Forum - View topicWhat Manga Has Your Favorite Art?
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RedSwirl
 Posts: 344 |
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This is actually half a thread about discussing which manga art we find the most appealing and half a thread for suggesting manga based on their artwork - which happens to be my main criterion for reading manga.
My favorite manga art is almost definitely that of the series that introduced me to manga - Blade of the Immortal. Hiroaki Samura's knowledge of human anatomy let's him draw some unusually realistic shots and character designs. A good example is the cross-sections showing the insides of dismembered characters in the earlier volumes of BotI. BotI's little-to-zero use of inking also gives it a very raw, sketchy style that I think compliments the art well. Having been introduced to manga through BotI though has kinda put me into a corner as far as enjoying manga goes. That situation has set my standards so high that BotI is actually the only ongoing series I invest in since everything else in comparison blends in too much for me to buy. Since realizing this however I've tried to examine other stuff and ended up being blown away by the Akira manga. I still haven't gotten the last volume yet but a lot of the shots and angles in the manga are even more impressive than the movie. I've also decided to start following the Naruto manga instead of the anime because I actually like not only Kishimoto's artwork, but the production style of the Naruto books themselves. It's about ninjas and takes place in a medieval setting but I like its modern sensibilities. A good (but weird) comparison would be Afro Samurai. Last edited by RedSwirl on Tue Jul 14, 2009 7:26 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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LordRedhand
 Posts: 1472 Location: Middle of Nowhere, Indiana |
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Would I be ridiculed if I said Alex Ross, who's work on Kingdom Come and Justice League are amazing.
Example 
I mean if he can make the classic Aquaman look awesome, that's a feat. More found here-http://www.alexrossart.com/gallery_menu.asp |
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littlegreenwolf
 Posts: 4796 Location: Seattle, WA |
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I'm an art whore and will buy manga soley for their art.
My top faves: Alichino by Kouyu Shurei: I couldn't tell you what the heck is going on in this manga, only that the artist has completely mesmerized me with the style. The details, the clothing designs, everything is just so aesthetically gorgeous. I got so obsessed with it I even looked up her doujinshi for collecting and well... those are pricey. God Child by Kaori Yuki: From Yuki's early works, to her latest, you can literally see her art style and how it evolved over the years. Reading Count Cain, Angel Sanctuary, to God Child for example is just amazing because there is some serious growth and change of style, and I really like the end result. She can use some work on action scenes though, but other than that I have no complaints. Plus, I've just always loved how she draws eyes. Bleach by Kubo Tite: I don't much like the story anymore, but Bleach has a really active feel to it that makes it feel like it's constantly moving, and I love Tite's various use of line (how thick and thin they get, and how it sometimes looks like brush strokes), as well as his frame composition, in the frame, and placement. XXXholic by CLAMP: CLAMP changes artstyles from comic title to comic title. They seem to like trying something new and challenging with every new comic, and they even switch off on who is the main artist to shake things up. I like how it's always something new with them, but after being a fan of them and their styles for years I consider XXXHolic to be their Magnum Opus. It can't get much better than it with comics in my opinion, especially when using nothing BUT the colors black and white. Screen tones are rarely used (I've seen some artist depend on them almost like a crutch), and every frame is usually so gorgeous on it's own with it's composition, and the use of negative space. Because of this, and how long it has been since they last touched it (major experience years there), I really can't wait for them to get back to X. Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto: I didn't like the Naruto style at first, but Masashi since has grown, and as he did so he really grew on me. At first he was rather messy in my opinion, and never really played with his use of line (thickness, etc), and sometimes his characters didn't look very on-character (meaning sometimes their designs looked off). That over the years has changed, and he no longer has those problens. Also, he first started interesting me with his art pages, particularly ones that had direct references to traditional Japanese woodblock prints. I always love it when people give homages to art history and their roots. I'm sure I'll think of more tomorrow. |
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Generic #757858
 Posts: 1354 |
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Akira Hiramoto's Me and the Devil Blues is my current favorite in this department. Sure, some panels are less than stellar, but when Hiramoto really applies himself the results are incredible.
Berserk by Kentaro Miura and Battle Angel Alita / Gunnm by Yukito Kishiro are great examples of mangaka's artwork developing over time. Both are longrunning seinen fighting series that started out as rather ugly, but later became a feast for the eyes. Plus, I really have to give them both credit for attention to detail and choreography. Big Berserk pic BAA: Last Order vol. 8 cover: 
Haven't really had the time to read Red Colored Elegy (Seiichi Hayashi) or Solanin (Inio Asano) yet, but both have great art. Red Colored Elegy: 
Solanin: 
Lastly, I have to give a special mention Love*Com by Aya Nakahara. I generally don't like the generic overly 'pretty' and undetailed art in most shojo manga, but she is an exception. Love the expressions  .
Outside of manga I'm going to mention Mike Mignola (even though he seems to be drawing less and less these days  ):
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stuckinfresno
 Posts: 223 Location: Fresno, CA |
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Tough question. Because good art does not necessarily equate to a good storyline. As littlegreenwolf said Alchino has beautiful art but the storyline is basically nonexistant.
I suppose I would have to pick Solanin for excellent realistic/detailed art that doesn't end up sacrificing a good story. Another would a manhwa Let Dai for a similar reason. The art is beautiful and it compliments the story. I also love the gritty look of The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service. The art is very detailed and humorous, which is a tough combination. Another bouns is that the art is clear in all of the three mentioned titles. At no point in time am I left wondering what happened. |
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Tamaria
 Posts: 1512 Location: De Achterhoek |
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Solanin has already been mentioned and it's hard to think of something else... I am generally not a huge fan of the more realistic looking comics. While I acknowledge the effort and skills needed to create something like that, it's not something that attracts my attention when I'm in a comic book store. I prefer something like Sexy Voice and Robo. It's bold. I like how the mangaka can create immersive settings and distinctive characters with those bold and chaotic lines.
As for non-manga, I like Hislaire/Yslaire. Even back in the early eighties he knew how to create atmosphere and he experimented with panel layouts, which is uncommon for European comic artists. He changes his style from time to time to match the story he's working on. And now I've got an excuse to show off one of his his older works I bought recently 
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grave_digger18
 Posts: 106 Location: quebec city |
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I agree wholeheartedly with Berserk and BOTI being amazingly drawn mangas. I'd also like to mention vagabond although it is a small step down from the former, it's still has some beautiful artwork and well done choreography
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asura_wings
Posts: 31 |
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i like arina tanemura allot.
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ihateyouranimes
Posts: 3 |
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For me it's probably Fullmetal Alchemist. I love the high-contrast shadows and the really sharp lines. The fight scenes look fantastic, too.
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Planeswalker_Estella
 Posts: 17 |
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The first manga that I ever read was Katsuhiro Otomo's masterpiece Akira and that helped define my tastes greatly. I do not like most mainstream art styles (for example, I hate moe) and prefer imaginative and different styles. I do not have a favorite but my list consists of Akira, Tekkonkinkreet, Gon, Blade of the Imortal, Lone Wolf and Cub, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Solanin, Blame!, Short Cuts, and Yokohama Kaidishi Kikorou. I like the fact that Western comics tend to be be artistically ambitous and vary more then manga does (especially European comics for adults which are almost purely artisitc). Note, I do not know how to post pictures, so I would like it if someone posted the pictures that I indicate.
Akira - The entire series is on <snip>. I showed the entire series to my art teacher and he was blown away by the art and all aspects of it. The detail, the character designs, the way the action flows, everything is amazing. The characters do not look white unlike almost all other mangas and are distinctly Japanese. Despite that, Otomo stated that he was heavily influenced by western works and wanted to raise the production values of the comics being created at that time. These images are from the end of volume 3 (which is the best art in the entire series). Simply by looking at them, the only thing need saying is that it goes on like this for 2000+ pages. A massive achievement. Copies of it in english are very rare and are becoming exspensive to buy. Tekkonkinkreet - I have not actually read this manga but I have read Taiyo Matusmoto's other work Blue Spring (but I have flipped through this work and a little of No. 5). The artwork is heavily influenced by French artist Moebius (Moebius has many different styles and the one that influenced Matsumoto is different then what influenced Miyazaki, this time it is closer to Moebius's The Airtight Garage and his later works) and after years he formed his own style that is uniqely Japanese and French. He is one of the premire underground mangakas and one of the most influential La Nouvelle manga member (a alternative comic movement that is a collaboration between French and Japanese cartoonists) (pg. 12 of chapter 2 of Blue Spring from <snip>). Gon - Easily the best art ever in any comic, ever. The problem is that it takes so long to draw it that the comic is published only 4 times a year. Despite the heavy detail, Gon is absolutely adorable (contrary to Scott McCloud's idea about facial detail alienating the reader). The image says all (pg. 5 of ch. 00 in volume 6 at <snip>. Blade of the Immortal - The have a love hate relationship with this art. I admit, it is spectacular but my only complain is that when I was confused while reading it because I wouldn't always tell what or who was being depicted in relation to everything else. So, in a way the art took away from the reading experience. I agree that the anatomy of the people is very realistic (mostly because the artist is rare in the fact that he was trained in western classical art at an art school). I mostly just echo what other people commented on the art. Like Blame!, it feels raw. (pg. 5 of ch. 86 at <snip>). Lone Wolf and Cub - This is the most Japanese of all mangas ever (even the art). Most art in anime and manga stem from Osamu Tezuka who loved Disney so much that his early works are simply a copy of the style (he later breaks away and forms his own style but it still looks like Disney). This early 1970's comic draws the source of its artistic style from traditional Japanese prints. This (along with Akira) is one of the few mangas that my art teacher likes for its artistic merit. The cenamatic quality of adds to the tension and drama of the story rather then being a distraction. It is extremely long and spans 9600+ pages (all written and drawn in less then 7 years too). (pg. 7 of ch. 61 at <snip>). Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - Miyazaki's only long comic, the art is great and greatly influenced by Moebius (most notably his work Arzach). Of other note, this is my favorite comic of all time. But anyways, there is rich detail in every panal but it is quite dense (the large number of panals is more Western then Japanese) and thus the detail gets lost and can be a little awkard. (pg. 54 and part C of volume 5 at <snip>). Solanin - I really don't need to say anything bacause it was already mentioned and a picture posted earlier. All I can say is that the people look very realistic and I could see people like that in real life (but they would be white and not Japanese). [Mod note: Please don't link to scanlation sites. ~C] |
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fusion duelist
Posts: 58 |
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I love GitS especially the color pages, there is just so much detail. The neruochip in chapter 1 looks like it really is a photograph. Motoko disappearing looks cool too. I am not sure but I think it was made before they started using computers on manga.
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Zepzep7
Posts: 12 |
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God Child by Kaori Yuki
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Analog_Now
 Posts: 211 Location: Montréal, Québec |
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I've only recently got into manga and from what I have I really like Tekkonkinkreet's style. It's weird but at the same time really nice. It's a plus when theirs a show or movie with the manga to watch and you get to see the characters in action.
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Generic #757858
Posts: 1354 |
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Oh yes, I know exactly what pages you mean... Some real eyecatcher artwork there, heh heh  .
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Mushi-Man
 Posts: 1537 Location: KCMO |
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I agree with this. When I first saw Me and the Devil Blues I was blown away by the art in it (the story as well). You can just tell that there is a lot of work put into each page. It's just amazing art work. |
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