Hey everybody, so I was looking to see if any of you might have some manga that I might enjoy reading. Here's a list of everything I have on my MAL:
http://myanimelist.net/mangalist/mysngoeshere56I'll share my thoughts on what I have. Here's how my system works to me...
1-3: A total waste of time. Play a video game instead.
4 or 5: It's OK but I don't feel as if I'd have missed anything if I'd skipped it.
6 or 7: An average score. Could be better, but worth reading at least once.
8 or 9: An excellent score, and something I would recommend to others and/or enjoy reading again.
10: A complete masterpiece that should be read by all.
Also, a few "rules" I've made for myself that you guys will want to know if you recommend something to me...
1. I won't go for something unlicensed and/or out of print that's hard to find. If I liked a series, but couldn't finish because I cannot find and/or afford the last few volumes, it would sadden me.
2. I don't have the time, finances, energy, or (to be completely honest) desire to invest in a series that's been running strong for years and shows no sign of stopping (Bleach/Naruto/One Piece are the prime examples of this). If it's over 30 volumes and shows no sign of ending any time soon, I'm not going to bother with it.
3. While I am fairly laid back with content (obviously, as I'm into action and Gothic stuff), there are a few things that can be considered "over the top" for me. I'll explain on that as I write on what I have if need be.
Here are my thoughts on what I have on there...
*Currently Reading/Re-Reading*
1. Bakuman - Greatly enjoying it to the point I've read to. It's so nice to see some romance from a shonen perspective, as a lot of romance I've seen has been shojo.
2. Sailor Moon - I'm picky when it comes to shojo, but this is one magical girl series I've come to love. I really like its originality, and since most other magical girl anime/manga was branched off of it, it's usually hard for me to get into others unless they're different enough to not feel like a carbon-copy of Sailor Moon. Sailors Pluto and Saturn are my favorites, along with Tuxedo Mask.
3. Cardcaptor Sakura - This is an example of a different magical girl manga that I enjoy. I adore the entire cast, and it's all so memorable. A wonderful series.
4. D.N.Angel - My all-time favorite. I wish somebody else would re-license the manga, but I'm happy that Tokyopop published the volume that ended the most recent arc. I own every volume released by Tokyopop. I just wish Yukiru Sugisaki would devote time to finishing it and for it to get re-licensed here.
5. Mobile Suit Gundam SEED - I found the first volume laying around my house. I'm not sure my full opinion on it, but I found it decent enough. I'll read the second volume to see where it goes.
6. Ouran High School Host Club - One of my two favorite romantic shojos (at least to the point I've read - I watched the whole anime though). I always look forward to seeing how things progress.
7. Rurouni Kenshin - An excellent story, with some very memorable characters. I love Sano and Kenshin. Kaoru and Yahiko can be pretty annoying, but the story arcs are still strong and it really sets a standard for what should be in shonen manga.
8. Tsubasa Chronicle - Amazing! I love the concept and ideas. The storyline is fantastic and the characters are all so loveable. The only issue I think I have with it is...
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: The ending...*FINISHED*
1. .hack//Legend of the Twilight - Very good. Not my favorite, but had a decent storyline with a fairly good plot. I liked the characters. The fanservice was a *little* bit much, but other than that, it's a fun read for every now and again.
2. Codename: Sailor V - My opinion for Sailor Moon is basically the same as my opinion for this.
3. Fruits Basket - Such an incredibly beautiful love story. I loved all of the characters, and even the villainous characters were awesome because they made such fantastic villains. All of the characters had a much deeper plot than originally expected. I wish the anime continued the story.
4. Goth - THIS is one example of something that went "over the top" for me. I really enjoyed the story and characters, and the artwork was superb, but the violence was too heavy for me. I'm perfectly fine with violence, but I think this was just a little too much for my own personal comfort level. If it were longer than 1 volume, I wouldn't have finished it.
5. Kingdom Hearts - Good for a fun read every now and again, but nothing that I'd put on my own personal favorites list. Maybe it's because I haven't given it enough of a chance, though...
6. Magic Knight Rayearth - Another magical girl series I've come to enjoy! All three characters were so easy to love, and they made a great team. The plot progressed really well too. I do plan to read MKR II when I get the chance.
7. Mermaid Melody - I'll be honest, I only finished this series because I really don't like *not* finishing series after I start them. The artwork was great and the story had potential, but I couldn't stand the shallow, one-dimensional nature of the "romance" (if it could even be called that?). The superb artwork and *potential* it had (that went unused) kept me from giving this a 1.
8. Shirahime-Syo: Snow Goddess Tales - A good one-volume effort from CLAMP. I generally enjoy their works. Some of the stories were fairly sad, but they were all well-told and drawn. Not much else to say.
9. Tokyo Mew Mew - It's a cute idea, but I just didn't care for it much. It felt like it was mostly a copy of Sailor Moon, but with younger characters and the focus on endangered species instead of planets. I really liked Zakuro and Ryo, but I was annoyed when...
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Ichigo wound up with the perfect guy instead. -_-10. The One I Love - My opinion for Snow Goddess Tales is basically the same (nix the part about sadness, though, because this volume is a sweet romance).
11. Wolf's Rain - Decent, but not as memorable as the anime. I think that was a better way to tell the story. And it's too short, too.
I'm enjoying everything that's on-hold. The reason why they're on-hold is because of lack of time to read them, and/or lack of volumes at the library and finances to buy them.
*DROPPED*
1. 20th Century Boys - I'll be honest... I picked this up because I've heard the glowing reviews. But I couldn't get into it. I honestly couldn't wait to finish the first volume; the story felt non-existant and the kid with the snot hanging from his nose just grossed me out. I've debated giving it another chance by reading the second volume, but I just disliked the first one so much that I haven't felt an interest in it... but still, there's always that seed in me that wonders if I should. Should I?
2. Angelic Layer - I really like the concept, but I just couldn't get into the manga quite as much for some reason. I thought the anime was very cute, though (I honestly prefer it). Maybe I should give it another chance now that it's been re-released. I do enjoy CLAMP a lot, and Dark Horse generally does a good job.
3. Bleach - Started to read it, and watched some of the anime, but I dropped it for the reason mentioned before. I just don't have time, unless it's ended now? Then maybe I can try to finish it...
4. High School Debut - I honestly am thinking of this more as something that's "On Hold" than dropped, because I thought it was decent enough. I just didn't get into it very much, and felt that other series I was reading at the time held my interest more. Also, I asked a friend of mine, and so...
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: As I expected, the plot moves in the most predictable way possible with them falling in love after all, so I felt there was no need to go for it right away. I think I probably will once I finish some series that I'm more interested in, though.5. Mamotte! Lollipop - It's cute, but it's nothing exceptional to me. I watched the full anime and felt the same way. I didn't feel the need to re-experience that with the manga.
6. Peach Girl - Same thing as High School Debut. Interesting idea, and I might to back to it later, but I just didn't feel as interested in it as other shojo like Ouran and Fruits Basket.
7. Revolutionary Girl Utena - This is a DND title, so I won't speak of the content itself. All I *will* say is that series like this are the reason why I don't start series if they're out of print and hard to find, because it's now impossible to find the last volume at a local library and the cheapest prices on Amazon are always over $20.
8. Tokyo Mew Mew a la Mode - It takes a lot for me to dislike a series so much that I refuse to finish it, but this was one of the few that did it for me. Mew Berry was a fairly annoying character IMHO, and even though Ichigo wasn't my favorite, I don't like that she was shunned as much as she was and replaced by Berry. I didn't bother with the second volume, even though it was also the last, because I disliked the first one so much.
Also, to clarify... Just because something's on my "to read" list, doesn't mean I really plan on reading it anymore. Most of those are titles I came across years ago and put them on back then. My interests have changed quite a bit, and the amount of time I have to read manga and watch anime has too. So if you want to recommend something but don't feel the need to because it's there, feel free to recommend it anyway. I plan on scrapping titles on the list that no longer interest me once I have time. I don't even remember everything I have on there, to be totally honest...
Also, if it helps, I'll include my anime list too. If you read it, it'll give you and even broader idea of what I enjoy. And just so you all know, what I said about the "to read" list on my manga list can also be said about the "to watch" list on my anime list. It's right here:
http://myanimelist.net/animelist/mysngoeshere56So, does anybody have any recommendations?