Best Manga of 2009
2009 is halfway over! Not wanting to finish out the rest of the year The Manga Critic presents the Half-Time Poll: Best New Manga of 2009.
Best of polls are always fun. It got me thinking about the manga that I consider “the best”. Monster is definitely on the list. I have soft spots for Death Note and Absolute Boyfriend, then there’s MW which kind of freaked me out. I don’t have a set checklist of what’s required to earn the title of “What Sadie Thinks is Best” but I do notice that the manga/graphic novels I really like have some things in common.
First, the artwork doesn’t have to be amazing but I do like when people present their own style. For example, the artwork in Nana really floors me because there is such a sensuality in the lanky characters. Just the way they lean against a wall makes me want to run to Tokyo and make out with the whole cast! It transcends the regular safe, shojo knock-kneed teenagers while also using the conventions like watery eyes and androgynous men.
Second, I have to care about the characters. I don’t necessarily have to like them but I do need to care and care deeply. Solanin has no real plot yet the characters pull me through until the end.
Finally, I have to feel some kind of emotional resonance. If a book stays with me, as they say, then I know it was worth reading.
If a manga has all those things, I usually proclaim it my favorite of all time for the week. There is no shortage of great manga out there. Heck, The Manga Critic’s list is 11 books long and it’s only the middle of the year!!! What qualifies a book as the “best” for you?
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Comments
Thanks for the link, Sadie, and congrats on the new baby! I’m amazed at how quickly you returned to blogging!
My criteria for “best manga” are almost identical to yours: distinctive artwork and vivid characters top my list of essential characteristics, but I also like books that create a sense of place. Children of the Sea is a great example: I have a very clear picture of the town in which the story unfolds, from the playing fields at Ruka’s school to the harbor where the aquarium docks one of its boats. Heck, I even have a strong sense of the weather when I’m reading the story: it starts to feel oppressively hot and humid in my apartment as I’m reading.
Ha, well I’ve sort of returned to blogging. I notice the day go by and I’ve forgotten to put up anything!
You bring up a really good point about location. If I can get sucked into the setting, it makes the whole experience more “real”.
[...] Mattox presents her criteria for the best manga of 2009 at Extremely [...]