Forum - View topicGood manga for 40+ year-old woman and man
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Wolverine Princess
 Posts: 1100 |
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I'm looking for a good manga for a woman in her late forties who does not read manga, and does not believe it has literary or artistic merits. Her all-time favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird, and a book she recently enjoyed very much was The Time Traveler's Wife.
I'm also looking for a good manga for a 50 year-old man. He is pretty indifferent towards manga, but from what I usually buy he thinks it's "all full of gay people". I don't really know what he likes to read, but he likes American cartoons like Courage the Cowardly Dog, Angry Beavers, Invader Zim, and Aaahh! Real Monsters! And although he's never seen the show, he likes the FLCL soundtrack. |
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Dranxis
 Posts: 591 Location: Ohtori Academy |
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Hmm, tough call. I'm sure some of the seinen readers on this forum would be glad to offer better suggestions than mine, but I'll give it a shot.
Are either of these people okay with fantasy/sci-fi? If they are I'd recommend Nausicaa, which a beautiful fantasy epic that could really be enjoyed by anyone. For the woman, I would suggest the first volume of Rumic Theater, if you can find it. It's a collection of shorts stories by Rumiko Takahashi, aimed at women in their forties. They're mostly comedies about everyday life, some with a supernatural twist. If she enjoys romance, Maison Ikkoku would be another good one for older audiences. For the man, it sounds like he likes comedies with a warped sense of humor. In that case he might enjoy Excel Saga. The only problem with it is that there is quite a bit of satire on everyday Japanese life, so there would be cultural barriers for first-time manga readers. Still, it's funny whether you understand the satire or not, and there's extensive translator's notes in the back. Though with less comedy, Sexy Voice and Robo is another good one he might enjoy. |
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Wolverine Princess
Posts: 1100 |
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The man likes sci-fi, but if he had to pick he'd probably prefer stories with supernatural elements. At least as her first exposure to manga, I don't think the woman would want a sci-fi story. She generally avoids the genre, although she liked the first Matrix movie. She prefers character driven stories. |
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PantsGoblin
 SubscriberEncyclopedia Editor  Posts: 2969 Location: L.A. |
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I can't say much about it since I haven't read it, but I have seen the anime (which I've heard does a good job at depicting parts of the manga). Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou seems like it was made to target an older, more mature audience. I'm pretty sure her thinking that "manga does not have literary or artistic merits" will fade after reading it, if it really is as dormcat and abunai say it is. They'll probably be able to explain it better than I could, but you can just read this thread about it for now. Last edited by PantsGoblin on Sat Jun 17, 2006 5:53 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Wolverine Princess
Posts: 1100 |
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From a quick browse at amazon.com, I don't think this one has an official translation. She can't read Japanese, doesn't want to sit at her computer reading fan scans for hours, and a little pamphlet of printed up computer pages, regardless of the content, won't convert her way of thinking. She's quite stubborn; which is a shame because this one sounds like something she might like. |
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Dranxis
Posts: 591 Location: Ohtori Academy |
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Yeah, YKK's amazing but I'm sure it'll never be released in English. For something similar, ARIA's a good title that also focuses on life's simpler pleasures, a very relaxing read. ADV published the first 3 volumes, but it's on hiatus. Fortunately it's not the kind of manga that makes you need to know what happens next or anything.
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hagakure|returns
Posts: 407 |
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That's what happen when people give poor recommendation. At least read the title first.
Anyways, I think Planetes is one manga that any age and gender should read. It's character driven, emotional, insightful and wil put a smile on your face after vol. 3. My uncle, who is in his mid 30's, love this manga and he's not even a comic fan. It remind us of a lot of stuff that we take for granted in our own life. It has funny moment, but it isn't childish like Bleach or any other shonen stuff. And also Monster is a really good choice for people 30+ because the intelligent drama and suspenseful mystery it brings. |
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coolerimmortal
Posts: 522 |
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Monster.
Seriously, Monster. It's the first manga I got my mother to read, and she loves it. |
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Arkard
 Posts: 677 Location: Poland |
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This may actually work for the woman. I always found a few similarities between "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Monster, though Monster is a much more "mystery/suspence drama" but it could definitely work for the woman. Other titles I would recommend are "Me and the Devil Blues". If the woman likes a bit of blues she will love this. But I dont think it has ever been released in the states. Try aiming at soem drama/slice of life manga, that may work. As for the man, there are always sport manga ya know? |
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IchigoK90
 Posts: 1634 Location: Scarborough, Ontario |
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I'm not sure if it has been licensed or released in the U.S but if it is I would recommend Honey & Clover for the woman. Its a character driven manga which is something you pointed out that she likes about stories. Its of the Slice Of Life genre dealing with basically Art Students. I've only been able to watch the anime and i've loved it and i'm currently trying to find/read the manga.
"Believe it!" - IchigoK90 |
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Neilworms
 Posts: 155 Location: Chicago IL |
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Since you stated the words "no literary value" I'm afraid that the vast majority of manga released in the US do not fit that criteria. Not to mention the vast majority of manga in teh US are aimed at teenagers or young adults, there are very few manga aimed at an audience over 30 being published here, but if the work is good enough (and I mean doesn't rely soley on genre conventions to tell its story) it will attract older readers.
First of all it would help to know what kinds of books these people read, do they read any comics at all (you only mentioned manga)? Do they like more literary books (stuff you'd read in english classes) or do they read more genere stuff (pulp sci-fi, fantasy)? I think that's a good question to ask yourself before getting them a manga. Consider trying the following: Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind - ditto to the last remark, but the beginning is a bit of a slough, it doesn't get really really good until the 2nd half. Blue - Nananan Kiriko - A more literary manga, just make sure that these people aren't very conservative and would deplore a lesbian relationship. Really cool minimalist style, very realistic. Sexy Voice and Robo - I think this would be the best out of teh group to recommend, because not only is it a smart story that's done in a non-traditional way, its also very appealing to a wide audience (if someone who's an otaku isn't turned off by the art style, which these people obviously aren't, they might actually be quite pleased by it because its far more creative than what you normally see in manga). I'd consider recommending any of Tezuka's work, but maybe not as a starting point, Tezuka's problem is that he is both very sophisticated and very juvinile at the same time. This kind of style can be kind of hard for someone with any kind of maturity to get used to. But, out of his work I'd recommend showing phoenix, starting them off with volume 2 for the background, but I wouldn't start someone who's antagonistic to manga with Tezuka, but make it something for them to read when they start getting into it. If they are antagonistic to comics as a whole, maybe another good idea is to start them off on a more literary comic from the US and say that Japan has these comics but they aren't published here very much, when I find them I'll show you to them... I'll give a list of those if you'd like. |
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Kagemusha
 Posts: 2783 Location: Boston |
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Go with Domu. While it is technically supernatural horror, it has far more depth and social commentary that what's usually associated with the genre. The realistic art style should also appeal to a man who isn't used to the art style most titles use today. It's the favorite manga of a friend of mine who's in his 50's. Like a couple other people mentioned, Nausicaa is an exellent choice for both men and women; a true "literary" manga that should appeal to just about anyone. Sexy Voice and Robo is also a good choice, though I don't think I'd recommend it as an introduction tool. Same with some of Tezuka's work. There aren't too many josei (woman's manga) titles in english, and I definitally wouldn't recommend something like Nana that's high on the melodrama, so I guess neilworms' recommendation of Blue is the way to go. Very subtle, almost cinematic storytelling that's devoid of any cliches; overall a very mature, sophisticated and emotional (but not manipulative) story. The same goes for Kinderbook, a collection of short stories from Kan Takahama, or some of Erika Sakurazawa's books. Most bookstores should be able to order these books thanks to Ponent Mon's new distribution deal. |
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Wolverine Princess
Posts: 1100 |
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I know I should have mentioned this earlier, but both of these people are Catholic, and while they aren't as conservative as some religious folks can get, they wouldn't appreciate anything with a blatant homosexual relationship. But it's okay if it's just suggested at, or if homosexuality isn't the main focus of the story. |
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Kagemusha
Posts: 2783 Location: Boston |
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Well, two girls do kiss, but I would hessitate to call it a gay romance, as I think it's more about friendship and the pains of growing up than yuri. |
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bennyb
 Posts: 477 |
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Hmm. If they prefer reading to reading comics, maybe Death Note? It's a good series with an intriguing plot, ALOT of dialogue and it's hard to predict.
Otherwise.. man it's tough convincing people how awesome manga is. I'll have to second Excel Saga, esp. if he likes silly american cartoons like Courage, although anime of excel > manga. |
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