shonen jump manga

[Takeo Void]

some of its really good (naruto, death note, rurouni kenshin) some of it sucks (yu-gi-oh, bo-bo-bo-bo-etc., shamen king). thoughts?

[Kagome654]

*blinks* Um...Yes? It's basically collecting manga that can fall under the loose definition of shonen, so yeah, its going to have good and bad points.

I'd argue about Shaman King sucking, but I lack the energy.

Anyway, I tend to like most Shonen Jump manga simply because I'm easy to please and the cliche plots and characters (with notable exceptions like Death Note not withstanding) don't bother me that much. Sometimes its fun to read something with a simple plot revolving around a brave, impulsive, naive and generally good hearted protagonist, no matter how many times you've seen it before...

...where am I going with this?

[Tremolo]

Shounen can be awesome or seriously godawful. I tend to steer clear of the godawful.

My personal preferences are Bleach (pisses on the anime), Death Note (I've no idea why it's in Shounen Jump anyway, it's not even particularly shounen) and Naruto (addictive and really well drawn).

Of course Gantz is better than all of them (well, maybe not Death Note), but that's not in Shounen Jump.

[Kagome654]

So far I'm finding Gantz to be a tad too liberal with the fanservice (tits by the the fourth chapter?) but I suppose I should give it a fair chance seeing as I've only read the first half dozen chapters or so...I'd like to know why my local videostore is charging almost fifty bucks for one Gantz DVD with only two episodes on it. Whose idea was that? Arrgh...

Sorry, sorry, back to manga...

...I actually think Death Note, especially the second half, is a little weak, but then I'm a self titled anime philistine, so my opinion isn't worth much.

[Tremolo]

So far I'm finding Gantz to be a tad too liberal with the fanservice (tits by the the fourth chapter?) but I suppose I should give it a fair chance seeing as I've only read the first half dozen chapters or so...I'd like to know why my local videostore is charging almost fifty bucks for one Gantz DVD with only two episodes on it. Whose idea was that? Arrgh...

I hate fanservice with a passion, and yet I think when Gantz uses it it usually does for a good reason or when it's needed. Gantz is a title that sets out to be shocking and usually suceeds, and for that I can let the tits slide. It gets much, much better as it goes along and the nudity subsides a lot - it does however get a whole lot gorier, but either way I still think it's awesome. No other manga I've read can rival it's shock factor or it's sheer unpredictable nature.

And as for the anime, it's pretty poor - certainly not worth fifty bucks, put it that way.

[Pedro The Hutt]

As far as Shounen Jump manga go at the moment, I'm most curious about reading Bobobo. XD It looks so zany that it HAS to be good.

HOLY SHIT! Pedro, tell me you are back for good! PLEASE! - Dtortot AKA Symbol Dude AKA ¬|¬°/|°¬|¬°¬|¬.

[Sakito]

As far as Shounen Jump manga go at the moment, I'm most curious about reading Bobobo. XD It looks so zany that it HAS to be good.
If you think that Bobobobo is good then i would have to say that your are losing it i have looked into that and belive me it really sucks, but as for naruto that is one that you should be looking at, It just rocks who wouldnt like it {sarcasm}

[Mamimi]

If you think that Bobobobo is good then i would have to say that your are losing it i have looked into that and belive me it really sucks, but as for naruto that is one that you should be looking at, It just rocks who wouldnt like it {sarcasm}

Bobobo is INSANE. I watched ONE episode of it (on Cartoon Network) when I was bored one night, and I questioned my sanity shortly after. I can't quite decide whether bobobo sucks or not. However, I haven't read the manga, so I can't really judge.
PS: Naruto is fun to read.

[DarkKanti]

PS: Naruto is fun to read.

I agree. I'm tired of people giving Naruto crap. It's not that bad. A few fights have been stretched a little long and the story isn't all that great, but the characters are great and the fight scenes are enjoyable. It's a very fun series that is really easy to get into and enjoy.

[jetfire]

I agree. I'm tired of people giving Naruto crap. It's not that bad. A few fights have been stretched a little long and the story isn't all that great, but the characters are great and the fight scenes are enjoyable. It's a very fun series that is really easy to get into and enjoy.

I just got caught up to date with the Bleach manga, and I have to say that I like it leagues more than Naruto. I thought Naruto had a vast majority of likeable characters, but Bleach tops it for me, as well as in terms of action scenes and story. Naruto's still good though.

[Kagome654]

Being a fan of both Naruto and Bleach I must respectfully disagree that Bleach is superior to Naruto in terms of fight scenes and/or characters. Bleach is even worse than Naruto when it comes to introducing minor characters that don't distinguish themselves personality wise, as well introducing truckloads of characters at once and expecting you to learn all their names and personalities (which is difficult when they barely have one) and then forgetting about some of their old ones for vast periods of time (Chad, Kon, Tatsuki, etc chewed the scenery for almost a hundred chapters...)

As for the fights, well, in Bleach you get a lot of flashes of light and panels where the goings on are barely distinguishable. Both Naruto and Bleach are bad for this, but I find myself scratching my head more often while reading the latter rather than the former.

I'm willing to admit that Bleach has a tighter and better focused story though.

Though this is all just personal opinion.

[JOJO]

I was collecting the Shonen Jump when it first came out, that how i got introduced to some popular manga like One Piece, Naruto and Yu Yu Hakusho(and i was also buying them to see all the latest news of licensed JoJo stuff :D). I stoped buying the Shonen Jump magazine once i got interested in only a few series and found out about their smaller, individual manga format.

[DarkKanti]

Well, I do have to agree with you on the part about how Bleach does derail with some of its side characters. However, ask yourself when is the last time you've seen Aburame Shino, Hinata, or Ino? Naruto loses track of alot of its side characters too. I will give you the fact that it is a bit more extreme in Bleach and the personalities in Naruto are made much more evident than those in Bleach.

I can't really choose between the two which I like better, but as of right now I'd say probably Bleach.

[Kagome654]

That's true, but with the exception of Shino (whose personality seems to be 'mysterious stranger) Ino and Hinata made more of an impact in the story because their personalities and motivations were heavily expanded upon for the short time they were there. Most of the characters who didn't get much of a background and story in the Forest of Death Arc he came back and covered in the The Rescue arc. That's not to say some of the characters don't remain unexamined, but most of them (the Ramen Girl, Shizune, etc...) seem more like they were intended to remain unimportant, unlike in Bleach where it seems like they were just overwhelmed with characters (which may be even worse now that they've introduced that group under Aizen with another twenty members)

That's not to say that Naruto isn't guilty of the same thing (get the Akatsuki members all present and accounted for, dammit, quit introducing new characters and flesh out the ones you have!) The problem just always struck me as more dramatic in Bleach. I mean once the Chuunin exam started in Naruto you were like 'Who ARE all these people?' but within 50 or so chapters you pretty much knew. In Bleach I'm still wondering who that guy with the '69' on his face actually is, I can never remember Soi Fong's Vice Captain's name, etc....

I still really like Bleach though, there's nothing wrong with a huge cast, its just annoying trying to remember 13 Captains and their Vice Captains and all their little peons, etc...

I need to read more One Piece, I got up to the part where they were in that Cloud Kingdom thingie then stopped reading it for some reason.

[Pedro The Hutt]

Also, in Naruto's defense, the current story arc doesn't have much need for Hinata or Shino or a multitude of other characters. A good story writer knows when and when not to use certain characters. But I'm sure we'll get to see them again sooner or later.
Concidering Hinata is a consistant presence in the japanese character popularity polls, Kishimoto-san is quite obliged to show her again as well. XD

I will also have to make a note to myself about reading more One Piece as well.

[Kei]

I'm reading a good handful of SJ titles at the moment. Namely:

Naruto
Bleach
One Piece
Death Note
D.Gray-Man
Bosou Renkin
Eyeshield 21
Gintama


It gets me through the day.


~Kei

[soundchazer]

I'm reading a good handful of SJ titles at the moment. Namely:

Naruto
Bleach
One Piece
Death Note
D.Gray-Man
Bosou Renkin
Eyeshield 21
Gintama


It gets me through the day.


~Kei

Man... you surely like your DBZ knock offs, don'tcha?

As for me:

I''s, Video Girl Ai.

[Tremolo]

Man... you surely like your DBZ knock offs, don'tcha?

I find the thing with all these modern DBZ knock offs is, they're actually far more exciting, entertaining and generally light years better than DBZ in general.

I wouldn't read them otherwise :D

[soundchazer]

I find the thing with all these modern DBZ knock offs is, they're actually far more exciting, entertaining and generally light years better than DBZ in general.

I wouldn't read them otherwise :D

The do however, follow the same formula. So you will get the power-up of the week... the five chapter long fight, etc. etc... just thinking about it gives me gas.

[JOJO]

The do however, follow the same formula. So you will get the power-up of the week... the five chapter long fight, etc. etc... just thinking about it gives me gas.
I find those "DBZ knock offs" just as entertaining as cliche romanitc, love triangule filled manga, like Video Girl Ai and I's(which i'm currently collecting) :D .
Oh, and i'm a big fan of those Shonen Jump titles , like Eyeshield 21, Naruto, Bleach, One Piece and Death Note, i need to catch up with some of those.

[Kagome654]

Yeah, I'm more than willing to admit that much of the manga I enjoy are predictable, cliche and unoriginal knock-offs, but I loves them all the same. Considering alot of the manga genera (who am I kidding, most entertainment mediums lately) are suffering the same, why fight it when you can embrace it? Sure, never give up searching for that diamond in the rough, but in the meantime there's nothing like watching two guys STARE dramatically at each other for two or three chapters while a third party explains their strengths and weaknesses until there's a sudden flurry of activity then two more chapters of staring.

Unless its Death Note, then its six chapters of explaining, then someone dies and there's another six chapters of explaining/Light 'MWA-HA-HA'ing.

[Kei]

Man... you surely like your DBZ knock offs, don'tcha?

As for me:

I''s, Video Girl Ai.

Who cares if it's formulaic and repetitive? I like it, and that's whats important to me, yet whenever I mention it, you never fail to take a jab at it.



~Kei

[Kagome654]

Silly Kei, soundchazer is simply fond of imparting his brand of wisdom upon us ignorant philistines. We should be thankful *nods sagely* Seriously though, I doubt he means to insult anyone personally, only their 'poor' taste :P We all like what we like, so long as we're not trying to pass anything off as a Masterpiece, who cares, right? I embrace my silly, predictable and repetitve manga.

I don't think I've actually bought a Shonen Jump monthly in almost a year, but I'm still reading Naruto, Bleach and Prince of Tennis, while picking up Death Note and Eyeshield on occasion.

I liked Video Girl Ai, but I haven't read it in what....two years?

[KiraraKim]

I like Shonen Jump manga and Shonen Titles to begin with. I really don't care if some of the titles I enjoyed are DBZ ripoffs (even though I don't find this to be true) because heck I enjoyed DBZ. Most Shonen titles were not meant to be deep and complicated they were meant to be light, entertaining and enjoyable which I think they do quite well. My only qualm with some Shonen tiles is they do drag on for awhile which can make you lose interest.

Also although I like both titles in my opionion Naruto is better than Bleach for now. I just find myself liking and caring for more of the Naruto characters.

[soundchazer]

I find those "DBZ knock offs" just as entertaining as cliche romanitc, love triangule filled manga, like Video Girl Ai and I's(which i'm currently collecting) :D .
Oh, and i'm a big fan of those Shonen Jump titles , like Eyeshield 21, Naruto, Bleach, One Piece and Death Note, i need to catch up with some of those.

Silly Jojo... I''s may start looking cliche and formulaic, but I would encourage you to keep reading.

Same with VGAi. They are more of a marathon run than a sprint race.

Plus Katsura Mazakasu >>>> Artists for Bleach, One Piece, etc.

[Kagome654]

Soundchazer wins, 'greater than' brackets ALWAYS beat any other form of argument. Or at least that's what the interweb has taught me.

On the topic of shonen manga, can anyone tell me if 'Whistle' is any good for a cliche and pointless sports manga?

[Le Bread]

As far as Shonen Jump titles go, I'm currently reading...

Kinnikuman Nisei
Steel Ball Run
One Piece
Eyeshield 21
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
BoBoBo
Dr. Slump

[soundchazer]

Soundchazer wins, 'greater than' brackets ALWAYS beat any other form of argument. Or at least that's what the interweb has taught me.

On the topic of shonen manga, can anyone tell me if 'Whistle' is any good for a cliche and pointless sports manga?

Actually, Whistle is one of the least cliched sports manga out there. As far as soccer manga goes, it is the most realistic.

[Kagome654]

Excellent, if I ever have any money ever again I must look into it...I mean if I want to do things the honest way.

[Kei]

As far as Shonen Jump titles go, I'm currently reading...

Kinnikuman Nisei
Steel Ball Run
One Piece
Eyeshield 21
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
BoBoBo

Ah, yes, I forgot all about Steel Ball Run. Which is amazing that I forgot about it, since i'm enjoying it quite a bit.


~Kei

[MirMir]

I buy the Shounen Jump manga from time to time. Just to see what's new and what's good. I used to buy it every month though. But now i'm just to lazy to go out and get em. I don't know why I don't just subscribe to it.

Anyways... Bobobobo is Crazy! I don't know whether or not I like it or if I hate it. I guess it's just one of those animes that you watch when there is nothing else on or if you wanna check your insanity level!

[MidnightDevont]

i bought a few volumes. i haven't bought any recently. my friend has them all if i want to read them.
i like most of the manga's in there. Yugioh, DBZ, my collage friend got me hooked on one peice.

[ant]

the reason why a lot of fight scenes in shonen jump tend to be long is that the more popular a manga is in shonen the the closer it gets to the front, if there is less action then it gets put to the back, bleach, naruto, and one peice are mostly in the front, while death note is in the back.

[Lupinthe3rd]

I'm trying to stray away a little from Shonen jump due to the Individual Manga's they have released of my favorite Manga series and I'm only buying one Manga series from Viz's shonen jump Manga's and that's Yu Yu Hakusho... for now. I might be an Insane person just since I really enjoyed the Bobo-bobobo Manga recently.... It's really more "out there" than the Anime.

[master boo]

i really enjoyed The shamen king series but i only have up to nine and have read 1 through 3 are there more and if so where can i get them


:batman: :victory:

[Mana]

i really enjoyed The shamen king series but i only have up to nine and have read 1 through 3 are there more and if so where can i get them

Amazon.com shows that they're up to Volume 11 in releases (link (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-1308509-7223958?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Shaman+King&Go.x=16&Go.y=4)). I'm sure your local Barnes & Noble/Borders would have them, or you could order online.

[Illjwamh]

Of all the manga in the U.S. Shounen Jump right now, I'm only fully caught up on Naruto. Fully caught up as in I read chapter 345 on my computer last friday.

I'm working on catching up on Bleach, and I'm doing One Piece as well. I'm also collecting some of the older series, like Rurouni Kenshin and Yu Yu Hakusho when I can get the time.

Never bothered getting the monthly mag, though. Despite the impression this post may have made so far, this isn't my favorite genre of manga at all; most of the other ones I collect are individual releases from one company or another.

[Akito]

Thread necromancy? Oh well, I might as well post.

Shounen Jump series currently on my radar:

Likey-Likey (Series that I actually pursue)
Gintama: I've barely started on this series, but from what I've seen so far, I absolutely love its puntastic humor and how it sometimes attempts, and always succeeds, at being taken seriously.
I"s: Although it drags on a bit, with Iori's heart evading from Ichitaka's grasp like the Road Runner from Wile Coyote, I still enjoy this series very much for its rather life-like characters. I actually set out to get the volume the first day it is released.
One Piece: I like it for the same reasons most do. No use for parotting.
Whistle!: A very typical and formulaic shounen series, but heck, it's very well done.

Meh (Will read in Monthly magazine, mostly over bathroom sessions)
Bleach: Ah, I only get the occasional previews. I'm watching the series, so I don't really have much of an incentive to read the manga (except for the fact that the story is filler-free and is always at least a step ahead). Personally, I think watching a series and reading the manga at the same time tends to compromise the experience.
Naruto: I don't care about Naruto. I mean, I honestly don't care.
Shaman King: At first, I really liked this series. Although it has done a good job in keeping a solid storyline that flows rather smoothly, it has somewhat grown stale in my eyes. I'm guessing it's because Manta (the midget with a dictionary) has left. And what a pity, he was my favorite. Oh, and Ryu doesn't get nearly enough attention.
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: It's still not taking itself too seriously, but I'm prepared to drop this one anytime it hits the fan.

Blarg (Will only read when there is nothing else to do, and even then, it depends)
Bobobo-bo bobobo: There were only 2-3 chapters of this that I've seen, and it held none of my interest whatsoever. It may humor the average Family Guy fan, but it doesn't do the job for me. Please give me at least some intelligence, and as one who laughs at every third mention of the words "booger", "doo doo", and "crapper", I'm really not asking for much.
Yu-Gi-Oh!: I was actually okay with this series until some villain named Zorc Necrosomething pretty much popped out of nowhere. However, for a while, it was hilarious seeing the (usual) shocked expressions of the main characters as the words "ZORC NECROSOMETHING???!!" popped into their minds. Just when I thought Yu-Gi-Oh! couldn't get any more ridiculous, it did.

[Zelyhon]

Let's see, Shounen Jump series that I read. It's mostly pretty limited to One Piece, Bleach, Naruto (sometimes), and Death Note. Most of those have some of their own problems, but they continue to amuse me and keep me entertained, and that's good enough for me.

Although, now I am certainly going to have to take a look into some of the other series that people here have spoken highly of.

I'd have to say, though, of the Shounen Jump Manga, my favorite would be One Piece. A lot of my offline friends diss it for various reasons, but I am almost never not entertained by new chapters.