I recently wrote an article called “Some Of The Most Notable English Language Manga Publishers” and, while already mentioning it for one publisher, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at my favourite manga that I’ve read from each of the English language manga publishers that I mentioned.
Starting off with Viz Media, my personal favourite is the legendary “Death Note”. Part of this may come down to nostalgia as it was one of the first manga that I ever read but I also think it remains a fantastic series. For those unfamiliar with the premise, although I bet they are far and few between, Death Note follows a character called Light Yagami who discovers a notebook, the Death Note, which allows him to kill anyone by writing their name into it. What results is a brilliant game of cat and mouse that constantly keeps you guessing what’s about to happen. Granted, the ending isn’t as good as I would’ve liked but it remains a landmark title in the medium of manga.
The next is the one manga that I already mentioned was my favourite from them in my previous article but I have no problem reiterating. With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child is my favourite manga of all time which obviously makes it my favourite manga from its publisher Yen Press. The story follows a couple named Sachiko and Masato Azuma who have just had their first child, Hikaru. However, after a while, it becomes clear that Hikaru is different from other children. He is identified as being autistic and Sachiko, the mother, has to bear the brunt of society’s stigma towards autistic people. However, Sachiko comes to learn more and more about autism and she starts working hard to make the world a better place for her son by assisting his needs, correcting people’s misinterpretations about autism etc. It’s a brilliant work and it’s a series that I genuinely think would make the world a better place if more people could read it.
For Dark Horse Manga, an imprint of Dark Horse Comics, my favourite manga that they’ve released would be Lone Wolf & Cub. I will confess that I wasn’t immediately sold when I first began reading the series due to my expectations since it has a reputation as one of the greatest manga ever written. However, as I read more and more of Ogami Itto’s journey of vengeance while taking care of his son Daigoro, I found myself becoming more and more invested in their lives, helped by the stunning artwork, superb execution as a period piece and the cinematic visuals. I now understand why so many regard Lone Wolf & Cub so highly and strongly recommend it to those looking for an excellent samurai manga.
My previous article mentioned how Vertical, a manga publisher, was consolidated into Kodansha USA, another manga publisher. Taking this into mind, I’m going to list my favourite manga that either of these two published, this being Vertical’s release of Osamu Tezuka’s Ayako. Ayako follows Jiro Tenge who secures his release as a prisoner of war by serving as an agent for the U.S. He returns home after the end of World War II only to discover how depraved his family has become in their struggles for power and no character better represents this than a little girl called Ayako whose origins demonstrate the corruption surrounding the Tenge family. Osamu Tezuka’s artwork is superb, amongst the very best it’s ever been, and the steady reveal of the secrets of the Tenge family is brilliantly executed. There is some content that may make people uncomfortable but I have no hesitation calling Ayako a masterpiece.
Let me know your thoughts on my favourite manga from each major English language manga publisher, what you think about each manga that I mentioned, what your favourite manga have been from each company and any additional information you might have on the topic.
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs!