I'm looking for some manga recommendations!
I love comics and graphic novels, but I haven't devoted a lot of time to manga despite it being in line with my interests. A lot of the stuff I come across seems aimed at younger audiences or is highly romance-focused, neither of which really appeal to me. I'd love to get some good recommendations for manga that is more meant for adults (but is not "adult manga") or that just tells really good stories.
To get a feel for what I might be interested in, here's a very limited list of what I've enjoyed so far:
- My Brother's Husband was cute and resonant. I like nearly anything that tackles LGBT/queer issues.
- I read a scanlation of Homunculus and enjoyed its oddness and artwork.
- Ichi-F was really good too. I like non-fiction, which I realize is rare in manga.
- Death Note, despite not being what I'm actively looking for, was a great page-turner.
- Opus was a meta-manga that I enjoyed, despite probably not being able to appreciate it to its fullest given my lack of exposure to the form.
EDIT: I added links in case anyone is unfamiliar with those titles. Also, I forgot to add that I'd prefer manga that are finished rather than ongoing, and I'd prefer ones that don't have a huge number of volumes, though neither of these are definite requirements -- just preferences.
Very low chance you don't already know it, but Akira was the manga that originally got me interested in comics in the first place. Sadly, there isn't much like it (because people aren't insane enough to draw 2000 pages like that).
And if you're into classic samurai stuff, Vagabond!
Generally, I think I know what you mean by "meant for adults", I struggle with the overly loud stuff, which apparently has a really specific, younger target group. There's definitely a pretty big sub-market of manga telling more down to earth stories, it's just harder to find since western fan sites are dominated by a more "One Piece" crowd.
I once lived near a library that had a comic focus, mostly ran by a guy in the staff with really good taste. Lots of stuff outside the superhero bubble, essentially this list, most of which I've read (and love!). They also had half a shelf full of quality manga that perfectly fit your requirements but it's been a while and I struggle to remember the names. There was a great one about a middle aged man who saw ghosts or something, dammit... I wouldn't know how to even search for it. One about a mountain climber... I dunno. There's definitely tons and tons of great manga about just about anything, home life, office work, etc. They just tend to be very, uhm, "subtle", it's not the kinds of stories that scream at you for attention and you rather remember something like Akira. It sometimes feels almost wasteful how much effort went into carefully drawing those quiet, slice-of-life scenes. But that's the point, of course.
Once corona is over, I might pay that library another visit, it's been ages and I'm curious to have another look! Also, if you're successful in tracking down more great manga in that style, I'd love to hear another summary post, maybe in a few months?
The list you linked is exactly the kind of stuff I'm into (I counted and I've read a fifth of it!), so that shelf sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. Sad that it's out of access right now, but I appreciate that you at least gave me some directions to go in.
Akira has been somewhat of an interest of mine for a while, but the buy-in for all of it is so high (I like to buy the books if they're available in English) and its length is slightly intimidating. What I really need to do is just buy the first volume and see if it interests me.
Gantz
I haven't read a lot of manga, but I have read this one 2 times.
Read until the first mission is over (you will know what I am talking about once you read), if you don't like you can stop, but the manga is a looot more than the missions, it's amazing the character development.
Oyasumi Punpun
If you like mangas that make you think about life this is one that you should 100% read.
I loved reading this 2 mangas, and I am not much of a reader.
Both of these look interesting! Thank you for the recommendations.