Manga you wish was licensed

[Markness]

While there have been a lot of good manga officially published in english, there are still some titles that haven't been licensed yet and some I feel have no excuse not being licensed. These series I would eagerly plunk down my money for.

Ushio and Tora: This is probably my favorite Shounen Sunday manga I've ever read. I love the Calvin and Hobbes meeting YuYu Hakusho premise and the imagination of Kazuhiro Fujita is mindblowing. With the new anime adaptation bringing interest back to the series, I wonder if it will prompt Viz to license it.

Kongou Banchou: Nakaba Suzuki of Nanatsu no Taizai fame's previous series. It has an old school feel with a new school look as well as Suzuki's trademark explosive action.

Medaka Box: We already have the anime licensed and it ended on a cliff hanger so why not bring the manga over? The rest of the series is really good and creative.

Needless: More or less the same with Medaka Box. It also has a wicked and crazy roller coaster pace that makes it super fun to read.

Outlaw Star: The anime was a hit here and those who remember it still want more Outlaw Star.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Parts 4-8 and the rest of Hokuto no Ken: The situation with JoJo has been looking bright lately since Viz has been publishing Parts 1 and 2 when they only had Part 3 for a long time so there is some hope we'll get the other parts. Hokuto no Ken didn't get a full translation but maybe with it being better known in the English speaking world now it will have a better chance than before?

What series do you wish were licensed?

[gunswordfist]

I'd love to be able to read Ushio & Tora, one day. I didn't know Outlaw Star had manga.

All I can think of is Baki. My manga knowledge is extremely limited.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Ushio and Tora would be great, and we'll probably be getting more JoJo down the line thanks to the newfound interest and popularity which the anime seasons have brought to it.

As for me, I'd die of happiness if we could somehow get Ashita no Joe, along with other Asaki Takamori-written manga licenses here and published in print.

[Spark Of Spirit]

There's six in particular for me.

Ushio & Tora
Karakuri Circus
Moonlight Act
Rokudenashi Blues
Rookies
Ashita no Joe

I thought the list would be longer, but I think those are the six I'd want to read above anything else.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Also, Sakigake!! Otokojuku has really been growing on me as I read it. I'm still really early on in the manga, but it's a pretty good sattire of "manly" 70's and 80's manga like Kinnikuman and and Hokuto no Ken. I think that with the popularity of anime adaptations of older manga these days, a revival of this series in anime form could really do wonders to boost awareness and popularity of the series in the west, and prompt a company like Viz to capitalize on that popularity by releasing it in the states.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I watched a few episodes of it at a con a few years ago. People were busting a gut.

The biggest hurdle would obviously be wondering if modern anime and manga fans would support an older series release. That is probably the number one issue preventing something like Ushio & Tora from being licensed since it is fairly long and a quarter of a century old.

But I wouldn't mind a kickstarter or something like Funimation is doing with Escaflowne if it came to it being the only way to gauge interest. I just want to legally support the series.

[Markness]

Good to see that I am not the only one wanting an official release of Ushio and Tora. Hey Viz Media, are you reading this?

Nyatto! I would buy officially since I love cat girls and this short manga is probably the silliest (in a good way) of them all. Speaking of cat girls, I love Aisha Clan Clan and that's another reason why I want the manga of Outlaw Star.

[VLordGTZ]

I pretty much agree with all the series already mentioned.

One manga that I'm really surprised isn't licensed yet is Silver Spoon.  While it's not an action series, you'd think that someone would at least try to bring it over after how successful FMA was.  I'm still hoping that someone will license it once the manga ends since it really deserves more attention outside of Japan.

A few other series that I would like to see licensed are:
Cobra
Urusei Yatsura
Billy Bat
The Disaster of Psi Kusuo Saiki
Neuro: Supernatural Detective
Kochikame (with it being released as a "best of" collection series like Golgo 13 and Oishinbo were over here)

[Spark Of Spirit]

Interesting picks.

Billy Bat will probably be out after Viz is finished with Keaton. They only do one Urasawa series at a time.

Neuro might have a chance after AC is done. I mean, if Zombie Powder can come out here after Bleach's success, Neuro should have the same chance.

Cobra is constantly given attention in Japan. If it gets enough attention, maybe someone will give it a shot.

UY and Kochikame probably wouldn't have a chance unless they were digital only. If modern fans think series from the mid-90s are too old, just imagine the coronary they would have when looking at these. That's also why I doubt Ashita no Joe will get a release. Digital only at the very least would be nice.

Disaster, like Hinomaru, is a Jump series that, despite ranking well and having a fanbase, is given no real push by Jump. Like Psyren, they last for years but get no merchandise or an anime that would probably put them over the top. To put it in perspective, Viz dropped Gintama after about 20 volumes. If Japan won't push it, the chances of audiences over here grabbing on is slim.

[gunswordfist]

Hopefully Cobra getting a new anime will increase its chances.

[gunswordfist]

Hmm, is Guyver's manga easily available in English? If not, then add that to my list.

[Markness]

Hmm, is Guyver's manga easily available in English? If not, then add that to my list.

It needs a re-release. Same with Hokuto no Ken.

[VLordGTZ]

Viz released the first 7 volumes back in the 90s, but no one has re-licensed the series since then.  The manga is still ongoing (it's even older than JoJo), but since there's only a single volume released per year in Japan, it's only around 32 volumes currently.

[gunswordfist]

Thank you, fellas.

[Markness]

You're welcome, dude. 

Kongou Banchou is only 12 volumes. That shouldn't be an expensive license?