I haven’t been reading a lot of manga of late, but after reading this, I do want to read more about the first manga mentioned. I think a lot of people have this mistaken idea that a lot of manga either have 1. fighting, 2. supernatural stuff, or 3. romance/love, which isn’t untrue at all (far from it), but there are so many, many manga that aren’t all that. Some are really quite educational and are excellent primers on the niche or specialised topics/themes they deal with. Some are poignant slice-of-life stories. Some are pure (good) entertainment, which isn’t a bad thing too.

- Nodame Cantabile, by Ninomiya Tomoko

“The series depicts the relationship between two aspiring classical musicians, Megumi ‘Nodame’ Noda and Shinichi Chiaki, as university students and after graduation.” Classical music! Don’t know your Bach from your Beethoven? Well, I’m still pretty clueless most of the time, but reading this has cultivated a deeper appreciation for the genre, however superficial it may sound.

- Iryu, by Nagai Akira and Nogizaki Taro

About the healthcare and hospital system in Japan, with an added emphasis on the Batista procedure. This manga is heavy going, but very educational too, if that’s your thing. I read a couple of volumes, and each volume took forever (they were in Chinese, and my command of the language does not include medical jargon) so I gave up.

- Wild Life, by Fujisaki Masato

Another medical manga, though this is about veterinary medicine. The main character is a veterinarian with an extraordinary sense of hearing, which sometimes (most of the time) comes into handy when figuring out whatever seems to be ailing his patients. Quite liked this, though the overenthusiastic protagonist got on my easily-irritated nerves.

- Yakitate!! Japan, by Hashiguchi Takashi

A manga about bread! Supremely exaggerated, but terribly funny too. Some breads will send you to heaven. Others will, well, yah. When it comes to food-specific manga, there are many, many to choose from. I think they probably have every main cuisine covered. Curry (Addicted to Curry), pastry (Kings of Sweets), sushi (Shota no Sushi), pasta (Bambino!), wine (Les Gouttes de Dieu), train bento (Ekiben Hitoritabi) et al. Each of these manga varies in style and its storytelling, but they are usually very well-researched and informative.

- Honey & Clover, by Umino Chika

Probably one of my favourites (the anime is ace, ace, ace as well). The manga is a tender coming-of-age story of five art school students.

- What a Wonderful World, by Asano Inio

By Asano Inio, who is, in my admittedly limited opinion, the Murakami in the manga world. “What a Wonderful World” is a two-volume collection of whimsical, quirky stories that are sometimes poignant, and always quite surprising.

- MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder) Psycho, by Otsuka Eiji and Tajima Shou

The title says it all. Well, except that the protagonist is a police officer. Not for the faint-hearted.

More interesting mangaka / manga:
- Junji Ito

Horror manga! He drew the most disturbing manga panel I’ve ever read. Imagine a face full of pus-oozing pimples (not the one above).

- Nananan Kiriko

Love her style and her storytelling. Now if only I can read fluently the books I got from Japan..

- Kunimitsu no Matsuri, by Ando Yuma and Masahi Asaki
“Eighteen year old Mutou Kunimitsu sees how political injustice is being committed all the time and how the government is profiting from the poor and labor class and decides that he is going to change all of Japan. Here starts the legend of the man later known as the ‘Japanese Don.’” This was actually a very decent read. Done by the mangaka who also did Psychometer Eiji (ace!).

- Mail, by Yamasaki Hosui
Another horror manga, woohoo.

フェンス (Fence)

顔 (Face)
消失点 (Vanishing Point)
小さい星 (Small Star)

Images from artist’s site