/lit/ - Literature

>>8054374
None

>>8054377
Then what is not a complete waste of time?

>>8054374

Of all the spooky spooks in the world, the biggest of all is the notion that anyone on this Taiwanese fingerprinting board has the authority to dictate your tastes.

>>8054645
this t b h

Personally as a /lit/izen, at this point if I want to interact with lighter forms of media, it's for wish fulfillment and I take no guilt in it.

>>8054374
Dorohedoro

Dead dead demons dededede destruction

Otoyomegatari

Inio Asano's mangas are pretty legit

Watchmen was good too

Those are the only ones I've read that I liked though

>>8054374
"Allow"? What are you, a slave?

Check out Frank by Jim Woodring if you're into R.Crumb and surrealist art. It's a dialog free comic done by a borderline whackjob. The Incal is pretty rad if you're into Jodorowsky and Alan Moore totally deserves the amount of clout he has in the industry.

Edgy revitalizations of old school Saturday morning cartoons

>>8055000
Holy shit. I might actually check this out. JQ is my man.

>>8055013
I'm gonna buy the first trade once it releases. I rewatched the original JQ a few years back and I was quite impressed. It perfectly captured that pulp adventure aesthetic. They even used Hanna-Barbera's signature limited animation style as a boon, making the visuals appear akin to old school pulp comics. I'm excited to see the direction they take on this run.

>>8054374

I love this song from this Anime:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enYX5tpKRe8

is hauntingly beautiful

nothing wrong with being a fan of different things
restricting yourself to just literature or just anime is pointless and you are only inhibiting your own enjoyment
i think code geass could be lit approved after that ending but again, i'm not trying to compare it to literature, just saying you can like both

>>8055029
The 1965 one right? Did you watch the one from the 90s?

>>8055206
Yup, the 60s series. Think I watched a bit of the 90s series as a child but I haven't seen it since.

>>8054374
Tokyo Ghoul (ignore the tumblr fans)
Bleach
Homunculus
anything by Kago Shintaro but especially Dance, Kremlin Palace

>>8054374
Oyasumi Punpun top tier
probably anything from Inio Asano or Kengo Hanazawa

Sandman by Neil Gaiman and Lucifer by Mike Carey (the semi-sequel to Sandman) will probably be liked by people on /lit/. Sandman is packed full of not only many literary and mythological references, but also uses them in interesting ways. Lucifer is similar but focuses on a much more compelling story.

Berserk, obviously.

Eden: It's an Endless World for all the muh Gnostic symbolism already, and also best post-apocalyptic setting.

>>8055260
I would also second Homunculus

Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing. Literally the best comic there is.

>>8055351
Go Nagai also did a straight mango adaption of The Divine Comedy at one point which was amusing to see.

vagabond or gantz are both mastery in the seinen genre.
prison school is honestly a masterpiece
for the genre it is, it is hilarious and brilliant

>>8055359
I read this all the time. Don't fall for the meme like i did.

>>8055366
Prison school is hilarious, yeah.

>>8055370
Recommend something better then.

>>8055366
>Gantz tells the story of Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato, both whom died in a train accident and become part of a semi-posthumous "game" in which they and several other recently deceased people are forced to hunt down and kill aliens armed with a handful of futuristic items, equipment, and weaponry. Both the manga and anime are noted for their heavy violence and sexual content.
It's shit.

>>8055366
>gantz
>good

wew lad

>>8055393
its done quite well
perhaps you have only seen the anime which is shit, but the manga isn't centered around the story
its action survival with mystery surronding the mysterious events.
criticizing it for its premise when it is superfluous the actual purpose of the manga is misleading.
If you want story manga then there are lots of manga in this thread that would be better suited. Its good at what it does and that's all a good manga can do in my opinion.
>>8055297

>>8055393
>>8055397
I'm not him, but Gantz is only fun if you can appreciate it for what it is, which is a really wacky take on a grimderp nihilistic teenage sex & violence plot.

It's definitely not deep or anything, but that sort of thing can be amusing as cheap entertainment if you're in the mood for it.

>>8055397
The only part where it could have legitimately been getting good was after the entire Gantz team died leaving the MC alone and broken, but then they had to introduce that annoying brat of a girlfriend.

Nishi was best boy

Dorohedoro

Blame! / Abara / Biomega

I Am A Hero

Inio Asano's stuff

Mushishi

One Punch Man

Mononoke

As for Western stuff:

MAUS

Vampire Knight Requiem

Megahex

The rest I know that are worthwhile weren't translated

>>8055429
>Vampire Knight Requiem
Does it live up to the hilarious edge I've been lead to expect from the three screencaps I've seen posted?

>>8055340
Great series yeah

Lone Wolf & Cub and Nausicaa are the manga I read which have a sort of literary quality to them.

Enigma & Shade the changing Man by Peter Milligan are also great.

>>8055260
Bleach sucks.. Read a good shonen like Hunter x Hunter instead

>>8055434
Yes. Yes it does. There's a .pdf somewhere on the web. Do yourself a favour and read it.

I'll add:

Ladroit's other stuff, it's incredible

Some Punusher stuff, /x/ storytells sometimes

Jodorowsky's stuff

>>8055366
>>8055382
jesus christ fuck no. absolutely horrid revolting trash. if you like that shit then you're severely damaged

>>8055449
If Jodorowsky's comics are anything like his movies then they're a just wacky edgelord garbage

>>8055451
hating on it just because its an ecchi is retarded as fuck
its one of the best manga for its genre possibly ever
nothing wrong with a great story you can also jerk your dick off too

>>8055446
HxH is terrific until you get to CA.

>>8055463
Fuck off

>>8055465
If you think there's a good story then you're severely mentally retarded

>>8055466
Yeah, then it becomes a masterpiece.

>>8055446
This is a controversial opinion, but fuck Togashi. Bleach is honestly a lot more intricate and well-written than nearly everyone gives it credit for being. The religious/esoteric symbolism and meta-humor is on point, especially in the currently running arc.

>>8055463
Well not really. They're like Howard's Conan stories, epic and alien. Psychedelic, yes, that too.

Also adding the Persona 4 Anime/Game

Chie best girl

>>8055485
The only problem with Togashi is that he's sick all the time.

>>8055489
Even when he's not, he's nowhere near as good as people think he is. They just assume he's the best manga writer ever because he fills his shit with more text than art. In a visual medium like manga, over-reliance on text is a crutch at best.

If I want to read a book, I'll read a book. He's no Joyce or Gaddis.

>>8055500
>He's no Joyce or Gaddis.
No shit. Neither is anyone else mentioned in this thread. His manga is just an entertaining action thriller. It just happens to be a million times more entertaining than any of the others.

>>8055508
It really isn't because the action is stilted and the "thriller" aspects are too tryhard. I brought up actual authors because the retards who ride his brokeback cock usually praise his writing above everything else he does.

>>8055472
see
>>8055366
its not a story manga
this doesn't make it bad
you lit fags cant seem to understand that but its great for its exceptional character development, ingenuity and masterful comedic timing
(as well as its innovative ecchi moments)
the story is not a major facet of this manga and it knows that
another case of being great at what it does

>>8055513
Those are people who don't actually read, or if they do, it's probably 99% J. K. Rowling, Stephen King, etc. Not sure why you care about their opinions.

>>8055519
>exceptional character development, ingenuity and masterful comedic timing
If you actually believe that shit then go back to the anime ghetto >>>/a/catalog

>>8055521
Because they're also 99% of Togashi's fanbase, so they need to be addressed. Literally no other reason than that.

>>8055524
>go back
implying i was ever there
i just happen to think prison school is a great manga for those reasons.

calm down you filthy ape.

>>8055535
That's because you are unintelligent and have no perspective and do not belong on this board.

>>8055532
Bleach is still boring as shit though lol

>>8055519
We're talking about /lit/ manga you dumb fuck.

>>8055545
If you don't understand what Kubo's doing, yeah, it must be. Ironically enough, it's actually the most literary thing in Jump.

>>8055540
Don't I?
I think you used "and" when a comma was needed. Who doesn't belong on the board now?
:p
ape

>>8055549
Apparently Anon thinks his gross sexist torture porn comics are literature

>>8055549
I realize that but i still felt like talking about it.
Since it came up, I felt that I had to defend it from being attacked. Is that okay or is absolute conformity to the thread required at all times?

I understand its not /lit/ approved or whatever but I wanted to give my opinion on why it was good anyways.

Berserk, Monster, Blame, Oyasumi Punpun and generally everything by Inio Asano. Oh and I am a Hero is a lot better than its title would have you believe.

If you feel like completely turning your brain off, there's also a wide, wide variety of manga that will cater to you. The sheer amount of utter trash is staggering.

>>8055552
How new are you to be a prescriptivist?
>>8055561
>I realize that but i still felt like talking about it.
That's your own fault, then. If it's being attacked for being non-/lit/, and you agree it's non-/lit/, why defend it?

>>8055562
This anon is right.

I'm baffled by the fact nobody in here brought up Akira and Ghost in the Shell.

>>8055577
Like Berserk or Mushishi, sort of feels like a given.

>>8055577
I actually completely forgot about Akira. I agree that it's very good, definitely worth reading.

>>8055577
Akira is straight garbage and anyone who thinks it's good is a tasteless cretin. The only good GITS thing is Stand Alone Complex/Second Gig, which is annie moo rather than man go.

This may be a good place to ask; people who read manga, how do you find new manga to read that isn't utter garbage?

All best of lists and popularity ratings seem to be just awful.

>>8055589
Oh look, a tasteless cretin.

None of GitS is good.
>>8055602
Online and friends.

>>8055602
I am just not as special as you, so it's easy.

>>8055607
>Online
Gee anon, thanks for clearing that one up. Don't worry, I don't need you to be more specific.

>and friends.
No need to show off.

>>8055551
If this is true, is there anywhere I can find a convincing and detailed analysis? I might actually start reading it again if it looks interesting

>>8055583
Yeah, you're right. Didn't think Mushishi was that famous.

>>8055589
Nah. Akira is good - if you don't appreciate the themes of faith, the loss of one's humanity and destiny, you're deluded. It made possible for countless other great works, like Tetsuo or Electric Dragon 80.000v

>>8055602
Randomly, by watching Japanese movies - after watching uzumaki I looked up the manga author, found his other stuff like Gyo

There's a lot of them you can find in movies

>>8055613
>Gee anon, thanks for clearing that one up. Don't worry, I don't need you to be more specific.
Well, these threads, random threads on other boards, and -- I suppose (although I don't actually do it myself) -- /a/. It helps that I'm not a fast manga reader.
>No need to show off.
Sorry. It was a typo in any case. Friend.

What authors share a similar style to Inio Asano?

>>8055621
>if you don't appreciate the themes of faith, the loss of one's humanity and destiny, you're deluded.
You mean the same fucking shit that every other comic book/manga/cartoon goes on and on about?

I think you might be the deluded one, friendo.

>>8055657
>everything must be UNIQUE! Unique for uniqueness' sake!
I think there's a worldbuilding thread for you, anon.

>>8055634
Japanese photographers.

>>8055657
That's not an argument man. Now if you were to say that they were executed poorly and say why, that'd be basis for discussion. You're just bitching.

There's not many things that deal as well as Akira does with concepts like worship, drug/power addiction and transhumanism (yeah yeah tip)

>>8055663
If anything, you'd be the one who'd appreciate something as retarded and generic as "worldbuilding".

>>8055678
Yes it is. When everyone does the same fucking thing, just doing it is worthless in and of itself unless there's something unique about it. With Akira there's absolutely nothing unique or new. It just runs on the same tired sci-fi tropes and cliches that have been done to death since the 60s and 70s without any sort of originality or inspiration behind them.

>>8055696
>tropes
>cliches
What are you even doing on this board, anon?

>>8055696
Not true at all. First off, it's not worthless: once you essentialize it enough, you can said that almost anything has been done already, and experimentalism for its own sake leads to shit like GIMMICK::

Secondly, go on and tell me precisely what else covers Akira themes, especially in the 60s and 70s.

Never read comics but just started Animal Man. Heard the Grant Morrison stuff was supposed to be great.

>>8055711
The internet has ruined the word "trope".

mango :
Taiyo Matsumoto

comics :
Sergio Toppi
Moëbius

>>8055731
More specifically, tvtropes ruined the word trope.

>>8055739
That use of the word has been around for at least a few decades, to be fair. It came from people totally misunderstanding how literary critics were using it, though.

>>8055551
Anything? I mean, is he just plastering religious themes onto a silly fantasy story, or is he actually doing something interesting with them, and if so, how?

From Hell, Swamp Thing, Promethea, Providence

Animal Man, Doom Patrol, Invisibles, The Filth

Sandman

Shade the Changing Man, Enigma

Black Hole

Love and Rockets

Cerebus

Alec, Bacchus

Puma Blues

Buddha, Pheonix

A Drifting Life

Tekkonkinkreet

Watchmen, From Hell, A Contract with God, Kafka, Jimmy Corrigan.

Just read Preacher, op

/lit/ talking about manga is embarrassing, literally just circlejerking about the same classics everyone already knows are objectively good.

does someone know this short story manga collection I've been thinking about
there was one where the sick father suddenly woke up and started shooting at all the family members and other people in his home out of rage and/or disgust
it was a comedy

>>8055764
>just plastering religious themes onto a silly fantasy story
I'm just gonna assume this is the case until an explanation is provided.

>>8054374

American Splendor
A Contract with God
Watchmen
A Drifting Life

>>8054374
stray bullets

20th century boys
dorohedoro
boys on the run
punpun?
voynich hotel

those are the first few that come to mind. i could easily make a decent 50+ list of manga and comics, but they wouldnt all be as good IMO

Start here, then you can judge comics beyond just story and anatomy.

>>8054374
The only work of fiction that has ever made me cry—and I mean openly weep—was the final three volumes of a manga called Ten: Tenhou-doori no Kaidanji by Nobuyuki Fukumoto.

Unfortunately this series (and it's prequel, Akagi) have a nearly impossibly high barrier to entry for western audiences, namely the fact that a majority of the manga is spent discussing high level technical mahjong strategy. I would say you can get away reading Akagi (or watching the anime) without learning the rules of Japanese mahjong (it's a four player gambling game similar to poker and gin rummy with a hopelessly complex set of rules, not the single player tile matching game most people are familiar with), but Ten pretty much requires a base level of competency in your understanding of the game.

It was published serially in a magazine called Kindai Mahjong Comics between 1989 and 2002. Yes, mahjong manga is an entire genre unto itself in Japan. But the amazing thing is that there is a huge tonal shift after volume 15, and the final 3 volumes of the series don't deal with mahjong at all. Instead, the end of the series is a long meditation on one character's decision to commit medically assisted suicide. A totally ballsy move on Fukumoto's part, and the fact that they gave him so much leeway to tell a story like that in a publication that is supposed to be about a fucking board game is insane.

So yeah. Totally worth the read if you put in the effort. It's all translated and available online.

>>8056439
Mahjong isn't even the interesting part about the series, though certainly hooked me even harder due to my background, it's still a character study/moral drama that's executed extremely well.

>>8056439
i thought you didn't really need to know mahjong to appreciate akagi, or is that only for the anime?
also, should i watch the anime?

>>8056454
The anime is pretty good. Check it out if you got the time.

>>8056454
I watched Akagi without knowing what it was about and not knowing anything about mahjong. Still really enjoyable, but that's what motivated me to learn how to play. Then I went back and watched it again and was able to appreciate all the strategy stuff.

>>8055084
this desu

>>8056454
Just watch/read Kaiji, it's basically Akagi without having to know Mahjong

>>8057313
Already seen it

>>8055558
Do you not read literature what the fuck kind of post is this?

>>8056023
>posts the literal go-to for artsy manga

>>8057313
It's nothing like Akagi. What a horrible post.

>>8055466
>HxH is terrific until you get to CA

I was really turned off by that arc to begin with but once Meruem comes on the scene it becomes the best of the series.

Definitely punpun and Homunculus
Another is Freesia

>>8054374

>>8057441
>punpun
kill yourself

>>8054374

Legend Of The Galactic Heroes.

>>8057476
Take a break, crankypants.

>>8055382
hinamatsuri humor is better

>>8057488
i mean, yeah punpun is good if the most profound thing you've ever read is a murakami novel

>>8054391
Reading books

>>8054377
kek
>>8054718
not a fan of alan moore or frank miller
>>8055466
yeah if you enjoy the usual shonen jump formula
>>8055508
Moore and Miller would consider themselves better than Joyce.
>>8055808
no
>>8056180
maybe
yes
meh
okay enough
>>8056282
start with all the scott mcloud books other than Zot!
>>8057504
you spelled "criticizing" wrong

>>8057478
>Legend Of The Galactic Heroes
Why not just read the novels?

It´s practically the "The Ulysses" of the comic/manga medium.

inb4: some Home Stuck fag being buttdevastated

Fuck off, this thread is not /lit/ in the slightest
who /m/ here?

>>8054374
depends on what you want
>>8054391
A decent amount out there, I certainly wouldn't say the majority.

Western Comics: Asterios Polyp, Something of Will Eisner's, Habibi, Fun Home, Seconds, the comic adaptation of Auster's "City of Glass"
then read something of Chris Ware's and before killing yourself ponder how any of that or the work of Mazzucchelli could have been done in animation or written word

>>8057544
i don't have the words to express the "no" that echoes through the bowels of my essence

>>8054374
If you are worth a shit you can watch whatever you want and still manage to see very profound kinds of truth in it.

>>8054718
oyasumi punpun :(

>>8057572
Good list.

But this is I would recommend: Jimmy Corrigan (for Ware, slice of life theme), Watchmen (for Moore, DC, its use in education, antihero theme), A Contract with God (for Eisner and the beginning of "graphic novels," historical theme), Kafka (for its nonfiction/biographical use of comics), Queen of the Black Black (for affirmative action ;) and its use in newspapers), Marvels (for Marvel, superheroes, serialization), City of Glass (for Mazzucchelli and its case as an adaptation). Plus all of these can be easily found, for a nice deal and in one volume.

I might add McCloud's Making Comics, even if you don't plan to make comics and I like it more than his Understanding Comics, so you can appreciate and better understand the craft.

>>8057657
*magazine, not newspaper

Maybe Calvin & Hobbes if you're looking for something from newspapers (I'm not too knowledge on all those strips and their quality, though).

>>8057495
Not that guy, but I'd argue I'm pretty well read and oyasumi punpun was still really affecting to me

>>8057544
yeah, i sure love The Ulysses

Ping Pong
Mushishi
Oyasumi Punpun
Dead Dead Demon's De De De De Destruction
(Inio Asano's other work is nice)
Yotsuba!
Nichijou
Harukana Machi-E
Otoyomegatari
Endo Hiroki Tanpenshuu (surprisingly good and short)
Welcome to the NHK

Blankets
Love and Rockets
I Kill Giants
*I know nothing of western comics.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some good manga. Seriously though I would like some more artsy manga. I can't expect good plot and dialogue anymore so I'd prefer just something nice to look at.

On the topic of weebshit, are there any worthwhile VNs out there? Surely someone has managed to do something interesting with that medium.

Hinamatsuri

>>8057817
The good ones aren't translated
The translation is pretty but try Ever17.

>>8054374
Bungo Stray Dogs.
It's quite endearing.

Sandman by Neil Gaiman is truly great desu

>>8054645
Listen to him OP.

>>8054709
Dorohedoro is shounen shit my friend (even if I want to know the end), but I like the drawings and the universe. But story is middle and charachters' actions, thoughts, very basics.

My favourite, if you want something that's not complete shit (or not shit at all) :

BLAME !, mature, violent and unique.
Wandering Emanon, recent discovery.
I am a hero, only godamn zombie stuff that isn't retarded that I know (not an expert of this genre actually).

>>8057817
kara no shoujo

>ctrl+f 'Go Nagai'
>1 result
so much shit taste ITT

Anyone who likes Blood Meridian should read Shigurui

Berserk and Tezuka's work are the toppest tier, other varies in quality. Jojo can be good dumb fun but is mostly overrated.

Nihei is Flaneur core and there's tons of great artsy stuff like Palepoli.

>>8055442
I got the impression that Lone Wolf tries hard to be a Kurosawa-like samurai classic with a dash of seventies exploitation.

It is very good but I'd rather read Usagi Yojimbo.

>>8054374
Berserk, Monster, Legend of the Galactic Heroes

>>8057817
Nope, they're all shit. Ignore the other people who responded to you.

I love Naoki Urasawa. I especially loved Pluto, because it was both a subversion and an appropriation of a popular anime series. It was a more visceral, more mature, and more potent iteration of Astro Boy.

>>8054374
>no mentions of YKK
/lit/, I am disappoint

>>8057817
Saya no Uta is somehow good if you like Lovecraft.

>>8057378
Only someone who is very sick mentally would read something like that and be capable of deriving any pleasure from it. Such a person should seek psychological help.

>>8054374
>Monster
>Pluto
>Maus
>Buddha
>Blankets
>Habibi
>Duncan The Wonder Dog
>Persepolis

My favs

>>8055737
Sharazde <3
I have cbz if anyone's interested

>>8058418
Wonder if this'll ever get a full anime adaptation.

>>8058435
We all know the answer.

It's not very /lit/ but I fucking love those late 80's/early 90's martial art manga with over the top violence. Riki-Oh, Fist of the Northstar, etc.

Holyland is a pretty good coming of age story, it gets a little unnecessarily technical with the fight science stuff but it's a really good read.

>>8054374
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou

>>8054374
Oyasumi Punpun

The only good thing about Gantz was the Osaka team, it all should've been about them.

>>8055187
>>8054729

We all know there are social rules on lit. Allowed is a perfectly fine word to use amongst all these elitists.

However, lets pick the elitists brains and figure out whats good according to them

>>8058548
>Allowed is a perfectly fine word to use amongst all these elitists.
No, it isn't. You *always* get these kinds of responses whenever someone's dumb enough to phrase it that way. For good reason. It's pseud as shit.

>>8055260
>Bleach
It doesn't even tell a story. All it does is to introduce a shitload of new characters so that the main cast can have neatly parceled individual battles, during which they'll needlessly explain in excessive detail the particulars of their abilities, followed by the reveal of an ability that one fighter kept hidden, followed by the reveal of his opponents hidden ability or powerup that saves the day (sometimes there's multiple reveal-exchanges per battle). Rinse, repeat, every single arc.

I just want to know how it ends, but there hasn't been anything enjoyable about it for years.

>>8055552
>>8055535
Your use of misandristic insults just proves the point being made.

>>8055366
Prison School is great. I concur, because I don't know whether to cry with laughter, to applaud the plot development or to have a hard-on.

It slowed the fuck down recently, however.

>>8058715
Seek mental help. >>8058425

>>8057313

They're only similar in the sense that they're both about misanthropic loners who spend their time gambling. The protagonists are on total opposite ends of the spectrum personality-wise, though.

Kaiji is about an eternal loser, a lovable bozo who is continually shit on by life and forced into life-and-death gambles by this bizarre evil corporation that is for some reason preying specifically on him. That part never really made sense to me. Anyway, Kaiji's defining trait is his unbreakable will to survive, which always helps him pull through with some genius trick or scheme at the last minute.

Akagi, on the other hand, is about a guy who spends his life seeking out high-stakes gambles because in his mind, that's where the essential truths of life can be found. Or something like that. The reason he is such a powerful gambler (aside from his genius-level intellect) is that, unlike Kaiji, survival is the last thing on his mind. Rather, his goal is to be as close as he can to the line between life and death, and he doesn't particularly care if he ends up crossing it along the way. The reason Akagi is such an interesting series to me is that it seemingly breaks the essential rule about giving your protagonist certain flaws and keeping them well-rounded, yet still manages to be really compelling. Akagi isn't well-rounded at all. He's treated almost like a deity in both of the series he appears in, and it works because the story is mostly told through the perspective of the people around him.

I dunno why I felt compelled to type all this out. I wouldn't call myself an anime enthusiast, but Akagi (and Fukumoto in general) is good shit.

>>8057817
Snatcher and Policenauts if you're lenient with the visual novel part

>>8058725
based bad troller man