Suggestions For "Literary Art" Manga?

[DiabloBub666]

The best and most well-known example I can think of is Death Note... any suggestions for manga that isn't just running for the sake of itself, but is a complete, well-crafted work of literature/art? Something with a moving, well paced story that doesn't just degenerate into a stereotypical battle manga after five or six chapters.

Good examples: Heart no Kuni no Alice, Full Metal Alchemist (arguably), The Breaker (arguably)

Bad examples: Deadman Wonderland (GREAT for the first five chapters), Alive: The Final Evolution, The Breaker: New Waves (sellout)

 

[FireAza]

So any manga that has a full and complete, well-paced story will do? I've enjoyed both King of Thorn and Gunsmith Cats. The former is a great survival story, and while the latter is little hammy since it takes after 80s action movies, you will never see more lovingly-rendered firearms and Cobra GT500s.

 

[Tanakh]

The best and most well-known example I can think of is Death Note... any suggestions for manga that isn't just running for the sake of itself, but is a complete, well-crafted work of literature/art?

There's no comercial manga that runs for the sake of itself, all of them want to sell; Death Note in specific seemed a furious and very well executed plan to do a great non mainstream shonen manga (and if you loved Death Note and are deep into the manga world theres almost no chance Bakkuman will be unpleasant for you).

Anyway, seems what you are looking is "Seinen" mangas, here are some amazing ones in no particular order:

- shigurui (martial arts)
- historie (historical)
- last inning (sports)
- neighbor no 13 (horror)
- the lucifer and biscuit hammer (adventure)
- uzumaki (horror)
- furi kuri flcl (??????)
- pluto (mysteri, best Urasawa work IMO)
- takemitsu zamurai (martial arts)
- drifters (fantasy)
- vinland saga (historical)
- vagabond (martial arts)
- all rounder meguru (martial arts)
- piano no mori (slice of life)
- Shingeki no Kyojin (fantasy)
- Nigiri Supahero (comedy)
- Hi no Tori (si-fi?)
- Homunculus (psicological)

Each and every one of those is a fantastic, well written manga. I can give you tens more btw, and will if you are interested in some specific type of manga.

Edit: The most artsy of those? Depends on your tastes and how keen your manga art sense is developed. For starters i would go with Vagabond and Homunculus, even if you are not into manga its impossible not to appreciate its content, writing style and art; but for me FLCL and Zamurai have even superior art for each picture it's just perfect to express what the panel is showing.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I said it once and I'll say it again; Berserk.

Both in art and story it has few competitors.

 

[Tanis]

Berserk.
ALWAYS BERSERK.

It's something Shakespeare would have done had he been Japanese and doing manga.

 

[loa]

Try gyo and uzumaki.

 

[Lord Legion]

I said it once and I'll say it again; Berserk.

Both in art and story it has few competitors.

Berserk.
ALWAYS BERSERK.

It's something Shakespeare would have done had he been Japanese and doing manga.

Agreed...in the centuries to come, it will be our civilization's The Illiad. IT'S THAT GOOD. (and long)

 

[Rainbowloid]

I would say just about anything by Kaori Yuki. Her work is absolutely stunning, and I think Godchild had the most perfect, beautiful ending of any manga series I have ever read.

 

[Tanakh]

I said it once and I'll say it again; Berserk.

Both in art and story it has few competitors.

Berserk.
ALWAYS BERSERK.

It's something Shakespeare would have done had he been Japanese and doing manga.

Agreed...in the centuries to come, it will be our civilization's The Illiad. IT'S THAT GOOD. (and long)

Very good start, it gets worse as it goes on. Currently I can't get myself to read it anymore, the fantasia arc was just too much. For a story about a band of mercenaries Ares (manhwa) suits me much more.

 

[Korten12]

Well One Piece isn't over but it's not running for the sake of it self. The whole story has been crafted quite well and everything that happens happens for a reason and it doesn't ever seem like the story is just dragging on.

Bad examples: Deadman Wonderland (GREAT for the first five chapters), Alive: The Final Evolution, The Breaker: New Waves (sellout)

Aren't those all Arguable? Deadman and Alive are awesome imo. There really can't be "bad examples" unless they're universally hated by everyone.

 

[Jonluw]

Clannad
Kanon
Elfen lied
Serial experiments Lain
Now and then, here and there
Baccano
Cowboy Bebop
Samurai Champloo
Mawaru penguindrum
Code geass
Angel beats
Claymore
FLCL
Gurren Lagann
Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne
School days
Welcome to the NHK
Usagi drop (to some extent)

Those are the ones I can remember.

 

[Grahav]

I said it once and I'll say it again; Berserk.

Both in art and story it has few competitors.

Berserk.
ALWAYS BERSERK.

It's something Shakespeare would have done had he been Japanese and doing manga.

Agreed...in the centuries to come, it will be our civilization's The Illiad. IT'S THAT GOOD. (and long)

Very good start, it gets worse as it goes on. Currently I can't get myself to read it anymore, the fantasia arc was just too much. For a story about a band of mercenaries Ares (manhwa) suits me much more.

I still think it is good. But there really is a change of mood with the Fantasia arc. Don't know if it will continue or it is just a hope spot.

Anyway, even if there is decay, it is a good read. You can consider some arcs as more or less of self contained stories worth reading.

My favorite is the lost children arc.

 

[The_Evermind]

I haven't read it as a manga but the anime of Spice and Wolf was the best put together anime I have seen and had an original story to boot. Seriously, it is economics and trading in middle ages Europe.

Also a thumbs up for FLCL, I loved it.

 

[FireAza]

Clannad
Kanon
Elfen lied
Serial experiments Lain
Now and then, here and there
Baccano
Cowboy Bebop
Samurai Champloo
Mawaru penguindrum
Code geass
Angel beats
Claymore
FLCL
Gurren Lagann
Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne
School days
Welcome to the NHK
Usagi drop (to some extent)

Those are the ones I can remember.

Ummm... The OP asked for manga (graphic novels) not anime (animations)...

 

[Tanakh]

Ummm... The OP asked for manga (graphic novels) not anime (animations)...

Yep, though most of them have a manga, sometimes with a complete different storyline, though never as good IMO for the ones he listed.

 

[Jonluw]

Clannad
Kanon
Elfen lied
Serial experiments Lain
Now and then, here and there
Baccano
Cowboy Bebop
Samurai Champloo
Mawaru penguindrum
Code geass
Angel beats
Claymore
FLCL
Gurren Lagann
Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne
School days
Welcome to the NHK
Usagi drop (to some extent)

Those are the ones I can remember.

Ummm... The OP asked for manga (graphic novels) not anime (animations)...

I don't know how I managed to miss that...

 

[spartan231490]

Code geass and FMA.

 

[WaruTaru]

The best and most well-known example I can think of is Death Note... any suggestions for manga that isn't just running for the sake of itself, but is a complete, well-crafted work of literature/art?

There's no comercial manga that runs for the sake of itself, all of them want to sell; Death Note in specific seemed a furious and very well executed plan to do a great non mainstream shonen manga (and if you loved Death Note and are deep into the manga world theres almost no chance Bakkuman will be unpleasant for you).

Anyway, seems what you are looking is "Seinen" mangas, here are some amazing ones in no particular order:

- shigurui (martial arts)
- historie (historical)
- last inning (sports)
- neighbor no 13 (horror)
- the lucifer and biscuit hammer (adventure)
- uzumaki (horror)
- furi kuri flcl (??????)
- pluto (mysteri, best Urasawa work IMO)
- takemitsu zamurai (martial arts)
- drifters (fantasy)
- vinland saga (historical)
- vagabond (martial arts)
- all rounder meguru (martial arts)
- piano no mori (slice of life)
- Shingeki no Kyojin (fantasy)
- Nigiri Supahero (comedy)
- Hi no Tori (si-fi?)
- Homunculus (psicological)

Each and every one of those is a fantastic, well written manga. I can give you tens more btw, and will if you are interested in some specific type of manga.

Edit: The most artsy of those? Depends on your tastes and how keen your manga art sense is developed. For starters i would go with Vagabond and Homunculus, even if you are not into manga its impossible not to appreciate its content, writing style and art; but for me FLCL and Zamurai have even superior art for each picture it's just perfect to express what the panel is showing.

Vouching for Vagabond, Piano no Mori, Historie, Vinland Saga and Uzumaki.

Adding to the list:
1) Junji Ito's works, if that is your cup of tea.
2) Cesare (by Souryo Fuyumi)
3) Liar Game
4) Team Medical Dragon
5) Doubt (by Tonogai Yoshiki)
6) Hikaru no Go
7) Bartender (by Joh Araki)
Edit: 8) Bambino (by Sekiya Tetsuji)

 

[Queen Michael]

While I like Heart no Kuni no Alice, I don't think it's great.


1. The short stories of Naoto Yamakawa (never translated into English, not even scanlated, but they're available in Swedish)

2. Sanctuary

3. Dr. Slump (Not a serious work at all, but in the genre of silly humor it's a masterpiece, and comedy is a legitimate genre

4. Phoenix (Out of print, which is a sin against God)

5. The various works of Erika Sakurazawa. I especially recommend Angel and its sequel Angel Nest.

6. Doing Time. It's a prisoner's story of life in prison. The treatment's quite humane, and this is nothing like those American prison series.

7. A Distant Neigbourhood