Favorite Manga

[LumRanmaYasha]

Thanks for the comments, guys!

Out of all of the mangaka on your list that I'm not very familiar with, I really want to get into Tezuka's work the most, myself. His work just seems so up my alley. As for Takahashi, I really should try her earlier stuff. I may not care for Inu-Yasha, personally, but that's a battle shounen series, and her other works are slice-of-life and/or comedies, which is a completely different genre, so I'm sure those could win me over. I used to be a bit of an arrogant prick and just judge her based on one work I didn't like, but later on I realized that would be the equivalent of judging someone like Nobuhiro Watsuki on anything other than Rurouni Kenshin (which, just to out things into perspective, was my favorite manga at the time of that realization, and is still my 2nd favorite manga right now).

I think you would really enjoy most of Tezuka's series as well. A good starting point might be Ode to Kirihito, which is a gripping medical drama and one of his most highly acclaimed works. It's only two volumes long, but leaves an impact a lot of long running series can't, in my opinion. It's a good introduction into his seinin and shorter series, and would be a good transition coming off from Black Jack.

As for Takahashi, IY is most certainly the least representative of her work, especially since it's her only battle-shonen series. The first half of IY arguably highlights what she isn't good at as a mangaka, and a lot of it's problems early on can stem from the fact Takahashi was not used to writing a battle-shonen, which normally have fairly long story arcs, but rather generally episodic works with short storylines, which explains the structure and the stalled nature of the status quo in the first half of the series.  In any case, her pre-IY series don't have it's problems, especially MI which is short and consistent in it's plot and character development, and they are just better written and more consistent overall. While I'm a fan of all her series except Rin-ne, which I like well enough but just feel is a kind of series she's done before much better in UY and R1/2, I will agree with Spark that her pre-Ranma series are on a whole other level of quality.

[LumRanmaYasha]

For anyone interested, the newest episode of the Shonen Jump Podcast (episode 74) features an interview with Takeshi Obata!

[LumRanmaYasha]

NOTE: I was going to post this in the Currently Running Manga Discussion thread like E-K did, but then I decided it made more sense to just post it here.

I remember I made a list of my favorite anime endings a few months back, and that hasn't changed significantly, I'm sure. As such, I'll just stick with manga. So, after thinking about it, these are what I consider my Top 10 Favorite Manga Endings:

(Be warned, there will be spoilers in my summaries, so, you know, be wary of that.)

Honorable Mention - A Silent Voice

Because it isn't over yet (the last chapter comes out next week), I can't put it in my list yet. But, even so, I'm positive that it will make my list once I read it. I'm confident it will be an ending worthy of all that has come before, and leave the series off on a high, emotional note.

10. Urusei Yatsura

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The anime version ranks a lot higher because the way they present the final scenes and the seiyuu's performances adds an even greater emotional "oomph" to it, but I still love the manga version a lot. Some people don't think it resolves anything. I think these people completely miss the subtext of the events themselves. I can see how the wrap-up is a bit quick for some, and it sorta is, but I really do think the actions speak for themselves, and the characters truly have reached a definitive point of understanding how they feel about each other, and we just didn't need to dwell on those things too much. And that last exchange between Lum and Ataru...short, simple, subtle as it is meaningful...totally classic. It's probably the most iconic ending to any gag-manga out there.

9. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 6: Stone Ocean

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Steel Ball Run was not initially a part of JoJo's; it was only after the series moved to a seinin magazine that it was rebranded as such. And so, the ending to part 6 was basically how the series was originally intended to end, and for all intents and purposes, it IS the end - to the longstanding rivalry between the Joestars and Dio Brando, and to the very universe of JoJo's itself. And you know what? The villain wins. Enrico Pucci gets exactly what he wanted. As a consequence, Dio got exactly what he wanted. And the Joestar bloodline is forever destroyed. Until...a wrench is thrown into the mix. Jolyne's last act of selflessness, to save the life of Emporio, and the final parting gift Weather Report gave to his friends before his death at his own brothers' hands, both of these things come to bite Pucci right back in the ass. Pucci wanted a world where everyone followed a routine, where they knew their fate and simply lived out their lives following a pre-written script. But because of his very own actions, he experiences retribution for his misdeeds, and ultimately, his philosophy of predetermination and order is defeated by the Joestar's philosophy of free will and justice, and his victory becomes a loss. Some people don't like the ending to part 6. I mean, yeah, it's a bittersweet ending, but it leaves off on an optimistic note, in a new world, Dio's legacy finally destroyed, and the resolution of the themes and story up until this point is brilliantly handled and executed. If JoJo's as a whole really had ended here, I would have been absolutely satisfied.

8. BECK

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The members of BECK went through a long, difficult road to get their band out there, to get people to listen to their songs. They endured so much adversity, doubt, and inner turmoil along the way. There were times when it looked like the band would have to go under, where everyone would have to leave their separate ways. And so, the final concert in the manga. BECK has risen through the ranks to be one of the most popular bands in Japan, and even the world. And the moment they realize just how far they've come, and what they've been making music for, is right here. Right when a problem arises and they can't sing, the people they were singing to starts singing for them. They've delivered what they set out to do. They've connected to people. People around the world. And what greater satisfaction could there be for a musician to hear that? Simply an astounding, rewarding ending on an emotional level, and one that leaves the series off on a bright note.

7. Monster

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If you don't like the ending you just do not understand what Monster was about, at all. But I loved it the first time I read it, and I still do. Tenma made the right choice. He destroyed the monster. He saved a man. That last page...well, it says it all doesn't it? The monster is gone. Sure, it may not be perfect or whatever, but what the hell is? To me, I simply don't see how the ending could be any better than it is.   

6. Cross Game       

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So many brilliant pages I could have picked from the final chapters. I didn't even choose my favorite, because I didn't think it worked well without context, but Ko's final line in chapter 158...sure packed a punch. And then the final two chapters resolving emotional relationships between the characters...all of it is just so rewarding, on many levels. The only thing that could have made it even better was seeing them stand on the mound of Koshien stadium like Wakaba always dreamed, but everything was just so brilliantly handled that I didn't mind.

5. Slam Dunk

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The match with Sannoh is the greatest match in a sports manga I have ever read, and it's conclusion is simply phenomenal. That final pass between Rukawa and Sakuragi is one of my favorite moments in manga, as is the final shot itself. Slam Dunk simply has one of the best endings I've seen in not just sports manga but shonen manga in general, and it might very well be the best ending to a sports manga there is (besides AnJ). Regardless, it's one of my all time favorite endings, and that final game was a tough act that I don't think any modern sports series have even close close to rivaling (though I'd say CG does on the character/emotional aspect).

4. Parasyte

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Oh man, the final fight with Gotoh, Shinichi's decision on what to do, the standoff with Uragami on the roof...Migi's reflections on humanity...Satomi's line to Shinichi after the end of the ordeal...all powerful moments that resolved the themes and character arcs of the series just perfectly, and really moving as well.

3. Excel Saga

Couldn't find any pictures for this, unfortunately, but yeah, I loved the ending. Many great character resolutions and callbacks to earlier in the series. I also loved Shiouji's final line about Excel. There are still things about the overall plot that I am still confused by, but as far as the final chapters of the series go, it went off on a really high note, one worthy of what is my second favorite manga ever.

2. Ashita no Joe

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Probably the most iconic ending of any anime/manga ever, and for good reason. The fight with Mendoza itself is simply incredible, but nothing beats those final moments, the look on the once proud but now broken Jose's face, the scene where Joe gives his bloodied gloves for Yoko to keep, and that final page, that immortal final image of Joe, one that countless anime and manga have homaged for years and years. Simply excellent on all character and emotional levels. But it's not the ending that got the greatest emotional reaction out of me. That one is...

1. Maison Ikkoku

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Yeah, this is my all time favorite in both anime and manga form. Just utterly satisfying on all levels for me, and completely deserving for every character involved. The scene where Godai thanks everyone who has helped him in his life and in the future, and the moment where he and Kyoko they return home with their child, welcomed by their friends, in the place everything began...for me, it was just completely perfect. This is the only ending to an anime/manga series where I legitimately shed tears at. I'm not a romantic, and I don't cry at media that often. The ending of MI was just that powerful and emotional an experience for me. And so, for all those reasons, it's unquestionably my all time favorite.

There are many other endings in anime/manga that I really like, but these are the ones that elicited the greatest personal, emotional reaction from me, and many of these rank as some of my all time favorite moments in manga period. A truly great, satisfying ending can be hard to come by, but in my book, these ones sure as hell didn't disappoint.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Great list, CX!

Unfortunately I can't read all of your entries because there are some series that I still haven't read and plan to get around to, but of the ones that I have seen, I definitely agree, and as for the rest, I'm sure I'll get to experience them someday.

I interspersed my list with anime because I honestly haven't read quite enough manga with super satisfying endings to fill out a top 10 list, but in additions to the ones that I mentioned in the other thread, here are some honorable mentions for endings that I liked:

Bakuman
Hikaru no Go
Great Teacher Onizuka
Full Metal Panic! (mostly the light novel, but by technicality the manga)
21st Century Boys
Zoids: Guardian Force
Digimon Tamers (actually, now that I think about it, this would replace something on my top 10)

[LumRanmaYasha]

Thanks!  I forgot to mention it before, but I really liked your list too. A lot of great ones in there, and all of your anime specific ones rank on my favorite anime endings list as well. I also enjoyed all of your honorable mentions that I've seen too.

Even with just manga, I might have been able to make a top 20. Definitely a top 15, at the very least. Though a lot of series do drop the ball towards their ends, there are still a fair amount of very satisfying, emotionally rewarding endings out there.

[Foggle]

Good to see that you liked Excel Saga's ending. Also, it makes me happy to know for the future that Parasyte and Ashita no Joe end well.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Well, as for AnJ, it's one of those endings that is such common knowledge in Japanese pop culture that it's not even considered a spoiler over there. Hence you have already seen more than one anime that references or pays homage to it. It's like how in America everyone knows the ending to Citizen Kane or Psycho. It's just that iconic. But, beyond that, the actual final match is great as well.

And yeah, I'm also glad to see that Parasyte has a "thematically" good ending, which is to say that the actual ending probably won't be a happy one given the dark turns that CX keeps mentioning for this series, but still a well-written one that ties up the story and closes it out in the most appropriate way.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Monster:

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I've seen people say that this implies that Johan is still out there. That means Tenma should have killed him! But, I thought it was fairly obvious that wasn't the intention. Especially if you paid attention to how the framing was staged, just like Johan's last conversation with Tenma is staged. It's a reversal of their original meeting at the beginning of the manga when the boy was on the operating table.

In another way, it's also what Tenma does for a living. His job. The patient has been healed.

If you take the ending as Johan getting away, then you've probably missed the obvious symbolism that has been prevalent since chapter 1. Otherwise, I don't see anything to dislike about it. There is no more story to tell.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

My top 10 FINISHED manga (nothing currently running):

10. Ode To Kirihito
9. Shounan Junai Gumi/GTO
8. Death Note
7. A Silent Voice
6. Slam Dunk
5. 20th Century Boys
4. Dragon Ball
3. Monster
2. Rurouni Kenshin
1. Ashita no Joe

[gunswordfist]

2. Samurai Executioner
1. Rurouni Kenshin

[VLordGTZ]

5. Dr. Slump
4. Dragon Ball
3. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 6: Stone Ocean
2. Maison Ikkoku
1. Ashita no Joe

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

5. Dr. Slump
4. Dragon Ball
3. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 6: Stone Ocean
2. Maison Ikkoku
1. Ashita no Joe

[Markness]

My current ongoing favorites in order:

1. Nanatsu no Taizai/The Seven Deadly Sins
2. UQ Holder!
3. Akame Ga Kiru!
4. Magi Labyrinth of Magic
5. Berserk
6. Blood Blockade Battlefront
7. Drifters
8. Gunnm/Battle Angel Alita Mars Chronicle
9. JoJolion
10. Hunter x Hunter

My favorite manga in general (These tend to fluctuate a lot):

1. Gunnm/Battle Angel Alita Last Order
2. Nanatsu no Taizai/The Seven Deadly Sins
3. Neon Genesis Evangelion
4. Excel Saga
5. Ah! My Goddess!/Oh My Goddess!
6. Houshin Engi
7. Berserk
8. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 3: Stardust Crusaders
9. YuYu Hakusho
10. Eden It's An Endless World!

[LumRanmaYasha]

Cool lists, Markness! Lots of stuff there I enjoy, and some others I've been meaning to look into for a while. 

I'm currently in the process of reading through some things on my backlog, so I'll hold off on posting a new favorite manga list for now to avoid redundancy, but I can post one up for my favorite currently running series as of right now:

10. Kakukaku Shikajika
9. A Bride's Story
8. One Piece
7. Berserk
6. Billy Bat
5. Vagabond
4. Vinland Saga
3. REAL
2. Silver Spoon
1. Princess Jellyfish

Keep in mind I'm listing these series in terms of how much I like them overall. If I were to list them by how good their current (or most recent output) has been, the bottom half would look much differently.

[Markness]

Thanks, Cartoon X! I forgot about Berserk so thanks for the reminder! I am putting it where it belongs.

I intend on re-reading some completed series myself like Rurouni Kenshin, Buso Renkin, Hellsing, and Trigun so my list of overall favorites could change. There are also some manga I've read online that I love like Kongou Banchou, Ushio and Tora, Ghost Sweeper Mikami, and Nyatto! but I prefer to list series that I physically own copies of.