How to Make Your Obsession Their Obsession, Part 2

Hey guys (and gals, always this means both in my book)! Thanks for coming back to read part two of this blog! If you have questions, please leave a comment or contact me! Let’s get started!

How to Make Obsessions, PT. 2: Dudes

These manga I’m suggesting for guys are ones I’ve kinda been reading myself. I’m  not done with any of these series, but I do like them a lot. And in case you think that being a lady,  my suggestions are incredulous, I went ahead and asked some of my guy friends (and picked series I remembered they liked) to get a bit of feed back. So I checked first before picking these! Hope you enjoy them!

Dragon Ball

By Akira Toriyama.  I remember watching this anime early on Saturday mornings when I was in…maybe Junior High/Middle School….it could have been High School, too. Or maybe I was on the cusp of High School. Dunno. Can’t remember. Well, I used to like it and think that Goku’s tail was soooooo cute! But I was a little leery of it at first since Master Roshi was such a perve…I got over it and find it hilarious now (I was a bit up tight when I was younger…now just look at me! Totally open :P!) Okay, so Imma gonna break this down and explain why this is such a cool manga to start with.

Synopsis:

Okay, this story gets crazy insane, but to keep it simple, it starts out with Goku, little boy  (well, he’s 14, but you’d never know it,) who was “abandoned” as a kid. He was raised by a Martial Arts Master, Son Gohan, but orphaned, and left to live by himself. He meets up with this girl, Bulma, who’s been searching for the 7 Dragon Balls so that she might make a wish when they are all gathered together. So the series starts with their quest to find all the Dragon Balls. Along the way Goku practices various martial arts, meets different people to practice with and eventually enters a tournament.

What’s good about it? Why would this appeal to anyone?

This manga is HILARIOUS. I mean, I just started reading it a couple weeks ago, and I’ve been sitting here freaking my boyfriend out laughing-especially since he had just read something aloud that wasn’t funny at all…I got that “you’re either a total nut ball or you weren’t listening” look. 😀 Guess which one it, was? Not listening. Sorry! I love this manga, it’s just so funny. Guys definitely like it because of the comedy, and the action. The story starts pretty simple, but gets more complex as it goes, and that keeps you into it. The whole series is good. It’s divided up into three different parts: The Pilaf Saga, Red Ribbon Saga, and Piccalo Saga. I have to say, I like the first best so far 🙂 But I’ve heard many of my guy friends tell me they like the whole DB series. It seems that most series popular amongst boys (at least teens) are action packed stories–and this manga has plenty of action and comedy.

Naruto

By Masashi Kishimoto. This manga’s nice because the actions starts almost immediately. The Pilot of Naruto is a little different from the actual series, if you read it, but it’s still kinda interesting. Parts of this manga are really intense, and that’s what I like about it.

Synopsis:

Naruto’s something of an outcast in the Konohagakure Villiage (Village of Hidden Leaves) where he lives. After being tricked into stealing an important, forbidden scroll, Naruto discovers he harbors the nine-tailed demon fox which had nearly destroyed the village 12 years earlier. Afterwards, he sets out on a journey with two comrades, and the manga chronicles the adventures and trials they face as they try to become the best ninjas they can.

Along the way, they encounter an organization called Akatsuki, who are trying to capture all the tailed beasts-one through nine (including the one within Naruto.)

What’s good about it? Why would this appeal to anyone?

Ninjas.

I could leave it at that, but I’ll say why else it’s sooo cool.

Ninja magic.

…

Okay I’ll give you more, if you really need more incentive than that! Sheeeeesh! Hard to please if ninja magic doesn’t draw you in!

This is another long series, so if you’re a fast reader, you’ll like this because there’s tons of material. The characters are multi-dimensional, and grow with every task set before them. I really like how they develop. This is turning out to be a really good series. I didn’t think I’d like it at first. I even thought it was just for kids. *Feeling sheepish now*

There’s lots of action, and magic, and it’s done so well. I also like the outfits…not many characters can pull off the orange jumpsuit…normally they would look like prison inmates…but here it’s awesome.

Good characters, great story, decent graphics, what more could one want from a series?

Hellsing

By Kouta Hirano. I get a kick out of this manga. It’s got balls and is in your face. The drawing style reflect the madness going on around the characters, and their extreme personalities. I’ve always liked vampire stories…and not the romance kind (not knocking those, they’re just not always my cup of tea.) This one’s got a good twist on the Hellsing legacy, too.

Synopsis:

The Hellsing Organization is England’s top ranking defenders against all things evil. Their best weapon? Alucard, an ancient vampire who’s formed an alliance with the Hellsing family. After a run in with some nasty vamps, police woman Seras Victoria ends up on death’s door, only to be “saved” by Alucard and turned into a creature of the night.

Attacks by vampires and dark beings escalate, and it eventually becomes apparent that a group of Nazis left over from WWII have plotted to take over the world by creating a legion of artificial vampires. The Hellsing Organization must put an end to their treachery and destroy the Nazi vampire army. The Vatican plays a part in the “war” as well, wishing to rid the world of all vampires and evil, including Alucard, not caring who gets harmed along the way.

What’s good about it? Why would this appeal to anyone?

It’s a bloody good manga–I love Brit talk. This series is just…cool. Alucard is kick ass. There’s lots of blood, lots of action, lots of pollitcs going on. And that, my friends, is a lot to bring you into the series.

Alucard is reason number 1 to read this series. I also like how strong some of the women are portrayed. Integra, the head of Hellsing, is such a stone cold bitch!  She has to be in order to hold her own against some of the craziest people out there–plus, I highly doubt Alucard would respect her as much if she wasn’t tough. The seeming word play on her name is great, too–integrity (I dunno if that was intentional or not, but if it was, hats off to Hirano.) Her looks are somewhat ambiguous, which is often found in manga: only instead of having a dude looking like a chick, it’s vice versa. I also like Seras. Though the anime portrays (the first series, not the new ones) her as kind of a bimbo, she really gets into the vamp thing pretty quick, and isn’t such a bad fighter herself.

I really like the characters–and you will too. They’re very…how shall we put this? Colorful. I mean, each character has their own personality that’s very unqiue. They’re also drawn in such a cool, individualistic style. I really just think the whole manga’s done well.

And again, there’s action, but this action is frickin’ hard core. Crazy and fast paced at times. It keeps you on your toes, turning page after page to find out just how the series ends. This one’s a goody.

We conclude our three part blog series, Persuasion*, soon!

*Not to be confused with Jane Austin’s Persuasion. And yes, I keep changing the names and shortened titles on purpose, just to keep things saucy!

How to Make Obsessions, PT. 3: Other? (I Take it Both Ways)

Well, I’ll try to get on this one, and get it done much sooner! Sorry folks, I was working over time at my job. *I wanted to do this much more! This is far more fun!*