Anime & Manga Manga Recommendations?

[Asuhra]

Hellooo, I just recently got into reading manga and I have no idea where to start really.

I started out reading Junji Ito's Uzumaki, Gyo and Tomie. I love how Ito is able to portray horror without making anything look "pretty." Next I read Vagabond. I just caught up with the most recent chapters of Demon Slayer and right now I'm reading Dr. Stone. I loved Vagabond and Demon Slayer because they're both extremely engaging and the fight scenes are intense and exciting. Dr. Stone is really good too. It's not as dark or intense, compared to what I'm used to reading (I'm at Ch. 40).

I'm really open to trying out anything. I'd even be into slice-of-life mangas like Fruits Basket or Haikyu. I tend to love darker themes though, and stories set in feudal Japan ^.^

 

[Nue]

I don't read a lot of manga, but I've really been enjoying Beastars and Houseki No Kuni/Land of the Lustrious. The Promised Neverland is good too! These all have anime adaptations but they don't cover the full manga so I'd encourage people to check them out.

If you're okay with being utterly depressed, Oyasumi Punpun is a great manga. I'd suggest any of Inio Asano's other works too, like Dead Demons Dedededestruction.
Another depressing (but good!) one is Bokurano. It's a really interesting take on the giant robot genre.

 

[ashwynne]

Going to second the Beastars recommendation!

For dark themes, set in a Feudal Japan-esque setting, with excellent characters and fantasy elements I cannot recommend Akatsuki no Yona enough!! Literally my favourite manga ever lol. I've been reading manga for about ten years and it's the first one I've actively decided to collect.

A completed one that's really good (though more historical with some fantasy than anything else) would be Red River/Anatolia Story.

If you're aiming for really disturbing (and are okay with like... super duper NSFW themes with gore, violence, sexual content/assault etc.) then Berserk has an amazing story and is insanely dark. Not for the faint of heart though.

For absolutely INCREDIBLE fight scenes/art style and a concept that is hysterical and awesome... I recommend One Punch Man.

Some have anime adaptations though the manga is better imo since you get the full story lol.

edit; I FORGOT A GOOD ONE!!! Parasyte ALSO has an amazing art style and a super cool/fascinating concept. Can't remember whether I'd classify it as disturbing but I feel like it fits the "darker" theme pretty well.

(also forgot to say that I LOVED Uzumaki. All of Junji Ito's work is pretty wild. Read it in middle school with some friends and we made references to spirals allll the way until we graduated lol).

 

[Idea]

I consume anime and manga at industrial rates, I often say, though to be honest I don't usually consume very dark stuff, as I'm more of a fan of comedy, so I tend to go more for manga with funny premises, and other interests of mine also tend to align with more light-hearted stories, generally speaking.

I'll start by recommending my favorite manga, Only Sense Online, which is of that more light-hearted and comedic type, but it was the most enjoyable read I ever had in terms of a manga.

Next, I'll recommend some darker manga I liked. With "dark" here I am assumign doesn't just mean "edgy" (because oh boy would that be a whole other story), and instead decided to focus more on the moral atitudes, drama, grittiness of the setting that isn't over the top, but something that is more understandable or sinks in more. Plunderer is a pretty excellent one getting near it's end. It does start off much more light-hearted and comedic but as the layers of the story are peeled it becomes much darker. Rising of the Shield Hero was in my opinion done a disservice by the attemptation that far toned down the character and events, stripping away just how paranoid and twisted Naofumi allowed himself to become, and several other matters that went much darker in the manga than the anime. The Death Mage Who Doesn't Want a Fourth Time has a perfectly and flavourfly excellently dark start, and though not so dark later on. It is definitely the edgiest in this list, but the almost karmatic nature of it all makes it easier to swallow and appreciate.

I know I'm saying "dark" a lot in these descriptions, but that's mostly because that was the main criteria to distinguish most of these from the hundreds of potential options in my list. They are definitely very well written, with good characters, ideas and art.

If you want something of the edgier persuation though, I direct your eyes to Fukushuu o Koinegau Saikyou Yuusha wa, Yami no Chikara de Senmetsu Musou Suru. It's a revenge fantasy manga, and boy does it deliver. The manga is utterly unapologetically just the edgiest crap , the manga pretty much knows it has awful story and characters, but that doesn't matter in the end, cause you read it for the carthasis of the edgy revenge, of bad people getting what's coming to them by the hands of the main character. It's not a piece of art, but it's entertaining as hell. In more senses than one

And now, for my top recommendation:

3rd Place
Without getting into spoiler territory, Talentless Nana is a story that takes place in an island full of superpowered kids, where a string of murders starts to happen. I have found it to be an excellent thriller, although for reasons I won't spoil, there's not much of a mystery element per se. The clever ways the characters have to deal with the other's superpowers help build the tension and make the characters feel quite competent, and even appearantly minor characters can have a surprising amount of depth to them.

2nd Place
Shishunki Bitter Change, as a manga abotu a bodyswap, may not seem like the darkest or most thought-out thing in the world at the surface, but the clever twist of the manga following not the characters trying to fix their problem, but trying to cope with the fact that it seemingly can't be fixed brings the manga into a whole other dimension, as the characters have to learn to live each other's lives, to let go, to find themselves again, to accept the things they miss because of the incident, and so forth... It's a manga of absolutely jaw-dropping drama that I recommend wholeheartedly.

1st Place
For my top recommendation this time around, the manga that stands as my second favorite manga ever, Ascendence of a Bookworm, whose anime season is airing right now. Although it is slow paced, this manga has excellent characters and story, with a unique motivation and approach to the story which it gradually builds upon. The realistic conditions of the setting, as well as the main character's sickness are the main source of drama and makes every little step in the uphill battle the character has to face even more engaging and rewarding to see them succeed on.

 

[Crayons]

Welp you have good taste so far! Uzumaki was the first manga series I collected (back when it was in 3 books, nice and short XD) and I love Vagabond... the art is tip top.

As you are into Feudal Japan which is my big thing also, I have some recommendations for you!

Blade of the Immortal - set in Edo period, slight fantasy/horror elements, amazing artwork
Kaze Hikaru - set in Bakumatsu period, romance/action/comedy, incredibly well researched and all the historical elements are like 98% accurate
Ooku - Edo period, Shogunate is ruled by women, political/slice of life, a bit weird
Inuyasha - set in Sengoku period, yokai/supernatural, comedy/action/fantasy

I wish there were more decent manga set in Feudal Japan but damn its hard to find any. This saddens me a great deal as I've have scoured releases and scanlation sites and I can't really find that many I'd recommend for others to read.

Some general recommendations:

Golden Kamuy - historical (1910s)/action/comedy/crime/thriller/culture/survival/weirdness
Nana - slice of life/rock bands
Maison Ikkoku - romcom
Full Metal Alchemist - action/adventure/fantasy/political
Planetes - science fiction/slice of life
Cromartie High School - comedy
Fushigi Yugi/Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden - isekai/Ancient China/shojo/romance/action

Also there are bucketload more Junji Ito stories out there like Museum of Terror and they keep releasing new ones.

Based on Ashwynne's recommendation I'm going to give Akatsuki no Yona a try! Thanks

 

[Asuhra]

N Nue I've heard of Beastars and it's definitely on my list. I'll check it out Thank you!

ashwynne I absolutely love the anime for One Punch Man but I've been curious about reading the manga. Mumen Rider is my boy I've also been recommended Berserk sooo many times. It's been so hyped up for me that I'm afraid to read it now lol Thank you for the recommendations!

Idea Thank you so much for the recommendations! The only one you listed I had actually heard of was The Rising of the Shield Hero, which is one of my boyfriend's favorite animes. I'm excited to look into some stories I haven't heard of!

Crayons Ooof thank you so much for the feudal Japan themed mangas! I will definitely check those out. Also Inuyasha is my favorite anime of all time! Inuyasha and Samurai Champloo were the first animes I'd ever seen, which is probably why I have such a bias towards stories set in earlier times. I might have to look into the manga for those, although I heard that the manga for Samurai Champloo wasn't nearly as good as the anime.

 

[Idea]

t's been so hyped up for me that I'm afraid to read it now lol

Oh boy do I get this feeling so much. It's the thing keeping me away berserk, Jojo, and that until very recently kept me from watchign Evangelion, this overhyping and people never shutting up about these handful of shows... It gets very hard to get into a positive mindset when going to watch them.

 

[Asuhra]

Idea Oh my gosh yes I feel that with Jojo and Evangelion too! I'm also afraid that they're not going to be as amazing as everyone has hyped them up to be. Like, I feel like Berserk is not going to be as gruesome and dark as I've mentally prepared myself for In my head there's just a dark cloud of terror and destruction over that manga

 

[Crayons]

Glad the suggestions were useful! Samurai champloo was an anime first iirc so the manga is probably just a straight up adaptation of it. Personally I didn't like the anime although this is an unpopular opinion.

 

[ashwynne]

Idea and Asuhra
Honestly, Berserk was really hyped up for me as well by a friend who went on and on about how horrific and gruesome it was. In the end I’m glad they did it because I was braced for far worse than what I actually got and so it wasn’t quite as traumatizing. I’d say Berserk is one of those where it does live up to the hype and going in prepared for the worst is an actual benefit. Granted, she went into very descriptive detail about what happens in the manga so if you’ve only been given a brief overview then it may still be horrifying lol. I’d say it’s still worth a look, even with the hype.

that said... I have the hype problem with Jojo and RWBY myself. I find overhyping tends to ruin the “tamer” manga a lot more than the dark and scary ones. Could just be me though. And I’ll still probably watch both of them xD

 

[Idea]

Idea and Asuhra
Honestly, Berserk was really hyped up for me as well by a friend who went on and on about how horrific and gruesome it was. In the end I’m glad they did it because I was braced for far worse than what I actually got and so it wasn’t quite as traumatizing. I’d say Berserk is one of those where it does live up to the hype and going in prepared for the worst is an actual benefit. Granted, she went into very descriptive detail about what happens in the manga so if you’ve only been given a brief overview then it may still be horrifying lol. I’d say it’s still worth a look, even with the hype.

that said... I have the hype problem with Jojo and RWBY myself. I find overhyping tends to ruin the “tamer” manga a lot more than the dark and scary ones. Could just be me though. And I’ll still probably watch both of them xD

My issue is less that things don't factually live up to the hype, and more that people constantly talking about a certain show as the greatest thing ever gets me in a very negative mindset towards it, it gets me in the mindset of looking for flaw, of looking for things to complain about, and that's no way to watch a show. It gets worse when one considers the fact that these shows are often used to bash others that I actually like.

 

[ashwynne]

My issue is less that things don't factually live up to the hype, and more that people constantly talking about a certain show as the greatest thing ever gets me in a very negative mindset towards it, it gets me in the mindset of looking for flaw, of looking for things to complain about, and that's no way to watch a show. It gets worse when one considers the fact that these shows are often used to bash others that I actually like.

Ahhh yeah, I tend to give most things the benefit of the doubt so I don't have that problem. In that case I can see why it would make watching/reading it less palatable. But I would strongly advise against watching the anime for Berserk, not even a fraction as good as the manga, if you do ever decide to give it a try.

I've never encountered people using one show to bash another, that's really awful. I would be going out of my way to avoid someone like that. Pity it's been ruined for you! I've yet to see any other manga that matches Berserk in the art depiction/content department (at least when it comes to dealing with these really horrific topics), but when it's lost its appeal there's not much to be done.

 

[Idea]

Ahhh yeah, I tend to give most things the benefit of the doubt so I don't have that problem. In that case I can see why it would make watching/reading it less palatable. But I would strongly advise against watching the anime for Berserk, not even a fraction as good as the manga, if you do ever decide to give it a try.

I've never encountered people using one show to bash another, that's really awful. I would be going out of my way to avoid someone like that. Pity it's been ruined for you! I've yet to see any other manga that matches Berserk in the art depiction/content department (at least when it comes to dealing with these really horrific topics), but when it's lost its appeal there's not much to be done.

I do give things a chance. Naturally I don't give everything a chance, but if I like the premise or really like the character designs or if I found a relaly funny joke on the internet from the show, that is often enough to get me to try it out. So it's definitely not an issue of giving things a chance, nor that I think the thing is bad, it's just that I know I would go in with a sour approach.

I would also like to clarify when I said "bashing" I didn't particularly mean it in a rude way, nor even with malice really, but constant comparisons, calling one show bad just because they feel they didn't enjoy it as much as an anime they find a "masterpiece". This idea that a show is subpar if this doesn't reach a certain 'pedestal' some shows are put in, the double standards and the labeling of a show as just trying to copy some other, more popular one... That kind of thing. It's often done in the context of a review, so while I find it to be in extremely poor taste to judge what is or isn't good this way, there isn't any malice or rudeness to it necessarily.

 

[ashwynne]

Idea
Gotcha!! Yeah, I used to read reviews on things/go to forums to see people's opinions on manga but I found it tended to ruin the enjoyment of it rather than add to it. I honestly don't put any stock in the opinions of anyone else anyways, except those I know to have similar taste to me lol. Manga, as in all art, is really subjective when it comes to who enjoys it and who doesn't so getting random opinions doesn't help. Throw in the nostalgia factor that people tend to attach to their "favourites" and any sort of objectivity is out the window anyways.

I can definitely see how stuff like that would take the enjoyment and drive to see something away, though it's definitely a pity that certain shows/manga are tainted like that for you!

As a COMPLETE aside... I thought of another recommendation!! Seven Deadly Sins/Nanatsu no Taizai
I'm not sure if it really qualifies as "dark" but the manga is phenomenal and the anime adaptation (on Netflix) is pretty much a page for page recreation of the manga so it's also kind of amazing.

 

[BlackoutThieving]

Although I don't read a lot of manga anymore, I feel like I can still recommend Fullmetal Alchemist, which is arguably the best manga I've personally read, better than Death Note I'd say. Obviously these are some pretty mainstream manga, but there's a reason they're popular you know? If you don't mind silly shounen, maybe start on One Piece, as it'll probably be finished before you're done reading it.

 

[ShifterOfShapes]

Akira Himekawa. The two are not only Inspirational, they are amazing.

 

[Hextremus]

I personally prefer watching anime over reading manga, but there are a few I've read because I enjoyed their anime counterparts so much. Well... two. I've read two.

The first was Fullmetal Alchemist. I mean... it's Fullmetal Alchemist. You've probably read or watched it, and if you haven't then b r u h

The second was the manga adaptation of Neon Genesis Evangelion, which has a slightly different story to the anime. I think it's a fantastic manga on it's own and it has an easier to follow plot and better pacing than the anime, which probably makes it a better experience for most compared to the anime since it's... weird.

 

[kevintheradioguy]

Not a fan of manga myself, but I thoroughly enjoy Junji Ito. I think it's the only one I've ever read besides tons of porn I have been translating for a comic sharing website around ten years ago. And a few romances. Wallflower was good for a time.

 

[Cassie Lang]

I don't really read manga as much as I watch their anime counterparts, but there are a few I like. Could try Gunka no Baltzar or Kuutei Dragons. Baltzar is essentially the Napoleonic Wars (but not really) whereas Kuutei Dragons is people flying around in airships hunting dragons for profit.

 

[Monday]

VINLAND SAGA. Manga meets Vikings. Seriously guys, you have to check it out. I'm not really a manga person, because for some reason the format doesn't seem to be compatible with my brain. It's harder for me to keep track of details and to remember what happened previously when I'm looking at a series of images as opposed to watching a show or reading a book. However, for whatever reason I didn't have this problem at all with Vinland Saga. I was tracking the whole way, and the story kept me hooked from start to finish and hungry for more. This manga has something for everyone. Not only is it meticulously researched, conveying a pretty accurate setting and drawing on real events and people for inspiration, it also has bombastic action sequences, blood and gore, and explores deep themes such as revenge and forgiveness, idealism and cynicism, corruption, pacifism, and the true cost of war. Despite action featuring heavily in some story arcs, it really isn't the main point. The heart of the story is the protagonist's philosophical journey, starting from the point where he goes against his father's pacifist ideals by seeking to avenge him after he is killed, and how it takes him places he never would have expected. It's also been compared favorably to Game of Thrones and Berserk, neither of which I've seen/read but they seem to have good reputations, so take that as you will. Also, Askeladd is awesome.

I know it isn't exactly a manga, but I also recommend the Korean webcomic Solo Leveling, for those who enjoy action, mystery, and colorful, dynamic artwork.

EDIT: I'm currently obsessed with the anime Monster, which I hear sticks to it's manga counterpart almost exactly. Despite being vastly underrated, in my opinion it deserves to stand alongside the most popular anime classics such as Death Note and FMA. It is a mature, deeply philosophical and psychological story that explores the very darkest parts of human nature while never quite losing sight of hope. It takes place in 1980s-1990s Germany, and there is no magic, no super powers, no crazy action, and no outrageously over the top characters or schemes. There are simply people, and it's fascinating. Our protagonist is Dr. Kenzo Tenma, a talented young Japanese surgeon living in Germany whose life suddenly changes when a boy with a gunshot wound is brought into the emergency room. Shortly afterward, the Mayor of the city arrives at the hospital after suddenly collapsing. The corrupt hospital director orders Tenma to operate on the mayor, even though the boy arrived first and his operation is too difficult for the other surgeons, requiring Tenma's expertise. He decides to save the boy's life instead, losing his career prospects in the process. Years later, the boy he saved goes on to become a ruthless serial killer, throwing Tenma's decision into question. Tenma considers himself to be at fault for allowing the boy to live, and after a series of circumstances I won't get into for spoiler reasons, he takes it upon himself to piece together the killer's mysterious past while intending to track him down and end his life, something antithetical to his policy of saving and protecting lives.

It's not for everyone, I'll admit, but for those who enjoy weighty philosophical and psychological themes, it is a genuine thrill ride, combining elements of mystery, drama, noir, and even a little horror. I highly recommend it.

 

[FoolsErin]

I’m not really a big manga reader, but I really like the slice of life series Yotsuba&! because it’s really adorable and surprisingly funny. the chapter about failing to make pancakes still kills me every time I read it