Manga for adults?
December 2, 2015 4:02 PM Subscribe
I grew up reading stuff like Sailor Moon and CLAMP, but now that I'm in my late 20s, I'm craving characters that I can better identify with as an adult, and more complex social/philosophical storylines and settings. Can you recommend adult manga series that I might be interested in?
Topics or areas of interest: coping with responsibilities and obligations, struggling to live up to one's potential, existentialism, complex characters and rivalries, unreliable narrators, anti-heroes, impermanence, regrets/redemption.
Not interested in: gratuitous fanservice, one-dimensional characters, everyone is in high school.
Topics or areas of interest: coping with responsibilities and obligations, struggling to live up to one's potential, existentialism, complex characters and rivalries, unreliable narrators, anti-heroes, impermanence, regrets/redemption.
Not interested in: gratuitous fanservice, one-dimensional characters, everyone is in high school.
If historical fiction isn't a dealbreaker, I highly recommend Natsume Ono's House of Five Leaves.
posted by northernish at 4:21 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by northernish at 4:21 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Yotsuba& is a great series about a small family.
posted by bq at 4:23 PM on December 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by bq at 4:23 PM on December 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
I've really gotten into GATE recently. Unfortunately, it's only up to 50 chapters so far, and new chapters only come out once a month.
The protagonist is 33 year old Itami Youji, a junior officer in the JGSDF, and an otaku. One day a mysterious gateway appears in the middle of an intersection in Tokyo, and an army pours out of it and starts slaughtering everyone they can reach. That army includes ogres and goblins, as well as human infantry and cavalry, and a small number of men riding flying dragons. Their military technology seems to be about 1500 years out of date: lances, swords, short bows, the occasional war hammer or halberd.
Itami happens to be in that area and helps in fighting against the enemy until the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force can respond, at which point the invaders get slaughtered. (They have no experience with, and no defense against, machine guns.)
The Japanese government decides it has to send a force through the gate to find out what's on the other side and to prevent any more attacks, and Itami's unit is one of those sent.
Most of the series takes place in the other world. Eventually he ends up with a team including four women from the other world but it isn't really a harem. All four of them are complex and interesting, and really a lot different from each other.
The first 26 chapters were turned into an anime that ran last summer, which is how I learned about it. The next 20 or so will be turned into another anime starting in January. (I'm pretty sure it's going to end at chapter 46.)
There is some fan service; there always is. But as I said it isn't really a harem anime; the only character who really wants to get romantic with Itami is Rory, and I can't say more without revealing all kinds of spoilers.
The worst part of the story IMHO is chapters 19-22 (which became episodes 8-10 in the anime). But you have to struggle through those because they reveal a lot of things that help in understanding the rest of the story.
One more warning: LOTS of blood. LOTS of dead bodies.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:25 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
The protagonist is 33 year old Itami Youji, a junior officer in the JGSDF, and an otaku. One day a mysterious gateway appears in the middle of an intersection in Tokyo, and an army pours out of it and starts slaughtering everyone they can reach. That army includes ogres and goblins, as well as human infantry and cavalry, and a small number of men riding flying dragons. Their military technology seems to be about 1500 years out of date: lances, swords, short bows, the occasional war hammer or halberd.
Itami happens to be in that area and helps in fighting against the enemy until the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force can respond, at which point the invaders get slaughtered. (They have no experience with, and no defense against, machine guns.)
The Japanese government decides it has to send a force through the gate to find out what's on the other side and to prevent any more attacks, and Itami's unit is one of those sent.
Most of the series takes place in the other world. Eventually he ends up with a team including four women from the other world but it isn't really a harem. All four of them are complex and interesting, and really a lot different from each other.
The first 26 chapters were turned into an anime that ran last summer, which is how I learned about it. The next 20 or so will be turned into another anime starting in January. (I'm pretty sure it's going to end at chapter 46.)
There is some fan service; there always is. But as I said it isn't really a harem anime; the only character who really wants to get romantic with Itami is Rory, and I can't say more without revealing all kinds of spoilers.
The worst part of the story IMHO is chapters 19-22 (which became episodes 8-10 in the anime). But you have to struggle through those because they reveal a lot of things that help in understanding the rest of the story.
One more warning: LOTS of blood. LOTS of dead bodies.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:25 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
A Drunken Dream by Moto Hagio - Hagio is my favorite mangaka, I think she's astounding at emotional subtlety. These are short stories; she also wrote 'Heart of Thomas," which was hugely influential in establishing the genre of boys in European boarding schools pining after each other. (I think it's great, but it's very much of its time.)
Ooku by Fumi Yoshinaga - Set in an Edo Japan where most of the men have been killed off by a plague and the Shogun is a woman. Intense and political!
To Terra by Keiko Takemiya - Space opera with Takemiya's trademark wispy people and over-the-top emotions. Lots of responsibilities and obligations here.
Basara by Yumi Tamura. After the apocalypse, Sasara's twin brother was prophesied to bring his people to peace and safety. Unfortunately, he died. Sasara disguises herself as her brother to take his place as leader... and then, unfortunately, falls in love with one of postapocalyptic Japan's dictators.
I was also about to recommend 20th Century Boys and Monster!
posted by Jeanne at 4:27 PM on December 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
Ooku by Fumi Yoshinaga - Set in an Edo Japan where most of the men have been killed off by a plague and the Shogun is a woman. Intense and political!
To Terra by Keiko Takemiya - Space opera with Takemiya's trademark wispy people and over-the-top emotions. Lots of responsibilities and obligations here.
Basara by Yumi Tamura. After the apocalypse, Sasara's twin brother was prophesied to bring his people to peace and safety. Unfortunately, he died. Sasara disguises herself as her brother to take his place as leader... and then, unfortunately, falls in love with one of postapocalyptic Japan's dictators.
I was also about to recommend 20th Century Boys and Monster!
posted by Jeanne at 4:27 PM on December 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
Planetes
Haunted by a space flight accident that claimed the life of his beloved wife, Yuri finds himself six years later as part of a team of debris cleaners on a vessel called the Toy Box charged with clearing space junk from space flight paths. The team consists of Hachimaki, a hot shot debris-man with a sailor's affinity for the orbital ocean; Fee, a chain-smoking tomboy beauty with an abrasive edge; and Pops, a veteran orbital mechanic whose avuncular presence soothes the stress of the job.
I think they have an anime series, but I myself haven't watched it. I only read the first two volumes, but I enjoyed how outer space was used as an environment and a metaphor for musing, and they have a lot of interesting discussions on their purpose for taking on such a literal 'trash' job. Also I'm fairly sure you have watched Cowboy Bebop, but there is a manga adaptation of the TV series that would be worth looking into. Fullmetal Alchemist (the manga) is pretty weighty stuff, but I'm not sure if it's the flavor you are looking for.
posted by yueliang at 4:29 PM on December 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
Haunted by a space flight accident that claimed the life of his beloved wife, Yuri finds himself six years later as part of a team of debris cleaners on a vessel called the Toy Box charged with clearing space junk from space flight paths. The team consists of Hachimaki, a hot shot debris-man with a sailor's affinity for the orbital ocean; Fee, a chain-smoking tomboy beauty with an abrasive edge; and Pops, a veteran orbital mechanic whose avuncular presence soothes the stress of the job.
I think they have an anime series, but I myself haven't watched it. I only read the first two volumes, but I enjoyed how outer space was used as an environment and a metaphor for musing, and they have a lot of interesting discussions on their purpose for taking on such a literal 'trash' job. Also I'm fairly sure you have watched Cowboy Bebop, but there is a manga adaptation of the TV series that would be worth looking into. Fullmetal Alchemist (the manga) is pretty weighty stuff, but I'm not sure if it's the flavor you are looking for.
posted by yueliang at 4:29 PM on December 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
The characters in Nana are all fairly young, but post high school. Depending on your capacity for melodrama, it ticks off a lot of you boxes (and also great).
I was also going to recommend Natsume Ono's work, including Ristorante Paradiso and Gente.
They're not series, but Moyoco Anno's In Clothes Called Fat and Sakuran may be worth checking out. A bit more out there, but Kyoko Okazaki's work is amazing -- I think Helter Skelter and Pink are her only two out in English right now, though.
Some of Fumi Yoshinaga's work might suit (someone got Ooku).
As far as publishers go, Vertical tends to publish more "grown-up" stuff (although not exclusively). Drawn & Quarterly also has published some interesting manga in English (including Shigeru Mizuki's work). Fantagraphics has published titles like Nijigahara Holograph and Wandering Son (which is about kids, but kids dealing with gender issues).
(Fantagraphics has a bookstore in Seattle that sells more than just its own stuff, and they may be able to point you in some other directions, too.)
posted by darksong at 4:43 PM on December 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
I was also going to recommend Natsume Ono's work, including Ristorante Paradiso and Gente.
They're not series, but Moyoco Anno's In Clothes Called Fat and Sakuran may be worth checking out. A bit more out there, but Kyoko Okazaki's work is amazing -- I think Helter Skelter and Pink are her only two out in English right now, though.
Some of Fumi Yoshinaga's work might suit (someone got Ooku).
As far as publishers go, Vertical tends to publish more "grown-up" stuff (although not exclusively). Drawn & Quarterly also has published some interesting manga in English (including Shigeru Mizuki's work). Fantagraphics has published titles like Nijigahara Holograph and Wandering Son (which is about kids, but kids dealing with gender issues).
(Fantagraphics has a bookstore in Seattle that sells more than just its own stuff, and they may be able to point you in some other directions, too.)
posted by darksong at 4:43 PM on December 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
Pretty much anything by Osamu Tezuka.
My personal favorites:
Buddha - a "biography" of the buddha and many fictional friends of Siddhartha. This will pivot from philosophy to a fart joke, but everything is exactly what it needs to be.
Phoenix - Tezuka's magnum opus. Similar to Cloud Atlas (but a much earlier work), the initial stories take place in the distant past and far future. Subsequent stories sort of collapse towards the center. Simply magnificent, I cannot recommend this enough.
MW - Talk about your complex characters. Anything I say would be a spoiler, but I will say that this is a story about a villain.
Ode to Kirihito - What does it mean to be human? A doctor is infected with a mysterious disease while caring for a patient. The consequences are life altering.
posted by keep_evolving at 4:52 PM on December 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
My personal favorites:
Buddha - a "biography" of the buddha and many fictional friends of Siddhartha. This will pivot from philosophy to a fart joke, but everything is exactly what it needs to be.
Phoenix - Tezuka's magnum opus. Similar to Cloud Atlas (but a much earlier work), the initial stories take place in the distant past and far future. Subsequent stories sort of collapse towards the center. Simply magnificent, I cannot recommend this enough.
MW - Talk about your complex characters. Anything I say would be a spoiler, but I will say that this is a story about a villain.
Ode to Kirihito - What does it mean to be human? A doctor is infected with a mysterious disease while caring for a patient. The consequences are life altering.
posted by keep_evolving at 4:52 PM on December 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
Chihayafuru hits a lot of your marks, although the main characters are in high school. But the setting is the world of competitive karuta, and it shows the main characters interacting with competitors and mentors in various stages of life. The high school setting also allows the main characters to be shown in a transitional point in their lives, as they must make decisions regarding their futures, including the role of karuta in their lives.
Take a look at Tomoko Yamashita, characters with many regrets.
(Personally I am about to embark upon a Blood Blockade Battlefront manga journey, after hugely enjoying the anime adaptation. The mange is by Yasuhiro Nightow of Trigun fame, and touches upon many of your topics of interest.)
posted by needled at 4:57 PM on December 2, 2015
Take a look at Tomoko Yamashita, characters with many regrets.
(Personally I am about to embark upon a Blood Blockade Battlefront manga journey, after hugely enjoying the anime adaptation. The mange is by Yasuhiro Nightow of Trigun fame, and touches upon many of your topics of interest.)
posted by needled at 4:57 PM on December 2, 2015
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind checks all of those boxes, excepting unreliable narrator. Warning: if you've seen and loved the movie, the manga is much darker in tone. "[A]s grim as Grave of the Fireflies," says somebody quoted in the Wikipedia page (but then also "I dare say the manga is Hayao Miyazaki's finest work ever--animated, printed, or otherwise--and that's saying a lot").
posted by pullayup at 4:59 PM on December 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by pullayup at 4:59 PM on December 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
Golondrina
The betrayal of her lover sends Chika into despair and as result she attempts to end her own life. But she is saved by a man called Antonio, who helps nurse her back to health. After the devastating experience, Chika chooses to lead the rest of her life as a matador. It is then Chika that decides and swears: "I will become a bullfighter. By becoming one, I will be able to die in front of my lover." But little does Chika know of the difficult road that lies ahead and the trouble she must face to follow the path of a matador...
posted by sebastienbailard at 5:07 PM on December 2, 2015
The betrayal of her lover sends Chika into despair and as result she attempts to end her own life. But she is saved by a man called Antonio, who helps nurse her back to health. After the devastating experience, Chika chooses to lead the rest of her life as a matador. It is then Chika that decides and swears: "I will become a bullfighter. By becoming one, I will be able to die in front of my lover." But little does Chika know of the difficult road that lies ahead and the trouble she must face to follow the path of a matador...
posted by sebastienbailard at 5:07 PM on December 2, 2015
Seconding "Yotsuba&" ("Yotsubato"). It's a slice-of-life manga, suburban Japan seen through the eyes of a five-year-old foreigner who's been adopted by a single Japanese man. The adults still have adult responsibilities, the world has its dangers. It's not deep or challenging, but it's realistic (moreso as the series progresses) and refreshing to read between more challenging or more lurid series.
posted by ardgedee at 5:11 PM on December 2, 2015
posted by ardgedee at 5:11 PM on December 2, 2015
(FYI, "Yotsuba&" is pronounced Yo-tsu-bah-toe with all syllables stressed evenly.)
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 5:31 PM on December 2, 2015
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 5:31 PM on December 2, 2015
I really enjoyed Twin Spica. It is about high schoolers, but it's about students in an elite space academy who are training to be the first class of astronauts after a major disaster ended the Japanese space program years prior. It's very thoughtful and meditative, not your typical high school drama.
posted by wsquared at 5:37 PM on December 2, 2015
posted by wsquared at 5:37 PM on December 2, 2015
Wakakozake. A description I swiped from Google search: Murasaki Wakako, who is 26 years old, loves going out alone to enjoy eating and drinking, especially when something unpleasant happens at work. This anime(/manga) follows Wakako through many solitary outings, where she enjoys different combinations of food and drink!
It's fairly short, and there's fan scanlations available online. There's also 2-minute anime episodes streaming on Crunchyroll.
posted by Xere at 6:10 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
It's fairly short, and there's fan scanlations available online. There's also 2-minute anime episodes streaming on Crunchyroll.
posted by Xere at 6:10 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
You might like Mushi-Shi, which is lovely and spooky and often touches on a lot of your requests. (Mushi are little bug/spirit things that can mess with human behavior or interrupt natural forces. Tons of strange fallout, responsibilities, unreliable narrators.)
I love Yotsuba&, too. Depending on where you happen to be in life, it may feel too young. But for me, there are a lot of things happening around the edges that make the care given to this goofy little girl feel very carefully, consciously given. It's got layers.
posted by tchemgrrl at 6:12 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I love Yotsuba&, too. Depending on where you happen to be in life, it may feel too young. But for me, there are a lot of things happening around the edges that make the care given to this goofy little girl feel very carefully, consciously given. It's got layers.
posted by tchemgrrl at 6:12 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Yotsuba& is a fantastic slice of life manga, filled with a lot of humor. It can be child-like, but never childish, if that makes any sense. All the characters are well rounded, and they feel like people you'd actually meet in your day to day life. Plus, I will never not laugh at Yotsuba and the exercise ball.
posted by ralan at 6:45 PM on December 2, 2015
posted by ralan at 6:45 PM on December 2, 2015
Not manga but I like The Wicked and The Divine. Some of the characters are kids, some college age, but they're dealing with anti-heroes, obligations, rivalries, the whole shebang.
There's one anime series I would recommend except all the characters are 13 - Puella Magi Madoka Magica. It hits all your main points. I watched the first two "movies" which I guess are the anime series recomped into movies? Anyway, it's seriously serious.
posted by fiercekitten at 7:01 PM on December 2, 2015
There's one anime series I would recommend except all the characters are 13 - Puella Magi Madoka Magica. It hits all your main points. I watched the first two "movies" which I guess are the anime series recomped into movies? Anyway, it's seriously serious.
posted by fiercekitten at 7:01 PM on December 2, 2015
If you like manga with historical settings Vinland Saga and Vagabond are excellent. No high school there! Monster and 20th Century Boys have already been mentioned, but Master Keaton (also by Urasawa) is also good. For josei manga, it is worth tracking down Happy Mania and Tramps Like Us.
posted by gnat at 7:39 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by gnat at 7:39 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Hmm---I probably would start looking into josei/seinen type manga as they tend to focus more on older characters going through life changes.
Paradise Kiss: Starts with a HS senior but it goes beyond the typical HS problems and it's closer to coming-of-age story where Yukari is b/t two worlds (fashion/modeling vs her family's expectations). I liked this series for it's realistic portrayal of relationships too.
RELife: Kaizaki, a 27 year-old unemployed salaryman, continues to struggle to find steady jobs despite passing many interviews. However, he gets a 2nd chance at re-living his HS exp in hopes that he will become more employable in the future. It sounds weird but it explores a lot of themes most adults will relate to a long job search, depression, and workplace bullying.
Cheese in the Trap: Does manwha count? Hong Sul returns to college after a break but seems to be suffering from some memory loss wrt to a incident. She meets a upperclassman Yoo Jung, who on the surface is a successful student, and they start dating but has a darker side. Another realistic portrayal of a relationship not in HS but it features a less than healthy setting.
Kuragehime: Tsukimi Kurashita, an illustrator who moved to Tokyo, is living at a women's-only boardinghouse and everyday feels much of the same. Until one day she meets a stranger who inspires her step out of her boundaries by combining her love of jellyfish with fashion design.
posted by chrono_rabbit at 8:21 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Paradise Kiss: Starts with a HS senior but it goes beyond the typical HS problems and it's closer to coming-of-age story where Yukari is b/t two worlds (fashion/modeling vs her family's expectations). I liked this series for it's realistic portrayal of relationships too.
RELife: Kaizaki, a 27 year-old unemployed salaryman, continues to struggle to find steady jobs despite passing many interviews. However, he gets a 2nd chance at re-living his HS exp in hopes that he will become more employable in the future. It sounds weird but it explores a lot of themes most adults will relate to a long job search, depression, and workplace bullying.
Cheese in the Trap: Does manwha count? Hong Sul returns to college after a break but seems to be suffering from some memory loss wrt to a incident. She meets a upperclassman Yoo Jung, who on the surface is a successful student, and they start dating but has a darker side. Another realistic portrayal of a relationship not in HS but it features a less than healthy setting.
Kuragehime: Tsukimi Kurashita, an illustrator who moved to Tokyo, is living at a women's-only boardinghouse and everyday feels much of the same. Until one day she meets a stranger who inspires her step out of her boundaries by combining her love of jellyfish with fashion design.
posted by chrono_rabbit at 8:21 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I would recommend, Kakukaku Shikajika. It's actually an autobiography josei manga (geared towards an older female crowd, vs shoujo) by the mangaka that starts off during her last year of high school and tells the story of her attending an art class in order to go college and then later, her career as a mangaka. I don't think my description can do it any justice but I feel like the manga ticks off everything that you're asking for. Please give it a read.
posted by QueenHawkeye at 8:50 PM on December 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by QueenHawkeye at 8:50 PM on December 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
I second Monster, Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Chihayafuru. Basara is good, but I personally prefer Yumi Tamura's 7 Seeds, which is set in a post-apocalyptic future and follows the struggles of five groups of people who emerge from cryogenic preservation.
You might also enjoy Chang Ge Xing/Song of the Long March. Technically manhua rather than manga, it follows the journey of fictional Yongning Princess Li Chang Ge during the Tang dynasty in China. Her family is killed and her uncle Li Shimin takes the throne as emperor (which actually happened in history, kicking off with the Xuanwu Gate incident), so she escapes and swears she'll have her revenge. At least that's how the story begins, but it expands in scope as she gains allies along the way and starts turning more of her attention to how she can help the people. There's no true good vs. evil; Li Shimin is Emperor Taizong, considered one of China's greatest emperors, and the government ministers who turned to support him can't really be called antagonists proper. Other people working against her interests are also sympathetic--I'm thinking in particular of the princess of the former Sui dynasty and how the Sui-to-Tang dynastic turnover has driven her actions. In fact, a lot of real history is incorporated into the series. It explores China's relationship with the nomadic tribes at the time, and Chang Ge travels around a lot and ends up dealing with internal tribe politics, as well as the complex interactions among the Khitans, Turks, Uyghurs, Xueyantuo, etc. There's some excellent enemy-to-ally progression and crossdressing too! And Chang Ge has a good head for strategy, which is my jam.
posted by ilicet at 9:33 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
You might also enjoy Chang Ge Xing/Song of the Long March. Technically manhua rather than manga, it follows the journey of fictional Yongning Princess Li Chang Ge during the Tang dynasty in China. Her family is killed and her uncle Li Shimin takes the throne as emperor (which actually happened in history, kicking off with the Xuanwu Gate incident), so she escapes and swears she'll have her revenge. At least that's how the story begins, but it expands in scope as she gains allies along the way and starts turning more of her attention to how she can help the people. There's no true good vs. evil; Li Shimin is Emperor Taizong, considered one of China's greatest emperors, and the government ministers who turned to support him can't really be called antagonists proper. Other people working against her interests are also sympathetic--I'm thinking in particular of the princess of the former Sui dynasty and how the Sui-to-Tang dynastic turnover has driven her actions. In fact, a lot of real history is incorporated into the series. It explores China's relationship with the nomadic tribes at the time, and Chang Ge travels around a lot and ends up dealing with internal tribe politics, as well as the complex interactions among the Khitans, Turks, Uyghurs, Xueyantuo, etc. There's some excellent enemy-to-ally progression and crossdressing too! And Chang Ge has a good head for strategy, which is my jam.
posted by ilicet at 9:33 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Monster is outstanding and unsettling: "Brilliant doctor Kenzo Tenma risks his reputation and promising career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy. Unbeknownst to him, this child is destined for a terrible fate. Conspiracies, serial murders, and a scathing depiction of the underbelly of hospital politics are all masterfully woven together in this compelling manga thriller."
I came in to recommend Monster as well. It is truly excellent and stands out from the kids' stuff. It has been recognized with loads of awards and nominations, and its creator, Urasawa, is recognized as one of the all-time giants of manga.
posted by grobstein at 9:35 PM on December 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
I came in to recommend Monster as well. It is truly excellent and stands out from the kids' stuff. It has been recognized with loads of awards and nominations, and its creator, Urasawa, is recognized as one of the all-time giants of manga.
posted by grobstein at 9:35 PM on December 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
I came in with a big list of recommendations but you guys have this well covered already. I want to especially nth Shigeru Mizuki, Keiko Takemiya, Fumi Yoshinaga (Ooku is a masterpiece), Kyoko Okazaki, and above all else Moto Hagio, my favorite comics writer of any kind worldwide (when you finish A Drunken Dream and The Heart of Thomas, there are scanlations of her other works online. A Cruel God Reigns is, for my money, a major literary achievement up there with the best of Tezuka and Maus.) Yoshihiro Tatsumi is a major figure (but personally I tend to find the occasional sexism in his works off-putting). Nana isn't weighty but has the character depth you're after.
Anything Matt Thorn has devoted his time to translating is worth reading: Banana Fish, the whole Fantagraphics line, the out-of-print Four Shojo Stories volume by Viz.
Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms by Fumiyo Kouno is a brief beautiful work about the long-term aftermath of Hiroshima from the point of view of a few people living there. It made me cry but it's much less relentlessly sad than that sounds.
Please Save My Earth by Saki Hiwatari is high-school-ish, but it's like a grown-up version of Sailor Moon (that manga's chief influence, in fact). If you want a version with greater emotional range, look into it!
Rose of Versailles is due out in English soon (FINALLY).
If you're open to stuff that hasn't been officially released in English and is of murky legality, the possibilities are endless. Look for anything josei or by the Magnificent 49ers/Year 24 group.
posted by thetortoise at 10:19 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Anything Matt Thorn has devoted his time to translating is worth reading: Banana Fish, the whole Fantagraphics line, the out-of-print Four Shojo Stories volume by Viz.
Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms by Fumiyo Kouno is a brief beautiful work about the long-term aftermath of Hiroshima from the point of view of a few people living there. It made me cry but it's much less relentlessly sad than that sounds.
Please Save My Earth by Saki Hiwatari is high-school-ish, but it's like a grown-up version of Sailor Moon (that manga's chief influence, in fact). If you want a version with greater emotional range, look into it!
Rose of Versailles is due out in English soon (FINALLY).
If you're open to stuff that hasn't been officially released in English and is of murky legality, the possibilities are endless. Look for anything josei or by the Magnificent 49ers/Year 24 group.
posted by thetortoise at 10:19 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Oh, I don't think anyone mentioned Jiro Taniguchi yet. His works are worth looking into too.
posted by thetortoise at 10:25 PM on December 2, 2015
posted by thetortoise at 10:25 PM on December 2, 2015
These are not available officially in English, but...
Shimoku Kio's Yonensei and Gonensei are an unsparing look at a late-college relationship.
Takayuki Yamaguchi's Shigurui is a bloody but emotionally charged samurai drama that involves familial obligations, rivalry, and revenge.
Yoko Nihonbashi's G Senjou Heaven's Door is about high schoolers drawing manga on the surface, but plumbs much deeper depths.
posted by Standard Orange at 1:44 AM on December 3, 2015
Shimoku Kio's Yonensei and Gonensei are an unsparing look at a late-college relationship.
Takayuki Yamaguchi's Shigurui is a bloody but emotionally charged samurai drama that involves familial obligations, rivalry, and revenge.
Yoko Nihonbashi's G Senjou Heaven's Door is about high schoolers drawing manga on the surface, but plumbs much deeper depths.
posted by Standard Orange at 1:44 AM on December 3, 2015
Do you like horror? Because Junji Ito's work is pretty crazy good if you do.
posted by gloriouslyincandescent at 1:51 AM on December 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by gloriouslyincandescent at 1:51 AM on December 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
I didn't think Monster was very good, despite its popularity and recognitions. I recommend Master Keaton instead. Urasawa isn't very good when he's trying to tell his own story (Monster and 20th Century Boys don't have endings IMO), but he's excellent when he's illustrating someone else's. So I also think Pluto (a reimagining of Osamu Tezuka's work) is very good also.
posted by misozaki at 4:15 AM on December 3, 2015
posted by misozaki at 4:15 AM on December 3, 2015
Lone Wolf and Cub might be something you'd be interested in.
posted by jillithd at 8:08 AM on December 3, 2015
posted by jillithd at 8:08 AM on December 3, 2015
It's been ages since I read it, but Messenger to Adolph seems like it would fit this.
posted by Hactar at 11:02 AM on December 3, 2015
posted by Hactar at 11:02 AM on December 3, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
I also enjoyed the first half of 20th Century Boys by the same mangaka
In trying to answer your question I realized that those were the only two manga series I could think of offhand that didn't have high school aged main characters...
posted by raw sugar at 4:17 PM on December 2, 2015 [2 favorites]