When it comes to shopping for fans of anime or manga, we who hold the same interest are usually keen as to the titles that are hot and the titles that are all fluff. However, most friends and family are likely to fall into the trappings of assuming that what anime and manga followers want is the same thing as what the media is regurgitating on Saturday afternoons i.e. Pokemon and Yu-gi-oh! And while those titles are suitable for a younger audience, they are in no way the only gift ideas out there. The following list has been built from polling others as-well-as my own personal tastes. Some of the titles may overlap due to their multiple incarnations transcending various media. When deciding which is better, anime or manga, it all comes down to personal preference and that I leave up to you. The ratings corresponding with every product follow beneath the title to further give an understanding of the targeted audience.
Manga
Oldies but Goodies
Death Note
Older Teen
Back in 2006 Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata set out to craft a gothic supernatural thriller pushing the boundaries of morality and prompting readers to ask themselves, “Is killing all criminals the path to attaining peace?”
Light Yagami is a brilliant High school student bored of life and sick of the crime ridden world he lives in. One day he discovers a black notebook with the words “Death Note” stamped on the front. On the inside appears a set of rules proclaiming that “the human whose name is written in this note shall die”. What is at first taken as a prank is soon proven real when Light sets about testing the notebook and killing multiple criminals. Dubbed Kira, he becomes a savior and sets about creating a utopia.
As the story progresses, Light begins losing himself to the Death Note, developing a God complex and killing anyone that comes between him and his perfect world. The suspense intensifies when Death Gods enter the human realm and the world’s greatest detective known only as L, begins a life and death chess game that threatens to bring about the collapse of Light’s dream.
For fans of: mystery, suspense, supernatural drama
Dragon Ball
Teen
Regardless of whether you’re a fan of anime or not, chances are you’re at least somewhat familiar with Dragon Ball. Akira Toriyama’s martial arts epic has displayed a wide ranging appeal along with an amazing staying power, retaining its popularity more than a decade after its conclusion. The series has since gone on to influence popular works such as One Piece and Naruto to the point that some of the trademark formulas that made Dragon Ball a success are now mirrored in those titles.
Dragon Ball follows the adventures of Son Goku, a young monkey tailed boy with powers far beyond those of ordinary humans. Throughout his childhood he trains in martial arts, competing against the strongest warriors the world has to offer.
As Goku enters adulthood, he settles down with a family to call his own before trouble shows up on his doorstep in the form of his brother who informs him he is really an alien sent to conquer earth. From there Goku runs afoul of alien overlords, androids, and demons while battling to protect not just the earth but the entire galaxy.
For fans of: action, humor, adventure
Rurouni Kenshin
Older Teen
Nobuhiro Watsuki’s most well known and arguably his best work captured fan’s imaginations with an engaging story, appealing characters, and strangely enough romance. Subtitled Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story, Rurouni Kenshin is indeed a story of love, loss, despair, and ultimately triumph thinly coated underneath kinetic action sequences familiar to the shonen genre.
The series is set during the Meiji period in Japan after the revolution that brought about the beginning of the end for samurai. Himura Kenshin is a former assassin now living the life of a wanderer. Having sworn never to take another life so as to atone for his sins, he wields a reverse blade sword as a means to protect the innocent from the corrupt. He eventually settles into the Kamiya dojo where he meets Kaoru and several others who he develops close bonds with as the series develops.
Throughout the series, Kaoru’s feelings for Kenshin begin to mature and vice-versa though Kenshin is hesitant to give into his desires due to the many enemies still yearning to take his head. Towards the final stretch, after many heartbreaking revelations stemming from Kenshin’s past, the two finally overcome the misery shrouding their lives and embrace their love for one another. One of the best manga ever conceived shonen or otherwise, Rurouni Kenshin deserves to be included in every fans library.
For Fans of: romance, samurai, period pieces
Trigun
Teen
Following a theme similar to Kenshin instead with a western flavor, Trigun follows the interstellar adventures of Vash the Stampede as he traverses the planet Gunsmoke dodging bounty hunters looking to nab his jaw dropping bounty. Much like Kenshin, a tragic event from Vash’s past has prompted him to take a vow of “Love and Peace”. Unfortunately, the gunslinger has a hoard of enemies after his head led up by his maniacal brother who seeks to bring ruin to the human species.
Trigun initially achieved widespread popularity as an anime despite the manga being birthed first. While the anime is worth seeing, several key differences put the manga a notch above its counterpart. The anime kicks off rather slow and doesn’t truly pick up till the halfway mark. The manga and anime also feature different endings as the anime branched off before the manga could finish. The manga is more story oriented and delves further into the character’s back stories giving a much more comprehensive picture than the anime could offer.
Spanning planets, Trigun strives to achieve epicness with its final few volumes, for the most part succeeding. While the artwork can be confusing at times in regards to what is happening on panel, Nightow’s characters are superbly designed with each one given a detailed look to call their own.
For Fans of: sci-fi, westerns, action
Hellsing
Mature
Another case in which the manga far surpasses the anime though its original fame stems from the anime’s widespread exposure. Possibly the most violent title on this list, Hellsing’s appeal stems from Kohta Hiran’s rock-star attitude of throwing anything and everything at his readers all in the name of blood and gore. If morally ambiguous vampires and undead Nazis sound appealing, Hellsing should more than satisfy.
The series shares its title with an organization tasked with defending England from armies of vampires referred to as ghouls. Its main offensive weapon comes in the form of Alucard, a vampire whose origins are hinted to have ties to Dracula (notice the name?). During a standard mission, a young woman named Seras is injured and given the option of spending the rest of eternity as a vampire or biting the dust then and there. With only those options open to her, she chooses to become a vampire and serve as Hellsing’s lapdog.
The series amps up the action once it dives into the main story, pitting Alucard against Millennium, a group of Nazi’s he once crushed during World War II. With an army of ghouls, werewolves, and other supernatural threats at their command, Millennium makes its march on England, laying waste to the country leaving Alucard and Seras to battle back a throng of enemies. Laced with action, betrayal, and black comedy, Hellsing is a vampire lover’s wet dream realized in graphic form.
For Fans of: vampires, horror, dark comedy
Akira
Older Teen
If there’s one series that belongs in every fan’s library it’s Akira. Katsuhiro Otomo’s sci-fi classic is still considered an influence after all these years thanks to his amazing attention to detail and superior story telling. Even after 20 years the artwork is still breathtaking and holds up well alongside younger series. The intricate details of the landscapes and cities are amazing and display Otomo’s true mastery of his craft
Set 38 years after World War 3, Japan has been reduced to an urban wasteland. In the city of Neo Tokyo, Kaneda, the leader of a group of restless street toughs, races through the streets battling rival gangs. Tetsuo, the youngest member of his gang, begins manifesting tremendous psychic powers that once realized will envelope him in madness threaten the world. Meanwhile, beneath it all is the secret know only as “Akira”.
Akira is considered one of the most important and influential works in graphic fiction. It was one of the first manga to be adapted into a feature length film that went on to become one of the first anime movies to be well received outside of Japan. Akira is not just a science fiction tour de force but also an important work of art and entertainment.
For Fans of: sci-fi, action, cyberpunk
Ghost in the Shell
Mature
Back in 1995, The Ghost in the Shell made its debut in America in the form of an eight issue comic book miniseries before being later rereleased as a one volume trade edition. Resembling a mixture of Blade Runner and the Matrix, the famed science fiction manga by Shirow Masamune explodes back into print in a new oversized edition courtesy of the newly established Kodansha Comics.
Depicting the story of a female cyborg , Major Motoko Kusanagi, The Ghost in the Shell follows the special agent as she leads the various units of Section Nine in protecting the city’s inhabitants. Assisted by fellow cyborg Batou and a horde of mini robots called “Fuchikoma”, Motoko tracks terrorists, renegade cyborgs, and cyber-criminals.
The Ghost in a Shell truly was ahead of its time. Its plot devices and cyberpunk settings are still considered groundbreaking and its influence can still be seen in many science fiction films today. Its exploration of machines and the human consciousness provides us with a possible roadmap of where the future is headed.
For Fans of: sci-fi, cyberpunk, mystery
Miami area readers can pick up this titles from local Barnes and Noble and Borders booksellers as well as online at amazon.com and rightstuf.com
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