 | Akira: Vol.1: Bk. 1 by Katsuhiro Otomo
Buy new: £11.46 / Used from: £9.00 A very obvious choice, but it actually lives up to it's hype, and it's far better than the film.
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 | Akira: Vol. 2: Bk. 2 by Katsuhiro Otomo
Buy new: £11.47 / Used from: £9.89 As you'll see, I like my mangas epic. Akira is very long, but not hard to read. Although the plot is complex, it's easy to follow.
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 | Akira: Vol. 3 by Katsuhiro Otomo
Buy new: £11.47 / Used from: £12.12 The shortest volume, but by no means the least important.
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 | Akira: Vol. 4: Bk. 4 by Katsuhiro Otomo
Buy new: £12.47 / Used from: £14.97 This kind of marks the start of the second half of the story.
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 | Akira: Vol. 5: Bk. 5 by Katsuhiro Otomo
Buy new: £17.24 / Used from: £14.70 Things really start going mental. Akira drags a little bit near the end, but there is actually a reason for almost everything that happens.
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 | Akira: Vol. 6: Bk. 6 by Katsuhiro Otomo
Buy new: £12.47 / Used from: £14.00 The last book of Akira. I thought the ending was done very well.
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 | Domu: A Child's Dream by Katsuhiro Otomo
Buy used from: £45.62 By the same author as Akira, and written before it. Quite short, and many similar ideas to Akira, but surprisingly good.
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 | Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: Perfect Collection Boxed Set (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (Sagebrush)) by Hayao Miyazaki
Buy used from: £99.20 A slightly random plot, but beatifully drawn, full of great characters, and often very thoughtful. Nausicaa has just been re-issued in a nicer format and in 7 volumes.
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 | Mermaid's Forest (Viz Graphic Novel) by Rumiko Takahashi
Buy new: £11.95 / Used from: £7.29 Very under-rated, and also one of the most twisted series I've ever read. Rumiko Takahashi fans were probably shocked, but it's very dark and clever.
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 | Mermaid's Scar (Viz Graphic Novel) by Rumiko Takahashi
Buy new: £12.75 / Used from: £3.00 The second one. There were two animes made based on stories from the first two books. The one based on Mermaid Scar was best.
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 | Mermaid's Gaze (Viz Graphic Novel) by Rumiko Takahashi
Buy new: £11.25 / Used from: £1.83 The last one so far. Quite overpriced really as it's so short, but you'll really want to read this if you read the other two.
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 | The Assassin's Road (Lone Wolf & Cub S.) Vol 1: Assassin's Road v. 1 (Lone Wolf and Cub (Dark Horse)) by Kazuo Koike
Buy new: £4.53 / Used from: £1.94 Possibly the best on the list, although I slightly preffered Akira because it was one big storyline. Lone Wolf and cub is very mature and deep. Possibly the most grown-up manga that exsists...
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 | Lone Wolf and Cub: Gateless Barrier v. 2 (Lone Wolf and Cub (Dark Horse)) by Kazuo Koike
Buy new: £5.48 / Used from: £1.00 ...it consists of many short stories (usually four or five per book), but there is a long-running story across the whole series...
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 | Lone Wolf and Cub: Flute of the Fallen Tiger v. 3 (Lone Wolf and Cub (Dark Horse)) by Kazuo Koike
Buy new: £6.50 / Used from: £1.80 ...it is very, very long (28 volumes, over 8000 pages; more than twice as long as Akira). I have catalogued the rest of the books in another list I made.
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 | Black and White: 1 by Taiyo Matsumoto
Buy used from: £3.61 One-of-a-kind manga, genius. Definately a must, especially if you're sick of the clichéd anime style. Not as well known as it should be.
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 | Ghost in the Shell (Ghost in the Shell 1) by Masamune Shirow
Buy used from: £13.94 Okay, I haven't read this, but it deserves a mention. I tried it years ago and found it too heavy, but I will read it some time as the new TV series is very good. There's a sequel out soon as well.
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