I quite liked the awkward flow in their conversation. Interested to see where this goes.

The notification didn’t appear on my Lemmy app so I didn’t see your reply! I would have gotten back to you a lot earlier had I seen this! Whoops.

No better time than now to dive into Bleach, with the new anime season currently airing. There’s a lot to critique about the story and how frustrating the pacing and power scaling can get towards the end, but Kubo is unparalleled when it comes to style, whether it be in storytelling or in character designs. I think it’s worth reading just to see illustrations of some the characters and their powers.

I’m not sure what your appetite for explicit material (violence, sexual content etc.) is like, but I’ll throw out a couple of titles I think might interest you:

I can’t resist recommending Spice and Wolf to anyone who mentions fantasy. Originally a light novel adapted into manga and anime form, this story set in medieval times follows the journey of a travelling merchant, Lawrence, and his encounter with a wolf deity, Holo, that takes the form of a girl. I admit that this series is first and foremost a romance, but I think the writer also does a great job immersing the reader into a world set in the middle ages but where folklore were real. It’s also a story that revolves around macroeconomics, and manages to make the subject digestable and even appealing to understand. One of my favourite series.

Another one in the same vein is The Ancient Magus’ Bride, this time with a little less focus on the romance and a little more on fantasy. Chise, a teenage girl with a strong affinity to magic that brings her nothing but exclusion and sadness, finds herself up for bid at an auction. There, she is bought at a high price by a sorcerer named Elias and is told she is to become his apprentice. And also his bride. It’s a more Harry Potter-esque story especially towards the more recent arcs, but it goes HARD on the Celtic and Nordic folklore. I know barely anything about European cultures and beliefs, but I loved this series and every new chapter and creature it introduced for a long, long time. Not to mention the art is gorgeous.

I’ll end with Made in Abyss. I don’t know if you’ve heard about this series, but it’s a controversial one for sure. The city of Orth surrounds a vast pit which has been aptly named the Abyss. The citizens of this city make a living as Cave Raiders - people that explore the Abyss and dig up valuable treasures and relics left over from ancient times. Riko, a young orphan girl who dreams of becoming a great Cave Raider, meets Reg, a mysterious boy who has no memories of his past but has some strange abilities. Together, they descend into the Abyss and adventure together, and find out just how cruel and unforgiving the Abyss truly is. There’s no denying some of the author’s decision to make the characters children is very questionable, and that it’d be strange to read this without feeling uncomfortable at times. That said, Made in Abyss is a modern day classic. The art is breathtaking. It is a masterclass in storytelling, and there’s no other series quite like it being written right now. And it has been adapted into anime (which is debatably even better than the source material) so you’ve got options!

I apologize, I didn’t mean to write an essay, but these are manga that I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing so I couldn’t help but write in a little more detail. I hope these descriptions made you a little curious!

Another series that doesn’t beat around the bush. It’s been uplifting to see more straight-shooting romance stories appearing in Jump!

What other media do you consume? Books, movies? Any genres you enjoy? Any favourite piece of literature? I think I speak on behalf of most manga enthusiasts when I say we’d be more than happy to help you add more manga to that to-read list!

I chanced upon this unassuming series by the name of Haraiso Days. The art’s a little dated, but that just adds to the charm, and this story just exudes charm! It’s cosy and endearing, it’s mellow and melancholic. I highly recommend this little gem if you’re looking for a good seinen slice-of-life to indulge in.

I see. Thanks for the clarification. Unfortunately, it doesn’t make it any easier to read, but points for the effort to the creator, I guess.

This, Akane-banashi and Polar Opposites give me so much hope for Shounen manga.

I’d read this… If it had some proper translations. This looks worse than some MTL stuff out there, and this was published on the official app??

Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, it got frustrating at times watching Nakano and Toda fumble and agonize over a couple of silly things, but things worked out, and more importantly - Mana-chan! What a turnaround from what she was at the beginning! Hands down one of my favorite characters.

So adorable, these two.

That was a special era indeed.

You’re in for a great time. It has one of my favourite side character glow-ups in any manga I’ve read, and you’ll know when the time comes. I’m hoping you’ll grow to love that character too!

If I had a say, I’d hope for MORE manhwa and manhua, to add to the variety of content and discussion that we get here. The manga subreddit in its current state is so homogeneous and stale, it’s an absolute slog to find anything remotely unique or noteworthy there, and I’ve been a bit burnt out by manga as a result.

Nothing much to add, I just wanna say DAMN, MangaRock, now that’s a throwback.

It’s been awhile since I’ve had the time and motivation to read manga, and even more since I’ve written about it, but I’m in the mood to procrastinate so here’s something I’ve re-binged recently:

Ore no Himekutsu o Haite Kure is about a skilled shoemaker struggling with a foot fetish and a chance encounter with a high school girl who wants a special pair of shoes restored.

That’s right, there’s romantic tension involving an age gap. No, it’s not erotica (but it is ecchi). No doubt about it, the subject and context are straight up taboo, but I ended up adoring this little series that seems to have never appeared on anybody’s radar. It’s an uncomplicated story - the set-ups are straightforward, the characters aren’t convoluted, the twists and conclusion are almost predictable - and it makes for a very mellow and pleasant read.

I really, REALLY don’t like romance stories with age gaps - many of them involve the older party knowingly manipulating the younger one, or just making irresponsible decisions as the adult in the situation - but I’ve a soft spot for this one and how benign and tender this story turned out. I’ve read it several times since its serialization and I’m glad to say it hasn’t lost its charm.

Have you read Mousou Telepathy by any chance?

It hasn’t been years but I wonder what Yuuji Kaku could have done with Ayashimon were he given the chance to tell that story in full. It had no time in Jump to lay the groundwork, but the Yakuza Yokai setting oozed style.

Ginka and Glüna was another series that was taken from us before its time. I think it suffered by being a little more cartoonish and straight edge in its storytelling in a time when Jump readers seem to be into more dramatic and edgy themes.

Honestly, it felt like this series had lost a little momentum before these past few chapters, but the tension and pace has really ramped up again, especially with Hikaru’s performance! I love what has been done with her character - there’s no personal spite or malice directed at Akane or anyone else, just a drive to prove to oneself the limits of one’s ability and ambition, and the same goes for the rest of the contestants. No doubt whoever wins this competition, everyone partaking of it leaves the venue enriched by the Rakugo they get to experience. I’m very excited to see the climax of this arc.

Yeah, this one’s a gem.

If the community grows to a size as large as the manga subreddit, my guess is that it’ll take on similar characteristics - that’s the nature of manga in its current state and culture. It’ll only be different if conscious effort is put in to moderate the content and direction of discussions that take place here.

I suppose the good thing here is that it’s like we’re starting on a clean slate, and we can actually steer this instance in the direction we want it to go, at least for now.

It’s upsetting that the subs for media as broad as television and books and movies can hold substantial discussions and for the most part feel like a proper forum, while r/manga just made me feel like I was perpetually stuck in some corner of a sleazy bookstore dedicated to horny boys and men.

That’s not to say that there weren’t good conversations and recommendations to be found. I spent a good bunch of my time on that sub because the hidden gems were worth digging through the dirt to find. I’m just hoping the things I see and read here will be more palatable.