MangaLove, a series sharing thread: February 2024
Choose one series
that you love
that you think deserves more love
Tell us what it is, and why.
Additional Details
Why MangaLove?
Finding new series is hard! The medium continues to become more mainstream and accessible, but that hasn't changed the fact that there's a lot of stuff to consume and few ways to find something you may like.
MangaLove offers an opportunity to sift through series loved by others, including those who might have divergent tastes from you. Think of this as an opportunity to venture outside of your comfort zone, with a series that you know someone else adores, from a small pool of thoughtful hand-selected options.
Is this just for Manga? Can I share Anime, or Manhwa, or...
Feel free to share any Anime, Manga, Manhwa, or Manhua that you love!
What do I post?
Any series that you love and that you feel deserves more appreciation. There are no restrictions on genre, year, or anything else, and nothing is “too popular” or “too niche”. If you think it needs more love — for whatever reason — then it’s welcome in MangaLove.
Please make sure to include:
- The series name
- The author
- A short description of the premise
- What you love about the series. It could be the story, the art, but it could also be your associations with it -- maybe the series reminds you of someone you love, or the period in your life when you first consume it.
Also, commenting on others' recommendations is encouraged! If you love something that someone else shared, let them know!
Do I have to watch/read to what everyone else posts?
Nope. You don't have to consume anything you don't want to. This is about creating a menu of options that people can explore as they wish.
Can I post more than one series in a month?
Nope. Limit one! This helps us be more selective about what we choose, as well as preventing the threads from getting flooded with too many contributions to keep track of.
"Katekyō Hitman Reborn," by Akira Amano, follows the life of Tsuna Sawada, a timid teenager who discovers he is the heir to the Vongola Mafia family. A hitman is sent to groom him into a proper leader, with a catch – the hitman is a baby! As the story unfolds, characters with ties to the Italian Mafia are introduced in the most peculiar ways.
The series begins as a comedic slice-of-life manga but later transforms into a battle shonen. What I appreciate about Reborn is its ability to reinvent itself multiple times throughout its span. Although some iterations may feel a little uninspired (looking at you, animal weapons that are pokemon-ripoffs), in my opinion, they are successful every time, renewing interest in the series with each arc.
Moreover, there's solid character development for the main group throughout the series, with each character dealing with their own challenges in their mini-arcs. The characters are fun and well-written (and I swear Levi from Attack on Titan is a ripped-off version of Hibari).
I'm bringing up this series because it's relatively old now, and I rarely see it mentioned. If you're seeking a fun battle shonen with an original plot and some beloved generic gimmicks, look no further!
Reborn! felt like such a titan back when I was a kid. The manga seemed popular, and it had a pretty good anime that went on for 200 episodes. And then it basically seemed to dissappear from public consciousness.
Your point about Reborn! reinventing itself is so true. I remember feeling tonal whiplash when the show went from "ha ha hijinks" to "the stakes have now skyrocketed", but still enjoying it enough to go along for the ride.
One of my favorite manga series is an old one: Angel Densetsu, a comedy series by the creator of Claymore. The main character is by far the nicest person you'd ever encounter and is also the innocent type that's absolutely clueless about life and people, but has a terribly scary looking face that is typically said to look like a demon. This leads to a host of misunderstandings where in the first day of his high school he accidentally ends up taking over as the boss of the main delinquent gang in the school (which of course he never realizes), and it just escalates from there. This kind of comedy is probably not for everybody but if you enjoy silly misunderstanding-powered comedy this might be for you. This has a bonus of being completed, 15 volumes.
There is an incomplete anime adaptation out there that can be ignored, go straight for the manga.
Title: The Greatest Estate Developer (Officially Published in English by Webtoons)
Type: Manhwa
Tropes: Video Game Mechanics, Transported into a Book, Medieval European Fantasy
Premise: Civil engineering student Kim Suho falls asleep reading a fantasy novel and wakes up as a good-for-nothing character in the book. He uses his engineering knowledge to avert a disaster that will occur in the future, and secure a life of comfort, laziness, and luxury.
Why I love it: It's really funny. To the point where I regularly laugh out loud when I read the new weekly chapter.
Kim Suho is greedy, deeply self motivated, devilishly competent at getting what he wants, and a massive sycophant. But he also works hard when he needs to, and takes care of his people. That dicotomy sets up a lot of the series' humor and emotional payoff; it gives the author the range to put Suho in situations where he refuses to avert major disasters without compensation but also is able to later reflect on his love for his found family in this new world. The series definitely got better as it went on, since it took a while to build up a lot of the recurring jokes.
What's up with the tropes?
Many of the Manhwa I read are very formulaic, and draw from a short list of tropes common to the medium. Listing out tropes is a concise way to convey a lot about the series.
Main Character
Regressor - The main character is sent back in time and relives their life. Typically has perfect recollection of their previous life, and that knowledge gives them a massive advantage.
Genius MC - The main character is drastically better at learning than their peers.
Setting
Murim - Stories set in Ancient China, where the main character learns martial arts and journeys through Murim, "the world of martial artists".
Hunter + Gates - Monsters immune to modern weaponry start appearing in the present day through portals called "Gates". Some humans "awaken" powers that can fend off the monsters, and form an association of "Hunters".
Isekai - The main character is transported from their world into another, typically with no way back.
Transported into a Book/Game- An Isekai subcategory where the main character is placed into a book or video game. The book or game is often their favorite, which often gives them knowledge of future events.
Medieval European Fantasy - Stories set in a fantasy world resembling Medieval Europe. The main character often navigates through the ranks of European nobility, gaining renown fighting against fantasy monsters as either an Aura-Wielding Swordsman or a Magician.
Video Game Mechanics - Stories set in a world where the main character has access to a "System" that provides them with progression similar to a video game (skills, quests, xp, titles, etc...). Can be set in actual video games, or in "the real world". When set outside of games, the creator of the system is often a central mystery of the story.
Themes
Revenge - Stories where the central conceit is the main character's path of vengeance against someone who wronged them.
Feel free to leave any feedback you have for the format or any other meta-commentary in this comment thread.