Manga recommendations
Following stolt_idiots lead, I've decided to do some manga recs. But, especially considering that the majority of you have probably read XXXHolic, Tsubasa, Fruits Basket and Hetalia, I've decided to do some recs for some brilliant, but lesser known, series that I've read, that really deserve more attention.
Hoshi wa Utau
This is the series that Natsuki Takaya drew after she completed Fruits Basket. When it first came out, a lot of Fruits Basket fans started it, but then dropped it in a sulk, as the series 'wasn't as good' as Fruits Basket. Of course it wasn't. If the series was to be able to surpass Fruits Basket, it would have to be something truly incredible. Fruits Basket was an amazing, truly incredible series - the kind that only comes around once in a while, and for Hoshi wa Utau to have also been that incredible would have been like lightening striking twice. But even if it isn't as amazing as the extraordinary Fruits Basket, Hoshi wa Utau is still a very, very good series.
Hoshi wa Utau is about an 18 year old girl, Saku, who lives with her cousin in a house by the sea. On her 18th birthday, she meets a mysterious boy, Chihiro, who shows up uninvited at her birthday party, but whom later tells her he hates her and to stay away from him, after she apparently says the wrong thing. However, Chihiro later turns up at her school, and while he continues to remain cold and hostile towards her, the two gradually, grudgingly, tentitively begin to form a friendship. And over time, and as she increasingly falls in love with him, Saku learns of the awful, dark, tragic reasons behind his coldness towards her.
In many ways, Hoshi wa Utau is a series that handles the same issues as Fruits Basket, such as bullying, abuse and suicide, but in a more in depth, grittier fashion. It carries the same incredible emotional poignance as Fruits Basket, and Natsuki Takaya continues to handle emotions and issues with incredible skill and striking realism. You will almost certainly cry at some point in this manga. It is a moving, truly beautiful piece of work, and if you are a fan of drama or romance, or if you enjoyed Fruits basket, I really would recommend you check it out!
Warnings: As far as warnings go, this series does have some swearing, and some infrequent violence and sex references. However, the main issue is with the emotional intensity; this is an incredibly emotionally intense series. There are a lot of scenes in this manga that readers could find distressing and upsetting. This series looks explicitely and in detail at things like bullying, psychological abuse, and suicide. There is a hanging scene in this manga, that some readers could potentially find disturbing and distressing. The series is rated T, and shouldn't be read by anyone under 13 years old.
With the Light
This beautiful and award winning manga, in my opinion, is one of the most under rated mangas there is! This beautiful and incredible manga follows the lives of Sachiko Azuma and her son, Hikaru, who has autism. The series looks at the difficulties faced by parents raising an autistic child in modern day Japan, and follows the lives of Hikaru and his family as he grows up. It is a series that is at times touching, sad, funny and heartwarming, and is a heartfelt, truthful, realistic look at autism and the difficulties of raising an autistic child in modern day society.
I found this the first volume of this manga in a bookshop a few years ago, and have been in love with it ever since! I do just love this series too much for words ^^! There is an awful lot of emotional investment in this series; you quickly grow to love and care so much about Hikaru and his family. You need to keep reading in order to find out what happens to him, as you genuinely grow to care so much about him. And that love and care stretches to almost every character in the manga. Hikaru's classmates, his friends, the people the Azuma family meet - you grow to care about every character in this manga. Besides from Fruits basket, I have never read another series where I have loved every single character so much. The series does not attempt to sugercoat or understate things, but however follows a very positive and encouraging message. This is not an depressing manga, but an uplifting one.
This series also has one of the best depictions of autism you have seen or you are ever likely to see in fiction, and is an incredibly good resource for learning about autism. I've heard someone say that their mother is a child psychologist, and hands out copies of the first volume to people whose child has just been diagnosed with autism. If you have a sibling or family member recently diagnosed with autism, read this book. If you work with children, read this book. If you work in the medical profession, read this book. If you have any kind of job where you are likely to come in to contact with people with autism, read this book. It's invaluable. If you have autism yourself, I'd recommend this series. This series helped me understand an awful lot about myself, and it's genuinely been very well received by the majority of the autistic community. In addition to autism, the series also goes on to cover things such as ADHD, dyslexia, child abuse, domestic violence and family illness, and covers a wide range of issues. And beyond all this, With the Light is just a brilliant manga, which should definitely be checked out by fans of drama and slice of life, and really deserves much more attention than it receives! It is a brilliant piece of work, that is one of those remarkable things that only comes about once in a while.
Warnings: Some mild swearing, emotional intensity, covering of topics like abuse and domestic violence, and some frank but largely factual sex references. The series is rated 13+, which is about accurate.
Kingyo Sou
A beautiful, short romance manga; the debut work of the mangaka Fujitsuka Yuki. The series is about high school student Asuka, who falls in love with a boy she sees doing taiko drumming at a local festival. It it only after she is introduced to the boy, Masami, that she learns that he is deaf. Determined to win him over, Asuka also takes up taiko drumming, and over time Masami rather begrudgingly befriends her. Eventually, after several misunderstandings and falling outs, the two become a couple, and the series follows their relationship over the course of several years. The series looks at the difficulties Masami's deafness cause in their relationship, and is also just a brilliant, moving and heart warming shojo romance manga. I usually hate shojo romances, finding them cliched, predictable, cutesy and melodramatic, but this was an exception, and I genuinely enjoyed it! You can read a full review I did of the manga here: http://hoshiko-2000.livejournal.com/13583.html. The story is engaging and touching, and the characters are all likeable. It does not have the usual melodrama of most shojo romances, and the character's relationship happens in a way that is very believable. I loved it from start to end! It really is a brilliant manga, and if you are a fan of romance or drama, it is well worth taking a few hours to read!
Warnings: Some mild swearing and sex references. Rated 13+.