For the last few years I've been reading Houseki no Kuni (which just ended earlier this year) and Shadows House (which is going on hiatus for the final chapters, and will probably end by next year). So...right now I don't have any manga to read, and in a little while it'll be permanent...
I've noticed that trying new manga has been a lot more fruitful for me than trying new anime, so rather than letting this burgeoning hobby fizzle out I wanna keep it going, and I'm looking for recommendations.
Some notes:
-I know Witch Hat Atelier's anime adaptation will be coming out soon, which is making me think maybe I should give its manga another try. It would take something significant to convince me though...something besides "it's really good"; b/c that's literally what everyone says about everything...
-I was really excited about the Sentai Daishikkaku anime, but I quit at episode 4 when a LOT of story elements that I did not want were suddenly coming into play (also the one person in my Twitter feed who was also really excited for it has been silent about it since its release...not a good sign...).
But I still like the way the protagonist is written, and I'm still interested in the antagonists, so I was thinking maybe I should just read the manga to see if it's any better, or at least if it eventually GETS better...anyone have any thoughts about this? Anyone finish the anime and have some thoughts about that...? I don't mind spoilers; I just want a good story.
-I've historically loved Touhou manga, although I haven't tried any since Wild and Horned Hermit ended...do any of the new ones have a meatier story like Forbidden Scrollery? I think I would like that~
-If you want to link Tapas comics or even promote your own, I don't mind. But don't get your hopes up; I've been on this site for years and I've never found a story I was that interested in. ^^;
Also, in case you don't know, 'seinen' generally refers to unique stories outside of the shonen/shoujo binary...and I guess in this day and age, outside of the latest bandwagon trend that everyone's hopping on. That's what I'm looking for. So I'm probably not going to click on "The Villainess Locked Me in her Basement!" no matter how good it is...
And since this thread is for sharing recommendations, I figure I'll do some brief reviews of the first two manga I mentioned:
Houseki no Kuni: Everything you've heard about it is true (except the surface-level comparisons to Steven Universe...); the 3D anime is great and the manga is phenomenal. ^^ If you want a philosophical fantasy story about immortality, friendship and community, self-fulfillment and what it means to be happy, be human, and to truly have peace, HnK is for you.
Outside of the emotional fights, deaths, and existential despair, though, it's actually really funny; the character interactions are consistently great. ^^ And despite how truly sad the story can get at times, especially for the MC, I think every character gets a satisfying ending.
Shadows House: The anime doesn't do it justice. ^^ If you were intrigued by the anime but disappointed with its story, I promise you will enjoy the manga a lot more.
And if you've never heard of it: it's a sort of Victorian-era-esque fantasy about 'shadow' nobles without faces, and living dolls who act as their faces, as well as their personal servants. 90% of the story takes place within the titular Shadows House, a huge castle where the shadows all live and engage in the political machinery of their mini society.
It's not quite as well written as the other manga I've mentioned (the author has a tendency to dump a lot of information onto you, to the point of literally drawing in charts and diagrams to explain the characters' schemes...) but the characters themselves are always fun and their schemes are interesting to watch unfold...it's clear that a lot of planning goes into this story, because your patience for sitting through a long explanation is always rewarded. If you want a dark mystery-drama filled with political intrigue and heartfelt character interactions, where children learn how to enact progressive change through solidarity and hope, then Shadows House is for you. I can't wait to see how it ends~
