Five plus a bazillion
anenko wants: top five manga you're thinking of checking out (or could be pressured into checking out)...well...see..i kind of..resisted for a long time, and then in one fell swoop fell hard into manga. and ive pretty much read most things that have caught my attention. so let's split this question up: what have i already checked out (and enjoyed), things i read part of and then dropped, and what ive been too slack assed to get around to yet.
Brace yourselves.
On the good list, where good means i read everything that was available for whatever reason:
-Beelzebub - fifteen year old delinquent ends up having the raise the son of Satan. Hilarious and twisted, and all the girls are FIERCE. Baby BL is cute, too, even though he is always always naked.
-Hana Kimi - gender bender - girl goes in drag to an all boys school so she can be closer to her idol. I love you all, but the majority of this manga made me want to bash my head it. too many people, most of whom i could never identify, the doctor scenes irritated me, and i only read it because Sano and Mizuki are insanely adorable, and Sano was frequently shirtless.
-It's Not Like That, Darling - whatever the phrase is that means "woman's manga" - a year after her accident, hot 20 year old is having weirdly erotic dreams about a guy she doesnt know. Hey, look! It's that guy! What? What do you mean she got a blood transfusion from the woman he was in love with before that woman died? Sex, nudity, and some ovary melting from hot man and adorable child. Dub con in places - she's clearly very turned on, but she's saying no, so..yeah. He's beautiful, the kid is adorable, and the ghosts and time travel dont show up until later.
-Skip Beat! - Kyoko is perfectly happy taking care of the asshole Sho-chan, til she finds out all she is to him is a maid. She vows revenge by stardom. AWESOME. WANT MORE.
-Usagi Drop - slice of life - 30 year old takes on the task of raising his grandfather's 6 year old illegitimate daughter. I like how real this is, and how the guy just does what needs to be done without drama. He realizes he has a kid to take care of now, so he goes on and asks to be switched to a different section where he doesnt have to do overtime. i also love how the other guys he works with act - they're DADS - they have pics of their families on their phones - it's none of the typical drama-ish crap about cold fathers or anything. these guys care.
-Vanilla Ice - gender bender - boyish girl+girlish boy in school. They've been neighbors forever. I dont ship the eventual OTP here, but it doesnt look like it matters. The mangaka got very sick and is unable to work, I guess?
-W Juliet - gender bender - tomboyish girl accidentally meets and falls for a guy who is dressed like a girl. The first manga I read for no reason other then I liked the plot. Loses some steam by the end, and W Juliet 2 seems fairly boring so far, but fun!
-Yankee-kun to Megane-chan - school life - delinquent gets hauled along in all of the class reps plans. She's an idiot, he's totally weak to her. My favorite part is where they are playing a computer game, and she gets attacked by something. He would normally run to save her, but he's a merchant. HIS ONLY OPTION IS 'SELL.' Super quick read of each chap.
On the meh list, where meh means i dropped it halfway or whenever:
-Boku ni Natta Watashi - gender bender - girl forced to go to an all boys school in her brother's place when he runs away. Naturally her roommate finds out, hijinks ensue. Gave it up after he started tormenting her when he finds out, and she tearfully tells him that she loves being his slave. Uh, no. No thanks.
-Power/Girl Got Game - gender bender - girl forced to dress as boy so she can join the basketball team and live her father's dream of joining the NBA. Probably cute, but the only difference in the drawings of the girl as a boy, and the obvious love interest is their bangs. I cannot spend the entire time trying to figure out where their bangs on to figure out who they are.
-Othello - school life - Yaya is a quiet girl who goes along with the bitches who bully her and call her their friend, wishing she could speak up. A girl shows up who doesnt put up with that shit. Weirdly, they're the same girl. Got bored after Yaya still hadnt figured anything out about her "black outs." Also, she still hangs out with the bitches instead of the hottie who likes her.
On the list of eventually, where eventually might mean "in five minutes" or "next year":
-Gokusen - dorky teacher is secretly the mob boss' granddaughter - started it, got distracted when Yankumi was being mob bossy. Will get back to it.
-Otomen - currently an airing drama starring my beloved SEKIME from Hana Kimi - he acts like a tough guy, but he likes sewing and cooking. What's to happen when he falls for the tomboy transfer student who only likes tough guys?
-Ouran High Host Club - girl forced to crossdress and pretend to be a boy for some reason i dont remember. recced by
anenko.*squints* i know there are others i want to see, but i cant think. Suggestions appreciated. As you can see, i like a lot of things - i like the school stuff, the older stuff, supernatural-y, slice of life...whatever.
...did that actually ANSWER the question,
anenko?
Also, all the guys (and male teachers) are in love with Shin and try to lick him.
Do you blame them? I'd lick him, too!
There's also KareKano, because Yukino is also on the top of my list of shoujo heroines, because she's reasonable and level-headed and she works through her problems with her boyfriend. She's also got a streak of PURE EVIL in her and it's beautiful. KareKano has a LOOOOOOT of angst, though, which can make it hard to read at times, but it's always been pretty good at actually dealing with the stuff it brings up in a mature way. I seriously am kind of surprised there hasn't been a drama of this one already.
And, um...oops for making you want to pick up Yankee-kun again? hee?
i like it, but at the same time, Im getting impatient for things to get more shippy. Which is silly, i know, but i want him to get jealous and her to be oblivious because another guy likes her. and of COURSE the other guy is completely aware of his feelings and uses every opportunity to rub it in his face.
I read the first chapter or so and just. OMG. Their interaction is so cute, I love her already because she's such a little spitfire when you're not expecting it and I knew she was going to be my new favorite thing ever when she HUNG OVER THE STALL IN THE BOYS' BATHROOM to stalk him.
...a;sdlkfjaslj I don't have time for more manga! T__T
Isn't it AWESOME? I love the horrified faces that Yankee-kun makes. He is so totally whipped. And I love how certain he is that she's in love with him. Poor boy is in deep. *g*
Is KareKano the one that made everyone scream and gnash their teeth in rage over the final volume?
I'm not sure. I don't think so, but it's possible. I thought it was a solid wrap-up--not the choices I would have made necessarily, but it was satisfying for me. (KareKano is the one that people usually tell you to watch the anime first, but I loved the manga so much that I could never quite bring myself to. XD)
I haven't read the manga or seen the anime, so I can't comment. I just remember the fierce, negative reaction to the final volume.
The rest of the manga is still more than worth reading the half-assed ending for, imo. XDDDDD
she's a total idiot, though. at first i thought she was faking to teach him a lesson, or something, but no. She really is just that dumb.
it's so ridiculous, all the way around. i like it a lot!
of COURSE you have time for more manga! if im losing MY mind, I want everyone to come with me to keep me company!
I love that she is SO CRAZY IN THE HEAD but she's not a bad sort of person, even when she's bullying him into things and I love that he clearly has it SO BAD FOR HER already except he totally doesn't realize it and thinks she likes HIM instead. OF COURSE HE DOES. XD
Do it! I won't be satisfied until EVERYONE has at least tried Skip Beat!
*sigh*
tell me it gets better?
I'm really torn as to whether or not I should suggest Perfect Girl Evolution/The Wallflower to you. It's a favourite of mine, but. . . not really a great series. Maybe I'll go through the series and pick out Sunako/Kyohei: The Highlights for you. *g*
I'll have to find some of the hysterically squicky moments from Girl Got Game, too. There's a few scenes I cringed through; one of their dormmates ends up thinking the hero is an utter pervert after walking in on a. . . strange situation, for example.
I have a bunch of online manga bookmarked (not all of which I've had the chance to read yet). You could also check out coffeeandink, meganbmoore, and oyceter for more recs (sorry, my keyboard is fucked up, and I don't know where to find the quotes to make user names).
what is up is the completed first arc, i found out by some sleuthing. the second arc takes place when Rin is older, and it isn't up yet.
id love the highlights version of anything - i wish i had had that for Hana Kimi.
The hero kisses the heroine, and she immediately passes out from massive blood loss. And *that* counts as progress.
And yet, I can't even pretend shame for my love of the series.
If you liked It's Not Like That, Darling, can I recommend Shuukatsu!? I... don't really have a very solid reason for connecting the two, other than they somehow have a similar flavor in my mind. It's an incredibly quick read, too, for added bonus. (Also, Mangafox doesn't have all the chapters, but the rest can be found for dl'ing at the scanlation group's site!)
Ive never heard of Shuukatsu, but that isnt saying much, as i havent heard of much manga except through people's recs and my own insanity. will look into it, but if it isnt all up, my tendency is to avoid, as i hate getting halfway through anything just to have it disappear on me.