Tatsumi, Yoshihiro

Over four decades ago, Yoshihiro Tatsumi expanded the horizons of comics storytelling by using the visual language of manga to tell gritty, literary stories about the private lives of everyday people. He has been called "the grandfather of Japanese alternative comics" and has influenced generations of cartoonists around the world. Now the visionary creator of "The Push Man and Other Stories" and "Good-bye" has turned his incisive, unflinching gaze upon himself. Over ten years in the making, "A Drifting Life" is Tatsumis' most ambitious, personal, and heart felt work: an autobiographical bildungsroman in comics form. Using his life long obsession with comics as a frame work, Tatsumi weaves a complex story that encompasses family dynamics, Japanese culture and history, first love, the intricacies of the manga industry, and most importantly, what it means to be an artist. Alternately humorous, enlightening, and haunting, this is the masterful summartion of a fascinating life and a historic career.

(Source: Drawn &amp; Quarterly)

Gekiga Hyouryuu

A Drifting Life

劇画漂流

Nakamura, Hikaru

Saint☆Oniisan is slice-of-life or divine-life, tale of Jesus and Buddha as they try to experience the modern world, in this case, Japan. The manga places a funny twist on religion, attitudes, culture and customs in Japan through the eyes of Jesus and Buddha.

You see Jesus and Buddha experiencing Asakusa, public baths, theme parks, and the internet. Throughout the manga, we get a little history of their divine greatness only to see their apparent insignificance in modern Japanese society. Suffice to say, before people can recognize that they're actually Jesus and Buddha, people think of them as someone who looks like Johnny Depp or a guy with a button on his forehead. For real.

Saint☆Oniisan

Saint☆Young Men

聖☆おにいさん

Ishikawa, Masayuki

Tadayasu Sawaki has a gift: he can see all kinds of microbes, from the ones that ferment sake to everyday bathroom mold. Not only that, but they're not scientifically accurate but instead cute chibi creatures. When he enters an agricultural university and a professor finds out about his gift, he begins to meet new people that help him discover more about his abilities and himself.

Moyashimon

Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture

もやしもん

Kobayashi, Makoto

What's Michael follows the adventures of a ginger tabby called Michael. The stories often change setting: in one, Michael may be owned by a young Japanese couple; in the next, Michael may be owned by an older couple with children and in a third, Michael might be owned by a yakuza. There are even story settings that place groups of cats in business suits or playing baseball in sport team uniforms.

(Source: The One Day Wonder Blog)

What's Michael?

ホワッツ マイケル？

Kuroda, Iou

The story is about the adventures of a 14-year-old girl named Nico Hayashi who uses her talents of changing and altering her voice to manipulate men over the phone who want to participate in Enjo kōsai. Through this she learns a lot about human nature, and gains a keen understanding of peoples through their voices. An aging gangster notices her talents and decides to hire her to solve various cases. While Nico is on her first case, she meets with a geeky man named Iichiro Sudo, who has an obsession with robot toy models. This obsession that leads Nico to call him "Robo," and the two become an unlikely team. After completing her first case Nico proclaims herself "Sexy Voice" and a variety of short loosely linked character-driven adventures ensue.

Sexy Voice and Robo

セクシーボイスアンドロボ

Nishimura, Mitsuru

Kawasumi, Hiroshi

Taishi Kakka no Ryourinin

The Ambassador's Head Chef

大使閣下の料理人

Matsuda, Naoko

The manga focuses on the people involved in a manga magazine named Vibes: creators who publish their manga, editors, salespeople, advertisers, plate-makers, printers, designers, distributors, and booksellers. The manga follows the workers who are involved in each stage of a manga's production that will influence how it will sell, until the final product is delivered to the consumer. 

(Source: ANN)

Juuhan Shuttai!

重版出来！

Iura, Hideo

Bengoshi no Kuzu is about Takeda Masami, a new lawyer and fellow lawyer Kuzu Motohito, who Takeda is teamed up with, and how they deal with different court cases.

Bengoshi no Kuzu

弁護士のくず

Fukumitsu, Shigeyuki

Uchi no Tsuma tte Dou deshou?

うちの妻ってどうでしょう?

Abe, Zenta

Kurata, Yoshimi

The series chronicles the lives of the staff and customers of a restaurant called Fujimura, owned by veteran chef Kumano.

Aji Ichi Monme

味いちもんめ

Azuma, Kiyohiko

While most people find the world mundane, five-year-old Yotsuba Koiwai sees it as a treasure trove of amazing bustle and wonderful places to explore. When she and her adoptive father, Yousuke, move to a new city, the energetic young girl naturally sets out to investigate the neighborhood on her own.

After a few incidents at the local park, the Koiwais become acquainted with their neighbors, the Ayase family. Their three daughters—mischievous college student Asagi, responsible high school student Fuuka, and kindhearted grade school student Ena—eventually all take a liking to Yotsuba and join in on her antics, despite their sheer ridicule.

From learning how to use a swing to figuring out how to stop global warming with air conditioners, Yotsuba's ability to infallibly find fun in everything, both amazes and annoys the people around her. Along with Yousuke, the Ayases, and friends she makes along the way, Yotsuba embarks on daily adventures, each one a step in her quest to enjoy the simple things in life.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Yotsuba to!

Yotsuba&!

よつばと!

Fujiko, Fujio F.

Doraemon is cat shaped robot from the future traveling all the way back to the 20th century in order to help Nobi Nobita, a lazy kid with nothing really going for him. Nobi is bad at sports, his grades are terrible, he can't even win a match of rock-paper-scissors. Doraemon has a hard task ahead of him but he is well prepared with a huge arsenal of the most inventive and funny gadgets available. The problem is he's not the most competent robot cat helper out there either and the pair gets in constant trouble because of it. Thus begins one of the most interesting friendships ever to appear in a manga series.

Doraemon

ドラえもん

Seiri-chan

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