Kajiwara, Ikki

Chiba, Tetsuya

Joe Yabuki has learned how to toughen up and stop trusting others after a troubling youth spent bouncing between orphanages and fending off bullies. After finally escaping the cycle of violent temporary homes, Joe adopts a delinquent lifestyle in the streets of San'ya, a slum in Tokyo. He makes his way through the world with his fists, picking fights with anyone he pleases.

Danpei Tange, a washed-up and alcoholic former boxing coach, notices Joe's animalistic combat ability and attempts to mentor the wild teenager. Despite developing an explosive relationship, the two form a close bond and rely on each other to look after the other homeless children in San'ya.

Unable to abandon his destructive habits, Joe is arrested for petty crimes. In jail, he meets and fights with lifelong friends and rivals, including the boxing prodigy Tooru Rikiishi. Continuously challenging Rikiishi to fights, Joe is knocked out time after time due to his savage brawling style failing in the face of Rikiishi's controlled boxing technique. But eventually, Joe stuns his rival with a knockout blow, earning Rikiishi's respect and the promise that they will one day meet again inside the professional ring.

Finding a reason to live within boxing, Joe takes life head-on with a new purpose. As he rises through Japan's amateur and professional boxing scenes, he contends with painful loss and increasing injury. Joe's passion for fighting is all-consuming, and he grapples with the idea that a life without boxing may not be one worth living.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ashita no Joe

Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow

あしたのジョー

Tanaka, Yoshiki

Katou, Naoyuki

Kamoshita, Yukihisa

In the far future, two young military leaders rise above their peers. The invincible genius Reinhard von Lohengramm is matched only by the unbeatable magician Yang Wen-li; though the two share a profound respect for each other, they meet on the battlefield not as comrades but as bitter adversaries. Commanding thousands of warships and millions of soldiers, they lead giant space fleets into battle on behalf of the two interstellar states that have wrested for control of the Milky Way for over a century and a half. 

The Galactic Empire, an absolute monarchy ruled by Kaiser Friedrich von Goldenbaum IV and an entrenched nobility, seeks to suppress the rebels daring to oppose the inviolable crown. The Free Planets Alliance, a representative democracy led by a corrupt High Council, degenerates as its elected leaders⁠ use war and conflict as a way to win popular support. Reinhard is a minor noble who became a High Admiral through his strategic brilliance and his sister's position as the favored concubine of the Kaiser, while Yang is an avid historian and reluctant commodore hailed as a hero despite only using his tactical prowess to navigate around his leaders' incompetence. On opposite sides of the galaxy, the two men have wildly different visions for the future: Reinhard dreams of uniting mankind under his iron fist, while Yang wants only to carve a path to lasting peace. As the war rages on, Reinhard and Yang each strive for their ideals and secure their place among the stars as the leaders of a new era of galactic heroes.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu

Legend of the Galactic Heroes

銀河英雄伝説

Yoshida, Akimi

Ash Lynx is a beauty, a genius—and a murderer. Since childhood, he had been in the care of Dino "Papa" Golzine, the mafia boss who turned him into the ruthless killer he is now. At first, Ash was just a pretty face for Golzine's pleasure, but now estranged from him, a 17-year-old Ash runs his own gang with an iron fist.

Eiji Okumura is a young Japanese photographer. Traveling to New York as an assistant, Eiji is set to work on a report about kids living in the streets. There, he meets teenage gang leader Ash and is mesmerized by the boy—who in turn is curious about Eiji's different lifestyle.

But this is the dark underground of New York, and recently a series of murders has surfaced in the city, connected only by the words "Banana Fish." With personal stakes in this mysterious battle, it is up to Ash, Eiji and their allies to discover what exactly "Banana Fish" is, where it came from and how to get rid of it—before the world as they know it descends into chaos.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Banana Fish

BANANA FISH

Tezuka, Osamu

From time immemorial to the age of space colonization, there is one legend that has stayed unchanged in every history book—the tale of the immortal bird Phoenix. A being whose blood is said to grant eternal life or wisdom, the radiant figure ensures the continuation of sentient life in the universe as it oversees human civilizations and their development.

Yet, mankind remains a slave to its habits; from happiness and sorrow, to wrath and love, a myriad of emotions continue to play an integral part of human life. Simultaneously, time and time again, certain beliefs and agendas persist over the centuries to disturb the fragile equilibrium of the world's preordained nature and principles. It appears that fate, with its dynamic variables, can manifest itself in many ways—and oftentimes exhibits a bizarre sense of humor.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Note: This is an incomplete series due to Tezuka's death.

Hi no Tori

Phoenix

火の鳥

Miuchi, Suzue

Maya Kitajima is a good-for-nothing girl with a passion and talent for acting. After watching a play only once, Maya can immediately perfectly imitate the performance word-by-word. This talent leads her to one day be discovered by Chigusa Tsukikage, a once-famous actress who performed and owned the rights to the play called "The Crimson Goddess."

Considered to be a legendary play, The Crimson Goddess attracts the attention of many, including Masumi Hayami, a wealthy businessman who is also a secret admirer of Maya. Another one interested in the play is Maya's rival, Ayumi Himekawa, a gifted individual whose veteran parents trained her in acting since childhood.

Glass no Kamen follows Maya and Ayumi as they climb their way through the relentless world of entertainment, overcoming intense training and challenges to become actresses worthy of playing the role of The Crimson Goddess.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Glass no Kamen

ガラスの仮面

Ikeda, Riyoko

Hoping to unite their countries with an alliance, The Empress of Austria arranges for her daughter, the delightful yet spoiled Marie Antoinette, to marry the crown prince of France, Louis XVI. Upon arriving in Versailles, the Austrian princess meets Oscar François de Jarjayes, Captain of the Royal Guards—a seemingly dashing young man—but to Antoinette's astonishment, he is in fact a woman!

The youngest daughter of a noble family with a prominent lack of a male heir, Oscar was raised as a boy to continue the family's military legacy. Suffocated by the rigid rules associated with her new position and longing for companionship, Antoinette immediately takes a liking to this intriguing young woman and wastes no time befriending her. However, as the childish new queen foolishly abuses her power, Oscar is conflicted between maintaining her loyalty to the royal family and addressing the growing concern of poverty among the common people.

Despite being unjustly burdened by family expectations and forced to deny their identities at the expense of personal happiness, Antoinette and Oscar march on to become key players in the annals of history.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Versailles no Bara

The Rose of Versailles

ベルサイユのばら

Adachi, Mitsuru

Touch is a shounen story about two twin brothers, a pretty girl next door, and that good old pastime of baseball. The manga was written by one of the most well known manga-ka out there, Adachi Mitsuru in the early 80's (1981-1986). He's a wonderful writer who tends to write stories that are related to baseball and Koshien, the stadium where the All High School Baseball Tournament is held.

(Source: MangaProject)

Touch

タッチ

Black Jack is an "unregistered" doctor with a clouded, mysterious past. He works with his little assistant Pinoko (who has a massive crush on the doctor), dealing with medical cases not very well known, which can be strange, dangerous, or not known at all. But he is a genius, and can save almost any of his patients' lives (as long as they have the money for it, that is), and is known to many around the world, especially to those of medicine and science. He's a man of science himself, and does not believe much until he has seen it, yet it is many times he is surprised by love and nature often overpowering the science he bases his life in.

(Source: ANN)

Black Jack

ブラック・ジャック

In ancient Southeast Asia, the lives of the people are plagued by drought, famine, constant warfare and the injustices of the strict caste system. The intertwining lives of many unhappy souls are drawn together by the birth of the young prince Siddhartha, who embarks on a spiritual journey, becomes Buddha, "the Enlightened One," and attempts to bring about a spiritual rebirth of the people in this desperate age.

(Source: ANN)

Buddha

ブッダ

Nakazawa, Keiji

1945, Japan. Gen Nakaoka is a spirited six-year-old boy who lives with his poor yet loving family in wartime Hiroshima. As the second World War rages on, Gen's father Daikichi stands among the few outspoken who are opposed to the emperor and stand for the innocent civilians bearing the brunt of the war. However, in a society with nothing but feverous support for their nation, Gen and his family are ostracized as traitors. Unbeknownst to them, a terrible fate awaits the people of Hiroshima...

One quiet morning, the US forces drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. In an instant, the city is completely destroyed, leaving thousands dead and many more exposed to radiation. Though Gen manages to survive the blast, he finds his life irreversibly changed. Regrouping with what's left of his family, Gen must now grapple with starvation, destitution, and an unsympathetic public who see survivors as little more than disease-ridden beggars.

Based on author Keiji Nakazawa's real-life experiences, Hadashi no Gen follows Gen and his fellow survivors in their struggle to survive in post-war Hiroshima. Gen resolves to soldier on with unwavering determination, while never forgiving those who caused the atrocity, never forgetting the pain of the bomb, and never letting his spirit be broken by the tragedy.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hadashi no Gen

Barefoot Gen

はだしのゲン

Takahashi, Rumiko

In the town of Tokeizaka stands the old, worn-down boarding house known as Maison Ikkoku. For the last few years, the building has been home to a rambunctious group of tenants, including 20-year-old college applicant Yusaku Godai, its most recent resident. Recently, however, Yusaku has grown impatient with the noisy shenanigans interrupting his studies and has decided to move out. However, as he is preparing to leave, a beautiful woman named Kyoko Otonashi introduces herself as the new property manager. Falling in love with her at first sight, Yusaku changes his mind and decides to stay to court Kyoko instead.

Though he initially believes he is making progress with Kyoko, Yusaku soon discovers that she is a widow still mourning the loss of her late husband. Despite her growing feelings for Yusaku, Kyoko states that she has no intentions to remarry or even date, as she still loves her late husband. Empathizing with her, Yusaku seeks to free Kyoko from her sadness with the help of the other inhabitants of Maison Ikkoku—all in the hope that she will one day see him as more than just another tenant of the building.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Maison Ikkoku

めぞん一刻

This is a story about three Adolfs. Sohei Toge, a Japanese reporter for 1936 Berlin Olympics was surprised that his younger brother, an international student in Germany, was mysteriously murdered right after informing him about an important document. To add more confusion to his sadness, all information regarding his younger brother as a student in Germany have been erased systematically, as if he never existed. Meanwhile in Japan, a half-German, half-Japanese boy named Adolf Kauffmann and his best friend, a Jewish-German boy named Adolf Kamil, were accidentally involved in this incident. Their lives and fates are now inevitably interwoven around the biggest secret of the third Adolf—Adolf Hitler.

(Source: ANN)

12 Manga Like Eiga Koe no Katachi Special Book