What YA’ Reading: Classic Manga

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Manga and the anime adapted from it are hugely popular today, but it can often be a struggle to know where to start.  There are many series are out there. You also face the question of whether or not they’re available in the U.S. market. There are influential series that, due to lasting popularity, can be mainstays in most collections. So whether you’re new to manga or looking for some classics, here are some of my favorite options available at the library.

Ranma Saotoke is an elite martial artist whose father has arranged a marriage between him and the daughter of a friend. But there are several problems. For one, Ranma’s fiancee Akano doesn’t like him. Ranma also can’t stop getting into fights with his rivals. And he’s been cursed. If he’s doused with cold water, he turns into a girl. Being doused with hot water can change him back to being a boy. All that is to say, hijinks ensue.

While it is older and parts of it are a bit outdated, Ranma 1/2 was one of the most popular mangas of the early 1990s due to its blend of comedy, action and fantasy elements. It was an early blueprint of how to create a massively popular shonen (manga written for teen boys) series, as later entries took the template and adapted it. Those more familiar with manga and anime – and shonen in particular – will see the roots of some tropes in this work. It’s a great starting point for newbies and a classic for more seasoned manga readers to (re)discover. Its age also means it’s a completed series and the library has all of the volumes in our collection.

“Takahashi is one of the most renowned manga artists of all time, and the masterful storytelling and expressive body language make this a timeless manga classic.” – Publishers Weekly

If you like Ranma 1/2, look for Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo and Nausicaa of the the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki. Both are older but classic manga series with distinctive settings and art styles.

Dragonball Z by Akira Toriyama

Son Goku is Earth’s strongest martial artist, and loves nothing more than training and fighting. But a hostile visitor from another world reveals that Goku isn’t human at all. Rather, he’s a Saiyan, one of a nearly extinct alien species of warriors and conquerors. Now his fellow Saiyans are headed to Earth to collect the magic Dragon Balls, which will grant them an incredibly powerful wish. Goku will have to team up with his friends and even an enemy or two to save Earth from conquest and destruction. 

If Ranma 1/2 wrote the blueprint for successful shonen, Dragonball Z perfected it. Like Ranma 1/2, it blends action, comedy and fantasy elements. Toriyama further drew on Journey to the West, an epic Chinese novel based on traditional folk tales, and mixed in a Superman-like origin story to bring a sci-fi aspect to the series as well. The anime adaptation of this series took the world by storm and made this the general touchstone for many people when they hear anime or manga. Later manga authors and artists routinely cite this series and Toriyama as sources of inspiration for their works. The library has the entirety of Dragonball Z in our collection, so you won’t miss a page of this classic series.

If you like Dragonball Z, there are several other shonen that will keep you busy reading. Check out Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto; it’s one of the closest mangas to Dragonball Z in terms of overall narrative and cultural impact and we have the series. Shaman King by Hiroyuki Takei hews closely to the path blazed by Toriyama as well and the library has the full series. My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi will likely appeal also, especially if you’re looking for superhero stories.

Kimi Ni Todoke by Karuho Shiina

Kimi Ni Todoke is much different from the other manga on this list. This manga is a shojo or shoujo (manga written for teen girls), and follows shy, lonely Sawako as she struggles to fit in. Her face reminds people of a certain horror movie character, and she is often laughed at and excluded because of this. But one day the most popular boy in school befriends her and her world changes.

This series is a “slice-of-life” manga, which means it’s grounded in reality and the daily lives and experiences of its characters. It tells the tale of the blooming high school romance between its two main characters with all of its ups and downs. Kimi Ni Todoke  won the Kodansha Manga Award when it was first published in 2008. It’s a great example of not just shojo manga, but non-shonen manga in general, because not every story is a high-stakes, adrenaline-fueled affair.

If you like this series, look for its sequel: Kimi Ni Todoke: Soulmate. If the slice-of-life/romance combo appeals but you need a dash of fantasy, Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya should interest you. For a more meta but still largely realistic manga story, check out Bakuman by Tsugumi Oba; it’s a manga about making manga.

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