Recommended Manga! (Retro)

 

                                                            Manga store in Japan, © Doc Sleeve from Wikipedia


(Retro!) Manga Recommendation

We used to read manga, back when shounen is booming (or shoujo!). But the bandwagon definitely fall a few years back and many casual readers had ran into the new field, like manhwa. Fast forwarding in 2010-now, web novel and light novel grabbed audiences more or less, though manga and manhwa adaptation from them are also famous.

For purely nostalgia sake, here the list of our favorite manga for reminiscence of our glorious days and also a recommendation for new reader.

Sports manga:

Eyeshield 21

Full score for introducing American Football to readers, great humors, great characters and great character developments, so many favourite moments and characters. Eyeshield 21 is a great story of an underdog amefuto team. They have classic moments in sport manga such as loses in tournament and matches and then fighting to become best of the best.

Favourite moment (s) : Many. This series is adapted to anime, however they hadn’t adapted the Christmas Bowl and all of the journeys, make sure to read volume 25 of manga onwards. Also the world championship is pricelessly funny.


The Prince of Tennis

Underdog protagonist in underdog team with talent, a little bit genius and enough hardwork to reach championship, the sacrifice and training with blood,  sweat, and tears make it all worth. Its’s quite common formula for many of sport manga.

From the title you could guess that this one is not that kind of story. The main character is a prodigy in tennis, have plenty of talent and hardwork. His team isn’t slouch either. So, how Konomi Takeshi wrote an anti-underdog story in sport manga years before OP characters become so popular, is a mistery. The main character’s journey is so epic that I swallowed all 42 volumes in eight days (that’s because I rent it, and you can only rent max 5 manga/books in one day). I still remembered many of my favourite matches and quotes to this day.      

If you are bored with underdog stories, this manga is for you.  They have the best monikers for the players next to Kuroko no Basuke in my opinion. Obviously a nod for the title, the Prince himself for Echizen, the nickname common for genius or tensai for Fuji, King (or Monkey King)for Atobe, then there are Golden arm, the Devil and the crop de la crop is Child of God.

This series also had a very successful musical runs!

Warning! The sequel is much more supernatural and unreal.      

Favourite moments : Too many epic moments. Fews : Echizen vs Sanada (both matches), Echizen vs Akaya (non-official match that they didn’t even bother to animate, what a waste), Echizen vs Atobe (you just need to read it!), Fuji match (the true tensai match!), Echizen vs Yukimura.

Understandable that it was an old anime, I want it reanimated to make it smoother to watch!

Non-sport manga:

Hikaru no Go

The manga responsible for introducing us to Go, it’s delightful to read with a touch of supernatural story. A soccer maniac, the main protagonist, a twelve years old boy touched a Goban with blood spilled in its surface and soon its haunted Go obsessed ghost haunted him too. Watching his journey from not understanding the game and its significant for other players and then learning it from the Ghost, tasting the sweet victory and bitter defeat, it has its dramatic moment that makes readers to shed tears as well.

The anime is also popular, they even got a Chinese Live Action adaptation that’s worthy to watch. Even though we still doesn’t understand much about Go, it’s pretty much guaranteed a permanent place in re-read piles among others.    

Favourite moments : Hikaru vs Akira (First match), Hikaru’s journey in class, Hikaru’s professional exams, Sai vs Touya Kouyo (with Hikaru’s commentary), Hikaru vs Isumi (vol. 17), Hokuto’s Cup Selection and also Hokuto Cup itself.

 

Shoujo:

Glass Mask  

An epic tale that hasn’t finished yet. It’s a spellbound story of a prodigious actress with poor circumstances, a story of acting, studying acting, theaters and dramas, love and dreams. We root for Maya yet also cheering for Ayumi, we also root for the epic final showdown of Crimson Goddess!

Favourite moments : The studying arc for Crimson Goddess with water, air, earth and fire actings! Maya’s journey as wolf girl, puck, doll. The Two Princesses auditions and actings. Ayumi acting as vampire. And of course, the Miracle Worker and Tsukikage-sensei’s Crimson Goddess in Plum Blossoms Hils can’t be forgotten.

If I have one complaint for the anime, it’s the fashion! Ayumi’s style in the manga with big hair, big bows and ribbon in her dresses and clothes are glorious things that should be up there! I know it is quite old-fashioned but it has character and suits Ayumi so much as an ojou-sama in the manga!


Quite a few of retro (we refused to call them old!) and famous titles n this list. For the next weeks we hope to write many more recommendation of other books, so stay tuned!


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