Manga Book Club discussion
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I need your manga/graphic novel recommendations!!
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Prison School, Vol. 1 No... all kidding aside I would imagine it depends on what the criminal level of the facility. After all some people shouldn't be reading mature content like Black Lagoon because they might be trying to emulate it later on.As a generic suggestion how about graphic novels based on books or shows that already exist. Especially fantastic or sci-fi stories are good for escapism.
Welcome to the Jungle
Jim Butcher's Dresden Files: Ghoul Goblin
War Cry
Down Town
Jim Butcher's Dresden Files: Wild Card
Army of Darkness Omnibus, Volume 1
Army of Darkness/Xena, Volume 1: Why Not?
Those Left Behind
Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor, Vol. 1: Revolutions of Terror (of course there are a bunch of Doctor Who stuff)
Dr. Horrible, and Other Horrible Stories
Mod
I don't think they're really into fantasies much. Violence and action seem to be what they're looking for. With the graphic novels, they really like the adult content (I'm not sure if you're familiar with Crossed but damn that stuff is messed up. Lol) So the more violence, sex, swearing, etc. the better. With the manga, I think they enjoy action more (though I'm sure there is some adult content manga out there. I'm not familiar with a lot of them).
I don't really read much violent manga but they might these interesting.Rave Master, Vol. 1 - Same author as Fairy Tale
Sumomomo, Momomo: The Strongest Bride on Earth, Vol. 1 - Lots of martial arts and battles if I remember right
Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 1 - I think there were a lot of fights in this series as well but it's been awhile since I read it.
Ian wrote: "Prison School, Vol. 1 No... all kidding aside I would imagine it depends on what the criminal level of the facility. After all some people shouldn't be reading mature content like B..."lol. reverse BDSM (not explicit as far as the anime goes). it'd be pretty interesting to see your clientele's reaction. Black Lagoon, Vol. 1 - definitely.
BIOMEGA バイオメガ 1
got zombies in a futuristic earth (it's one of my top manga and i bought the series)
Claymore, Vol. 1: Silver-eyed Slayer
graphic medieval fantasy . it's a well-thought-out series. (i own the anime)
EDIT: i take that back. it doesn't have "lesbian undercurrents"; it's the usual soldier camaraderie, but it happens that all of the soldiers are women.
Berserk, Vol. 1
fantasy: i didn't read it, but the anime is very graphic and i've heard that the manga is too.
Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Volume 1: Herr Dr. Tenma
serial killer: more psychological (at least in the first volume) but a really suspenseful story.
Gunsmith Cats: Volume 1
fun in Chicago. lots of gun fights. detailed descriptions of guns for the gun enthusiast.
Retribution, Part 1
a japanese female assassin in the Meiji era.
Battle Royale, Vol. 01
alternate history japan: i didn't care for it b/c it overplayed the self-sacrificing-hero-who-won't-kill-anyone trope a little too much, but it does have quite a bit of action.
Deadman Wonderland, Volume 1
sci-fi: violent, definitely. another prison setting.
Ubel Blatt, Vol. 0
A standard shonen epic fantasy with a dose of harsh medieval realism thrown in for good measure. Content Warning: Nudity, sex scenes, including one that implies bestiality. I'd classify this as seinen b/c of this content warning.
I like Goodnight Punpun, but it might be too psychologically harrowing for some (some sexual themes and content in volumes 2-End too; it's got a warning label for a reason).
Solanin is a bit more uplifting, though has its dour moments.
Nijigahara Holograph is more on the PunPun scale of suffering psychological stuff, though in an easier one volume package like Solanin. It also has the most violence of the three. All of three of these are by the same author and all take place in reality.
I second Berserk (and Ubel Blatt is some mature stuff). Also, Akame Ga Kill.
Gantz I hear is also violent with explicit themes. Has tons of volumes though.
Mod
Terrance, I'm not sure the sexual content will matter much. Have you read Crossed? It is basically zombies but once they get infected, instead of wanting to eat brains, they want to rape anything and everything (and kill and murder and other zombie like things) but there is a lot of crazy sex going on in that series (also including bestiality and incest).
This was super helpful!! I really appreciate it!!
Well, the most messed up one I've encountered (anime version) is Basilisk. It's about Ninjas back in the day fighting over control of a clan. I'm guessing the books are even worse than the anime. I hesitate to recommend it though just because it is so messed up (I ended up skipping through the series just to see who lived and died; the whole snake and pig nature of the male characters were disgusting to look at, and the acts they commit towards women are horrific). =[[bookcover:Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls, Vol. 1|31046]
Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls, Vol. 1
Punpun and Solanin don't really have violence (well Punpun 2 has a scene of violence), but the imagery is very realistic outside of Punpun himself who is drawn as this ghost duck thing I guess so we can imagine what he really looks like for ourselves. The art style is insane, and the books are huge for Punpun.
Good luck with the book search. I have not read Crossed, I wonder if it's worse than Basilisk? x[
Miss Ryoko wrote: "Thank you so much everyone!! I'm happy Alex, because half of my list matches half of your list!!Terrance, I'm not sure the sexual content will matter much. Have you read Crossed? It is basically ..."
oh, i forgot: Attack on Titan, Volume 1, although i haven't read nor watched it, it seems to be in the audience's genre.
Miss Ryoko Here are some fantasy/adventure series up that alley with some comedic spins:
Some of these series are a bit graphic, but the violence is based on fantasy.
Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure (perfect for music lovers)
Soul Eater (great for horror movie and music lovers)
Gash Bell (a bit for younger audiences)
Any of the Pokémon manga if they're interested.
There are also many comics/manga/graphic novels based off existing shows or cartoons. Some off the top of my head are:
The Simpsons
Voltron Legendary Defender
Adventure Time
Invader Zim
Bobs Burgers
Rick and Morty
Over the Garden Wall
Steven Universe
Any Marvel Movie
D.C. Has many their films are actually based on but also have a line appropriate for a general audience.
Serious/fantasy/escapism manga:
Tokyo Ghoul
Deadman Wonderland (is about a prison, but a fantasy one where nothing can be replicated).
Simon Dark (a D.C. Graphic novel that touches a bit on race issues).
Hope this helps! :-)
And I forgot
and
The original Battle Angle Alita was good too but i am not sure if those are even in print anymore. As for Monster I agree that is a great series and is being released in omnibus form by Viz Selects. That series has a real psychological element mixed with mystery and murder.
Mod
Tokyo Ghoul! If they liked Naruto, maybe they would like Bleach or Fullmetal Alchemist?
And if they're interested in fantasy cartoons, what about Avatar :The Last Airbender?
Okay, it doesn't really meet the specifications you mentioned, but I just really want everyone to watch that show :P It's amazing!
Mod
Okay, it doesn't really meet the specifications you mentioned, but I just really want everyone to watch that show :P It's amazing! "
Hahaha!! That's how I feel about Saiyuki and Saiyuki Reload (the manga)
Mod
Definites!
*Attack on Titan
*High School of the Dead
*Battle Royale
*Deadman Wonderland
*Until Death Do Us Part
*JoJo's Bizarre Circus
Recommendations by me!
*Sayuki and Sayuki Reload (cuz they're my all time faves)
*Monster
*Assassination Classroom (cuz it's hilarious)
*Soul Eater (currently reading this series and enjoying it)
*Blue Exorcist
*Shaman King
Possible likes!
*Jack Frost
*March Story
*Claymore
*Bleach
-------- So there is a lot of repeats! Which is great!! I'll definitely add yours to the list under "Other recommendations" Thank you all so much!! I super appreciate your help!!
Mod
Miss Ryoko wrote: "Oh, and Ian, I actually added Prison School to the list because after reading more up on it, the guys might actually enjoy it!"One can hope for the best. Don't forget One Punch Man though because that can be pretty funny too. :)
Mod
It's a bit older, but Black Cat and even Mar are really good. Black Cat is 20 vol and Mar is 15.Both are high in my list of goodness.
Or a really old one in my top 10 that is wonderful, I've read it 5 times so far, is Suikoden III. It was based off the video game, but the story makes me want to read it every couple of years or so.
Ah, how about Parasyte. May be worth looking into at least. Superhero mixed with horror, realistic character designs.
If they like horror, Junji Ito could be in play too. There's a newer Tomie series book out now [not pictured] with all the collected stories.
Mod
Miss Ryoko wrote: "Thanks Terrance! I'm not sure they're into the horror genre. Basically anything full of violence, sex, swearing, etc. Super adult ;-p"Parasyte is definately violence oriented. The parasytes change the shape of whatever they possess when they mature so it is not uncommon to see a head unravel into blades and slice a human to bits. Then you get to see when the humans begin to fight back.
Mod
Miss Ryoko wrote: "And even funnier is I was just talking about Junji Ito with a coworker before I went out to shelve. Weird you mentioned them both."Ha ha, great minds think alike. xP
Parasyte is like a horror version of Spiderman, yeah. The anime was great.
Ian wrote: "Parasyte is definately violence oriented. The parasytes change the shape of whatever they possess when they mature so it is not uncommon to see a head unravel into blades and slice a human to bits."Parasyte is definately violence oriented. ..."
this particular idea probably comes from a kind of yokai, rokurokubi:
Alex G wrote: "Ian wrote: "Parasyte is definately violence oriented. The parasytes change the shape of whatever they possess when they mature so it is not uncommon to see a head unravel into blades and slice a hu..."I have never heard of a rokurokubi changing its face like most of the Parasytes do and bite the victim's head off but there are a lot of viscous Yokai in the old tales and some did change appearance so maybe unconsciously the mangaka drew on multiple sources. . :)
What was the spirit weasel with the sickles? Ah, Kamaitachi. That thing is freaky. Maybe the author combined that and the Yokai above. xD
Terrence wrote: "What was the spirit weasel with the sickles? Ah, Kamaitachi. That thing is freaky. Maybe the author combined that and the Yokai above. xD"ah, "tachi" is another type of sword.
Apocalypse no TorideTenkuu Shinpan
Ousama Game
Mayonaka no Cross Method
20th Century Boys
Manga Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Parasyte 1 (other topics)Museum of Terror, Vol. 1: Tomie 1 (other topics)
Parasyte 2 (other topics)
One-Punch Man, Vol. 1 (other topics)
Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Omnibus 1 (other topics)
More...
The men have been asking for a lot of graphic novels and mangas lately. The guy who runs their part of the program doesn't read a lot, and so he asked me if I have some suggestions. So of course I do, but I figured I'd reach out and get even MORE recommendations from you!
The guys are really into the graphic novels Crossed and The Walking Dead. So if you have any suggestions (basically, the more violent the better :-p ), I'd love to get them!
The manga they're into is Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Fairy Tale, One Piece, Ranma 1/2, etc.
I already compiled a list of recommendations based off these - but list yours please!! Even if I already have them down, knowing others would recommend the same is a good sign I'm recommending good materials :)
Thanks for the help!!