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My Personal Favorites▲▼
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Rating▲▼
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| Black Butler (manga) |
Very good |
| Black Cat (manga by K. Yabuki) |
Excellent |
| (I was skeptical about this series when I first saw it sitting on the shelf at the local Borders, but my brother convinced me to buy it. At first glance, the art looks like it was done by Watsuki-sensei (the author of Rurouni Kenshin), and indeed, the story is very similar to Watsuki's masterpiece. Except in the place of swords, we have guns. But the story still manages to be fresh and fun, with a multitude of interesting characters, a clever main cast, and a villian who could star as the lead singer of any J-Rock band. The story clips along at a fun, energy-filled pace providing laughs and intense action. The fight scenes are well paced and drawn spectacularly. A very good shounen manga, even if the premise is a bit over done!) |
| Bleach (manga) |
Excellent |
| (Ah, Bleach. Who doesn't know about Bleach? It's become one of the most popular series in the world and it deserves that. Tite Kubo is a master of intense, riveting fight scenes and he delivers some epic action. Unlike his previous manga (Zombie Powder), Tite Kubo has learned to finesse his character development skills. Each and every character is original and exciting. I love series in which my favorite characters aren't the main characters. And this series is a prime example of that (Hitsugaya and Renji FTW). Throughout the whole series, through the multiple fights, there is also a great amount of heart, which makes the series all the more lovable. Overall, it's a winner.) |
| Café Kichijouji de (manga) |
Masterpiece |
| (Fantastic art and a fabulously funny story make this one of the best short manga series out there. Even though there's only three volumes, the reader isn't left feeling unfulfilled. Granted, that may be due to the absence of a structured and linear plotline, but what more can we ask from slice of life comedies? The characters are all delightful - not one of them is lifeless or boring - and the situations they get into are hilariously executed. Yes, I'll admit, I was drawn to the series because I'm still in my bishie hunting phase (and those boys are all quite the lookers), but I stayed with it for the comedic ride. Definately a keeper.) |
| Chrono Crusade (manga) |
Masterpiece |
| (One of my all time favorite series, Daisuke Moriyama delivers an action-packed nuns-with-guns series that has all the fun and heart I could have hoped for. The first time you see the two main characters, you're locked into their journey. The art is beautiful, the characters are wonderful, and the story is epic. It's one of those series that will make you laugh, hope, and cry. It's the relationships between the characters that makes the story so delightful as well as the themes of love, family, friendship, and the search to regain what was lost. Overall, it's a winner and one of my all time favorite manga series. If you've seen the anime, PLEASE read the manga!! It is so much better.) |
| D.Gray-man (manga) |
Masterpiece |
| (I've heard a lot of people talking about this series negatively, saying it's an overdone premise - that they've seen this story a billion times before. Honestly, I think it's one of the best Shonen series out there. It's lodged with Chrno Crusade at the top of my favorite list, in fact. It takes a lot to turn an "overdone premise" into a good story, but Katsura Hoshino accomplishes that. His art is amazing - far and above the level of other more popular shonen artists out there (*cough* Kishimoto-sensei *cough*) - and it gives the manga an almost surreal tone. The characters are nicely developed - including the primary antagonist who almost reminds me of Mojo from the X-Men comics - and the plot is well structured. It's definatly worth looking into, but be warned - it's addictive...) |
| Death Note (manga) |
Excellent |
| (It seriously takes me HOURS to get through one book. There are so many words, and so much going on all at once, that it's hard to take it all in and I seriously feel so dumb compared to those fictional characters. But once you get past the initial shock that human beings can actually think that way and not confuse themselves, the story absorbs you and you get caught up in the horror and drama of the series. It's more than a shonen series, it's an epic masterpiece of the battle between good and evil and the moral conflicts that face us daily. What I think is so unique about the series is that we follow the "bad guy" and we watch in awe as he outsmarts everyone, often times winning. It's written so complexly that we almost forget that the basis for the story is really about shinigami and the art is so well done that we almost forget we're reading a graphic novel and not looking at photographs. It has a cinematic tone and leaves the reader feeling shocked, sickened, and enthralled. It's a classic, in my mind. A must read for everyone.) |
| Fruits Basket (manga) |
Excellent |
| (Just a cute cute series. I'm not that much of a shoujo fan, but this series is defiantly a win. Yes, it's popular to the EXTREME, but there IS a reason why. It has so much heart, it moves me to tears. There are also a grand amount of funny parts (which often move me to tears as well because I laugh so hard) and the characters are all so loveable - yes, even Tohru who is only rivaled in her Mary-Sue factor by Miaka from Fushigi Yuugi. The art is gorgeous and the plot is very well executed. It's a fantastic series.) |
| Fullmetal Alchemist (manga) |
Masterpiece |
| (I began with the anime. The anime blew me off my feet. I wanted more. I found it. This manga is also at the top of my list. What I love most is that the story is so different from the first anime, so it's all fresh and new. I seriously love it. The art is fabulous and the characters are amazing. Coming from my perspective, as one who saw the anime before reading the manga, I was thrilled that the manga has the same intensity, the same heart, and the same themes of brotherhood, redemption, and friendship that the anime had. Some characters are different, some aren't even present in the manga, but the two main characters are as pure as ever. Hiromu Arakawa has created an epic masterpiece that will be remembered for a long time to come. It's simply amazing.) |
| Hana-Kimi (manga) |
Excellent |
| Hetalia - Axis Powers (manga) |
Excellent |
| Hikaru no Go (manga) |
Excellent |
| Honey and Clover (manga) |
Excellent |
| Inuyasha (manga) |
Excellent |
| Kaze Hikaru (manga Taeko Watanabe) |
Very good |
| Kingdom Hearts (manga) |
Very good |
| Kingdom Hearts II (manga) |
Very good |
| Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (manga) |
Very good |
| MeruPuri - The Marchen Prince (manga) |
Excellent |
| Monster (manga) |
Masterpiece |
| Ouran High School Host Club (manga) |
Masterpiece |
| Rurouni Kenshin (manga) |
Masterpiece |
| Samurai Deeper Kyo (manga) |
Very good |
| Suikoden III (manga) |
Excellent |
| Sword of the Dark Ones (manga) |
Good |
| Tales of Symphonia (manga) |
Very good |
| Trinity Blood (manga) |
Very good |
| Tsubasa, RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE (manga) |
Excellent |
| Utahime: The Songstress (manga) |
Masterpiece |
