Tegami Bachi

Although Hiroyuki has been in the business since 1986, this was the first manga series of his own that caught my interest.

Can you imagine a world where we had no light? A world ruled by absolute darkness? Well that's what the setting is like for Tegami Bachi. It may sound like a dark series, but really it's got a sense of softness that balances it really nicely.

The land called Amberground is lit by a man-made sun, which is the only source of light, and surrounded by water on all sides. Each portion of land is divided by rivers and defined by class through the source of the light-the farther the land is from the man-made sun, the poorer the people are.

And to make matters even harder for them to live off this desolate world, there are creatures that reside in the shadows who attack those that dare to travel the perilous wastelands between each region.

But to maintain the connection of the people who are separated from their friends and loved ones, there is a government official line of workers called 'Letter Bees' who have made it their solemn duty to deliver letters full of 'heart' to the recipients that wait for them. Together with their partners called Dingos Letter Bees will endure all kinds of obstacles and rough terrain in order to keep the spirit of the people strong and hopeful.

The story begins with a young Letter Bee named Gauche Suede and his last delivery before a promotion to the next city. He is quite surprised to find that his letter is a boy, Lag Seeing, who is marked for delivery to his aunt in another town by his mother. At first he's very reluctant to follow or trust Gauche, but as the two of them (along with his Dingo, Roda) travel towards his destination, he begins to open up to the Letter Bee and develops a lifelong friendship with him. Through Gauche he also gains a new goal in life, and that is to become a great Letter Bee just like him. After this the series follows Lag's journey to becoming a Letter Bee in order to reach his old friend and find the answers to the mysterious abduction of his mother. It is a tough and demanding quest that will bring up some questionable conspiracies along the way, but Lag is more than determined to achieve his goals to the very end.

When I saw it on an advertisement for the OVA, my interest was piqued, so I checked out the manga to see for myself. The first chapter is insanely long, (a 125 page volume!) and in truth I had to go back on it a couple of times before I really could get hooked on it. But after taking the time to just sit and read through the entire chapter, I absolutely fell in love with Asada Hiroyuki's art and story. This steam-punk inspired manga is a crisp series that is still early in serializing, so I suggest people get on it while it's fresh.

I'll admit that it's a little more casual in comparison to the more flightier shounen manga's that I'm use to, but at the same time I think that's what makes it such a soothing and intriguing series. Including the soft blue-purple palette that was selected for the color scheme of the manga/anime. The action goes at it's own leisured pace but I still find it captivating-plus it leaves more time for progression of the story that I find equally appealing with the whole conspiracy surrounding the man-made sun and the day that it had mysteriously burned out. Of course if you don't care for the mellow and slightly-corny theme it best you skip this one (though you really shouldn't), otherwise I recommend this 100%.

Soul Eater

I forgot where I saw this one, but either way I'm glad that I took my chances with it.

There is a particularly unique school known as Shibusen (or Meister-Weapon) Academy that trains a league of budding trainees who seek to become a weapon of Shinigami-sama. In order to fight the evil that threatens to engulf the world in madness, graduates known as Death Scythes and their Meister partners must acquire the proper skills to fight off the opposing forces at hand before an even greater evil resurfaces.

Of course such faculties requires countless experience and various tasks to prepare the younger generation for the future, particularly a certain group of (somewhat) misfit individuals.

A talented young girl named Maka Albarn and her weapon partner Soul are on the verge of becoming an official weapon of Shinigami-sama. She hopes to make Soul a Death Scythe that rivals even her father, so she is incredibly ambitious to be the best.

Of course she's not the only one who's set her heights for the top, and eventually finds herself in the company of an arrogant ninja named Black Star and his partner Tsubaki, as well as the son of Shinigami-sama Death the Kidd and his twin-pistol team Liz & Patty. Together they encounter some life-threatening battles, countless hilarious scenarios, and unsettling clues that drive them to more hazardous clashes that will test their will and partnerships to the limit as they strive to graduate before they're expelled.

A cross-breed of Halloween meets classical Disney-character designs (particularly the gloves, facial structure, and elongated limbs). Soul Eater has a good balance of comedy, suspense, action, and mystery that keeps you on your toes for the next segment. It's monthly unfortunately and the anime had ended quite abruptly too, but again it's a very good series to look over.

D.-Grayman

It's a pretty well-known series already, but it's nevertheless underrated. Especially since the anime had ended a little early and the manga has switched from weekly to monthly a few months back. But even so it is one worth adding to the list.

Set around the end of the 19th century in Gothic Europe, the world of DGM is infested with disease and despair that poisons the mind and hearts of the people. A religious association known as The Black Order has been on a centuries-worth mission to purge the world of this enigmatic darkness that threatens to dissolve humanity off the face of the earth. Their primary enemy that is responsible for this constant threat is the Millennium Earl and his band of sorrowful creations known as Akuma.

Only a group of chosen ones known as the Exorcist can defeat the Earl and his enslaved toys, using what they call God's weapon for the sake of humanity-Innocence. A young boy named Allen Walker enters the Order in the hopes that he can use his Innocence to not only save humans, but the souls locked within the Akuma as well. As he goes through countless missions with his friends, experiencing every hardship possible that challenges their will to fight, Allen continues to learn more about the world in which he was born into and the destiny that drives him to hidden truths about himself.

I found this one on a review a long time ago, and was intrigued by the artwork. I started off with the anime, but then eventually switched over to the manga at some point when I found that there was more in-depth info there. It's great to watch Hoshino's skills progress overtime and how the plot continues to thicken as she progresses with each new chapter. The anime, both original and dub, are really great too and are recommendable. Although it cuts short because of the hiatuses from the previous year(s) and has a few fillers here and there, it's still pretty good. And since it ends with a somewhat open ending there is a chance it could return-small as it may be.

It's definitely one of my favorites, containing that gothic element and Tim Burton-ish style of characters (particularly the bad guys). Sure it's a monthly series, but Hoshino really knows how to deliver by making each subsequent chapter chock full of suspense and invaluable info that fleshes out the characters and plot significantly almost every time.

Fairy Tail

Another old manga that I've been on, but ah well. Gotta post as much as I know, right?

In a world ruled by magic, mages, and mythical creatures of every kind, there must always be an establishment of law and order to maintain the peace within the land of Fiore. And when that is threatened by chaos from the shadows, only those of great skill can defend it. These groups that are formed under the orders of the council are known as guilds, and they contain a collection of powerful mages that keep the world from falling into pandemonium....usually.

The story begins with a young mage named Lucy who is merely browsing the shops of the town, and eventually runs into a boy named Natsu and his feline friend Happy. She tells them all about the world of magic and guilds and how it is her dream to join the most talked-about guild known as Fairy Tail. After a series of events that leads her into a dangerous situation, Natsu comes to her rescue and in the process reveals that he is a mage of Fairy Tail.

Although he goes a little overboard in exercising his prodigious strength against the enemy (causing a squad of soldiers to chase after him when he totals half the town), Natsu assures Lucy that she is more than welcome to join the guild. She gladly accepts his offer, and the two run off towards their destination marking the start of the series adventure.

It seems like only yesterday that I'd found this one on KEFI.org with only seven or so chapters uploaded and translated. It wasn't that big of a series when I found it. Until now that is.

Most of the sites that I go to for manga scans lists the series as one of the top 10 or 5 viewed, and the anime (though having a few slight flaws) has been pretty good so far.

Although most will probably consider this to be one of those series that will eventually be in danger of falling into the ring of long-enduring (mainstream) series like Naruto and Bleach, or that it is a "copy-cat" of One Piece, I don't care. This series is really good, and I'll always consider it to be of top quality.

As I've said before with every good series that I look up-this one has the potential to be great, and continue to be so as it progresses.

[Switch]

Sorry it's taken me so long, got a lot to do so it takes me a bit to add some new stuff. ^^;

Anyway I'm finally up-to-date with this series that was suggested to me last year, and I can definitely attest that this one's another solid series that I would recommend.

Switch is a manga that revolves around a group of drug divisions in Japan known as the Kanto Regional Bureau for Narcotics and Welfare Control (A.K.A Narcs). Their job is pretty self-explanatory, but of course it's no walk in the park. These guys have to do whatever it takes to bring down drug dealers, smugglers, and other abusive activities that require a lot of investigation and undercover work.

And the group responsible for these particular cases is the renown division one. Their primary team, Hal Kurabayashi and Eto Kai, are the latest addition to the department and are just getting started on their career as partners. Although they're an unorthodox team, they nevertheless work together in order to accomplish the case and snag the culprits before they make a run.

As the series progresses they encounter more dangerous situations that involve clandestinely twisted operations , lethal drugs of every sort, and mysterious connections to the past with every step of the way. But even so this pair and the division that guides them continue to press on with their jobs in the hope that they can find the truth before things get out of hand.

At first I had assumed this was the same creator of Death Note based on the art style of the cover, but it turns out that this is actually the work of an entirely different team of manga-ka. Much like the Kindaichi series this is the product of two people working together to create a compelling story with engrossing artwork that is simply stunning. Aside from the great assortment of bishies (*points to background* heh, sorry. Couldn't help but mention that ^^;), the plot of the series is really intriguing as it is dripping with suspense, mystery, and intellectually stimulating anecdotes on most of the drugs that are mentioned.

There is an OVA somewhere floating around the net, and I'm glad to hear that they are on the move to make the manga into an official series since it got good reviews. I'll keep my eyes out for that one, and hopefully get to make a little review for it.