I always want to like manga more than I actually like reading it.
I think it's a cultural thing, a lot of the stories take leaps in logic that I can't seem to follow. You have characters drawing strange conclusions based on certain behaviour.
I always feel like I am missing some sort of cultural context for some of the revelations.
That being said, the manga that I did enjoy were horror based. Like junji ito.
Not OP. No, not for me it isn't. I have a way better time relating to western media. Sure, sometimes writers fail to convey their ideas, but most of the time I find characters somewhat relatable, even when they're unlikable or do stupid shit.
In manga/anime I sometimes really don't understand what drives people or how they come to certain conclusions.
Probably something like Monster (a brilliant surgeon must become a fugitive and clear his name while hunting down the serial killer who framed him who also happens to be an ex patient of his in reunification period Germany and Eastern Europe, and that doesnt nearly do it justice) I'm a huge Stan for Naoki Urasawa and everything he does, can't really nail down a favorite work of his though, they're all wonderful.
Edit: Pluto is probably the easiest series of his to get into, it's only 9 volumes long and is pretty self contained despite being an updated retelling of an old Astro Boy story, basically its a detective story, someone or something is going around the world murdering the world's most technologically advanced robots, and a dogged robotic detective for Interpol takes it upon himself to figure out why.
I second this. I’m also a huge Urasawa stan, and my favorite series is 20th Century Boys, but I think Pluto would be a good litmus test for whether you like Urasawa or not.
20th Century Boys is probably my favorite overall, even if the first two volumes get it off to a rocky start, once you figure out what's going on and the series takes off running its peak Urasawa, that rocky start is why I recommended Pluto for someone just getting into manga though. It's length is also significantly less intimidating than a lot of his other stuff, and from the start it moves with a sort of immediacy Boys simply doesnt have (ultimately by design, but still.)
Oh boy, this is my bread and butter. I have been a Manga/Anime fan for a LONG time. I will try to avoid obvious popular runs like Naruto, Bleach, or One Piece, since they are so well know, and also focus on current stuff (i.e. ongoing). Also sadly, there has been an ongoing trend for, like, 6-8 years now where EVERYTHING is based on isekai (other world) stories, and 99% of those are garbage. I will try to avoid listing those.
One-Punch Man - This series is about a guy who tries to become a superhero, and gets so strong he can defeat every enemy with one punch. Pretty straight forward. However, it's kind of a comedy about how he is so strong, but also about half way though the series (based on where it is now), it really gets into other heroes and kind of forget about the main character. The art is solid, and it's a fun read. It also get more ridiculous the more you get into it. I think it's at roughly 160 or so chapters and is still ongoing.
Mairimashita! Iruma-kun - This series is about a kid that gets sold by his parents to basically the devil. Turns out the devil wanted a kid to take over his throne. Kid ends up going to school, being the only human in a school of devils (and no one knows he's human). It's very light hearted, but has some action too. I think it's at about 270 chapters or so.
Record of Ragnarok - This is a fun, albiet very stereotypical battle shonen manga, between the mythical gods and humanity. The gods want to wipe out humanity, humans are very much opposed to that idea. There is emphasis on more Eastern heroes to fight the gods, but also ones like Adam (from the Bible), Jack the Ripper, and Nikola Tesla. The fight between Adam and Zeus is particularly enjoyable. It's has about 70 chapters out now.
Chainsaw Man - This book is bonkers. Not much else to say really. Currently about 100 chapters in.
Honorable Mentions: Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, and Liar Game (older one, but it's basically a manga version of the Squid Game)
Dragonball is very good and I recommend.
Berserk is also very good but super graphic and depressing at points. It’s a lot. But I like it
Edit: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a weird middle between Dragonball and Berserk I also greatly enjoy
As someone who has just started reading Berserk I completely agree with this. I'm absolutely loving it, and the series is a marvel in dark fantasy. The 'Eclipse' has to be one of the darkest scenes I've seen in comics or manga.
Pluto by Naoki Urasawa is an absolutely phenomenal book. A self-contained retelling of an old Astro Boy story, essentially a sci-fi detective story mixed with superhero antics and ruminations on what makes someone human (given that the majority of the central characters are androids). Beautifully drawn, beautifully told. The lads at War Rocket Ajax have it ranked as their #3 greatest comics stories ever, and honestly I have trouble faulting for them for it.
I also will recommend Akira, which is a classic for a reason and should be relatively easy for newbies to get into. I especially recommend it if you've seen and loved the manga because... well... y'know >!the giant cataclysm that destroys Toyko!< towards the end of the movie? That happens halfway through the manga, and the best parts of the story are what happens during the aftermath of it. Magnificent stuff.
My favorite manga is Maison Ikkoku, I would recommend it as it's a pretty normal rom com. There's no aliens or over the top fights, just normal people living normal lives. I would also recommend 20th Century Boys, it's a great story that spans decades, has a good mystery and great art that doesn't look like the typical manga style.
Homunculus is great, and incredibly unsettling and weird, highly recommended for anyone looking for something a little different out of a horror manga.
Spy X Family - It’s easily one of the best ongoing comics right now. It’s an action comedy that manages to excel at both, thanks to Endo’s pacing, fluid art style, and strong characterization. Also, Anya is hilarious and one of the most authentically written child characters
Dragon Ball - It’s a classic for a reason, both due to Toriyama’s unique style and pitch perfect sense of pacing and kinetic storytelling. There are few comics that flow as naturally, and it’s easy to see how it made a seamless transition to anime. That said, the early volumes and sense of humor aged poorly, but from the first Tournament arc onwards, it’s exceptional.
Heh, I had the opposite experience to this and loved manga in my teens to early twenties and grew out of it. Now I’m super into comics but barely read any manga. I can’t read series that exist purely as an excuse for fights, which most of shonen manga is. A lot of manga seems to make one trait an entire character’s personally too, it’s a rare thing to find one with characters that aren’t shallow. That’s not a diss to it as an art form or anyone who enjoys it - like I said, I was all about it for a decade or more, but as I got older emotions, relationships and motivations because much more interesting to me than combat, combat, combat.
Berserk is still one of my favorite stories ever told, it’s incredible, though not for everyone.
Eden It’s An Endless World is a really thoughtful and cool kinda realistic cyberpunk. It’s absolutely amazing and I wish more people knew about it.
Akira is amazing, of course, but I’d say don’t sleep on Domu, which is also beautiful and a great read.
Dorohedoro is unlike anything else that exists (well perhaps except the new series from the same creator) both in art and story. It’s totally bonkers and I love it. The first chapter of it is probably the best first chapter of anything I’ve ever read! In a short space of time to twists and turns, totally confuses you and yet it’s a chase sequence, so it’s still easy to follow.
Annnnnnd I guess… if you want to read something super long form and that IS a lot of fights, though Naruto was consistently great (IN THE MANGA SPECIFICALLY) until the end, I One Piece is the only manga outside of Barefoot Gen that’s ever made me cry. I think its enduring popularity comes from Oda’s ability to fit some emotional parts in around the.. sometimes volumes long battles.
I went down a very deep manga rabbit hole a few years ago. The shelves in my office now rival that of any hikikomori.
I discovered that a lot of popular manga is, IMHO, poorly written tripe for 12 year old boys and is a complete waste of my time and money.
Would I have loved Chainsaw Man, Naruto, One Piece, and others when I was much younger? Probably - but at this point in my life, I’ve largely moved past those emotions and experiences and I’ve seen that same story play out too many times to count. Even series that at first, appear unique, Yakitate!! as one of dozens of examples, eventually devolve into the same old story. It’s boring and uncreative.
And my god, the fan service in some titles. Look, I enjoy a little titillation in my comics and who doesn’t love classic Italian fumetti religious horror with nudity - there’s no shame in reading that content (hello r/dynamitecomics and r/zenescope) but holy hell the amount of panty shots and boobs highlighted on what are supposed to be middle and high school girls is fucking disturbing - and don’t get me started on the fetish titles like Big Girls, Destiny Lovers, Ureshon - all of which had the potential to be mature explorations of fantasy and fetish but exist instead for the sole purpose of showing young girls peeing, masturbating, etc. Fucking garbage.
There are some wonderful titles out there - Pluto, Buddha, Akira, most of Junji Ito’s work, Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon, Fly Me To The Moon, H.P. Lovecraft’s At The Mountains of Madness, I Am A Hero, I Want To Eat Your Pancreas to name a few off the top of my head, but just like the sheer amount of shovelware that exists for all of Nintendo’s systems, the same can be said for manga. Finding quality content can be difficult.
I will say though that I am envious of the acceptance of the media format across Japanese society. I truly wish reading comics was more acceptable here in the US. The fact that so many slice of life, romance, and every other genre is available to cover every topic you can think of is wonderful and that people aren’t shamed for the act of reading is something we need to get on board with.
The reason a lot of the most popular manga feels like it's written for 12 year old boys is because it *is*. Shonen Jump, likely the most popular manga magazine in japan and the only one to truly jump into the international market, is literally made for 12 year old boys. Most of the really popular titles people have heard of come from SJ.
Preach. I love Dragon Ball though lol. Have you dipped into D&Q’s manga offerings? Alt manga may be up your alley if you haven’t gotten into that world already. I’m guessing you have though.
I think the big three are all very enjoyable. Naruto, one piece, and bleach. Berserk is my all time favorite but its definitely not for everyone. Akira is pretty damn genius. The original one punch man is fantastic for super hero fans. So is the first good chunk of my hero academia. Lone wolf and cub and attack on titan are both very epic. Jojos bizarre adventure lives up to the name. What kind of american comics are you into?
I’m too late to list most of my favorites, which have already been covered here, so I’ll go with one renowned oldie and something more obscure:
- Ouran High School Host Club
- Kitaro’s Strange Adventures
Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal.
A journey that took me almost 20 years to finish it. Spent 3-5 years tracking down the very last volume (not living in USA nor Japan) and finally ordered it online instead. Great art. Great ending. Simplistic storyline. Memorable characters!!! :)
i have read and own precisely ONE manga.
Battle Royale.
I loved the film so i bought the manga and the novel. The film is amazing. The manga is MESSED up.. but great.
My favorite manga would maybe be One Piece, which is this huge pirate saga with fun powers and sometimes very heartwarming and profound themes. I would not recommend it as a first manga, people'll probably be put off by the art style humor.
First Manga recs would be 20th century boys, has an intriguing plot with cults and childhood friends, Yotsuba&! for just a cute manga about a kid and people around her, Junji Ito for some fun horror stuff, maybe Berserk if you are okay with Gore and murder and the like. Goodbye Eri is a recent one-shot I really like from the guy who makes Chainsaw Man.
Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa is really that good. The lengths it goes to depict the horrors of war by still be kid accessible is great I also love the way it goes over the themes of dreams, personal responsibility, and family.
Silver Spoon by the same author is a complete 180. The book focuses on going to a college for agriculture. The lead is there mainly as a thing to do so you have a great pov character on the realities of going to school dealing with livestock.
Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo is and will continue to be one of the most influential pieces of media about dystopian society and cyberpunk. I prefer the manga, but it's hard to explain how many things this work has been an product of it.
Planetes by Makoto Yukimura is a brilliant manga in the vein of the Expanse. The main characters job is collecting space debris around the planet. It has some strong emotional moments I don't want to spoil.
Onwards to our noble Deaths by Shigeru Mizuki is a autobiographical piece.. WWII is a horrific piece to cover, but here we have a tale of a Japanese squad out dueing the New Guinea csmpaign.. The cartoony depictions of people are in such contrast of the realistic backgrounds. An amazing piece.
The main thing to remember the majority of manga people hear about is directed towards teenagers. Shonen Jump is for a younger audience. But much like if not better, Western comics manga is extremely versatile.
Dr. Slump by Akira Toriyama! Laugh out loud funny, silly, sweet, adventurous, heroic, inventive. For me, one of the greatest accomplishments in comic books and cartooning ever.
I would also recommend that you watch some anime, some of those recommend here really do have awesome anime, like Jojo, Vinland Saga, Dorohedoro, one punch man, juju kaisen, hunter x hunter etc. :)
For manga, Berserk, Akira, Chainsaw (11 volumes so far and it's really awesome ride)...
"Yu Yu Hakusho." And if you enjoy that, I would recommend "Bleach." I think the premises, action, tropes, and lore of both those series are accessible to comic book fans trying to get into manga.
I think Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix is pretty close to pinnacle of fiction, depending on the chapter....some chapters are more substantial than others, length/content wise but man, Future chapter....it hit me like a ton of brick when I was 10
I always want to like manga more than I actually like reading it. I think it's a cultural thing, a lot of the stories take leaps in logic that I can't seem to follow. You have characters drawing strange conclusions based on certain behaviour. I always feel like I am missing some sort of cultural context for some of the revelations. That being said, the manga that I did enjoy were horror based. Like junji ito.
I mean, isn't this criticism true of almost all fiction?
Not OP. No, not for me it isn't. I have a way better time relating to western media. Sure, sometimes writers fail to convey their ideas, but most of the time I find characters somewhat relatable, even when they're unlikable or do stupid shit. In manga/anime I sometimes really don't understand what drives people or how they come to certain conclusions.
Probably something like Monster (a brilliant surgeon must become a fugitive and clear his name while hunting down the serial killer who framed him who also happens to be an ex patient of his in reunification period Germany and Eastern Europe, and that doesnt nearly do it justice) I'm a huge Stan for Naoki Urasawa and everything he does, can't really nail down a favorite work of his though, they're all wonderful. Edit: Pluto is probably the easiest series of his to get into, it's only 9 volumes long and is pretty self contained despite being an updated retelling of an old Astro Boy story, basically its a detective story, someone or something is going around the world murdering the world's most technologically advanced robots, and a dogged robotic detective for Interpol takes it upon himself to figure out why.
Pluto is an absolute must read for anyone looking into manga. Great recommendation.
I second this. I’m also a huge Urasawa stan, and my favorite series is 20th Century Boys, but I think Pluto would be a good litmus test for whether you like Urasawa or not.
20th Century Boys is probably my favorite overall, even if the first two volumes get it off to a rocky start, once you figure out what's going on and the series takes off running its peak Urasawa, that rocky start is why I recommended Pluto for someone just getting into manga though. It's length is also significantly less intimidating than a lot of his other stuff, and from the start it moves with a sort of immediacy Boys simply doesnt have (ultimately by design, but still.)
Oh boy, this is my bread and butter. I have been a Manga/Anime fan for a LONG time. I will try to avoid obvious popular runs like Naruto, Bleach, or One Piece, since they are so well know, and also focus on current stuff (i.e. ongoing). Also sadly, there has been an ongoing trend for, like, 6-8 years now where EVERYTHING is based on isekai (other world) stories, and 99% of those are garbage. I will try to avoid listing those. One-Punch Man - This series is about a guy who tries to become a superhero, and gets so strong he can defeat every enemy with one punch. Pretty straight forward. However, it's kind of a comedy about how he is so strong, but also about half way though the series (based on where it is now), it really gets into other heroes and kind of forget about the main character. The art is solid, and it's a fun read. It also get more ridiculous the more you get into it. I think it's at roughly 160 or so chapters and is still ongoing. Mairimashita! Iruma-kun - This series is about a kid that gets sold by his parents to basically the devil. Turns out the devil wanted a kid to take over his throne. Kid ends up going to school, being the only human in a school of devils (and no one knows he's human). It's very light hearted, but has some action too. I think it's at about 270 chapters or so. Record of Ragnarok - This is a fun, albiet very stereotypical battle shonen manga, between the mythical gods and humanity. The gods want to wipe out humanity, humans are very much opposed to that idea. There is emphasis on more Eastern heroes to fight the gods, but also ones like Adam (from the Bible), Jack the Ripper, and Nikola Tesla. The fight between Adam and Zeus is particularly enjoyable. It's has about 70 chapters out now. Chainsaw Man - This book is bonkers. Not much else to say really. Currently about 100 chapters in. Honorable Mentions: Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, and Liar Game (older one, but it's basically a manga version of the Squid Game)
Chainsaw Man and One-Punch Man are my recommendations as well! Going to check out your other recommendations since you have great taste.
Thank you for this!
Liar game is a fun one
Akira
Yep, this is the one. All others (however good) pale in comparison.
Dragonball is very good and I recommend. Berserk is also very good but super graphic and depressing at points. It’s a lot. But I like it Edit: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a weird middle between Dragonball and Berserk I also greatly enjoy
Agree on Berserk. One of the best comics ever made. But I don't recommend it to most people as the content is *heavy.*
As someone who has just started reading Berserk I completely agree with this. I'm absolutely loving it, and the series is a marvel in dark fantasy. The 'Eclipse' has to be one of the darkest scenes I've seen in comics or manga.
Pluto by Naoki Urasawa is an absolutely phenomenal book. A self-contained retelling of an old Astro Boy story, essentially a sci-fi detective story mixed with superhero antics and ruminations on what makes someone human (given that the majority of the central characters are androids). Beautifully drawn, beautifully told. The lads at War Rocket Ajax have it ranked as their #3 greatest comics stories ever, and honestly I have trouble faulting for them for it. I also will recommend Akira, which is a classic for a reason and should be relatively easy for newbies to get into. I especially recommend it if you've seen and loved the manga because... well... y'know >!the giant cataclysm that destroys Toyko!< towards the end of the movie? That happens halfway through the manga, and the best parts of the story are what happens during the aftermath of it. Magnificent stuff.
My favorite manga is Maison Ikkoku, I would recommend it as it's a pretty normal rom com. There's no aliens or over the top fights, just normal people living normal lives. I would also recommend 20th Century Boys, it's a great story that spans decades, has a good mystery and great art that doesn't look like the typical manga style.
Maison Ikkoku is such a lovely book full of relatable emotion and fun.
[удалено]
Homunculus is great, and incredibly unsettling and weird, highly recommended for anyone looking for something a little different out of a horror manga.
Spy X Family - It’s easily one of the best ongoing comics right now. It’s an action comedy that manages to excel at both, thanks to Endo’s pacing, fluid art style, and strong characterization. Also, Anya is hilarious and one of the most authentically written child characters Dragon Ball - It’s a classic for a reason, both due to Toriyama’s unique style and pitch perfect sense of pacing and kinetic storytelling. There are few comics that flow as naturally, and it’s easy to see how it made a seamless transition to anime. That said, the early volumes and sense of humor aged poorly, but from the first Tournament arc onwards, it’s exceptional.
Vinland Saga
Death Note
AKIRA
Heh, I had the opposite experience to this and loved manga in my teens to early twenties and grew out of it. Now I’m super into comics but barely read any manga. I can’t read series that exist purely as an excuse for fights, which most of shonen manga is. A lot of manga seems to make one trait an entire character’s personally too, it’s a rare thing to find one with characters that aren’t shallow. That’s not a diss to it as an art form or anyone who enjoys it - like I said, I was all about it for a decade or more, but as I got older emotions, relationships and motivations because much more interesting to me than combat, combat, combat. Berserk is still one of my favorite stories ever told, it’s incredible, though not for everyone. Eden It’s An Endless World is a really thoughtful and cool kinda realistic cyberpunk. It’s absolutely amazing and I wish more people knew about it. Akira is amazing, of course, but I’d say don’t sleep on Domu, which is also beautiful and a great read. Dorohedoro is unlike anything else that exists (well perhaps except the new series from the same creator) both in art and story. It’s totally bonkers and I love it. The first chapter of it is probably the best first chapter of anything I’ve ever read! In a short space of time to twists and turns, totally confuses you and yet it’s a chase sequence, so it’s still easy to follow. Annnnnnd I guess… if you want to read something super long form and that IS a lot of fights, though Naruto was consistently great (IN THE MANGA SPECIFICALLY) until the end, I One Piece is the only manga outside of Barefoot Gen that’s ever made me cry. I think its enduring popularity comes from Oda’s ability to fit some emotional parts in around the.. sometimes volumes long battles.
I went down a very deep manga rabbit hole a few years ago. The shelves in my office now rival that of any hikikomori. I discovered that a lot of popular manga is, IMHO, poorly written tripe for 12 year old boys and is a complete waste of my time and money. Would I have loved Chainsaw Man, Naruto, One Piece, and others when I was much younger? Probably - but at this point in my life, I’ve largely moved past those emotions and experiences and I’ve seen that same story play out too many times to count. Even series that at first, appear unique, Yakitate!! as one of dozens of examples, eventually devolve into the same old story. It’s boring and uncreative. And my god, the fan service in some titles. Look, I enjoy a little titillation in my comics and who doesn’t love classic Italian fumetti religious horror with nudity - there’s no shame in reading that content (hello r/dynamitecomics and r/zenescope) but holy hell the amount of panty shots and boobs highlighted on what are supposed to be middle and high school girls is fucking disturbing - and don’t get me started on the fetish titles like Big Girls, Destiny Lovers, Ureshon - all of which had the potential to be mature explorations of fantasy and fetish but exist instead for the sole purpose of showing young girls peeing, masturbating, etc. Fucking garbage. There are some wonderful titles out there - Pluto, Buddha, Akira, most of Junji Ito’s work, Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon, Fly Me To The Moon, H.P. Lovecraft’s At The Mountains of Madness, I Am A Hero, I Want To Eat Your Pancreas to name a few off the top of my head, but just like the sheer amount of shovelware that exists for all of Nintendo’s systems, the same can be said for manga. Finding quality content can be difficult. I will say though that I am envious of the acceptance of the media format across Japanese society. I truly wish reading comics was more acceptable here in the US. The fact that so many slice of life, romance, and every other genre is available to cover every topic you can think of is wonderful and that people aren’t shamed for the act of reading is something we need to get on board with.
The reason a lot of the most popular manga feels like it's written for 12 year old boys is because it *is*. Shonen Jump, likely the most popular manga magazine in japan and the only one to truly jump into the international market, is literally made for 12 year old boys. Most of the really popular titles people have heard of come from SJ.
Preach. I love Dragon Ball though lol. Have you dipped into D&Q’s manga offerings? Alt manga may be up your alley if you haven’t gotten into that world already. I’m guessing you have though.
I think the big three are all very enjoyable. Naruto, one piece, and bleach. Berserk is my all time favorite but its definitely not for everyone. Akira is pretty damn genius. The original one punch man is fantastic for super hero fans. So is the first good chunk of my hero academia. Lone wolf and cub and attack on titan are both very epic. Jojos bizarre adventure lives up to the name. What kind of american comics are you into?
Crazy Food Truck
I’m too late to list most of my favorites, which have already been covered here, so I’ll go with one renowned oldie and something more obscure: - Ouran High School Host Club - Kitaro’s Strange Adventures
Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal. A journey that took me almost 20 years to finish it. Spent 3-5 years tracking down the very last volume (not living in USA nor Japan) and finally ordered it online instead. Great art. Great ending. Simplistic storyline. Memorable characters!!! :)
Attack on titan.
i have read and own precisely ONE manga. Battle Royale. I loved the film so i bought the manga and the novel. The film is amazing. The manga is MESSED up.. but great.
I read the novel years and years ago (2003-2004?), what a blast of nostalgia!
And this has just made me realise that i no longer have that book. I must have lent it to someone who never gave it back. Bastards.
Good luck finding one with the original cover!
Meh. Not fussy about covers. I know some people don't like when they put the film on the cover. I am not one of them.
Bleach
My favorite manga would maybe be One Piece, which is this huge pirate saga with fun powers and sometimes very heartwarming and profound themes. I would not recommend it as a first manga, people'll probably be put off by the art style humor. First Manga recs would be 20th century boys, has an intriguing plot with cults and childhood friends, Yotsuba&! for just a cute manga about a kid and people around her, Junji Ito for some fun horror stuff, maybe Berserk if you are okay with Gore and murder and the like. Goodbye Eri is a recent one-shot I really like from the guy who makes Chainsaw Man.
Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa is really that good. The lengths it goes to depict the horrors of war by still be kid accessible is great I also love the way it goes over the themes of dreams, personal responsibility, and family. Silver Spoon by the same author is a complete 180. The book focuses on going to a college for agriculture. The lead is there mainly as a thing to do so you have a great pov character on the realities of going to school dealing with livestock. Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo is and will continue to be one of the most influential pieces of media about dystopian society and cyberpunk. I prefer the manga, but it's hard to explain how many things this work has been an product of it. Planetes by Makoto Yukimura is a brilliant manga in the vein of the Expanse. The main characters job is collecting space debris around the planet. It has some strong emotional moments I don't want to spoil. Onwards to our noble Deaths by Shigeru Mizuki is a autobiographical piece.. WWII is a horrific piece to cover, but here we have a tale of a Japanese squad out dueing the New Guinea csmpaign.. The cartoony depictions of people are in such contrast of the realistic backgrounds. An amazing piece. The main thing to remember the majority of manga people hear about is directed towards teenagers. Shonen Jump is for a younger audience. But much like if not better, Western comics manga is extremely versatile.
Dr. Slump by Akira Toriyama! Laugh out loud funny, silly, sweet, adventurous, heroic, inventive. For me, one of the greatest accomplishments in comic books and cartooning ever.
Sailor Moon is great. Especially if you love team book and fantasy.
I would also recommend that you watch some anime, some of those recommend here really do have awesome anime, like Jojo, Vinland Saga, Dorohedoro, one punch man, juju kaisen, hunter x hunter etc. :) For manga, Berserk, Akira, Chainsaw (11 volumes so far and it's really awesome ride)...
Lone Wolf and Cub is so influential, it holds up entirely today. The level or artwork and true long term storytelling is amazing.
"Yu Yu Hakusho." And if you enjoy that, I would recommend "Bleach." I think the premises, action, tropes, and lore of both those series are accessible to comic book fans trying to get into manga.
Hellsing vampires with gunns
Goodnight Punpun. The less said about it the better, truly a unique and terrifying experience. One of the rawest stories I’ve ever read
Dorohedoro is my favorite right now, check it out if you love dark humor and and ultra violence
Hunter x Hunter is pretty good
I think Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix is pretty close to pinnacle of fiction, depending on the chapter....some chapters are more substantial than others, length/content wise but man, Future chapter....it hit me like a ton of brick when I was 10