Forum - View topicsubstantial mature manga?
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logboy
Posts: 72 |
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ok, risking getting a locked thread cos this Q might have been asked before : but i am a complete manga novice, and am interested in fiding the more substantial mature manga :
like "ichi the killer" but available in english (cos i know that one isnt)... suggestions please?!?! thanks... |
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kamiboy
 Posts: 570 Location: CA |
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Berserk
Blade of the Immortal Battle Angel Alita |
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aloysius
 Posts: 17 |
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Parasyte
Ice Blade (I find this one extremely cool, but TP seems to have cancelled it) Planetes Vagabond Dance Till Tomorrow Shadow Star Also, Erica Sakurazawa's works put out by TP is a rare English release of manga for adult women. Above *points* are all examples of seinen manga. P.S. "Dance Till Tomorrow" probably doesn't belong on the list if you want manga like Ichi. It's not violent but rather a porny romantic comedy. |
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Kagemusha
 Posts: 2783 Location: Boston |
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Anything listed buy the prievious two posters is highly recommended by me as well. In particular "Planetes", "Blade of the Immortal" and "Dance Till Tommorow" are what I would most recommend. Planetes is a facinating space drama. The characters are all very believable, and it deals with how humanity is adapting to life in space. DTT is a sex comedy, but unlike alot of other ero-romances, it has great writting and very smart humor to back up the sex. BotI is what many call a "neo-samurai drama", but don't think that it only relies on this gimmick (maybe for the first volume or so though). The characters in this are some of the most memorable I've ever seen, and many of them are quite deep and realistic. It's a gripping tale full of violence and human emotion.
Other mature mangas that are out in the US are: Domu-A scifi/horror story from Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira). It's incredibly well written and deals with social issues as well as presenting some really disturbing ideas (and images). Black and White-You won't find this in any bookstores, but it's well worth the price of ordering online. A surreal tale of two crazy ass kids. The ending is incredibly moving, and puts most sappy/uplifting mangas to shame. Eagle-This political drama is about a Japanese-american's quest for the presidency. Even if you hate politics this story is so well told (in addition to being very accurate) that most people would love reading it. Wish I could think of more, but I guess I could always post again. |
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jfrog
 Posts: 925 Location: Seattle |
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All good suggestions, especially Black and White. Taiyo Matsumoto > Me
But another one that no one's mentioned yet is Mai the Psychic Girl. One of the only comics I've read that actually deals with teenagers getting superpowers in a realistic way. Mai is incredibly petty at the beginning (she matures later on), and uses her powers all the time without thinking about the consequences. But it's still incredibly pulpy and fun, there's lots of government conspiracies and even Hitler has a cameo in the final volume. Just be warned that you have to see fourteen year olds get their breasts blown off. I'm not really sure how realistic Eagle is, though. Some parts are surprisingly accurate, and some are incredibly unrealistic - I'm thinking mainly about the part where he spoiler[reveals his gun control plan while speaking at a bar in Texas and wins everyone's support]. But seeing what they get right and wrong is really half the fun of reading Eagle for us Americans. |
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Kagemusha
Posts: 2783 Location: Boston |
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I knew you were going to mention the Texas bit
 Yea, it can get a bit over-the-top, but for the most part I think that the politics are fairly accurate. I like his new manga better (Spirit of the Sun), plus with the recent events in Asia it's quite unsettleing (it's about Japan being struch by devestating earth-quakes, Tsunamis and the quest to rebuild it in the aftermath). And I guess I remembered a couple of others:
Sanctuary-A tale about two friends, a yakuza and a politician, and their quest to rule Japan. This gets pretty over-the-top as well in terms of the characters and how they act (just look at Tokai, the "ideal" yakuza), but it's still a blast to read (I've heard several accounts of people reading straight through the nine volume, each over 300 pages, without stopping). Exaxxion-starts out like a typical Sonada manga (violence, nudity, camp), but around volume 2 it gets pretty serious. THe main character, Hoichii, is a very realistic and believable hero, and at the same time very inspirational. Don't worry though, it still has that wild and silly Sonada-spin to it. |
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GATSU
Posts: 15521 |
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logboy: I actually have inside information on the Ichi manga, but am unfortunately not allowed to talk about it. All I can say is that Media Blasters released the movie, CPM released the anime prequel, and Unearthed Entertainment will be releasing the live-action prequel.
Kagemusha + jfrog: Matsumoto's Blue Spring should be out this week. Other than that, I'm hoping Viz eventually decides to re-release adult titles like Mai at cheaper prices. |
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darkhunter
 Posts: 2992 Location: Los Angelas |
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I like manga with intense graphic: Blade of the immortal, Lone Wolf and Cub and Berserk (even more graphic)
But the Ichi manga was pretty distubing. I wonder if the mangaka was psychotic to come up with some of the shit. |
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pythos
Posts: 127 Location: Denver, CO |
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Could you please clearify what you mean by "mature"? Or what genres you are looking for?
Other suggestions: Priest Gadirok STONe |
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logboy
Posts: 72 |
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by "mature" i mean existential, meaningful theorising... not just violence : that in itself is not my idea of maturity, though i am not at all opposed to it use or reliance upon it if (like ichi the killer) its part of a sophisticated picture...
btw : thanks everyone for the suggestions so far...! |
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Kagemusha
Posts: 2783 Location: Boston |
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Which probobly means that they intend to finish No.5. And just so you know, Mai is listed under action on Viz's website, so it could mean that they plan to republish it. |
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GATSU
Posts: 15521 |
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They told me they were considering re-releasing Black and White.
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Neilworms
 Posts: 155 Location: Chicago IL |
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I'd also recommend anything that www.ponetmon.com publishes if your going for "mature" and thoughtful, though these tend to be more drama oriented than a lot of the other things we've listed.
I'd recommend Tezuka's "Phoenix" if it wasn't for its occaisional bouts of immaturity. Space is the best chapter for a serious story, but it is packaged with the worst chapter (I've read) of the series which is Yamato. Tezuka is a really great author though if you haven't read his work, Adolf is another one he did that is for the most part more mature. (again bouts of immaturity). Despite these "bouts" Phoenix fits the bill of what your looking for, it delves into some pretty deep stuff... Sadly the US manga market is too intersted in fluffy formulaic teenage romance/action to get a lot of the good stuff. I'd recommend looking to the Scanlation scene if you want to find more interesting works... or you could learn french :P (its easier than Japanese :P and you get a lot of sophisticated manga like Iou Kuroda's Nasu and Satoshi Kon's Kaikisen). Did I mention I'm envious of the french manga market... :P |
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Kagemusha
Posts: 2783 Location: Boston |
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I don't think that Tezuka's humor gets in the way of Phoenix's maturity. Of course, it does vary in quality, but Future and Karma are some of the greatest stories ever told in manga IMO. But I would also recommend Buddha. It's a bit expensive, but it's reguarded by many as his greatest work (which I agree with).
Iou Kuroda is among the most innovative manga artists today, in both art and writing. Right now I can't see any of his works being licenced unfortunatally, but I heard that his first manga, Japan Tengu Party Illustrated, is more story driven than Nasu or Sexy Voice and Robo, so maybe that will get picked up. I've heard comparisons to Nausicaa and Akira in terms of exellence, and I can't wait to read it.
Well, his new manga is about the effects of drilling holes in people's heads... |
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JackBassV
 Posts: 241 Location: Coventry, England |
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Saikano: very good, but sad.
Tsubasa and XXXHolic (linked series) both good, the crossover actually works without messing the plot. If you like Lone Wolf, then try Samurai Executioner, another long series by Koike and Kojima. Finally: Try Apocalypse Meow (AKA Cat Shit One), The characters are cute animals, but the action takes place in Vietnam. Most of the others I could mention have already been suggested. JBV^_^ |
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