Short Manga series/single volumes

[whisperingloon]

Part of the attraction to manga series is that they can go on and on for dozens of volumes. (Lone Wolf and Cub is a series like that -- I bought each volume every month as they were released by Dark Horse.) But I mst say, I like having nice, self-contained stories that have a definite beginning, middle, and end, without the enormous time and money investments.

On one extreme, SandLand. I've heard so much about DragonBall-Z, but it's SUCH a HUGE series, I just didn't want to get into it. So when I found out this was a single volume by the same creator, I snapped it up on the spot. Here was my chance to get a glimpse at his work.

Wolf's Rain (never saw the anime), Planetes (ditto), Crest of Stars (again, never saw the anime), and Pretear (loved that one SO much!) are all some examples of the type of thing I'm talking about. (Seems a lot of those short manga series I've found are connected to anime series.)

I like short(ish) and sweet. Time Guardian and Samurai Commando are some more. Those are just two volumes.

Nausicaa is the longer end of this kind of thing.

So, anyone have any recommended short manga series or single volumes? (Clamp's Legend of Chun Hyang and Shirahime-Syo are two other single volumes that I've found. Shirahime-Syo is one of my favorites.)

~ Ben

[rocklobster]

The Seikai Trilogy is definitely a worthwhile read. And it's only 3 volumes.

[EricTheFred]

Despite borderline excessive fanservice, 'Because I'm the Goddess' is a real treat.

CLAMP's Angelic Layer is another. And five volumes may be pushing the definition of 'short', but 'Real Bout High School' is a lot of fun.

A three-volume OEL series, Van Von Hunter, is a well-done spin-off (but not a repeat of) a well-known web manga.

Four-volume Azumanga Daioh, great stuff.

[Michiru_Waknaka]

Well, if you like shoujo, Arina Tanemura has done two one-shot volumes: I.O.N. ,which i own, and a colection of short stories called Short-tempered Meloncholic, which i have'nt read. Yoki Koto Kiku is a good comedy one-shot by Koge-Donbo, and she did another series called Kon Kon Kokon which i THINK is short, but I don't really have a volume count. Princess Tutu has a two volume manga, but i heard it wasn't very good. On the longer side, CLAMP's Magic Knight Rayearth is an AMAZING three volume series. It has a sequel, but the first series stands on it's own and shines a whole lot brighter. there was a one-shot i've been meaning to look at called Yume Kira Dream Shoppe. I flipped throught the first few pages of a manhwa called Nabi the Prototype, and it looked pretty interesting....nothing else I can remember. Sorry, if your more into shounen 'cause I only know shoujo stuff!
Hope you find something you like! ^_^

[Fish and Chips]

Tista is a solid two volume series that ran in Jump Square, though it's never been officially translated into English, so good luck with that. It could be controversial (and overdone?) being yet another Catholics Are Secretly Assassins plot device, but it's done well, so no complaints from me.

Nothing else I've read is really short enough to fit your qualifications, the next shortest serials I've read in full being Samurai Executioner and Hellsing at ten volumes each. All the one volume Manga I've read are usually compilations of short stories and things.

[yukoxholic]

OEL:
Dramacon Volumes 1 - 3
Sorcerers and Secretaries 1 -2
Return to the Labyrinth (all volumes are not out yet) 1 - 4

Other "manga" titles:
Someday's Dreamers 1 - 5
Seoul to Soul Volumes 1 - 5
Sugar Sugar Rune Volumes 1 - 8 (pretty short)
Forbidden Dance 1 - 4
Strawberry Marshmallow 1 - 5
Alichino 1 -3 (4th Volume looks as if we'll never see)


One shots:
Shirley
Voices of a Distant Star

Actually, the best buys are Manhwa series because they always get canned before they're finished. So, you're left with a 1 or 2 volumed series! Viola! One shots/short series in the making! ^__~

[minakichan]

I'm a pretty big fan of one-shots and pilots because that's pretty much all I have experience writing and the ones that are written well can have this sense of really elegant, perfect completion that might be absent from a longer series. One-shots are really fun to read too!

Most of the one-shots I read are the debut or compilations from shoujo mangaka, hahaha. Some favorites:

-Himitsu Kichi: Nakahara Aya's anthology. Her stories are generally painfully hysterical romantic comedies that can still be rather sweet.

-1/3 no Kareshi: It has some aspect of forbidden love which I won't spoil, and while it starts off pretty generic typical-shoujo, the plot twist was executed flawlessly.

-Snow in the Dark: Dark, violent, and elegant retelling of Snow White with pretty high technical virtuosity, something pretty much unexpected from the mangaka, who is better known for raunchy pantyshot titles.

[whisperingloon]

Thanks, everyone. I'm going to write a number of these down. As for being more into shonen or shojo . . . as long as it's a good story, I like both.

Voices of a Distant Star is one I forgot to mention I already had. That book is just beautiful. Not at all what I expected when I picked it up. Like many of the other stories that have been mentioned here, it's almost poetic.

This is great . . . any other recommendations?

~ Ben

[EricTheFred]

This is great . . . any other recommendations?

~ Ben

Just one. If you like manga adaptations of successful Anime like 'Voices of a Distant Star' .... stay the heck away from the manga version of 'FLCL'. It will turn you off of them forever.

[whisperingloon]

You know, I remember seeing FLCL at the store . . . but I can't remember why I didn't buy it.

Seems I made the right choice?

The thing is, of the adaptations I've read (like Voices of a Distant Star), I haven't seen the original anime.

~ Ben

[Ashley]

Time Stranger Kyoko - 3 Volumes
Magic Knights Rayearth - 3 Volumes
Magic Knights Rayearth II - 3 Volumes (I had to second these; they are very well written)
Fall in Love Like a Comic! - 2 Volumes
Pretear - 4 volumes
The One I Love - short anthology, 1 volume
MeruPeri, the Marchan Prince - 4 volumes
Angelic Layer - 5 Volumes
Socrates in Love - 1 volume
Imadoki - 5 volumes
Cowboy Bebop - 2 Volumes
Cowboy Bebop Shooting Star - 3 Volumes

That's all the ones I can think of, but I tried to give you some variety (obviously, I'm a pretty big shoujo fan)

[whisperingloon]

I saw Time Stranger at Borders yesterday. Looks pretty interesting.

One that I forgot is a book I got in Canada in an 80% off box: Samurai Legend, by Jiro Taniguchi. Looks quite good. Haven't had a chance to read it yet.

The other book I got from the 80% off box was Lost World, by Tezuka. I really like Tezuka, and a number of his works fit into my "short/single vlume story" fetish. His Adolf series was, I think, the first manga series I really read, back when I was in film school. I followed that up with Barefoot Gen (I notice in the newest editions have 4 volumes, I thought there were only three -- the editions I have stopped at three).

~ Ben

[GwenneZ]

---Zodiac P.I. (4 volumes)

---Million Tears (2 volumes)

both awesome

[Yuuenchi]

I have a couple offerings or two, but they all belong to the category of unlicensed, thus unreviewed, scanlation projects, so a little more parental screening may be in order. They all bear the commanality of being one shot stories, or single volume stories, or a single volume of one-shot stories, or a multivolume title of one shots/short stories (similiar to Boys Be, which has been partially released by Tokyopop) or a mixture of any/all of the above.

Small (or large) caveat: 1) All of the titles I list fall into the shoujo category, thus are heavy on the relationship end of the manga spectrum; 2) some of these one-shots are light-hearted, but others carry a heay dose of angst, mixed in with sexual themes and/or tensions (there are no actuall sexual relations graphically prortrayed in these with partial exception noted below) and often the issue/question of suicide is brought up (this is not to be taken as a defense of the Japanese spiritual/social understanding of the taking of one's own life, but rather as a description of the contents of some of the stories; 3) most of them are a school-life setting, but some are adult (i.e. non school setting) and workplace oriented.

I'm going to offer a small selection of what I've read, and (hopefully) edit it later on with an increased list (or I could make another reply with the additional volumes) as its very late in the night for me, and Church is tomorrow.

Yubikiri Story by Asahara Hinako - 1 vol, 3 stories including the title story.

Penguin Prince by Motomi Kyousuke - 1vol, 5 stories including the title story.

Salad Days by Inukoma Shinobu - a 18 vol. collection of mostly light-hearted romantic-comedy shorts and recurring episodic stories circulating around "hatsukoi" : "first love" scenarios.

Bitter Virgin by Kusunoki Kei: a 4 volume work that wrangles with incest/rape (there is a brief, partially drawn flashback on the part of the female lead in regards to this), unwanted pregnacy, unwed mothers-to-be, stillborn babies and "Angel Mothers", and yet there is a (secular) redemption offered. So it is not necessarily one to share with the pre-teen crowd, although the issues raised have merit for the HS student. A portion of the story is based on the mangaka's own life experiences, so all the issues are dealt with sympathetically and seriously in a non-crass or humourous fashion. (Definitely read the author's talk section of the manga, this is where she explains where she is coming from). And it all starts with a confession in a church.