RECOMMENDATIONS

Due to the saturation of Manga’s produced yearly, you get less quality of work due
to demand of easy-bitesize stories. Although I wholeheartedly respect and admire
what Mangaka’s do, sometimes because of the demand and saturation of the
industry, they end up conforming into a certain mold of characters or stories that
just doesn’t seem so different from the rest of the other Manga’s produced as the
plots, themes and characters seem recycled. As a Literature student, I’m always
impressed by the creative imaginations that have gone into these works to create a
visual storytelling that rivals even novels. And although many have been
acknowledged and acclaimed, such Monster by Naoki Urasawa, there are some
Manga’s that are not so well known and yet I feel, as someone who loves a good
storytelling, should be highlighted and acknowledged. If one happens to want to
start reading Manga, these recommendations could prove helpful.

Otoyomegatari (A Bride's Story) by Kaoru Mori

Starting off with this Manga, it’s not only a treat to the
eyes (as the art is gorgeous) but a look into the life of
the people (mostly focused on women) in Central
Asia. It mostly focuses on the story of Amir and Karluk
but regularly shifts to tell the stories of other brides
and even their husbands as it highlights the culture
and customs of the people who live and interact within
the community and even with outsiders. The great
thing about this Manga is the fact that Kaoru Mori did
an extensive research on this topic (as with her other
more popular Manga, Emma) to fully capture the
beauty, mystery and wonder of Central Asia.
Shinkuu Yuusetsu by Bikke

The great thing about this Manga is the concept

that in this world that Bikke created, there are two
types humans—receiver and supplier. The receiver
is the one takes energy from the supplier and vise
versa, too little or too much affects the bodies of
the two. What’s interesting about this is the fact,
the transference of energy is through a kiss. The
relationship dynamics is what’s interesting in this
Manga as it plays upon not only the male and
female receiver and supplier but the male and
male and female and female receiver and supplier
—creating an interweaving tale of dependence as
one cannot live without the other but not the point of romantic relationships.

Good Night World by Okabe Uru

The description of the Manga says it best: “A

broken family, trying to save a virtual family in an
online game.” It sings the same tune to popular
works such as Sword Art Online or Log Horizon but
the fundamental difference between Good Night
World and former two is the focus of family
dynamics and trying to fix their relationship through
a game. The feeling of wanting to fix a family but
powerless to do so is prevalent in the theme and it
spins a narrative healing but also presents its fair
share of action packed scenes to keep the story
moving.
Sayonara Sorcier by Hozumi

A beautiful retelling of the Van Gogh brothers

and how the illustrious Vincent Van Gogh lived
his life as a free artist and how his brother,
Theo Van Gogh, dedicated his life to the
artwork of his brother. This story not only
touches on the brotherly love between the Van
Gogh’s but also the history and exclusivity of
art and its struggle to be free from the elite
status. It talks about many things—art,
marginalization of commoners, beauty of life in
darkness—but most importantly, it talks about
Theo and Vincent and their love and struggle
for all things beautiful.

Himegoto-Juukyuusai no Seifuku by
Minenami Ryo

This manga is reserved for the more mature

audience as it address a lot of taboo subjects
such as prostitution and psychological themes
—but it does it in a realistic way in which it
weaves all of these into a story of three
college students struggling to find and break
their identities while trying to grasp what they
have lost.

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