| What was the newest, most enjoyable "hidden gem" you've come across? Share it here! I recently started reading Jinsei wa Kekka All Right!. There's an introduction on the manga page, but basically it's a relatively low key story about a 17 year old boy Sei who "time skips." Sei occasionally skips to different points of time, sometimes days, months, or even years apart from his last location. It's interesting because Sei has to reconnect with these people after he "skipped." While it is only moment in time for him, it can be years apart to the other person. And Sei never knows if he'll ever meet those people again. I haven't read far enough yet, but I can't wait until he runs into a member of his own family that disappeared years ago, presumably time skipping around themselves. I have no clue how this will end or resolve itself, but I hope it will be good. |
shinkeikakuMar 18, 2010 9:54 AM
| I assume we're talking about really obscure series that we've discovered and not physically rare books (like a really rare out of print book, or an autographed book) right? I don't read a whole lot of scanlations, but the only series that I've ever read that made me counting down the days till the next release is Akagami no Shirayuki Hime. It's not an epic world spanning series (I like reading serious stories in a real book format instead of reading it in my uncomfortable chair at the computer) but what it lacks in plot it makes up with sheer spunk. (? Lol, weird wording I know, but it's the only phrase I can think to describe it) The story itself isn't groundbreaking but all the characters are so refreshing that I always feel so happy after reading a chapter. The main character, Shirayuki, is self-confident, self-reliant, and she is actively pursueing her goal of becoming a pharmacist. She's such a breath of fresh air with all these annoying main female characters in shojo manga that I found myself generally liking her, which hasn't happened for me with a main female shojo character in such a long time. Her love interest Zen is also very level headed, he isn't pushy, and respects Shirayuki and her dreams. The story never gets smutty ( I think the furthest they've gotten in their relationship is like.... hugging... I think..... in 7 or 8 chapters, and it wasn't even for romantic reasons, XD) the characters are respectful of each other, and the clothing and backgrounds are increadible for a shojo manga (and to think that this is the author's first serial publication, I can't wait to see what she does in the future) this is one story that if I've had a bad day, I can come home and read it, and feel my spirits lifted. It's defidentally not for everyone (some might find it boring since not a whole lot of plot happens) but I hope that more chapters gets released soon, XD. |
| Yes, I'm asking for what was the last thing you picked up volume 1 of and thought it was really great. Unlike current obsessed series, they are new finds. Like I love Silver Diamond, but I have since chapter 1 and there's 15 volumes out currently. Not so fresh. ;) And I really like Akagami no Shirayuki Hime. You point out a lot of good qualities. It has beautiful art and the characters are nice and likable. I have a hard time liking shoujo leads, but I like Shirayuki. |
| Lovenista ~ Girls Love Bible. Maybe totally not the greatest "find" in the world but it stuck to the plot like glue and had some really tense and emotional parts. It was almost scary what was gonna happen next, who was she gonna choose... It only has two volumes, each containing about four chapters each. It seemed forever but I got over it quite cute. It is pretty graphic (sexual content) but overall the drama was good. Not much of romance in it, though it revolves around that point. |
| this is actually my first post in this club (hi everyone) but i felt mysteriously drawn to this thread. Probably because i recently found a really nice manga. ;-) it's called "Blood Alone" as most title's with "blood" in their name it's about vampires. WAIT! don't leave yet! I myself don't particular like vampire stories either but that's just because it's mostly shoujo and shounen vampire mangas out there. This one is seinen, drama, slice of life, romance. It's not that long either, so give it a try if you didn't already. i loved the atmosphere und where the story is going. this concludes my first post in this club. cheers, Guybrush |
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| Umi no Kishidan. I've read further into the series and it has gotten pretty interesting, so now it qualifies as a good find. It's a romantic historical work about a female knight that joins a band of traditionally male knights in 16th century Europe. I like Aciel's character. Her character starts out pretty genderless, unless it can be used for comedic purposes or to her own advantage. But later, as the romance factor kicks in, she becomes a bit softer, without being overly feminine. Actually, I like both of the romantic possibilities presented and maybe prefer the guy she obviously won't end up with (which is kinda sad because he's more interesting and subtle). It also has a great first liner for the main couple. Being a medieval times doctor, Lucas looks her up and down, not realizing she's a woman, and declares that if Aciel dies before him, he'd like to dissect her since she has such a nice form. Nice way of saying nice to meet ya. :D |
shinkeikaku said: Umi no Kishidan. I've read further into the series and it has gotten pretty interesting, so now it qualifies as a good find. It's a romantic historical work about a female knight that joins a band of traditionally male knights in 16th century Europe. I like Aciel's character. Her character starts out pretty genderless, unless it can be used for comedic purposes or to her own advantage. But later, as the romance factor kicks in, she becomes a bit softer, without being overly feminine. Actually, I like both of the romantic possibilities presented and maybe prefer the guy she obviously won't end up with (which is kinda sad because he's more interesting and subtle). It also has a great first liner for the main couple. Being a medieval times doctor, Lucas looks her up and down, not realizing she's a woman, and declares that if Aciel dies before him, he'd like to dissect her since she has such a nice form. Nice way of saying nice to meet ya. :D that sounds like something I would really really enjoy, do you know if there are any scans for this one? :3 |
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soaring_wings said: that sounds like something I would really really enjoy, do you know if there are any scans for this one? :3 Aerandria Scans has it on their "future projects" list (along with a couple other Ichiraci titles, yay!). I think they are looking for certain staff or something and then they will start scanning it. Edit: Oh, it's called "pending projects." http://aerandria.net/updates/pending-titles/ >.> I note many of those pending are more entertaining than many of their current ones! Umi no Kishidan, Keishichou Tokuhanka 007, Tokyo Ghost Trip, Rein Klar! I added all but Keishichou to the database here. All good ones. |
shinkeikakuMar 22, 2009 7:45 PM
| Happy! c: |
| {currently looking for a good shoujo} |
| I finished reading "Vampire Game" (I'm too lazy to add a link ^^;) three weeks ago and I enjoyed it very much. I'm quite sad that particulary not many people are familiar with this title, it's a shame because this manga is so entertaining and a special one that has a unique storyline then today's shoujo manga with vampires.. This manga can be bought in stores. :D I want to buy it someday too. =D |
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| I read the first volume of Heart no Fuuin and I liked it! Honestly, I've avoided Fujiomi Karen like the plague, because (despite being an Ichiraci mangaka) I think her drawing style is uninspired at best, really ugly at worst. ^_^;; However, I stopped being so judgy and picked up this series since it was obviously light BL+fantasy, my favorite genre. It's a rather cute story so far. It's about a kinda small, girly looking boy Toraichi who LOVES to play role-playing video games and is enamored with the idea of heroes. So of course a random magical guy soon approaches Toraichi, but refuses to choose him as a hero because he wants the "perfect" type of guy for the role. He makes a deal that Toraichi can be the hero if he convinces the otherwise uninterested "perfect guy", his classmate Satoshi, to join his "party." So they get whisked away to an alternative dimension and are supposed to seal away some spirits etc. It's a simple and not even particularly original story, but it's charming and I guess I like all the RPG references. ^_^;; |
shinkeikakuApr 5, 2009 5:21 PM
| I started reading 1001 nights, a great manhwa, unfortunately, except for the first two volumes, they are so hard to find here. The setting is original, so far from the usual Japan/Korea/whatever country the serie was made in, and it's a great retelling of the Arabian Nights. I definitely recommend it to anyone who can find it ! |
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Guybru said: called "Blood Alone" as most title's with "blood" in their name it's about vampires. WAIT! don't leave yet! I myself don't particular like vampire stories either but that's just because it's mostly shoujo and shounen vampire mangas out there. This one is seinen, drama, slice of life, romance. It's not that long either, so give it a try if you didn't already. i loved the atmosphere und where the story is going. Actually, I'm going to use my first post to the group to second this. Blood Alone is licensed, so dunno if it quite meets the criteria, but as rare as it might be for the words "vampire" and "delightful" to be used in the same sentence, this certainly makes the grade. Great characters, good story and a mangaka who isn't afraid to do away with "drawing everything in blocks" (although his art is lacking in other respects) make this pretty unique in its genre. Others that I drools over and can read time and time again are Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou and the "Walking Man (see my review on that, for evidence of said drooling.) |
psygremlinApr 9, 2009 11:32 PM
Gremlin's World - School Daze - The Comedies III |
psygremlin said: Others that I drools over and can read time and time again are Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou and the "Walking Man (see my review on that, for evidence of said drooling.) both of those manga sound really good. i'm actually thinking of reading it in R.E.A.D hopefully someone else will want to too :D |
anabell said: both of those manga sound really good. i'm actually thinking of reading it in R.E.A.D hopefully someone else will want to too :D I've just joined READ (ta for the link), so if you want to pick them up, I'm game. |
| Gremlin's World - School Daze - The Comedies III |
| i think we're doing the walking man on 4/20 i'll set up a topic later for it :D |
| my greatest manga find recently was probably Aoi Kiseki. A very cute short series. Also Karakuchi Kakumei was good too |
KokoroChan: Nobody will beat our SuperAwesomeAsianNinjaSkillzzz (S.A.A.N.S.)!!!!!! l P h o t o s h o p G a l l e r y l |
| I read "Eternal Sabbath" this weekend, and I enjoyed is so much! An amazing manga, and even though it includes psychology, people who don't like it can read it and love it. ^__^ |
TaluMay 28, 2009 2:04 AM
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| My newest is Mirai Nikki. It's about a boy whose cellphone predicts the future. Of course there's a LOT more to it. But it's really good. |
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| Kaizoku to Ningyo The first time I saw it, the cover pic was reeeeally tiny and I thought the person on the left was a girl (with the armband being the standard mermaid bikini top). So I was a bit surprised when I saw it was a boy. I was imagining some romance between a lady mermaid and some kinda bad boy pirate. But it turns out that the mermaid is a dude and the pirate a bit of a goof. ^_^;; But it might work out better this way and feels more original. It still has a sweet, romantic factor. :D And we don't get mermen in romances as much.. so I like it so far. |
| Hello, I don't know if this is cosidered as "hidden" but recently I found a mangaka that I like a lot, in the yaoi and shounen-ai genre, she makes really unusual stories, with characters that are out of the stereotype of the genre...the best one so far is Sangen Tonari no Tooi Hito, I even made a review of that one to make people know about it because there is little information. Now I am hunting for a mangaka like this one ^^, it is hard to find it and I really love her art style. |
| Yay for first post. :D I've been meaning to read more by Suzuki Tsuta. I'll probably start with Sangen Tonari no Tooi Hito then. |
| :D thanks...tell me what you think about it when you do |
| One of the latest I've found was "The Record of a Fallen Vampire" (http://myanimelist.net/manga.php?id=976) by the same author as one of my favorite series," Spiral." This series kinda follows a battle that conspires between the final king of all vampires, and Dhampire, vampires with human blood in them, who were abandoned by their king after they sealed his queen away. I've only gotten 4 volumes in, but as it stands, it's actually become one of my favorites, because the mental battles turns the entire world into a 3-way chess match, and it keeps everything interesting. The only shame is that for the second series of a really popular author, this series is almost, well.... invisible. |
| I recently started Otomen since i've been seeing the volumes in kinokuniya, and i figured it was a pretty popular series. But I was really surprised at how much I liked it. It's definitely a fun new take on shoujo cliches and setups. I hope that with the drama adaptation in the fall the manga will become popular enough to have faster releases of scanlations and maybe even an anime adaptation!!! If anyone's looking for a new shoujo series to start defenitely check it out. I think it may be my favorite of the newer long-shoujo stuff thats been published. (i mean the series that started within the past few years like kaichou wa maid sama,meichan no shitsuji, kimi ni todoke etc. not the long series like ouran/vampire knight/nana which have already hit their peaks of popularity) |
katsupJun 1, 2009 8:13 AM
| I agree--Otomen is a really fun read. I'm glad it seems to be getting exposure according to its placement on the New York Times bestsellers list. I'd love an anime as well.. I think it would translate well. Otomen 1 was one of my random cover purchases. I wanted to know who that sparkling man on the cover was with a flower in his hair. *_* |
shinkeikaku said: Otomen 1 was one of my random cover purchases. I wanted to know who that sparkling man on the cover was with a flower in his hair. *_* Yes, the cover for volume one definitely peaked my interest and it was a blind-buy for me :). One of my best blind-buys too. |
| I love Otomen too - apparently there's a live action on the way. My obscure but great manga is After School Nightmare by Setona Mizushiro, the art's gorgeous and the story's amazing. |
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| Hmm, just thinking back to the ones I found in the past year or so (also, please forgive my typing, I injured a finger too badly to have it type, so I'll keep things short): Eternal Sabbath my library had the whole series, probably read this last summer. Not sure exactly what my main attraction was, but it was awesome, makes me want to read Mars. Banana Fish read this past winter during the break. It's now my favorite manga of all time. I could go on for a while, but I wrote a review there so I don't have to here Please Save My Earth I finally got volumes 1 and 13 to complete my collection so I'm re-reading it now. Found out about it through the OVA. Love a good sci-fi story with good characters above all else. Maison Ikkoku way more than a year ago, probably my most re-read manga (at least 5 times), one of the first manga I collected probably been collecting since about 2002? It's funny, cus now I can't stomach to look at any of her other major series (mostly Ranma 1/2 and Inuyasha haven't seen/read Lum yet, and Ranma 1/2 which i was big into for a while before I found this and now i just think Ranma 1/2 is horrid by comparison) I'll probably write more when I can type right. |
| Amanchu! By author of Aqua / Aria manga. Although it's new manga, only 5 published chapters, I love the atmosphere, and that it's situated around sea, scuba diving and nice characters. As expected from Kozue Amano ^__^ |
| I just read Zoku Tengoku no Inu Monogatari (You can find it without the 'Zoku'), it's really short, just two chapters. Both stories were really touching, talking about bounds and love between people and dogs. Probably because I recently lost my dog too, they felt very, very sad. |
| I have been reading Immortal Rain for a while now. I haven`t find many people who have read this manga, just the people that I have told about it. It is such an interesting and touching story. If you haven`t read it give it a glance through. Unfortunately the manga isn`t finished yet. But the ninth is out in Japan. It just has to get to Canada now. lol The Other Side Of The Mirror is also an interesting manga that I picked up. It`s only 2 volumes but again interesting. The art style is also quite interesting. I would suggest checking out both of these. They are quite good. |
 ---I'm not going there to die...I'm going there to find out if I'm really alive-Spike, Cowboy Bebop--- |
| I just got finished with Immortal Rain, (Or, caught up with.), I'm actually surprised to see it does not have a huge hype like it should. Also, Franken Fran is one I bumped into. It's fairly good for a "horror" manga. |
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| Ohh I just finished 8 vol of Immortal Rain. I also liked it a lot!:) At first I was a bit sceptic because of the art and story but I've gotten more and more addicted to it with every volume. :) |
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| Really the art drew me in. I thought it was different from everything else that I have read. Plus the characters all looked different. I mean you are able to tell them apart lol. A lot of manga I find that I can't do that. Maybe its me but I like the art for this manga =P Yea I am sad that it doesn't get a lot of hype. It has to be my one of my favorite mangas. |
---I'm not going there to die...I'm going there to find out if I'm really alive-Spike, Cowboy Bebop--- |
| Yeah the characters are trully unique. The thing I didn't like first was their clohing with that big yin-yang sign on MAchika's clothes and stuff...however I liked the fact that she fights with a scyte...I really hope she will use it more in the next volumes...:D And I also think it's a bit underrated...:( |
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| Zankoku na Kami ga Shihai Suru (After Us, the Savage God), touching, tragic and strongly told Hagio Moto greatness. Nothing else needs to be said. ...and Moon Child, I was told it would be similar to Please Save My Earth (which is without a doubt my favorite manga right now) and it truly was. Reiko Shimizu has once again proven that she can create amazing stories. |
| [fancy signature here] |
Finarien said: Ohh I just finished 8 vol of Immortal Rain. I also liked it a lot!:) At first I was a bit sceptic because of the art and story but I've gotten more and more addicted to it with every volume. :) I agree. It's a wonderful manga ♥ |
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