Manga you should read before you die

[Isteb]

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What manga should you read before you can die happily? list them down here, and explain why. (1000th post)

1. Rurouni Kenshin

goes without saying, this is THE shonen manga. after all, much like everyone else, this is what sparked my interset in japanese pop culture. the story is engaging with equally engaging protagonists and antagonists. everyone has a background story so it's hard not to relate to or even get attached to one of them.

The amount of research the Mangaka has put into this series is remarkable as well, and is one of the reasons why RK is engrossing.

as for the art, the lines are immaculate, very clean and smooth. you can also see the art style change as the artist changes his art style to cope with serialization. 10 out of 10.

2. Cromartie High School

Cromartie High School is a parody of the 70's or 80's yankii genre, one with all the tough school gangs beating each other to a bloody pulp. CHS is a hilarious take on the genre, armed with a story that almost always ends up nowhere.

It follows the everyday life of Takashi Kamiyama and his odd classmates at Cromartie High School, an infamous school for delinquents. The characters are usually caught up in situations you'd expect delinquents to be in, but the author usually adds a very unexpected twist and takes the path of least resistance for a conclusion.

As for the art, there are no deformed characters here, and everyone is rendered realistically. winner of the 2002 kodansha manga award for shonen. 9.5 out of 10.

[Isteb]

3. Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei

can suicide be funny? for zetsubo sensei (that's mr. despair), his whole life is centered on it, with very hilarious results. for the readers, at least. zetsubo sensei is probably the most negative character in the world of manga; he tires to kill himself over anything, big or small. from commercialization to panty designs to high tech train ticket scanners, everything is a cause for despair for mr. despair.

most, if not all of zetsubo-sensei's students are typically archetypes, and possess only one or two personality traits. and that's not a bad thing, as the writer often uses this property to add humor to each chapter.

although its anime counterpart has a peculiar way of using pastel colors, the manga's art is somewhat generic and not at all remarkable.

all in all, it's definitely something you must read before you die. if you can find a copy, that is, as scanlations are quite rare.

yes, suicide can be funny. it can be funny seeing someone who pretends to be emo by asking for death, when he is in fact deathly afraid of it.

in one chapter, the school guidance counselor asks zetsubo: "well, zetsubo-san, why do you want to die today?"

8.5 out of 10

and to the person who asked, yep, i do have copies of the manga i mention here.