold Sakuishi. 2000-2008. 34 Volumes

Like I said. Bands. Plus the anime OST is good.

The best band comic of all time. There I said it. I loved everything about this comic and anime. The characters are memorable, the personalities really show through, and you see the struggle it takes to make it as a band. Add in awesome pop culture references and you have an instant win in my book. Plus Mongolian Chop Squad (the name they use when they tour in the US because Beck has already taken Beck) is the coolest band name ever.

4. One Piece, Eiichiro Oda. 1997-ONGOING. So far: 58 Volumes.

You don't like One Piece? Zorro is mad.

This is the one exception to the long running manga on this list. One Piece is an epic tale of pirates, food and friendship. It’s funny and bad ass all at the same time. It may never end but no matter what I can pick up a volume and be cheered up. So yeah it gets the 4 spot.

3. Monster, Naoki Urasawa. 1994-2001. 18 Volumes.

Urasawa is a straight up genius.

A psychological thriller told maturely. It is also quite chilling. We follow Dr. Tenma as he searches for a young sociopath named Johan whose life he had saved. Urasawa is responsible for some of my favorite manga and is a master at the art form. Monster is my favorite of his works.

2. Eden: It’s an Endless World, Hiroki Endo. 1998-2008. 18 Volumes.

Yeah. This comic is not very happy.

Eden is a brilliant sci-fi story that takes place in a world devastated by a pandemic that crystallizes people. It is essentially a coming of age story in a dystopian world and is filled with characters who are all varying shades of good and evil. There are no easy answers in this book and the story telling is as dense and detailed as the artwork.

1. Yotsuba&!, Kiyohiko Azuma. 2003-ONGOING. So far: 9 Volumes.

If you're not smiling right now you have no heart.

I love this manga. There. I said the l-word. I dare you to read this and not laugh or be cheered up by Yotsuba’s adventures. It’s full of cute and win. The motto of the manga is “Today is always the most enjoyable day!” and the tone fits it to a T. Plus it has Cardbo! (Or Danbo if you’re going by the direct/new translations).

It's hard not to get excited about everyday things when reading this.