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DarkSky

  • Joined Jul 24, 2010
  • 34 / M
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Top 10 Manga/Light novels/Manhwa

My top 10 works I've enjoyed. Some overlap with the anime list but then, I just enjoy them that much. This one was a bit harder, because there were a few works I wasn't sure which one to put on here, but for now, I have the list where I want it. A few, like Vagabond and One Piece, only barely didn't make it on. While good, and in One Piece's case, something I have reread a few times, they usually don't have the interesting twists and turns that make the below so fun to read. Not that all of them necessarily have plot twists...Again, if there is a part 2, (Kubera, ToG, Alita) it's included on the list.
1 Spice and Wolf (Light Novel)

Spice and Wolf (Light Novel)

Because they will probably never finish the anime and I love Holo and Lawrance that much.

2 Battle Angel Alita

Battle Angel Alita

One of the first few manga I started reading and I'll be damned if it isn't one of my favorite.  I love the crazy places Gally/Alita's life takes her.  The fact that I've always been a fan of dystopian future and cyberpunk don't hurt either.

3 Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer

Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer

I love this manga.  I can't even tell you why because that would spoil it.  The characters are very engaging and even when the story starts getting serious it still retains elements of comedy at appropriate moments.  It's not long, only 65 chapters, so I definitely recommend reading it.  The premise sounds really weird but works really well and is quite enjoyable.

4 Rave Master

Rave Master

Shush.  I love Rave Master.  Deal with it.  It has a fun story and amazing characters.

5 Tower of God

Tower of God

I love the twists in this story, the big ones keep catching me off guard. It is always welcome when I get taken by surprise, especailly when I've become so familiar with many Japanese and English tropes that I can see most twists coming. Aside from that it's a well told story in a legitimately interesting world.

6 Shin Angyo Onshi

Shin Angyo Onshi

Based off a legend/myth (I recognize elements of the story from something I've read before) but very well done.  Good characters and a well done ending.

7 BLAME!

BLAME!

This one is very different, perhaps the ultimate cyberpunk/dystopian future story I've ever read.  Very light on dialogue for good chunks of the story but engaging none the least.  Interesting themes and characters.  

8 Kubera

Kubera

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this story.  I haven't read that many webtoons/manwhas so I don't know if the pacing/tropes in it are common or not but they are unfamiliar enough to me that I can never really tell how things are going to turn out.  They keep teasing that Kubera is going to turn into this super bad ass but every time I think she's found a teacher or will make strides to that end, something happens to prevent that.  It's nice to not know what will happen, especially when they keep subverting the western tropes I am familiar with, but it happens often enough that it gets a bit frustrating.  There's this theme of denying fate/subverting destiny that they bring up every so often, so it seems like the author has a plan but at times feels like the story flounders in regards to Kubera's development.  That could be due to an increasingly large cast though.

Regardless, I DO enjoy the story and most of the characters and the twists are fresh enough to me to make them interesting.

Edit: Season 2 just ended.  I think I finally see how they are going to address Kubera's power up.  If so, then most of my complaints will be addressed.  I was mainly pissed because it was looking like she was going to end the series continuing to be weak and useless and she was too interesting a character for that to happen to.

9 A Certain Magical Index (Light Novel)

A Certain Magical Index (Light Novel)

Why do I even like this?  I have no idea, but I've read all bajillion of the books so far.  It's strangely generic but yet not and amazingly good.  A very well done story that isn't breaking any molds beyond being well crafted.

10 iD_eNTITY

iD_eNTITY

I'll admit that this manwha has gone down hill a bit from it's beginnings but that's more because the premise has changed so much from what it began as, the wacky adventures of a group of friends in a videogame.  Then it got serious.  Which is fine because I still enjoy the ride, but that's why it is only 4.5 instead of 5 stars.

I still want to know what happens and I enjoy each section but at times it feels like you're in a different manwha when you look back and wonder how you got into the story you're in.  As of writing this, the main character is in a completely different game competing for some plot device to save his gf/not gf after shit happened when the original game and some competing game merged.  Still, if you don't mind cerberus syndrome (it's not always a bad thing) I'd recommend it.  The story has keep me engaged though all it's changes.

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