Woah.

Some great choices, Berserk is easily in my top 3.

Though mine would probably go:

1. One Piece
2. Dragonball Z
3. Berserk

oye, gotta thank you for family compo. That manga was a bloody AWESOME read!

NAMI!!!!

Now that I got that out of my system, I figured Fist of the North Star was somewhere in the top 5 (6, really). Aelita was a pleasant choice for 2. But Berserk at 1, in hindsight, was actually obvious. Great list, regardless.

I had a feeling that Berserk would be on your list somewhere and you were right in putting it at the number one spot. Also I going to look into Gunnm because of your review.

well a cool little fact for the anime of Berserk is that Susume Hirasawa does the song "forces"

he is very famous for songs like the opening to Paranoia Agent and "Parade" from Paprika

i probably wouldve had to kill someone if berserk wasnt mentioned

i kid
but that had to be at the top considering the way you analyze things

i applaud this list

I probably wouldn't have gone to the trouble of looking for any of these manga. If they are so good that the only thing that beats them is Berserk, then I am more than sold. I was intro introduced to Berserk by watching hbi2k and Lanipator's videos, and I am eternally grateful to them because before I read Berserk I thought a great manga had to be as good as Bleach. My standard as quintupled plus 10 since then.

I confess, I almost stopped reading [i]Berserk[/i], not because it was bad, but because Guts was so evil when the manga started out, he made a slug monster who sacrificed countless people look like a good person. I persisted, and I've been thankful ever since, it's a masterpiece.

The only problem is that, at the beginning, Miura doesn't give people any reason to think that Guts isn't an irredeemable bastard, and a lot of people could get the wrong idea about that. He's evil, in fact, he's probably more evil than most of his enemies, but when you find out his story, everything ties together brilliantly.

Two things I recommend about it are, don't read it if you're squeamish, and don't stop reading it until you get to the end of the thirteenth volume. If you don't like the manga after that, you're either squeamish, or there's something wrong with you.

Unfortunately for Americans like me, Fist of the North Star suffered two short, rather poorly done official releases, and thus we must resort to finding it online to read it. Yeah, I know its not that cumbersome to find, but I'm disappointed that such a famous series quickly fizzled TWICE when they tried to localize it.

Benzaie, your tastes are completely in-line with mine, I thought you'd have Berserk on there. :cheer:

I must read Battle Angel Alita then. :)

I like Hokuto no Ken best out of your list but Berserk and Gunnm are pretty cool too. I personally prefer brighter and more cheerful series, so my current favourite manga is Yotsubato!.

Dude, Of the six mangas... I agree totally with ur first 3, havent read chin chan yet... But i read family compo (wich iliked) and Rookies (wich i loved) thx

I agree with Berserk. Easily one of the most compelling, if not the MOST compelling story I've ever seen in a manga or any other comic, for that matter.

I think it's very rare to find a story so ambitious that realizes its potential so fully and magnificently.

Definitely check it out, y'all.

The [i]Pokemon[/i] joke was excellent, however the [i]Pokemon Special[/i] manga is, surprisingly, excellent. It's far superior to the anime, though that's not a difficult task, and I'd go as far as to call it one of my favorite mangas.

I was nervous their, [i]One Piece[/i] may be the best shounen of all time, but even Oda knows that no one will ever create a better manga than [i]Berserk[/i]. Even if you think [i]Berserk[/i] is too sick, depraved, and cynical, there's no way to deny it's power.

However, I disagree that it was supporting Atheism, the pagans, when you see them, are pretty fucking evil. The church tried stopping them, but they ended up being even more evil than rapist goat men demanding human sacrifice. I always thought that the moral was that unless you have a reason to hang on to your sanity, you'll end up an even worse person than the people you're trying to stop. Kind of like how Guts wound up even more evil than the Apostles.

However, the mangaka for [i]Berserk[/i] is probably either an Atheist, or a Shintoist, so the anti-Christian messages during the Birth Ceremony arc most likely were intentional. The Japanese tend to support paganism a lot more than Americans.

However, Kentaro Miura might not have a set message, some of the questions he poses don't seem to have a real answer. The clearest truth he's shown is that evil things will happen, how it's handled dictates what kind of person you are.

If you can read the Lost Children Arc without feeling disturbed, you have no soul.

Though I always thought One Piece would be on here, why was it left off? Did you not want to seem cliche by putting a shounen series on here? It's not that it's better than [i]Berserk[/i], but I give it a high place for it's wonderful art, epic, incredibly tight story, likable characters, and the fact that it's far more accessible than [i]Berserk[/i], which, despite being a masterpiece, a lot of people will never read because it'd give grizzled war veterans something to feel uncomfortable about.

I've heard this kind of thing a lot, so I really have to ask; why do people go so crazy over One Piece? Don't get me wrong, I like it; but it seems to drag on for too long, everything that comes out of most characters' mouths is ridiculously over-the-top, and there's little to no consistency. I do think Zolo (or Zoro, or whatever you want to call him) is badass as they get, and Luffy is a fun character, bizarre as he may be, but the whole manga never seems to take itself seriously enough for me to take it seriously. Why do people go so crazy for it?

Why do people like One Piece so much? While I can't speak for other people, I can tell you why I like it enough to call it my favorite anime/manga.

It is impossible to pin down the exact thing that makes One Piece so good because there isn't one. It is an amalgamation of numerous parts of the show that make it so great, in my opinion.

The thing I like the most though, is the characters. I have never liked a group of characters in any book, movie, anime, video gams, or anything as much as I like the Strawhat crew. I care about each and every one of them, even those who I originally thought I would dislike, such as Ussop. Their unique personalities all make them lovable and their interactions are among the best I've seen out of any cast of characters anywhere.

Every side character has a point and none of them are truly unlikable. While some of them can be slightly annoying at times, Oda has a way of writing that I cannot dislike any of them, at least, not truly. The villains are all very unlikable, as they should be, and seem to get more and more evil as the series progresses. When they are beaten, the satisfaction felt cannot be described.

The story itself is another great aspect of the series. Stripped down to the barebones, it is simply a story of how Luffy and those around him journey throughout their world to accomplish their dreams. However, the adventures they have on their way become something astounding. Every island has its own problems that must be solved and a new adventure to be had. It's like every single island is its own planet in the solar system that is the One Piece world.

The emotions One Piece makes the watcher feel is another draw, in my eyes. When I'm seeing someone's past, such as Chopper's, I feel so sad for him that my caring of the character increases and I want to see happiness for him. When the crew has a new member join, I share their happiness that there is someone new for them to travel with. Despite how extreme the character's actions and the circumstances can get, I can still feel as if I can relate.

The characters do act over the top, but to me, that's part of the appeal. I like how silly things can get. In my opinion, it just increases the characters' affiability more. Also, the beginning of the series and certain spots can get a bit drawn out, but that is a rare occurence. When the story hits its stride, it goes with it for a very long time.

As for the lack of consistency you mentioned, I'm not sure what you mean. I'm going to guess you mean how every place they visit is different, and, if I'm right, I think that's the point. Oda can keep changing the environment to help keep things fresh and make sure their adventures are never too similar to each other. Otherwise, I'd say things are consistent.

Really though, the message and feeling I get from the series is unlike any other. The m...

while i agree with you il support your argument with three other reasons why one piece is so good.

the world has a almost tolkien level amount of lore and back story, with secrets about the past that the author is very good at releasing in small amounts that keep you interested and thirsting to find out- thus keeping you hooked.

the main characters are not the most important thing in the world, you are constantly aware that things of greater importance are happening, and that unlike other shonen there are numerous characters that the straw-hats would never be able to beat, (no matter if they spent the whole series 'training' like some other shonen protagonists), making the world seem more real and the story less predictable.

while il admit the series starts of slow, it has a quality that no other shonen manga ive read seems to have, it gets better as it goes along, with no real bumps in the road, making a clear ascending line of quality.

and as anyone whos up to date with either the manga or anime should know, it can only get better from here.

i wont say that its the best manga made, it is still shonen and will always be hampered by the restraints that come with that, but it is definitely the best of its genre...that i have seen..

As far as why people like One Piece, a strong part of it is the fact that it takes a lot of the cliche's of Shonen stories, and applies them perfectly in a constantly progressing story filled with great and varied characters, and a perfect mix of the absurd and the serious.

Indeed on your complaint about seriousness, it reminds me of a translated interview where Oda explained why he gave Luffy his "Rubber Man" powers - he knew that he'd be bringing some heavy and serious things into the Manga, so he wanted Luffy to have an inherantly goofy power to somewhat limit how serious it could get.

Overall, the thing that makes One Piece stand out as great isn't a big theme or deep study of anything, it's simply that it told an interesting story that simply keeps growing and getting better with hardly any hickups along the way.

One thing I really like about the story structure I should add is the way it takes the whole "Enemies growing stronger as the hero's get stronger" bit and sets up the world so that it actually makes perfect sense for the whole grand line to act as a giant sorting algorithm with everyone getting stronger the closer to One Piece one gets.

Standards have changed since then, but Fist of the North Star is technicly a shonen.
Funny thing about Berserk though, until I saw a clip of the Dreamcast game, I did not know what gender Puck was supposed to be.(I only have the first two volumes.)

I would of agreed with you about Berserk say.. 2 years ago, but the current story has just been awful, it's clear the author isn't the same man who started writing this epic.

It's still very good though and I can agree with the rest of your choices.

Oh Benzaie, you just can't resist the boobies.

Hokuto no Ken has a stong "Fist of the North Star" look to it. I used to detest that look in the 90s, but have grown to prefur it; totally flip-flopping my taste in art. Except the muscles...those always grossed me out.

Sweet, Gumn was one of the first mangas I ever had. It had cheap binding & all the pages fell out. :( Even as a child I had a hand fetish & I always thought Alita/Gally had a beautiful mechanical arm. The doctor who found her looks suspiciously kuje Aegon from Ghost Busters.

I think you might like Galaxy Express 999, Benzaie.

The only thing I previously knew about Berserk is that it is apparently one of the shounen series that attracts female readers with it's intentional homoerotic undertones (Guts & Griffith). I loves me some fantasy wars & hates me some religion, so I'm now compelled to read this.

[quote]Hokuto no Ken has a strong "Fist of the North Star" look to it.[/quote]

When the animated series & movie of Hokuto no Ken was released in the US, they called it "Fist of the North Star", so it's actually the same series.

FOOOORCES ya Berserk totaly the anime got me into the manga.I would realy like if you could make a video only about Berserk and go into it more deeply(detailed thoughts,feelings and meaby some interpretations).Come on Benzaie give us a Berserk video...please.

[quote=GreatNocturn357] oye, gotta thank you for family compo. That manga was a bloody AWESOME read![/quote]

Agreed I checked it out right after the first part of the video.
Must say glad to see some love for Battle Angel.

I wish I could by Hokuto no Ken volumes. I think whatever was released is long out of print.

Love Hokuto No Ken never could get into Berserk.

It's pretty abrasive, Guts, at least in the beginning, is so evil, he makes most of his enemies look good, but try to get to volume 13. If you get that far, and you still don't like it, I won't complain. But I think it's best to give the series a fair chance, it will reward you.

Never took you as a Manga Fan.

I noticed the Andrew Dickamn TGWTG character drawings.

With both opening pics i thought one piece would up on your list somewhere. Oh well im sure you read that too. What scares me about Berserk is its still on going! Thats what makes me nervous about picking it up. I hear chapter releases are few and far between too.

In the trash where it belongs.

have you even read it?

Hmmm...
I'm just surprised there's no trace of Akira in your list.

Yay, Gunnm is on the list. :D It's not only my favorite manga, but also was my very first one and what got me into manga and anime.

awesome that berserk is number one. the manga was been out for 20 years and its only half way done.

Dude, I've been looking for some awesome Manga. More specifically stuff with epic and intriguing story lines, totally BAMF characters and well placed if extreme violence. I've heard a bit about Berserk but the show and movie didn't interest me. For me the artwork makes a big first impression and those mediums just didn't have it. But seriously, thanks for this list! I'll be checking out Berserk for sure and at least a few other titles on your top 5. :woohoo:

.....I 'gasmed seeing Berserk as No. 1. Best. Fucking. Manga. Ever.

I read it within a week and it just blew me away like nothing else.

Good list, though I must say mine would be like this:

5 - Dragon Half (read it to know how deep and epic it is)
4 - Video Girl Ai
3 - Bleach
2 - Ghost in the Shell (Both runs)
1 - Kimagure Orange Road

I'dve agreed with [i]Bleach[/i]... before the Hueco Mundo arc, never has such a good idea been ruined by Jumping the Shark so completely.

Not only have they still not killed any of the heroes, they killed four of the most awesome villains in the most anti-climactic way possible. And if I here "Kurosaki-kun" one more fucking time, I'm going to buy a copy of [i]Incarnate[/i], just to piss of Kubo.

Though the man has earned a place as a trolling demigod.

How do you kill what is already dead?

Question: Why is killing one of the heroes something you look for in a manga? The heroes are supposed to be rooted for; you would only complain that none of the heroes died if there was one who was pathetic, worthless, and annoying. Which there really isn't in Bleach.

I loved the Dragon Half manga. It's like a blend of Slayers & Project A-Ko, but with chibis & Madonna's wardrobe.

@George

While none of the heroes dying despite the constant near death trials sometimes causes an itch in the back of my mind, I have since let it pass and come to accept either no one will die, or the writer is readying everyone for Ichigo's death.

That said, the art is solid, it has grown and evolved and become some of the best current running I have seen in manga. It has style and substance and good writing as well.

As for the latest arc, I am actually sad with the rushed pace more than anything. Almost as if the writer wanted to keep going, then changed his mind and sped things along.

I think it really jumped when Aizen started to fight. That is when the story just kinda really started to push itself forward rather than elaborate as was the writers style up until that point.


@Likalaruku

I am always sad when someone hears the words Dragon Half and they think of the two episode OVA. While the manga was filled with frantic humor, it had an amazing depth to it as well not commonly found in the genre.