"Essential Manga - What Every Fan Needs To Know - Yes, Even You Otaku!"

Manga Pics

Manga is the Japanese word for comics and printed cartoons. Outside of Japan, it refers specifically to comics originally published in Japan.

It developed from a mixture of ukiyo-e and foreign styles of drawing, and took its modern form shortly after the Second World War. 

These comics or graphic novels are almost always printed in black and white, except for the cover and sometimes a few promo pages.

If it's really popular, then it is adapted into anime (Japanese animation). Original anime is also sometimes adapted to manga.   

There are recommended reads for every age and every taste. Choose from action-packed shonen or romantic shojo. Comics to suit children and teenagers as well as graphic novels for adults.

Some of the main publishers include Dark Horse, TOKYOPOP, Viz, ADV, Gollancz and Harper Collins. So which are the most important collections to own if you are a true hardcore fan (Otaku)?

Come to think of it, even if you are a manga virgin; these have to be the "must-haves" or "essential best". Do you agree? What's made it into your library?

Akira
Dark Horse, Katsuhiro Otomo

Appleseed
Dark Horse, Osamu Tezuka

Battle Royale
TOKYOPOP, Koushin Takami

Bleach
Viz, Tite Kubo

Buddha
HarperCollins, Osamu Tezuka

Chobits
TOKYOPOP, CLAMP

Cromartie High School
ADV, Eiji Nonaka

Death Note
Viz, Tsugumi Ooba and Takeshi Obata

Dragon Ball
Gollancz, Akira Toriyama 

Fruits Basket
TOKYOPOP, Natsuki Takaya

Fushigi Yugi
Gollancz, Yu Watase

Ghost in the Shell
Dark Horse, Masamune Shirow

Inu Yasha
Viz, Rumiko Takahashi

Kodacha
TOKYOPOP, Miho Obana

Lone Wolf and Cub
Dark Horse, Kazuo Koike

Maison Ikkoku
Gollancz, Rumiko Takahashi

Marmalade Boy
TOKYOPOP, Wataru Yoshizumi

Mars
TOKYOPOP, Fuyumi Soryo

Naruto
Viz, Masashi Kishimoto

Negima
Tanoshimi, Ken Akamatsu

Peach Girl
TOKYOPOP, Miwa Ueda

Rurouni Kenshin
Gollancz, Nobuhiro Watsuki

Sgt. Frog
TOKYOPOP, Mine Yoshizaki        

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