| Read all▲▼ | Rating▲▼ | Comment▲▼ |
| 20th Century Boys (manga) | Very good | Dramatic epic with excellent characters and a gripping plot. But beware, the storyline is dark, complex, and spans over 40 years often switching back and forth between three different eras. Good art. (If you liked this try: Monster, Death Note) |
| 87 Clockers (manga) | So-so | |
| A.I. Love You (manga) | So-so | No apparent plot in middle volumes. |
| Ageha o Ō Monotachi (manga) | Good | |
| Ai no Tame ni (manga) | Good | A compilation of short stories about high beginnings of high school romances. Decent art. |
| Ai Yori Aoshi (manga) | Very good | Finally! A romantic comedy with a strong, decent, upstanding, competent male protagonist. Excellent art. My personal favorite. (If you liked this try: Love Hina, Mahoromatic) |
| Aiki (manga) | Decent | Mature audiences only (graphic sex). Never really liked the main protagonist. Decent plot, good art. |
| Aishiteruze Baby (manga) | So-so | Nice enough story that holds together as long as you don't look too hard. Decent characters, decent art. |
| Akira (manga) | Masterpiece | Gripping sci-fi plot with excellent characters and very good art. |
| Akumetsu (manga) | Good | Mature audiences only (violence, sex). Interesting plot that keeps you engaged without becoming overly complex (that comes later). Decent art. |
| Alice 19th (manga) | Decent | Quick moving plot, good characters, very good art. |
| Allison (manga) | Excellent | |
| Anedoki (manga) | So-so | Short run with the standard older hot but not quite my sister complex. Nothing much to distinguish it from other series. Good art, lot and lots of fan service. |
| Angel Densetsu (manga) | Decent | While the gimmick surrounding the protagonist is different, not much else in is. Decent plot, decent art, and nothing spectacular about the fighting scenes. |
| Anti-Magic Academy: The 35th Test Platoon (manga, Y. Yasumura) | Decent | |
| Ao Haru Ride (manga) | Good | |
| Aquarian Age: Juvenile Orion (manga) | So-so | Decent art and a decent plot that just never captured my interest. |
| Assassination Classroom (manga) | Excellent | |
| B-Shock! (manga) | Decent | Fairly simple plot with basic characters which are likable enough. Art is below average. |
| Baby Love (manga) | Decent | Your typical light-hearted high school love story except it is set in junior high. Not too much slap-stick or overt drama keeps a nice balance and the story moving. |
| Basilisk (manga) | Excellent | Mature audiences only (graphic violence and nudity). A dark and violent Romeo & Juliet story with a complex cast of characters and bullet train plot. Good art. |
| Battle Angel Alita (manga) | Decent | Intelligent, dark, action packed, gory and moralistic, with a female battle android. Very good if you like that sort of thing, but I didn't. Decent art. |
| Battle Royale (manga) | Decent | Mature audiences only (graphic violence and graphic sex). Your typical "death game" plot line setting classmates against one another. The plot plot and dialog are executed will enough with decent characters and decent art (trying to provide sufficient visual differentiation of all the characters makes some of them goofy looking). |
| Beauty is the Beast (manga) | Good | Quirky little romantic story that moves quickly. Decent art. If you liked this try: Love Roma. |
| Believers (manga) | Good | Mature audiences only (graphic sex). A case study of the psychological impact when the rules of society are replaced with a cult dogma. Although initially it is hard to figure out where the story is going, the ending really brings home the point. Good art. |
| Big Order (manga) | Decent | |
| Billionaire Girl (manga) | Decent | |
| Bitter Virgin (manga) | Excellent | Due to the fact that the series is short (only 4 volumes) is one of the reason it got rated so high. The setup for the plot initially seems contrived but you quickly come to care for the characters. And there are very few gyrations in the teen angst love triangle due to the fast moving plot. The art is good but I'm not a fan of this style. |
| Black Jack (manga) | Good | While this manga deals with weighty issues, it handles them with kid gloves. Because of all the dark topics begin alluded to, you expect something really dark to happen, but Jack always seems to come to the rescue, or least a bitter sweet resolution. Poor art. |
| Blade of the Immortal (manga) | Decent | Mature audiences only (graphic violence). Quite a bit of graphic sword play in what starts out with your standard revenge plot line but just becomes convoluted as the series progresses. So-so art. (If you liked this try: Rurouni Kenshin, Vagabond) |
| Blame! (manga) | Decent | Futuristic, dark, and foreboding, the central story arc stays just out of reach the entire way through the series. |
| Blissful Land (manga) | Very good | |
| Bokkō (manga) | Good | Mature audiences only (graphic violence, sex). It's all about the plot. The first half carries well but the second arc seems to come to conclusion rather rapidly. Decent, art, good characters, very good story. (If you like this try: Lone Wolf & Cub, Samurai Executioner) |
| (The) Booking Life (manga) | So-so | |
| A Bride's Story (manga) | Excellent | "Otoyomegatari" on Manga Rock (iPad). Completed through Chapter 23.5. |
| Broken Blade (manga) | So-so | Mature audiences (graphic violence). I'm not a big fan of mecha and so some of the action scenes get confusing for me to follow who is doing what. Interesting concept of reversing the magic quotient for the protagonist. Introducing characters just to kill them off is also starting to annoy. Completed through Chapter 40. |
| Bunny Drop (manga) | Excellent | Nice slice of life story that describes the trails and tribulations of someone learning to raise a child from a standing start. It reads like real life, which we all know, has more than drama in just the daily events. Decent art. |
| Cat Street (manga) | Decent | Good plot and good characters with nice art that was nice read. |
| Change 123 (manga) | Very good | Mature audiences (nudity). Story arc manages to keep the main protagonist just within the range of success for the underdog. Good characters, very good plot, good art. |
| Chibi Vampire (manga by Y. Kagesaki) | Good | Good premise that doesn't get too overblown and a good plot that keeps moving without rehashing too much of the teen angst. Good art. |
| Chobits (manga) | Very good | Excellent plot that moves quickly to the conclusion which, in my opinion, was unsatisfying. Good characters, very good art. |
| Chrono Crusade (manga) | Decent | Plot moves quickly for most of the story but starts to get overly convoluted at the conclusion. Good characters, good art. |
| Ciguatera (manga) | So-so | Mature audiences (nudity, sexual situations). The story bounced between serious, angst, and over the top comedy such that I need really felt comfortable. Good plot, good art. |
| Cross Game (manga) | Decent | Typical Adachi fare: good characters, good art, good plot. This story just seemed even more laid back than usual. |
| Crying Freeman (manga) | Excellent | Mature audiences only (graphic violence and sex). The only reason it doesn't get top marks is the lack of a central arc. Good art. |
| D.C. Da Capo (manga) | So-so | Simple story line with simple characters and decent art. |
| Dance in the Vampire Bund (manga) | Good | Mature audiences (nudity, violence). It's takes a little bit to get past some of the plot inconsistencies but it moves quickly. Good characters, very good art. Completed through Volume 14. |
| Dance Till Tomorrow (manga) | Decent | Mature audiences only. Enjoyable, light Shounen reading that happens to work all the sex in to the plot somehow. And I do mean lots of sex. Disappointing ending. Decent art. |
| DearS (manga) | Not really good | Fairly standard alien girlfriend genre with the corresponding sexual tension and alien conspiracy to keep the plot moving. Good art. |
| Defense Devil (manga) | So-so | The story didn't quite live up to the premise. |
| Densha Otoko (manga) | Very good | |
| A Distant Neighborhood (manga) | Excellent | A fantastic short story about the doldrums of middle age and lost innocence of our youth. Excellent art. |
| Domina no Do! (manga) | Bad | |
| Domu (manga) | Very good | A graphically violent short story that is totally engrossing. Fast plot pace, very good art. |
| Eden - It's an Endless World! (manga, Hiroki Endo) | So-so | |
| Elfen Lied (manga) | | complete, 12 volumes |
| (The) Emerging Story of Mismarca (manga) | Good | |
| Emma (manga) | Very good | A patient, intelligent, and understated love story. Excellent characters. The 19th century English setting is a refreshing change of pace. Good art. |
| Evergreen (manga) | Very good | |
| Full Metal Panic! (manga) | Very good | Enjoyable story with a nice balance of action, mecha, and teen comedy romantic angst. Good art, good characters. |
| Futari no Renai Shoka (manga) | Very good | |
| Ga-Rei (manga) | So-so | |
| Gal Gohan (manga) | Very good | |
| (The) Garden of Words (manga) | Excellent | |
| Ghost Hunt (manga) | Good | Good stories, good characters, good art, and a nice tidy ending. |
| (The) Gods Lie (manga) | Excellent | |
| Goodnight Punpun (manga) | Decent | |
| Graduale der Wolken (manga) | Very good | |
| GTO (manga) | Decent | Mature audiences only. Really inventive plot concept that starts to fizzle through the middle volumes. Raunchy and dark at times. So-so art. |
| H2 (manga) | Excellent | Excellent high school baseball theme with intelligent characters, low-key romantic tension that runs to a nicely interweaved conclusion, plenty of nice fan service, and good art. (If you liked this try: Touch, Katsu!) |
| Hiatari Ryōkō! (manga) | Good | A nice simple basic high school comedy/romance with likeable characters. Good art. |
| Honeymoon Salad (manga) | Decent | Mature audiences only. The main character was just bit too dishonest for me to like him. |
| Hoshi no Furumachi - Sekai de Ichiban Yasashii Saisei Love Story (manga) | Decent | |
| Hot Milk (manga) | Decent | Some action, some fan service, easy to follow plot, but only 19 chapters long. Decent art. |
| Hotarubi no Mori e (manga) | Good | |
| I focus on your color (manga) | So-so | |
| Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaō (manga) | Good | |
| Immortal Rain (manga) | Good | A decent story (good plot, romantic tension, some action, occasionally very dark) with good characters and an interesting backstory. Decent art. |
| Inu Neko Jump! (manga) | Not really good | Ecchi but with some semblance of a plot (albeit slow moving) that just seems to end abruptly. Decent art. |
| IO (manga) | So-so | Plot gets increasingly convoluted as the series progresses such that the ending is throughly meaningless. Good art, lots of fan service. |
| Is This Girl For Real? (manga) | Decent | |
| (The) Isolator - Realization of Absolute Solitude (manga) | Decent | |
| Itsudatte My Santa (manga) | Decent | Oneshot romance story with good art. |
| Itsumo Misora (manga) | Decent | A lot of work went into setting up the premise and reaches a conclusion but leaves too much of the premise incomplete. It's as if the story stopped at 5 volumes when it was supposed to go for 12 volumes. Typical good Adachi characters and decent art. |
| Jinbe (manga) | So-so | Simple story with a simple but satisfying ending. Decent art. |
| Junjō Cider (manga) | Decent | |
| Kare Kano (manga) | Very good | A good high school romance that is medium on angst, high on good dialogue, strong on character development and weak on plot for the first 12 volumes. The plot thickens considerably in the second half of the series. Good art. |
| Katsu! (manga) | Good | A wonderful wholesome (a light risque moment here & there) high school sports story with possibly my favorite male protagonist. He's honest, forth-right, even-tempered and sensible; I wish I could have his attitude. Very good characters, good art, but the plot seems to lose some of its punch mid-way through the series. The ending finishes neatly but seemed a little rushed. (If you liked this, try: Touch, Suzuka) |
| Kids on the Slope (manga) | Very good | Teen angst all the way. Very well paced plot that doesn't recycle the same theme but moves and grows in different directions. Well developed characters. Good clean art. |
| Kimagure Orange Road (manga) | So-so | The special powers of the male protagonist adds a subtle twist to the typical proceedings but really doesn't end up adding much to the story. It was the plot looping through the same story arc over and over that just got too boring. As with another title, my recommendation is to read volumes 1-3 and then skip to the final volume. Poor art. |
| Kimishika Iranai (manga) | Decent | A well executed high school romance. Likeable characters, a different plot twist, good art. |
| Koikaze (manga) | Very good | The sexual tension in this series was incredible!! No time-wasting detour plots, just full bore drama. The subject matter may be taboo, but that's part of what gives the storytelling such impact. Good characters, poor art. |
| Koisome Momiji (manga) | Very good | |
| Kure-nai (manga by Y. Yamamoto) | Good | The plot jumps around a little bit too much for this type of story but otherwise handled nicely. Good characters, good art. |
| Kurogane (manga by Toume) | Decent | The story tries to philosophize about life and death but never really pulls it off. Some swordplay and gore with lots of dying, but it is all handled very appropriately. Decent art. |
| Kuroko's Basketball (manga) | Decent | |
| Kuzumi-kun, Can't You Read the Room? (manga) | Decent | |
| Like a Butterfly (manga) | So-so | |
| Living Game (manga) | Good | Mature audiences only. I'm not sure what to say. I liked it, then I didn't like it, then I really liked it, and then...? The romance is adult oriented (with sex often as a central issue) and covers lots of urban life topics. Good characters and good art. (If you liked this try: Maison Ikkoku, Dance Till Tomorrow) |
| Lone Wolf and Cub (manga, Kazuo Koike) | Very good | Mature audiences only. A collection of stories filled with graphic violence and sex. The first third of the collection are individual stories often with a philosophical message. The central arc appears eventually in the second third with the central theme being honor. The story really picks up in the final third. Decent art. (If you liked this try: Samurai Executioner, Rurouni Kenshin, Bokko.) |
| Love Hina (manga) | Excellent | This series was really fun to read. Engaging plot, entertaining characters, very good art. |
| Love Roma (manga) | Good | A quirky high school comedy romance that had me laugh out loud more than a couple of times. Likeable characters. The art work is a little odd, but seems to fit the style of the story. No real plot. (If you liked this try: Yotsubato, Beauty is the Beast) |
| Love*Com (manga) | Decent | Better than average high school romantic comedy that avoids turning into the typical carousel of boyfriend/girlfriend changes. Good characters with a good plot that starts to weaken after Volume 8. So-so art. |
| Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer (manga) | Excellent | The plot starts out slowly and it takes some time to adjust to the stilted mannerisms of the main characters But you learn love them and when they die (some of them do) it really matters. The plot is easy enough to follow but convoluted enough that you won't figure out the ending. Decent art, very good plot, very good characters. |
| Ludwig Kakumei (manga) | Decent | Strange retelling of classic fairy tales; plus I'm not a big fan of this art style. |
| Magico (manga) | Good | Likable characters, good plot, decent art. |
| Mahoraba (manga) | Good | A unique twist on the harem concept with a leisurely pace, a likable protagonist, good characters and a wholesome love story. Good art. |
| Mahoromatic (manga) | Excellent | A racy, fun read with a quick moving plot. Good characters, very good art. |
| Mahou Shoujo Neko X (manga) | Bad | Plenty of ecchi subject matter with only a semblance of plot and no character development. Good art. |
| Maid-sama! (manga) | So-so | |
| Maison Ikkoku (manga) | Decent | Standard plot concept with very nice ending, but tedious through the middle. Goofy characters, good art. (If you liked this try: Living Game) |
| Maniac Road (manga) | Very good | Energetic plot that drives a fine line between being oversold and repsectiful. Regardless, it's very entertaining. Decent art. |
| Marmalade Boy (manga) | So-so | Typical teen angst story. Plot moves quickly, good characters, good art. |
| Mayo Chiki! (manga) | Decent | |
| Milk Crown (manga) | Not really good | Simple plot with simple characters and not much depth. Good art and reads quickly. |
| Miriam (manga) | Decent | Change of pace being a Western. The first arc is a pretty easy story. The second arc is little bit more heavy into the relationship of the main characters. Decent art, good characters. |
| Missing Piece (manga) | Weak | What starts out as a serial ends up as a collection of stories. Interesting plot concept that never develops. Good art. |
| Miyuki (manga) | Decent | Cute story with nice ending, but it gets tiresome as the characters are stuck in the same plot loop for over 4 years. No central story arc, good characters, decent art. My recommendation? Read volumes 1-3 then skip to volume 12. |
| Monster (manga) | Masterpiece | A complex, riveting plot with characters you care about. Violent and dark but also life reaffirming. (If you liked this try: 20th century Boys, Death Note) |
| Moyasimon (manga) | So-so | |
| My Fair Neighbor (manga) | Decent | |
| My Lovely Ghost Kana (manga) | So-so | |
| M×0 (manga) | Good | Good underdog story that ends a bit abruptly for my tastes. Good characters, decent plot, good art. |
| Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (manga) | Masterpiece | A philosophic sci-fi story where you end up rooting for all the characters. Excellent plot, good characters, so-so art. |
| Neko-ane (manga) | Decent | |
| Niji-iro Tōgarashi (manga) | Decent | Good plot that stays light-hearted throughout but slows down during the middle volumes. The conclusion in the last volume ties up most of the loose ends however you are left with lots of subplot lines that get closed rather abruptly. Good characters, decent art. |
| Nijigahara Holograph (manga) | Not really good | Mature Audiences Only (violence, sex). Dark and convoluted; make sure you want to spend some time exploring a twisted tale of revenge and exploitation. Not fun for the amount of work involved. |
| Nine (manga) | Good | A typical wholesome Mitsuru Adachi effort with maybe a little more overt romance and less drama. If you liked this try: Touch, H2. |
| Nodame Cantabile (manga) | Very good | Sophisticated, intelligent story and characters with simple, clean art. |
| Ode to Kirihito (manga) | Very good | Very good story although you don't seem to care about the main characters as much as you should. Old-style art. |
| Oishii Study (manga) | So-so | Decent story but some of characters motivations weren't entirely clear. Decent art. |
| Old Boy (manga) | Very good | Mature audiences only. A dark psychological thriller with excellent characters and very good art. |
| Oreimo (manga) | Weak | |
| Parallel (manga) | Decent | Story moves relatively quickly with only a few added roadblocks. Plenty of fan service. Good art, decent characters. |
| Penguin Brothers (manga) | Decent | The plot moves quickly with good dose of teen angst & tension with bit of violence and romance. Decent art. |
| Psyren (manga) | Very good | It takes a little bit for the full story arc to emerge but it once it does the story really starts to matter. Very good characters, good art. |
| Q and A (manga) | So-so | It was nice a patient story that was starting to come together when a surprisevendingbupset it (for me at least). Good art. |
| Q.E.D. (manga) | Excellent | Mystery serial with using a mild mannered genius high school student and his nosey female friend. The stories are tight and entertaining with lots of techincal detail. Good characters and good art. Completed through Chapter 20.3. |
| Rappa (manga) | Decent | |
| Re:ZERO -Starting Life In Another World- Chapter 1: A Day in the Capital (manga) | Good | |
| Regatta (manga) | Very good | |
| Rough (manga) | Good | A very well done sports-themed Romeo & Juliet story that seems to fade toward the middle but comes to rather nicely constructed conclusion. Good characters, good art. |
| Rurouni Kenshin (manga) | Very good | Strong, honorable protagonist with plenty of very good fighting story lines. The central story arc takes awhile to materialize, but is worth it. Very good art. (If you liked this try: Samurai Deeper Kyo) |
| (The) Sacred Blacksmith (manga) | Good | |
| Saikano (manga) | Decent | Mature audiences only. Absolutely heart-breaking tale of how much sadness people can endure in the name of love. It left me exhausted and depressed. Very good art. |
| Saiyuki (manga, K. Minekura) | Not really good | The four main characters are entertaining but the plot never really comes together. Decent fight scenes. Decent art. |
| Samurai Executioner (manga) | Decent | Mature audiences only. Graphic violence and graphic sex (usually rape) accompany a very detailed and historically accurate look at the life of an executioner in Edo-period Japan. Deeply philosophical at times, bitter and brutal at others. Individual stories with no connecting arc other than the main character. Poor art. (If you liked this try: Lone Wolf & Cub, Bokko) |
| Say I Love You. (manga) | Decent | |
| Sekine's Love (manga) | Good | |
| Sentō Jōsai Masurawo (manga) | Decent | Good characters and intelligent plot but incomplete ending is disappointing. Decent art. |
| Seven Ocean (manga) | So-so | |
| Sexy Voice and Robo (manga) | Not really good | A series of short stories about a girl who manipulates the seedy side of humanity. She does it with no honor or compassion so it feels more like exploitation than justice. No central arc, poor art. |
| Shindere Shōjo to Kodoku na Shinigami (manga) | Decent | |
| Shiota-sensei to Amai-chan (manga) | So-so | |
| Short Program (manga) | Very good | Very good collection of short stories. Most are light romantic comedies however a few are more serious and darker. Good art. |
| Shuna's Journey (manga) | Excellent | The only problem with this story is is was over too soon! Beautiful full color art. |
| A Silent Voice (manga) | Good | This was a tough read starting out. It's all about redemption. The motives of the characters were sometimes hard to understand. |
| Snow White with the Red Hair (manga) | Very good | Standard commoner meets prince with heart of gold. Even simple executed well is worth a look. Good plot, good art. |
| Sorayume no Uta (manga) | Weak | Two short stories intertwined with no real punch. Good art. |
| Spice & Wolf (light novel) | Excellent | |
| A Springtime with Ninjas (manga) | Decent | |
| Stigma (manga) | Decent | More of a short story that a manga really. Decent art. |
| Suzuka (manga) | So-so | Sports themed high school teen angst story with decent characters, however the plot languishes as the boyfriend/girlfriend pairings constantly rotate in and out through the middle chapters. Comes to nice conclusion. (If you liked this try: Touch, Ai Yori Aoshi) |
| Sweetness & Lightning (manga) | Good | |
| Takemitsuzamurai (manga) | Very good | The story is curiously vague but also meanders frustrating around the central plot. I'm continuing to read because I'm waiting to see the impending train wreck that is bound to occur. Possibly the worst art I've ever seen. Completed through Ch 41. |
| Threads of Time (manhwa) | Decent | Mature audiences only (graphic violence). The story starts off a little slow and is irregular in places but it comes to nice conclusion, especially right at very end. Good plot, good characters, good art. |
| Togari (manga) | Very good | Compelling philosophical plot, fast moving with plenty of action, good characters and decent art. The real disappointment is the unresolved ending. |
| Tomo-chan Is a Girl! (manga) | Very good | |
| Tonari no Hijiri-kun (manga) | So-so | Three very short high school romance stories. Good art. |
| Touch (manga) | Masterpiece | A wonderfully patient and well executed story (virtually no slapstick, reserved fan service) that manages to pull off the perfect balance of uncertainty, hope, and drama required in any high school coming of age plot. By the way, if you hate baseball, you're not going to like this story. Excellent characters, good art. (If you liked this try: Rurouni Kenshin, Katsu!) |
| Tsubasa, RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE (manga) | Very good | A well constructed story with all the elements in place (princess, underdog hero, hidden enemies, quirky side-kicks, etc.) The bonus comes with the revolving time travel which also different period pieces to set in place. Good characters. Good art. (If you liked this try: Maharomatic, Rurouni Kenshin) |
| Tsuiteru Kanojo (manga) | So-so | It takes a little bit for the real plot to appear but goes pretty quickly and cleanly from there. Good art. |
| Tsukihime (manga) | Good | Mature audiences only (graphic violence, some graphic sex). Easy to follow plot with a competent male protagonist that doesn't descend into harem story (that's a good thing for this story) although most of the supporting characters are females. My only real complaint is the plot gets needlessly complex at the very end and still doesn't tie up all the loose ends. Good art. |
| Tsurutsuru to Zarazara no Aida (manga) | Good | |
| (The) Two Faces of Tomorrow (manga) | Excellent | |
| Übel Blatt (manga) | Decent | |
| Video Girl Ai (manga) | Very good | "Magical girlfriend" with several plot twists. Good plot, good characters, very good art. |
| (The) Voynich Hotel (manga) | Very good | |
| Watashi no + Okusuri (manga) | Bad | Quick story with decent plot, but the characters are a little cliche and shallow. Decent art. |
| (The) Wedding Eve (manga, Hozumi) | So-so | |
| (The) World God Only Knows (manga) | Good | Entertaining from a weird sort of way. Although he's tampering with several maidens hearts, it doesn't come off as cruel or abusive. |
| (The) World of Machida-kun (manga) | Decent | |
| Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (manga) | Excellent | I instantly fell in love with the main character. Excellent art and character development. The only reason it doesn't get a perfect 10 is the absence of a central arc. |
| Yotsuba&! (manga) | Decent | Generally entertaining collage of stories revolving around a humorously strange little girl. Good characters, good art. (If you liked this try: Love Roma) |
| Yugami-kun ni wa Tomodachi ga Inai (manga) | Good | |
| Yume no Atosaki (manga) | Very good | |
| Yururizumu (manga) | Decent | Only 12 chapters so not much to evaluate. I liked the main protagonist, good art. |
| Zassō-tachi yo Taishi o Idake (manga) | Very good | |
| Zeroin (manga) | Decent | |
