I'm not really much of a manga/anime person.. I think it's because I am mainly a novel reader and the idea of reading something with a good plot, interesting characters, and no frikkin' cliches is a balm in today's creative whirlpool society.
The manga's I HAVE read an enjoyed would be:
1. 'Dramacon' and it is a shojo and it is a love story but I really liked the storyline, the pacing, the drawing and... well, just everything in general. She's a new artist and has only published in ShojoJump (I think) but I'm hoping she does other stuff soon 'cause I'm looking for it.
2. 'Death Note' because the anime is singlehandedly the most boring thing ever. The manga on the other hand is much better. It's a lot more convoluted than it needs to be but it's a good read nonetheless.
3. 'Full Metal Alchemist' is also a good anime but can't compare to the manga. Especially considering the anime changed plot and went in an entirely different direction.
4. 'Fake' which, to be warned, is a homosexual american-style manga. But despite my misgiving's it's brilliant, well characterised and isn't screaming from the pages every five seconds "OMG THESE GUYS ARE FUCKING AND THEY'RE GAY!" which is why I haven't touched any other yaoi manga's.... ever.
Anime that haven't been mentioned above... er, well, that doesn't include Full Metal Alchemist at least.
1. 'Samurai Champloo' seems good even though I've only seen a few episodes. I couldn't continue because I had school and work and blah blah but after discovering 'torrents' I'll have to go after it eventually.
2. 'Trigun' which is brilliant same as
3. 'Cowboy Bebop' because it MUST be mentioned in any thread or anything to do with manga/anime.
4. 'Ouran High School Host Club' and after seeing it I felt a renewed hope for the genre. It's a 'harem' anime but mostly makes fun of the genre and has a lot of gender bending. It's shameless, out-there, and full of pure win. The manga, on the other hand, is not.
5. 'The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi' is best watched out of order and instead in consecutive order. Basically, the way the plot is supposed to work. But, other than it's confusing set up, it's pretty good with in depth characters, a lot of parody, and a truly weird story.
Ummm... that's all i can think of... But, jeez, if you want to tolerate the anime/manga genre do NOT touch Inuyasha, Ranma 1/2, Naruto and Bleach. The Manga 'DragonBall' is good, cute, and a parody of the monkey story from japanese mythology but the anime and subsequent 'Z' stuff is crap.
