ITT: Manga/Light Novel Recommendations

[capstasher]

As the title reads, in this topic we recommend manga and light novels to our fellow forum users. I would like to keep this thread focusing mostly on series (or spin-offs of existing series, or doujins) that have not received an anime adaptation. They could have official translations, fan translations, or no translations at all. If there is enough interest in one particular untranslated volume we could perhaps bring some attention to it in the hope of getting it translated.

My reasons for this thread are quite selfish, I must admit, I want to flesh out my library and discover series I have not yet read. As such, I do not have much if anything I can recommend to you today.
I did hear K-ON! received a spin-off series called K-ON! Shuffle, not too long ago, but which is currently on hiatus. Hoping to see a new volume release soon.

[Parzival]

Obligatory hop on Oyasumi PunPun and Solanin post

Also Spice and Wolf, I know you asked for stuff that doesn't have an adaptation and S&W has 2 now but honestly the light novels are so peak even as much as I love both anime adaptations they'll never be the LNs

Oh and can't forget Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer.
>inb4 "didn't that get an anime too-"
no it didn't shut up

[alix]

Obligatory hop on Oyasumi PunPun and Solanin post

Don't forget to read his Anthology which contains some less-known short works (one of which is a showcase of what would later become Dededede). I'm not sure if it's available in English, it did have a Spanish translation which I'm proud to own.

Satoshi Kon's mangas are also pretty overlooked but Opus is great, though it ending prematurely and not being further developed always makes me sad. It was supposed to have an anime adaption with music by Susumu Hirasawa the God himself, but it seems stuck in a limbo.


For a "role-reversal", Ergo Proxy has a small manga spin-off which released shortly after the series and which is even more obscure than these last two, Centzon Hitchers and Undertaker. It's not as great as the main series but it's a nice extra read if you're a big fan like me.

[Maypews]

I'm a pleb when it comes to manga but I really like Kingdom (has an anime but it sucks) and Historie (no anime, done by the parasyte author). If you like historical settings and military battles definitely check those two out. Also Bastard is a manhwa but it's great and thrilling read that I was unable to put down, blew through it all in like 2 or 3 days.

[cidoku]

I know you said no works with anime adaptations, but I think Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is one of the funniest manga ever. They barely adapted any of it, anyway! Lately I've also been having a lot of fun with Atsumare! Fushigi Kenkyuubu from the author of Ika Musume (which is also funny as hell btw), but it's way sexier than Ika Musume.

[capstasher]

I know you said no works with anime adaptations

I said "mostly". I don't mind really, especially if the LNs and manga are good pieces of art that shine in a different light than their adaptation.

[capstasher]

Oh yeah, here's a question for you guys. Is there any website like discogs but for manga? Some place that lets you see what got released in print or just digital, what languages, which publishers did runs of what volumes, if there are omibuses or just regular volumes, if it has scanlations and by what group. Not a place to read the manga, but one to give you better info if you want to buy it. Surely there must be such a place.

[cidoku]

MangaUpdates.

[deha28]

Kingdom has already been mentioned above, but I would also like to say a few words about it. Kingdom is not just a manga about war; it is a long, deep story, partly based on historical sources (many minor events were fictionalised for the greater engagement). I would describe this manga as One Piece + Berserk. It is impossible to find such a cruel and, at the same time, romanticised war in any other manga. In my opinion, Kingdom deserves to be on the same pedestal as Berserk & Vinland Saga. Unfortunately, the anime adaptations turned out to be terrible, so consider them non-existent.

I would also like to recommend Houseki no Kuni, if you haven't heard of it, of course. At first, this manga may seem like something you've read many times before, but don't be fooled. About halfway through, the plot will take a dramatic turn, and the characters will begin to shatter your expectations. Personally, I'm not an emotional person, but the ending of this manga made me cry and start thinking about friendship, betrayal, and the meaning of life. Although we got a pretty good CG adaptation, it doesn't cover even half of the title, so I would recommend just starting to read it without watching the anime.

[capstasher]

A new Cyberpunk Edgerunners manga series is coming out this month called "Madness". It will focus on backstory of Rebecca, our favourite technologically enhanced loli. Attached is the regular cover, and the version published by Panini (an Italian publisher quite well known in Southern and Eastern Europe), and I have to say, the Panini cover is actually amazing. They integrated the helmet and the lance from their logo into the art for it, and I might have to snag a copy just for that artwork. The colours of the flags scattered throughout actually changes depending on the country it's released in! Absolute peak.