You are viewing manga list of
gandalf007
|
You are viewing manga list of
gandalf007
|
|
| Currently Reading | Completed | On Hold | Dropped | Plan to Read | All Manga |
|
Completed
|
| # | Manga Title | Score | Chapters | Volumes | Tags |
| 1 |
20th Century Boys
A little hard to describe but basically an adventure. Has that cliffhanger, page turner quality that Monster has- I think this might be even a little better. I was a little worried that there might be too much jumping around between timelines but it works and it's not confusing. Excellent.
|
10 | 249 | 22 | own |
| 2 |
21st Century Boys
Basically just a continuation of the great 20th Century Boys. Pretty much a must read after you finish the main series.
|
10 | 16 | 2 | own |
| 3 |
Akira
The animation is absolutely sick, especially for the era when this was made. The story is crazy and super cool. As an anime fan in the 90's, the movie, along with some other classics like Cowboy Bebop and Evangelion, pretty much defined what anime was to me. The movie is really a small portion of the manga, so it's really great to read the full story. I'd say both are completely essential, the manga is better- the world and characters are much better developed. It has a depth too, after reading it, I kind of want to read it again right away because I'm sure there's more I could get out of it.
|
10 | 120 | 6 | own |
| 4 |
Best of Best: Itou Junji Tanpenshuu
Ningen Isu (The Human Chair) This one is written by Edogawa Ranpo. Just completely zany premise of a guy living in a chair. So bizarre that it's amazing anyone would think of it. Evocative and memorable. 8/10
Kono Yo no Hoka no Koi (An Unearthly Love): Another Edogawa Ranpo story, but unlike Human Chair, this story is rather humdrum with nothing really weird happening. It's fine though and executed well enough. 6/10 Umezu-sensei to Watashi (Master Umezz and Me) - Fun little autobiographical story about Ito and another older horror manga artist who he is a fan of 6/10 Miirareta Kirida Kyouju (How Love Came to Professor Kirida) - This is a fine little ghost story with a classic feel but nothing that unique. 6/10 Wasuregatami (Keepsake) - Creepy story with a creepy baby but somehow not that memorable. 6/10 Overall rating for the 5 stories include in this entry. |
6 | 10 | 1 | own, venusintheblindspot |
| 5 |
Deadman Wonderland
The story feels somehow compressed through the middle. We needed some more time to really settle in to the day-to-day life in deadman wonderland. But instead we're quickly whisked into g block and a group of people plotting to rebel, etc. The art is really good. The characters are cool but most could have used a bit more development. It's still a pretty cool manga and worth a read.
|
6 | 58 | 13 |
| 6 |
Futatabi
This is a cool early one-shot from Kentarou Miura. The premise feels like some classic sci-fi short story. It's done well. It really would have worked better as a full one-volume story than as basicially a one-chapter short since that would have given the characters time to develop and there really is more room in this premise for more of a plot.
|
6 | 1 | - |
| 7 |
Gantz
The beginning is particularly strong. It's quite dark and violent and adult with lots of nudity and blood. It's intense but you kind of get used to it over nearly 400 chapters. Like any manga this long, there's going to be a number of arcs and the overall plot is a little choppy in places. But again, considering the length, it's coherent enough. The character arcs are great- the characters really grow and change. The action and monsters are very cool. The animation is detailed and very strong. It's an awesome manga.
|
10 | 383 | 37 | buy |
| 8 |
Gyo: Ugomeku Bukimi
Extremely gross and sick and really pretty great horror. The concept is insane and pulled off amazingly well. The ending is a little weird and while a lot of stuff is explained a lot is also left open. The Enigma of Amigara Fault is included here too and it's an absolutely amazing short- so that contributes to the high rating.
There are two one shots covered in this entry- I own them both in Gyo and also in Venus in the Blind Spot: The Enigma of Amigara Fault - Absolute top tier Ito, one of if not his very best one-shot. Very creepy, memorable, evocative, just great. 10/10 The Sad Tale of the Principal Post - Good for how short it is, but it is very short. Interesting that this is included in a couple collections because it didn't really do much for me. Fine for what it is. 6/10 |
10 | 21 | 2 | own, venusintheblindspot |
| 9 |
Itou Junji Kyoufu Hakubutsukan 10: Shibito no Koiwazurai
The Boy in White - This is the fifth and final chapter of the Lovesickness story which is a great longer Ito story- one of his best. 8/10
The Mansion of Phantom Pain - An interesting concept that's executed pretty well. 6/10 The Rib Woman - Good gross Ito. Pretty memorable. 8/10 Memories of Real Poop - Bizarre, funny, very short. Aparently something that really happened? 8/10 |
8 | 10 | 1 | lovesickness, own |
| 10 |
Itou Junji Kyoufu Hakubutsukan 9: Oshikiri Idan & Frankenstein
the three stories covered in this entry are the last three stories in the Viz's Frankenstein anthology.
Fixed Face is a very short little horror story about a woman who is forgotten in a doctors office in devicre that keeps her head in place. It's a good concept and the story is fine but I think it could have been better. The other two stories are about Junji Ito and his dog. They're very short and are genuine and heartfelt but there's not much to them either. So overall there's not that much in these three chapters but it will take you about 5 minutes to read them so for the time spent they're fine. |
6 | 3 | - | frankenstein, own |
| 11 |
Itou Junji Kyoufu Manga Collection 15: Shibito no Koiwazurai
These four chapters form the bulk of title story from the Lovesickness volume. It's a really great long Ito story, not quite enough for a full volume. Right up there with his best stuff.
|
8 | 4 | 1 | lovesickness, own |
| 12 |
Itou Junji Kyoufu Manga Collection 16: Frankenstein
the main frankenstein story and "a doll's hellish burial" are included in Viz's Frankenstein anthology.
Frankesntein: I've never read the original story, but I believe that this is a very faithful retelling of the story, moreso than most adaptations. The monster here is not particularly sympathetic. Junji's art is good and he does these longer stories better than you'd expect. It's very solid. 8/10 Doll's Hellish Burial: This is a very short and creepy and sort of nasty body horror story about children turning into dolls and then decaying. 8/10 Memories of a Real Shit: This is included in Lovesickness. It's a very short and stupid little story. Bu it's also a strangely memorable and weird. 8/10 |
8 | 5 | 1 | frankenstein, lovesickness, own |
| 13 |
Itou Junji Kyoufu Manga Collection: Kubi Gensou
these stories are all included in Viz's Frankenstein Anthology and all have the same main character, a boy called Oshikiri who lives alone in a big mansion which contains portals to other dimensions. They don't form a complete plot arc and the quality varies from good to mediocre.
|
6 | 6 | 1 | frankenstein, own |
| 14 |
Jigokusei Remina
Pretty cool cosmic horror with a very downbeat vibe. Quite short. Definitely worth a read for Ito fans. And as a long-ish short story it's very solid. (8/10)
Okuman Bocchi (Billions Alone) is in this entry but I own it in the Venus in the Blind Spot Volume. It's a very good little stand alone. Quite gross with masses of human bodies sewn together (8/10) |
8 | 7 | 1 | own, venusintheblindspot |
| 15 |
Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä
Very nicely drawn in the usual Ghibli style. Has a timeless mythic quality. But it's also very weird and kind of gross with the miasma and swarms of giant insects. It seems only anime and manga can pull this kind of thing off.
|
10 | 59 | 7 | own |
| 16 |
Koukaku Kidoutai: The Ghost in the Shell
I dig the retro cyber-punk vibe. The ideas and world that are explored are pretty cool. But the characters are underdeveloped. And the manga is strangely hard to follow. Not that it's that complex, but each chapter tends to meander off from where it starts and you end up looking back a few pages to remember what they were trying to do in the first place- do not attempt to read while you're sleepy. Kind of cool to see where the franchise began but the anime is better.
|
6 | 11 | 1 |
| 17 |
Ma no Kakera
Quite a good newer (2014) collection of horror short stories from Junji Ito. It's interesting how Ito sometimes chooses to end his story with a quick panel or two that serves as an explanation of what was going on or abruptly wraps things up and other times he leaves things open. I liked Red Turtleneck, Magami Nanakuse, and Whispering Woman the best here. But the rest are solid too. The collection is rather short and the volume is pretty thin. Art is great as usual.
|
8 | 8 | 1 | own, fragmentsofhorror |
| 18 |
Monster
Monster is an all-time classic manga for a reason. It could be summed up as a great psychological thriller and maybe it would be best to leave it at that since it's tough to really capture the feel of the manga without reading it. The characters are very well developed and interesting. The art is deceptively good too- it seems basic at times but there are some great panels and it's very consistent. The manga goes through several mini-arcs and effectively builds its world. The setting in Europe seemed strange at first but it works very well. There are twists but nothing that's too bizarre or unbelievable and it's not too reliant on its twists. Instead it's a slow build. Tense and dark but also with a lot of humanity and light. It's a combination that makes Monster strangely cozy and a real page turner.
|
10 | 162 | 18 | own |
| 19 |
Ningen Shikkaku
This is a piece of Japanese literature rendered into manga form by Junji Ito. It seems to be a little underrated by people who have read the original novel. Taken on its own, the manga is an absolute powerhouse, although it's such a devastating downer that I have to rate it a little lower than perfection just because it's not that enjoyable. It's kind of repetitive- he just keeps going down the same wrong path over and over, and that's how it is and it's effective.
|
8 | 24 | 3 | nolongerhuman, own |
| 20 |
Noa
Early post-apocalyptic sci-fi one-shot from Kentarou Miura, of Berserk fame. Very retro and not particularly original but solid and worth a quick read.
|
6 | 1 | - |
| 21 |
Oyasumi Punpun
The animation is really killer. It's interesting and very readable. The most obvious thing coming into this is that the protagonist, and his family, are protrayed in an abstract style, most often like cartoon birds. It's just a way for you to attach your own fact to them, or the face you imagine they'd have. I think it works extremely well and after only a few chapters I was on board completely. It's especially effective later on when the depiciton changes. Overall it's quite downbeat, especially toward the end. There are rays of light though. There are Crime and Punishment vibes. It's extremely good, and it's also rather devastating at times.
|
10 | 147 | 13 | own |
| 22 |
Sensor
Ito's volume length works are his best in my opinion, although his short stories are great too. This one is no exception- weird and cool, up to par with his other stuff, and underrated here. The ending is good here too which isn't always the case with Ito
|
8 | 7 | 1 | own |
| 23 |
Shin Yami no Koe: Kaidan
The second half of Smashed isn't quite as good as the first half, but it's pretty close. More consistently good horror from Ito.
|
8 | 7 | 1 | smashed, own |
| 24 |
Tokyo Ghoul
I had previously watched the anime. I liked it well enough but was aware that it differed from the manga. It's been long enough since I watched it that I don't really remember the differences. As for the manga, it's got a classic feeling set up as our main character finds that he's become a ghoul and struggles to accept it. Similar things happen in vampire stories all the time. It occasionally gets really sick and twisted especially in big battles and near the end, although there are big gross nasty scenes sprinkled throughout. The main character really changes and developes through the manga. I dig the investigators who use crazy weapons made from slain ghouls and who feel rather ghoulish themselves. Although characters are nicely developed, I feel like there are too many of them and that they are too quickly abandoned. Someone is introduced- are they important or just fodder for an upcoming battle. Even characters where some good time is spent developing them just disappear- what happened to so-and-so. The problem seems to be that the story is too compressed- it would have been better if it had been drawn out more so we could keep up with all the characters. Maybe 20 volumes instead of 14. Still, it's a pretty sweet manga with great art.
|
8 | 144 | 14 | own |
| 25 |
Tomie
The stories here are mostly disconnected except for the character Tomie. They are very well constructed and effective horror stories. Often gross. Very well drawn. Tomie, and her effect on men, is eerie and somehow makes sense. It's kind of complicated- a murderous love essentially- but its conveyed very well. Very underrated- this is some of the best horror I've read. Easily better than any J-horror movie I've seen.
|
10 | 20 | 3 | own |
| 26 |
Uzumaki
Really excellent horror manga. My comments for Tomie also apply here. I'm a big horror fan and this is better than any J-Horror film I've seen. The art is top notch. The chapters are more connected at the beginning and end. It's all connected with the same main character and it's cool how conditions in the town deteriorate. But mostly the chapters could be read as stand alone stories. Super gross- great stuff.
|
10 | 19 | 3 | own |
| 27 |
Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan
This is ok but it seems a little overrated. The premise of a woman falling in love with a death row inmate and this helping her cope with her past trauma didn't really connect all that much with me. Still, it kept my interest well enough and it's short enough to give a shot since it seems that it's really worked for a lot of people.
|
6 | 8 | 1 |
| 28 |
Yami no Koe
Glyceride (aka Greased) is in Shiver. This an extremely sick gross out body horror type of thing. One of Ito's all time best. 10/10.
The rest of the stories are in Smashed. They're all really solid, although I don't think any are all-time classics, except for the aforementioned Greased. |
8 | 7 | 1 | smashed, shiver, own |
| 29 |
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou
This is all atmosphere and virtually no plot. And the atmosphere is great- it's dreamy and quiet. The world is interesting with some cool stuff that is mostly unexplained. It's a pretty quick read with lots of panels that have no text. This is close to being really good or great. It needs to have some more significant stuff happen or some explanation of some of the weird stuff or maybe some more changes or time passing. It's still good but I feel like it's missing something. I will say that this one grows better in my memory. I look back and think this was really good but I also remember being kind of bored and underwhelmed when I was actually reading it.
|
6 | 142 | 14 |
| Chapters: 1648, Volumes: 166, Days: 9.16, Mean Score: 8.1, Score Dev.: 0.23 |