ChocoboMog's manga reviews and CE recommendations

I have well over 100 manga/hwa/hua on my reading list, and I thought it'd be nice to share some that I think CE might be interested in. If this gets a good reception, I'll try to post at least once a day. Not everything will be high art, I'll throw in some junk food series as well, but I'll definitely indicate what's trash.
So to start with something good...

Dai Dark
Dai Dark is a space-fantasy dark comedy by Q Hayashida, who also made Dorohedoro. It follows Zaha Sanko, a young adult of indeterminate age, and his sentient backpack, Avankian. They travel the universe collecting literal bones, which are used as currency. He makes some friends along the way and gets involved with an overarching plot as it's rumored his own bones will grant the owner any wish they desire. The art has a beautiful detailed yet rough style, with color and shading reminiscent to Berserk.

My best comparison is a more brutal Adventure Time. Zaha acts very much like Finn, he rarely takes anything seriously, even life-or-death situations. Meanwhile, his techno-magical backpack friend Avankian is more mature, but still encourages his antics. Although the setting is dark, the tone is light-hearted and humorous. There's a fair amount of toilet humor, like Adventure Time. For example, one of the spaceships is shaped like a dog and you frequently see its butt. Some of the other characters, especially the villains, take things more seriously, but in contrast to Zaha Sanko ultimately come across as stupidly ridiculous.

Some warnings: Lots and lots of gore, body horror-ish content, some cosmic horror, and some insect/arachnid imagery. There's also occasionally casual gratuitous nudity (mostly boobs, some non-explicit male nudity). If you're worried about creepy shonen-style leering, don't be - the nudity is intentionally similar to 70's and 80's movies like Alien and Terminator, and makes sense considering the plot. It might help that the mangaka is a woman, though she definitely has a "type."

Personal rating: 10/10. Great humor and characters with fantastic art.
Recommendation: If you want a more graphic Adventure Time and can handle some common phobias (gore and arachnids).
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/c/c78e5abf.jpg

Sold me on the image alone

I like Q Hayashida's art style.

TBH, it was hard to find one that was emblematic of the series and wouldn't get modded for one reason or another.

Was busier than expected over the weekend, so day 2:

Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra
Going to ease CE into the isekai genre with a good one. Apocalyse Bringer Mynoghra is a manga with art by JUN, based on a light novel by Fefu Kazuno. Main character, Takuto Ira, is the world's best player of a Eternal Nations, a game that seems to be a mix of Civilization, Age of Empires, and Starcraft in a fantasy setting. He plays the evil faction, which is typically seen as the weakest, but he makes it work. He dies of mysterious Asian light-novel illness and wakes up in a fantasy world with one of the hero units, Atou, in front of him. They discover that world immediately around them functions the same as Eternal Nations' mechanics. The first few chapters revolve around him building up resources, connections, and alliances. But, eventually he comes into conflict with (minor plot spoilers) other players of other games who function with their own games' mechanics.

Although the isekai plot is cliche, it's functionally a fantasy kingdom building plot with merging game mechanics. The twists and action are exciting and it's very fun to try to guess how different game genres would interact, like RTS vs RPG or RTS vs table-top RPG. Stakes are minor, but relevant. The art is nice, clean, and detailed in classic fantasy-manga style.

A few warnings: Some minor blood and zerg-like insects.

Personal rating: 7.5/10. Nothing deep, just a fun exciting consistently good fantasy story.
Recommendation: If you want to read what it's like to be in a video game, without the typical isekai slop.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/a/a45dd939.jpg

Evening_Dragon posted...

Sold me on the image alone

Rebuild World
I love Japanese sci-fi and Rebuild World really hits the mark for me as a soft sci-fi series.In a post-apocalyptic Earth, a young boy named Akira meets an old-world augmented reality AI that helps him survive. The AI appears in the guise of a mature woman named Alpha. She helps Akira by sensing the area and guiding him where to run, how and when to shoot, finding treasure, identifying danger, et cetera. With her help Akira becomes a Hunter, someone who hunts mutated beasts and scavenges old-world ruins for valuable products and technology. Together, they slowly uncover the secrets of the old-world, with an overarching ominous final goal that Alpha needs Akira to accomplish. Along the way, the series explores Akira's seemingly lack of emotions stemming from the PTSD and abuse of barely surviving in a brutal world.

The series draws from classic 70's and 80's sci-fi movies, mainly Mad Max. There's lots of big battles involving cars and guns. There are mature themes such as prostitution, sexual assault, gang violence, and child slavery - but they're generally used to instigate action. There's also a lot of "fanservice" from adult characters, particularly Alpha, but it tones down as the series progresses. The art doesn't do anything special, but works great for a sci-fi action series. Maybe it's just the contrast to what's popular, but it's very refreshing to have a straight 80's-style sci-fi series in a sea of isekai system slop.

Personal rating: 8/10. Like I said, a refreshing Japanese sci-fi series that I look forward to every month.
Recommendation: If you like soft sci-fi action definitely give it a try.

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Dai Dark has been on my list of maybes to buy... and your review and that image have definitely pushed it up the list... Just saw that the first box set with 1-4 is on sale right too...

Yeah, it's by far my favorite manga out right now. Probably Top 3 for me after Berserk and Mob Psycho 100. There's a few lines my SO and I quote to each other, like this one (light gore):
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/4/417eaafe.jpg

I feel like I see so few people who read manga compared to anime watchers, so its nice to see a topic about it. Youve probably read more than me, but if I could, Id like to recommend reading works from Imitation Crystal and Dowman Sayman, if you havent.

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KFHEWUI posted...

I like Q Hayashida's art style.

The designs in Shadows of the Damned were pretty good too.

PerseusRad posted...

I feel like I see so few people who read manga compared to anime watchers, so its nice to see a topic about it.

I've wanted to make a manga specific topic... but my manga tastes is very specific and I most likely couldn't post panels without getting modded...

Have you read Her Majesty's Swarm?
Basically an edgier watered down Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra with a Zerg player.
Not great, but hey, Zerg attacks!

I haven't read any of the series mentioned, but I will add them to my reading list to check out.
I usually prefer manga to anime when it's the source material. It's generally better paced and often has more interesting art unless they really shell out for a good adaptation.

Tag

random_man9119 posted...

I've wanted to make a manga specific topic... but my manga tastes is very specific and I most likely couldn't post panels without getting modded...

I talk about manga sometimes in the Anime general and no one has objected yet, but the manga I discuss there isn't really lewd

ChocoboMogALT posted...

who also made Dorohedoro

That's all I needed to hear.

teep_ posted...

Tag

I talk about manga sometimes in the Anime general and no one has objected yet, but the manga I discuss there isn't really lewd

Not all my manga are lewd... Just most since I tend to sway towards monster girl ones...

Also the regular series I have aren't really anything to note since they're either well known series (like Death Note and Demon Slayer) or ones that gained more popularity from recent anime (Like Delicious in Dungeon)...

What are some good mangas if I enjoy raunchy humor, like Prison School, Grand Blue, Shimoneta, etc? >_>

The art for Dai Dark is incredible

NeonPhoenix posted...

What are some good mangas if I enjoy raunchy humor, like Prison School, Grand Blue, Shimoneta, etc? >_>

Voynich Hotel is one of the manga from Dowman Sayman, someone I recommended earlier. A lot of his manga are somewhat raunchy, though the artstyle is relatively simple compared to what youve mentioned.

I'll check it out. Thanks man!

ChocoboMogALT posted...

Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra

Interesting, it appears to be based on a light novel also available in English.

I would almost recommend Ogure Ito, but I don't think most of his series are any good beyond the illustrations. Like Air Gear is just about super Chunni Rollerskating competition but the MCs "adopted sisters" are also skaters but also haha ecchi hehe, like Ogure does with everything like Tenjou Tenge and the other designs he makes

I'll just say EdensZero because it's by the guy who did Fairy Tail and Rave Master. Not equally as horny but somewhat.

Akane-Banashi
(minor but important spoilers for the main premise, untagged)
Akane-Banashi is a Weekly Shonen Jump series, written by Yuki Suenaga and illustrated by Takamasa Moue, about traditional Japanese storytelling. In rakugo, the rakugoka (storyteller) performs a one-man-style story, performing the roles of multiple characters. Many of the rakugo stories feature recurring characters, often magical animals (tanuki), and may serve as a fable or simply an entertaining story. The series follows Akane Osaki, a 17-year-old girl who grew up loving to watch her father perform rakugo. Six years ago, her father tried to take a test to reach the next "level" as a rakugoka, shin'uchi, but was instead inexplicably expelled from the profession by his mentor, Issho Arakawa, the main antagonist. Akane strives to reach the level her father never could and uncover the reason for his expulsion.

The story itself mostly play out similar to a standard sports series. There's various competitions and recurring opposition and all the drama that's involved in that. The way Akane progresses her skills as a rakugoka also aligns with typical sports manga. The overarching plot adds a bit of intrigue into the mix that's generally absent from sports manga. Issho Arakawa, personally, is one of the most infuriating antagonists I've read in manga... and that's purposeful. He's completely realistic and impossible to dismiss as simply another manga villain. He's not, he's just a man with his own goals and desires that destroy Akane's father's dreams and inhibit her own. But what really sets Akane-Banashi it apart from sports manga is the rakugo - the series illustrates literal rakugo stories. The rakugoka will play multiple characters by changing various facial expressions, head movements, hand movements, and voice tones. Sometimes the art will portray images of the stories they are telling or simply show the rakugoka as they change expressions. This is what makes this manga unique amongst other mangas. You get to see into ancient stories, some over a thousand years old, that give insight into Japanese customs and culture.

Personal rating: 6.5*/10. Currently the most consistent WSJ series, the one I always look forward to reading first.
Recommendation: If you are interested in ancient Japanese storytelling, history, or culture.
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I think next up: Mieruko-chan.

I stopped reading Akane pretty early on. Its a weird thing where Im pretty sure its quite good, but I just cant get into the Rakugo stuff. I feel like whenever this gets an anime, itll be one that almost unquestionably elevates the manga. It kinda reminds me of Chihayafuru, except I really like both the anime and manga for that one.

100% get that. The drama between the rakugo is honestly pretty boring, often just empty padding. But I really like the rakugo stories. Even the ones I didn't actively enjoy ended up sticking in the back of my mind. And, like I said, I think the antagonist is actually low-key amazing, even if the surrounding story doesn't support his weight. In terms of understandable aggravation, I'd put him up there with Kai Winn or maybe Dolores Umbridge, just not actually evil (or possibly even malicious). It's not clear, but he seems to just be a man trying to protect his ancient profession who might himself be stuck in the past.

Edit: Also, it's nice that no chapter ever makes you go, "Well, that was stupid," unlike many WSJ series.

random_man9119 posted...

Just most since I tend to sway towards monster girl ones...

Not lewd, but I really enjoyed Interviews with Monster Girls. Cute SoL series

Also, Mieruko-chan da GOAT. One of the series I read whenever it releases, as opposed to waiting for a bunch of chapters and then binging them

teep_ posted...

Not lewd, but I really enjoyed Interviews with Monster Girls. Cute SoL series

Also, Mieruko-chan da GOAT. One of the series I read whenever it releases, as opposed to waiting for a bunch of chapters and then binging them

Interviews with Monster Girls is definitely on my list to grab for my collection... Looks cute... Still need to buy Mieruko-chan too...

Another cute non-lewd Monster Girl manga is The Illustrated Guide to Monster Girls... It's kind of a cute horror-comedy

random_man9119 posted...

Another cute non-lewd Monster Girl manga is The Illustrated Guide to Monster Girls... It's kind of a cute horror-comedy

Sounds interesting, I'll add it to the list!

Mieruko-chan
(minor but important spoilers for the main premise, untagged)
Miko Yotsuya is an ordinary high school girl who one day awakens the ability to see yokai/ghosts/spirits... and that's it... Mieruko-chan is a horror series by mangaka Izumi Tomoki. Miko quickly realizes that ignoring the spirits is the best way to ensure that the spirits ignore her, too. This creates tension and honestly some very creepy moments, especially when even the reader cannot tell the difference between yokai and real people. She can occasionally use her sight to "help" people by tying her shoes at the right time, or changing her path to run to the restroom, and so on in order to avoid clashing with the worst of the spirits. As the series progresses, she learns that her best friend, Hana, has the power to attract and purify spirits, at the cost of her energy which is replenished by eating. She later meets several psychic characters who can also see spirits, but not as fully as Miko can, and know how to interact with them, for better or worse. There are a few over-arcing plots about specific spirits or human characters, but the bulk of the series focuses on chapter-to-chapter tense situations.

Although the main theme is horror, there is a parallel theme of loving wholesomeness, especially in regards to death of pets and family members. Mieruko-chan would be a great manga with just the horror themes, but the heartwarming moments elevate it above its genre. Seriously, there are some scenes that might make you tear up. The series also occasionally touches on issues of animal abuse, dementia, and abuse by caregivers - sometimes explicitly.
Also, big warning: The first 3 chapters have a lot of gross "fanservice." After those initial chapters, it goes away completely and is much better for it. Aside from that, there's also rarely some phallic/yonic imagery - not quite explicit, but close enough and NSFW - as well as some non-sexual nudity
The art is absolutely fantastic. The series would not work without it. If you've seen the anime, whether you liked it or not, check out the manga. It's one of those series that's massively better in ink. Unfortunately I can't share some of the best images due to spoilers and/or explicitness.

Personal rating: 9.5/10. An absolutely amazing series! One thing that unfortunately holds it back for my personal rating is the monthly release schedule. Each chapter is so good and easy to read that it just flies by.
Recommendation: For anyone and everyone who is into horror. One of the best pieces of horror media I've seen of any medium. Can legitimately creep you out or have you bawling from love in the space of a single chapter.

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I think next up: Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint.

I've never seen a print medium do jump scares as well as Mieruko-chan does