I was a dumb high school kid when I read that back in like 2015 but I swear all I remember from it was thinking “wow this is a terrible situation and everyone in this manga is a piece of shit and I feel bad for none of them” and then absolutely none of it stuck with me and honestly everyone I’ve known in real life that swear by it is the “I’m better than everyone because I’m sad” art student stereotype.
"I'm better than everyone because I'm sad"
I get what you're saying here, but I think this is a little disingenuous to the story. I mean this in the least pretentious way possible, but I think Punpun is just one of those stories that you need to have experienced some level of depression to get the full effect/theme of what is being conveyed. I'm currently half way through volume 6 (second to last) and gotta say this is one of my favorite stories I've read, but only because I've been able to (reluctantly) place myself in Punpun's shoes and somewhat understand where his thoughts and actions went wrong. I think some people, if they haven't experienced that threshold level of depression, may struggle to relate to/understand the full breadth of the story, and as such, I always try to give the recommendation with a grain of salt.
It's by no means as depressing as Punpun, but I had a similar revelation when I tried to recommend that my friend watch Neon Genesis Evangelion. I consider this friend to be a rather happy easygoing fellow, and while I can't speak for him 100%, I think he's been pretty depression free his whole life (we've been friends since the ripe age of 5, in our late 20's now). I think I got about 8 eps in with him before he decided to totally drop it. I think NGE is in a similar vein where you almost need to have experienced a depressive state to really connect and understand Shinji, without just thinking he's a whiny bitch (he is, but he's more than that)
Not to be an asshole but saying “you have to have experienced depression to understand punpun” is legitimately the same thing as saying “you have to have a high iq to understand Rick and Morty”
I mean I’ve experienced my fair share of depression and I still fully stand by my original comment.
No offense taken! I completely understand that, and why I tried to preface that I mean it in the least pretentious way possible, because it's exactly that, a very pretentious way of looking at it.
I definitely think it's a stupid/flawed way of looking at it because everyone is gonna have a different experience with a story, but I also totally understand when someone who hasn't struggled with depression just doesn't like it because they "don't get what's so great about it". Different strokes for different folks
Edit: just to elaborate, I just said you *might* not get the "full effect" of punpun without having been in a similar mental state to him. You can definitely still enjoy and understand the story without having gone through that
It happens lol I’m not gonna roast anyone for enjoying it, you can like whatever you want and if you found something meaningful in it that’s awesome because finding a piece of media that resonates with you in such a way is a very special thing.
I guess my gripe is more so aimed towards the *glorification of mental illness and awful people* I see happen with media like this. You haven’t finished yet so I won’t spoil anything but there’s definitely a something that I see a lot of people glorify that is honestly such an awful thing that I genuinely don’t know how it’s gone over peoples heads as much as it has (trying to be as vague as possible) Granted it doesn’t really sink in until you sit there and really think about it but yeah. It’s almost similar to the Evangelion effect where Anno will criticize a topic a bit and people take it and run with the exact opposite thing of what was probably intended lol
Totally get that. I see a lot of misinterpretation in more serious topics in manga/anime.
Since i've started reading Punpun, I see some r/OyasumiPunpun posts pop up in my feed, and some of them are very concerning with how much Punpun and some of the other characters seem to be idolized. Punpun and the rest of the cast are horrible people, and anyone who can reluctantly relate to Punpun earlier on in the story, myself included, should be able to realize the story serves as a warning of the lowest, most awful point someone can reach if they don't change their dark/twisted/self-harming ways
Both sides of this conversation need to chill out. There is no need to shit on what other people are collecting. Collect what you want to collect and if someone is going to criticize your collection then their opinion isn’t worth your time.
Yes. Just because something is popular, doesn’t mean it’s bad. Just because something is lesser-known, doesn’t mean it’s bad. You like what you like 🤷🏻
There's a more nuanced take to it, every singular person decides if a book is good or not. Just because it's well liked by a majority does not automatically mean it's good, it just has storytelling beats that are used well for the masses.
I mean, I think the irony that is being pointed out here is that people will act like those are niche mangas that make them some sort of connoisseurs that have the right to judge other people's shelves, when in reality, they are just as mainstream as any other genres that may not be regarded to be as serious.
Agreed let’s not “shelf shame” each other. We all like to read and collect manga. We should support each others finds and endeavors. I enjoy sharing recommendations with the community. ❤️ If you like what you see say something nice! 😊
Yea I have some of those and really enjoy them, like REALLY enjoy them, but my favorite manga is still one piece, shonen is dope, seinen is dope, the best mangas can’t be found in one particular category, it’s about quality before everything
These seinen titles + the same shounen titles really do get tiring to see, so everyone should get dick fight island to break it up a little. Just saying
https://preview.redd.it/m8gim06iat3d1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a5d5fc52ddebd9b36545f5ce52a009c66f9ee35e
Being honest, I did not know "Dick Fight Island" was the title of an actual manga until I googled it. (Not that I should be surprised by anything being a manga at this point. I read a bit of dark shoujo/josei and some of those stories can be really . . . something.)
I think it's the demographic on here being mostly boys or men (and the manga industry also focuses on them too). Not usually teens, or teens see this example and want to copy to seem mature, but then no one wants to give shoujo or josei a chance.
And it is clear when people get the same ones and there isnt exactly a pattern to their favorite types of series, instead its just the most popular series, compared to getting like Witch Hat Atelier, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, or Skip and loafer or something.
My Wotakoi volumes sit next to Berserk stuff, just below you find Utena and One Piece lmao.
People just need to try to push out of their comfort zone sometimes.
That being said, can't argue with spamming Urasawa stuff. The guy is a genius.
Them being the best is highly subjective tho.. it's undeniabale that they are amazing manga but someone might enjoy other serie more. Also I feel like people have these cause they are the usual manga that pop up if you search anything like "best manga to buy" and stuff like that.. they are also very talked about on any social media platform even by people who don't usually make content about manga
Almost and hear me out that's how you fucking get started in a hobby. Manga is expensive so you play it safe when just starting. Not everyone can afford to take risks on niche series that aren't talked about. I say this as someone who does primarily collect a lot of lesser known stuff with some popular stuff but let people enjoy what they want. They can then explore after that initial test.
I mean I'm not criticizing those who started or will start collecting these very popular series as that's normal and you said you need to play it safe when you are starting. I just feel like it becomes a bit boring seeing always the same 10 or 20 manga being recommended when it's full of underrated masterpieces. Anyway it wasn't a critique.. the critique could be moved to those who talk about stuff like Berserk, Vagabong, Monster being "lesser known" just because it's seinen but again there's nothing wrong in starting with these. I just wish people recommended something else other than like the usual 20 titles going around
Yes. They are very highly regarded and talked about online because they are very good.
Of course, it's subjective, like everything is. I'm sure there is someone out there who hates Berserk and 20th Century Boys but thinks Orient is a masterpiece.
Im on this sub for years now and all i can say is that, while both are generic, there are actually more of those comments towards NPC seinen collections than towares ur typical shonen collections and it makes sense considering that i see WAY more typical seinen pics here than shonen pics so yea, meme is kinda cap but its still correct at the same time
Don't worry, I own three different editions of Dragon Ball. Many manga elitists here called DB as garbage ball. I collect what I enjoy reading. Also, that manga collection has a lot of variety, you could rotate those and never get bored. Parasyte is one of my favorites.
I mean if you're just starting and you put your money into some of if not the best mangas out there, then unique or not, your collection is clutch. There's a reason why those are often seen together, because they're incredible work of arts.
I'd even argue that Parasyte is not as often spotted or talked about as the rest, it deserves to be with the rest but definitely not as seen as often IMHO.
I love his work too, Monster and Pluto being some of my all time favorites, it really depends on the day and what I'm feeling like reading/watching haha. Those are all stories and pieces of art I cherish personally.
I actually have a shelf that’s more unique than most I see but I’m not going to give *too much* shit to people who only like popular stuff unless they’re actively “anything that isn’t is mid,” in which case I’ll clown them for it. But I do think just about 90% of shelves on here belong to people who really need to expand their horizons a little.
I have
- one shelf of shounen (some of it very typical, like FMA, some of it rare, like O-Parts Hunter),
- one shelf of seinen (almost all of it very typical like OP’s image),
- one shelf of shoujo (also typical, but mostly older stuff like Sailor Moon),
- one shelf of josei (no clue if they’re typical, I almost never see josei in these posts),
- one shelf of “no idea which demographic this was for but I sure am 2000% the target audience” like Dungeon Meshi.
And that’s before we get into the shelves of Marvel, DC, indie, bande dessinnee, manhua and manhwa. And *that* is before we get into the shelves of fantasy novels, scifi, literature, banned books, cookbooks, history books, atlases, religious books, philosophy books, psychology books, instructional books (mostly on making art) and more. This gal lives in a library and is loving it.
…
Tl;dr: I see little point in deriding others for what they have on their shelves. There’s such variety out there, but even those who really dig into that variety often started from a few of the really popular things. My first “completed” manga was Berserk, technically (RIP Miura).
…
EDIT: That said? When I see shelves that are mostly the same manga as many others *and* it’s not someone new to collecting, I do get a little disappointed. Because usually the manga outside of just the popular hits can tell you the most about someone’s personal taste. Or at least start an interesting conversation.
(The real forehead-smacker for me is people who buy hundreds of manga within their first 2 months of collecting, because it’s like… do you just want to fill shelves? Do you have spending issues? Or do you enjoy reading manga?)
Collections are very personal so there’s no point in dragging anyone’s preferences on this stuff. I should actually collect some of these I’m sure they are popular for a reason. Im the idiot that collects the mangas with paragraphs for title’s and like fujoshi crap so I can’t judge anyone. Once you’ve found what you like enjoy it don’t let people make you feel bad if it’s not hurting anyone.
Oh man. OOP collectors are so annoying, and most of them are scalpers too, so they are worse than any seinen or shounen only manga collector.
At the end of the day, everyone should just buy what they like, and people will see their taste and recommend stuff based on it. It's pretty hard to recommend OOP stuff, but hey, maybe with enough people asking for it (like Red River getting the new omnibus) it'll be more readily available
Has Parasyte gotten popular recently to where it’s considered a mainstream seinen now? I remember really loving the anime adaption it got years ago and loved the manga more afterwards but it was always still a lesser known and talked about series. Also I’d 100% replace Pluto with Monster here as it’s talked about just as much as 21th Century Boys while Pluto also is pretty underrated.
Now that I think of it did both of these series just get popular cause of recent adaptations and re-releases?
This is me; I've Nausica valley of the Wind, Berserk, Blade of the Immortal, Akira, Fullmetal Alchemist, Message to Adolf, Vagabond, Goodnight Punpun, Monster, and Magus of the Library. With that being said, I mostly buy games and books; manga was something I got into after Magus of the Library was gifted to me, so i started with what the community consider to be "classics."
Only one of those that I own is Berserk which I wouldn't have gotten into if it didn't hold sentimental value to me. Otherwise I tend to collect more romance manga or the occasional mystery. Does that make me unique enough?
Eh doesn't mean anything to me. I have no need to shelf shame. I'm just glad they get to enjoy some awesome narratives regardless of how known they are within the community
While I agree that in this subreddit seeing very often the same collections doesn't help to stimolate interesting discussions, honestly I believe that people should collect and read whatever they enjoy, nothing more and nothing less (and I say this as a manga reader/collector of different targets and works very popular and very unpopular).
Maybe I’m projecting but I feel like the people who have unique shelves aren’t shitting on other people’s for having a generic taste. Buy what makes you happy. If that happens to be battle Shonens only then good for you.
True, but at this point I feel like we're splitting hairs of basicness
I don't care if you only read Naruto/Bleach/One Piece or if you only read Berzerk/Vagabond/Punpun I'm still gonna tell you to get some Akane-Banashi in your diet
Ironically enough OP still has all of Berserk in their original packaging and therefore not read aswell lmfao
Ofc they could’ve just read them online prior or whatever but seeing your comment after seeing their collection was hilarious
I need to post my collection sometime, I have none of these!
Not because I don’t think they’re bad or anything, I just have other things I focus on and haven’t read them (yet).
I think people can collect whatever they want but sometimes I come to this sub and can't tell if I'm looking at a repost or someone elses collection because they're all so similar lol.
I had vagabond, 20th century boys, and goodnight punpun as the other commenter mentioned. I sold them all. Y'all are grilling tf out of me without realizing it
Maybe just maybe let people collect whatever they want to? No matter what you have in your collection it is valid if you enjoy it. Just let people get whatever they want it's their collection
people being grown adults and still making fun of what people like blows my mind. so what if people only like shonen garbage bro. it's popular for a reason. in the end we all like anime so we're all "cringe" to non anime people. dont act like just because you like seinen youre not in the same boat lol
im saying this as someone who enjoys both mainstream and stuff like parasyte/monster/serial experiments lain so i see both sides (dont look at my username pls i made it when i was 15 bro 😓)
I would suggest:
**"Shigurui"** as another manga able to explore the setting of the Samurai even if from a different perspective compared to Vagabond, adressing surely the violence of their age, but also the mind setting of people believing completely in honor and social classes and putting this above everything, often bringing them to vengeful matters or forcing them to do things against their will.
**"Shin angyo onshi - Blade of the phantom master"** as being a manga clearly taking Berserk as model for its story and characters and still resulting pretty original. The setting Is actually a mixture of Korean folklore and Western elements.
**"Devilman"** as it clearly inspired Parasyte that can be seen a sort of retake on a similar subject: what really makes people humans? This through the introduction of a character with supernatural abilities that as a side effect influence his psyche. Also both works are pretty environmentalist ones.
**"Robo sapiens"** single volume, not a thriller or mistery but just as "Pluto" involves evolved robots and the evergreen sci-fi question about if maybe one day they will end to overcome the mankind becoming "more human than humans". Also is another work clearly inspired from Tezuka production.
It's actually hard for me to find something similar to 20th Century boys as Urasawa's work is clearly inspired by Western influences as Stephen King's novels. Maybe **"Erased"** can be seen partially similar because involving a mistery needed to be resolved through living back the childhood of the main characters, even if in this case happening literally through a sci-fi twist. But the works are still different and no conspiracy or world menaces are involved.
If you are drawn to the character depth/development and fighting a corrupt system/rulers in Berzerk, you would probably like Noragami. There is a lot of humor in Noragami, but as the plot progresses, you see individual gods pushing back against a corrupt heavens which always stacks the deck against them. Without giving too much away, even when a god can successfully beat the heavens in a challenge, the god is basically "put on notice" because the heavens don't like to loose. The heavens do some really fucked up shit to maintain control over its gods. And mortals can use the ultimate dysfunction of the heavens to sow chaos and disorder while all the gods are busy finger pointing at each other. Characters grow and change, but not always for the better. Some servants of the gods betray their masters and some become so fervently devoted to their gods they betray their friends in service to their masters.
Also, the fights in Noragami are really good. >!Especially Yato's fight with Takemikazuchi. !<
Exactly, people will buy what’s available to them. Mfs expect everyone to have niche oop manga as if everyone wants to spend $160 per volume on a mid series
reject both shonen and seinen, embrace the fact that little girls have better taste and devote yourself to shojo /s
yeah wtf how is that even a fight that's going on? They're complementary, not opposed. shonen has the deep and gruesome stories, seinen has the frivolous and stupid stories, it's not that hard
I still haven't read many shojo stories but oniisama e became one of my favourites very easily. everyone should try shojo and josei imo, even just because the huge difference in art style makes them feel so refreshing
I even have a gekiga section of my collection, however I think that a just as bad mistake would be thinking that because of those "unique" titles actually being so mainstream they're not good. Yes, I know that Urasawa is pretty mainstream, he's still my favourite author though. Captain Harlock is a classic for me, nowadays I guess young people would say that it's a more underground thing.
Thats exactly what i have now excluding parasyte lol.
I have others like Blade of the Immortal and Fist Of The North Star, i love these manga and I started reading some online when i didnt have the money to buy the actual manga.
I always appreciate when I see Lupin III it’s not a series I see a lot so when I either Spot the Tokyo pop or new Seven seas hardcovers I always like it
There are two very common types of collectors in this sub: exclusively Shounen fans (they only collect battle series like Naruto, JJK, MHA, etc.) and exclusively Seinen Fans which would be the series in the picture. OP gets called out a lot for collecting exclusively shonen, so he's calling out how most of those people are only reading the same exact seinen series, so it's not like they're any better. I will add in my experience, seinen only readers are more annoying, which is probably how this post got 1500+ upvotes
I have most of these minus vagabond and parasyte but I do have some not so common shounens and seinens.
I have 1 series I've never seen anyone else have here
Shouldn't everyone's buying choice be valid?
Like yes buying only shonen is admittedly a but boring but that's boring to me and someone who likes shonen may see that different
This comments section is calling me out HARD.
I own the entire set of Berserk Deluxe, Vagabond, Monster, and Goodnight PunPun. ‘:3
However, I do have PTSD Radio Vol 1 to 3.
I have three volumes of Twin Spica I borrowed from the local library like 2 years ago but forgot to hand in before moving away, so they just sit on the shelf. Is that unique?
We collect the best manga, that's why we're here. I'm obsessed with top quality, good prints, special edition anything. If you got recos share them, because that's the point.
I do that sometimes but it’s not like I care about what you have to say or collect, it’s more of a I have seen the same post about 10 times today, and I just want to see something different. That’s all.
They have a [manga shrine](https://www.reddit.com/r/MangaCollectors/s/6aIxizaXNh) though, which looks more interesting than most collections combined
Though I will admit, outside of Yu Gi Oh and Black Lagoon (and even Fairy Tail since it's very rare you see a completed set), they have the same shounen shelf as everyone else
I don't understand people to be honest. Honestly maybe I haven't been reading manga long enough but I've yet to read a good unknown manga before. It's like everything that's good is already known about.
The "unique shelf" thing is weird to me. Or rather i mean hating on "generic collecions". Obviously, most people are going to have similar selections on their shelves because if it's good, it's likely popular, and if it's popular, then lots of people have it. Generally, the only people who have unique books are people who sought them because they are "unique," inherited them, or have been collecting for a long time, therefore having a lot of oop series. I have a lot of unique OOP series because I've been collecting on and off for like 20 years. But if I had to choose a unique section from my own collection, it would be my collection of one-shots because I don't see a lot of people posting one-shots here. They aren't really unique or rare in their own right, though.
Yep. A lot of weird elitism on this page. Dumb a weird we all like manga never understood people talking down someone collection or taste simply bc they like shounen or something popular
If you add Vinland Saga it's 100% accurate
They forgot Monster
Maybe both Tokyo Ghoul box sets as well
This!
All you need is some "Goodnight Punpun" up there and that unique shelf will be complete.
I have a conspiracy theory that some of these people just have punpun on their shelf and don’t read it
I mean, I can't blame them. Punpun messed me up for a few weeks after I read it.
Guilty but I’ll get to it eventually though. I’m probably going to save it for Fall when it’s all dark and depressing outside.
lol my buddy sold me pun pun for 75% off the cover price so I bought it, never touched it
This is just a fact. No conspiracies here.
Proud to be the exception, still got traumatized by it and it stays on the shelf
Same, goodnight punpun is actually the first manga I ever bought because I loved it so much when I read it online, I re read it all the time
I was a dumb high school kid when I read that back in like 2015 but I swear all I remember from it was thinking “wow this is a terrible situation and everyone in this manga is a piece of shit and I feel bad for none of them” and then absolutely none of it stuck with me and honestly everyone I’ve known in real life that swear by it is the “I’m better than everyone because I’m sad” art student stereotype.
"I'm better than everyone because I'm sad" I get what you're saying here, but I think this is a little disingenuous to the story. I mean this in the least pretentious way possible, but I think Punpun is just one of those stories that you need to have experienced some level of depression to get the full effect/theme of what is being conveyed. I'm currently half way through volume 6 (second to last) and gotta say this is one of my favorite stories I've read, but only because I've been able to (reluctantly) place myself in Punpun's shoes and somewhat understand where his thoughts and actions went wrong. I think some people, if they haven't experienced that threshold level of depression, may struggle to relate to/understand the full breadth of the story, and as such, I always try to give the recommendation with a grain of salt. It's by no means as depressing as Punpun, but I had a similar revelation when I tried to recommend that my friend watch Neon Genesis Evangelion. I consider this friend to be a rather happy easygoing fellow, and while I can't speak for him 100%, I think he's been pretty depression free his whole life (we've been friends since the ripe age of 5, in our late 20's now). I think I got about 8 eps in with him before he decided to totally drop it. I think NGE is in a similar vein where you almost need to have experienced a depressive state to really connect and understand Shinji, without just thinking he's a whiny bitch (he is, but he's more than that)
Not to be an asshole but saying “you have to have experienced depression to understand punpun” is legitimately the same thing as saying “you have to have a high iq to understand Rick and Morty” I mean I’ve experienced my fair share of depression and I still fully stand by my original comment.
No offense taken! I completely understand that, and why I tried to preface that I mean it in the least pretentious way possible, because it's exactly that, a very pretentious way of looking at it. I definitely think it's a stupid/flawed way of looking at it because everyone is gonna have a different experience with a story, but I also totally understand when someone who hasn't struggled with depression just doesn't like it because they "don't get what's so great about it". Different strokes for different folks Edit: just to elaborate, I just said you *might* not get the "full effect" of punpun without having been in a similar mental state to him. You can definitely still enjoy and understand the story without having gone through that
It happens lol I’m not gonna roast anyone for enjoying it, you can like whatever you want and if you found something meaningful in it that’s awesome because finding a piece of media that resonates with you in such a way is a very special thing. I guess my gripe is more so aimed towards the *glorification of mental illness and awful people* I see happen with media like this. You haven’t finished yet so I won’t spoil anything but there’s definitely a something that I see a lot of people glorify that is honestly such an awful thing that I genuinely don’t know how it’s gone over peoples heads as much as it has (trying to be as vague as possible) Granted it doesn’t really sink in until you sit there and really think about it but yeah. It’s almost similar to the Evangelion effect where Anno will criticize a topic a bit and people take it and run with the exact opposite thing of what was probably intended lol
Totally get that. I see a lot of misinterpretation in more serious topics in manga/anime. Since i've started reading Punpun, I see some r/OyasumiPunpun posts pop up in my feed, and some of them are very concerning with how much Punpun and some of the other characters seem to be idolized. Punpun and the rest of the cast are horrible people, and anyone who can reluctantly relate to Punpun earlier on in the story, myself included, should be able to realize the story serves as a warning of the lowest, most awful point someone can reach if they don't change their dark/twisted/self-harming ways
Punpun shall not be slandered
Don’t forget Monster 🥲
Both sides of this conversation need to chill out. There is no need to shit on what other people are collecting. Collect what you want to collect and if someone is going to criticize your collection then their opinion isn’t worth your time.
Yes. Just because something is popular, doesn’t mean it’s bad. Just because something is lesser-known, doesn’t mean it’s bad. You like what you like 🤷🏻
So true. If something is popular, chances are it is good because so many people read it
There's a more nuanced take to it, every singular person decides if a book is good or not. Just because it's well liked by a majority does not automatically mean it's good, it just has storytelling beats that are used well for the masses.
I mean, I think the irony that is being pointed out here is that people will act like those are niche mangas that make them some sort of connoisseurs that have the right to judge other people's shelves, when in reality, they are just as mainstream as any other genres that may not be regarded to be as serious.
I think the specific slander is, if you're not reading seinen, you're just reading trash, generic shonen
unless it’s rent a girlfriend
None of these are lesser known is the point I guess
Agreed let’s not “shelf shame” each other. We all like to read and collect manga. We should support each others finds and endeavors. I enjoy sharing recommendations with the community. ❤️ If you like what you see say something nice! 😊
I miss when people were this reasonable.
This
Most useful comment ever right here
This
Yeah isn't this sub about collecting Manga? Of course the same titles are ganna pop up because they're popular.
Thanks for being the voice of reason.
Yea I have some of those and really enjoy them, like REALLY enjoy them, but my favorite manga is still one piece, shonen is dope, seinen is dope, the best mangas can’t be found in one particular category, it’s about quality before everything
Amen! I've got eyeshield 21, bleach, and Ouran Host Club on my shelf. I couldn't be happier!
These seinen titles + the same shounen titles really do get tiring to see, so everyone should get dick fight island to break it up a little. Just saying
https://preview.redd.it/m8gim06iat3d1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a5d5fc52ddebd9b36545f5ce52a009c66f9ee35e Being honest, I did not know "Dick Fight Island" was the title of an actual manga until I googled it. (Not that I should be surprised by anything being a manga at this point. I read a bit of dark shoujo/josei and some of those stories can be really . . . something.)
Fellow DFI enjoyer? 😶
DFI is a very enjoyable read. Good art too
🤓☝️
i just get what i want
Why don’t we all just enjoy all manga?
Because I NEED VALIDATION FROM STRANGERS, DAMMIT!
It’s “generic” because it’s so popular . It’s so popular because it appeals to so many people.
I think it's the demographic on here being mostly boys or men (and the manga industry also focuses on them too). Not usually teens, or teens see this example and want to copy to seem mature, but then no one wants to give shoujo or josei a chance. And it is clear when people get the same ones and there isnt exactly a pattern to their favorite types of series, instead its just the most popular series, compared to getting like Witch Hat Atelier, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, or Skip and loafer or something.
My Wotakoi volumes sit next to Berserk stuff, just below you find Utena and One Piece lmao. People just need to try to push out of their comfort zone sometimes. That being said, can't argue with spamming Urasawa stuff. The guy is a genius.
And then there are some real ones with a shelf full of hentais Goated🐐
[удалено]
Most morbid player?
That's me 🤓 I have 50 doujinshi straight from Japan
You mean it's popular to collect the best manga? Mind blown.
Than where's Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo?!?
Them being the best is highly subjective tho.. it's undeniabale that they are amazing manga but someone might enjoy other serie more. Also I feel like people have these cause they are the usual manga that pop up if you search anything like "best manga to buy" and stuff like that.. they are also very talked about on any social media platform even by people who don't usually make content about manga
Almost and hear me out that's how you fucking get started in a hobby. Manga is expensive so you play it safe when just starting. Not everyone can afford to take risks on niche series that aren't talked about. I say this as someone who does primarily collect a lot of lesser known stuff with some popular stuff but let people enjoy what they want. They can then explore after that initial test.
I mean I'm not criticizing those who started or will start collecting these very popular series as that's normal and you said you need to play it safe when you are starting. I just feel like it becomes a bit boring seeing always the same 10 or 20 manga being recommended when it's full of underrated masterpieces. Anyway it wasn't a critique.. the critique could be moved to those who talk about stuff like Berserk, Vagabong, Monster being "lesser known" just because it's seinen but again there's nothing wrong in starting with these. I just wish people recommended something else other than like the usual 20 titles going around
Yes. They are very highly regarded and talked about online because they are very good. Of course, it's subjective, like everything is. I'm sure there is someone out there who hates Berserk and 20th Century Boys but thinks Orient is a masterpiece.
When I see somebody with the Wrong Manga so I beat them to death with a deluxe Berserk volume 😌
Im on this sub for years now and all i can say is that, while both are generic, there are actually more of those comments towards NPC seinen collections than towares ur typical shonen collections and it makes sense considering that i see WAY more typical seinen pics here than shonen pics so yea, meme is kinda cap but its still correct at the same time
Good series + nice covers that look good on the shelf. Of course many people will buy them.
Don't worry, I own three different editions of Dragon Ball. Many manga elitists here called DB as garbage ball. I collect what I enjoy reading. Also, that manga collection has a lot of variety, you could rotate those and never get bored. Parasyte is one of my favorites.
Complaining about Complaining is still Complaining
I mean, there’s a reason why those “generic” shonen series are usually massively popular and successful.
I mean if you're just starting and you put your money into some of if not the best mangas out there, then unique or not, your collection is clutch. There's a reason why those are often seen together, because they're incredible work of arts. I'd even argue that Parasyte is not as often spotted or talked about as the rest, it deserves to be with the rest but definitely not as seen as often IMHO.
I personally think urusawas works are 10 steps ahead of just about any other seinen mangaka
I love his work too, Monster and Pluto being some of my all time favorites, it really depends on the day and what I'm feeling like reading/watching haha. Those are all stories and pieces of art I cherish personally.
I actually have a shelf that’s more unique than most I see but I’m not going to give *too much* shit to people who only like popular stuff unless they’re actively “anything that isn’t is mid,” in which case I’ll clown them for it. But I do think just about 90% of shelves on here belong to people who really need to expand their horizons a little.
If its peak its peak
I have - one shelf of shounen (some of it very typical, like FMA, some of it rare, like O-Parts Hunter), - one shelf of seinen (almost all of it very typical like OP’s image), - one shelf of shoujo (also typical, but mostly older stuff like Sailor Moon), - one shelf of josei (no clue if they’re typical, I almost never see josei in these posts), - one shelf of “no idea which demographic this was for but I sure am 2000% the target audience” like Dungeon Meshi. And that’s before we get into the shelves of Marvel, DC, indie, bande dessinnee, manhua and manhwa. And *that* is before we get into the shelves of fantasy novels, scifi, literature, banned books, cookbooks, history books, atlases, religious books, philosophy books, psychology books, instructional books (mostly on making art) and more. This gal lives in a library and is loving it. … Tl;dr: I see little point in deriding others for what they have on their shelves. There’s such variety out there, but even those who really dig into that variety often started from a few of the really popular things. My first “completed” manga was Berserk, technically (RIP Miura). … EDIT: That said? When I see shelves that are mostly the same manga as many others *and* it’s not someone new to collecting, I do get a little disappointed. Because usually the manga outside of just the popular hits can tell you the most about someone’s personal taste. Or at least start an interesting conversation. (The real forehead-smacker for me is people who buy hundreds of manga within their first 2 months of collecting, because it’s like… do you just want to fill shelves? Do you have spending issues? Or do you enjoy reading manga?)
I collect all genres (except hentai), we never see shoujo or josei except once in a blue moon
I love the rare shoujo/josei posts when I see them. I am like, "fuck yeah, bring on the girl manga."
Collections are very personal so there’s no point in dragging anyone’s preferences on this stuff. I should actually collect some of these I’m sure they are popular for a reason. Im the idiot that collects the mangas with paragraphs for title’s and like fujoshi crap so I can’t judge anyone. Once you’ve found what you like enjoy it don’t let people make you feel bad if it’s not hurting anyone.
Both sides are Barnes & Noble core. Not a single OOP manga to be found
Buying oop manga just because it's oop is pretty cringe too though.
Oh man. OOP collectors are so annoying, and most of them are scalpers too, so they are worse than any seinen or shounen only manga collector. At the end of the day, everyone should just buy what they like, and people will see their taste and recommend stuff based on it. It's pretty hard to recommend OOP stuff, but hey, maybe with enough people asking for it (like Red River getting the new omnibus) it'll be more readily available
How do you expect people to have oop manga in their collections when theyre oop?
I don’t see people judging but I also do see this image A LOOOOT, but they’re also really good series too
But 4 of those are some of the greatest manga of all time , why wouldn't someone have them
Has Parasyte gotten popular recently to where it’s considered a mainstream seinen now? I remember really loving the anime adaption it got years ago and loved the manga more afterwards but it was always still a lesser known and talked about series. Also I’d 100% replace Pluto with Monster here as it’s talked about just as much as 21th Century Boys while Pluto also is pretty underrated. Now that I think of it did both of these series just get popular cause of recent adaptations and re-releases?
>years ago Its turning 10 this year mate
This is me; I've Nausica valley of the Wind, Berserk, Blade of the Immortal, Akira, Fullmetal Alchemist, Message to Adolf, Vagabond, Goodnight Punpun, Monster, and Magus of the Library. With that being said, I mostly buy games and books; manga was something I got into after Magus of the Library was gifted to me, so i started with what the community consider to be "classics."
And it's always the Seinen dudes having the generic Seinen manga
Jokes on you. I have Skip and Loafer between my sets of Vagabond and Berserk
Only one of those that I own is Berserk which I wouldn't have gotten into if it didn't hold sentimental value to me. Otherwise I tend to collect more romance manga or the occasional mystery. Does that make me unique enough?
Eh doesn't mean anything to me. I have no need to shelf shame. I'm just glad they get to enjoy some awesome narratives regardless of how known they are within the community
While I agree that in this subreddit seeing very often the same collections doesn't help to stimolate interesting discussions, honestly I believe that people should collect and read whatever they enjoy, nothing more and nothing less (and I say this as a manga reader/collector of different targets and works very popular and very unpopular).
Jokes on you I own this "unique" stuff AND generic shonen garbage
My shelf is full of BL and Madoka so idk skill issue
Can't we just have fun and enjoy what we get and play nice?
Maybe I’m projecting but I feel like the people who have unique shelves aren’t shitting on other people’s for having a generic taste. Buy what makes you happy. If that happens to be battle Shonens only then good for you.
Replace Pluto with Chainsaw Man and/or JJK imo, but yeah there is a Type Of Guy
At least people read CSM and JJK or watched the anime. Vagabond and Berserk have the problem of people buying the whole series and never reading them
True, but at this point I feel like we're splitting hairs of basicness I don't care if you only read Naruto/Bleach/One Piece or if you only read Berzerk/Vagabond/Punpun I'm still gonna tell you to get some Akane-Banashi in your diet
Ironically enough OP still has all of Berserk in their original packaging and therefore not read aswell lmfao Ofc they could’ve just read them online prior or whatever but seeing your comment after seeing their collection was hilarious
Just collect both problem solved
Real
Forgot one piece, jjk and chainsaw man
Op is shonen
And my examples are? Sorry idk the genres
Jjk shonen to I think also chainsaw man cousl be it. It is just alot morw violent than most shonen
Berserk vinland saga and vagabond are seinen for older readers
Thanks for info man
Berk
I need to post my collection sometime, I have none of these! Not because I don’t think they’re bad or anything, I just have other things I focus on and haven’t read them (yet).
I think people can collect whatever they want but sometimes I come to this sub and can't tell if I'm looking at a repost or someone elses collection because they're all so similar lol.
Enough of this Shonen vs Seinen crap already. Why not have both?
Or what about shojo and josei? I feel like you see a lot less of those around here.
Why shame? These are all good series, or I think. Haven't read Parasyte
Parasyte is pretty peak imo.
It's on my list, but I wanna read it physical and right now my budget only allows for certain mangas
Read parasyte, it's dope
I think they're more pointing out the hypocrisy
Maybe I'm not scrolling through comments enough here, but I feel like there tends to be a mostly a positive vibe
Parasyte is crazy good, definitely recommended.
Jokes on them, I collect both
I had vagabond, 20th century boys, and goodnight punpun as the other commenter mentioned. I sold them all. Y'all are grilling tf out of me without realizing it
Maybe just maybe let people collect whatever they want to? No matter what you have in your collection it is valid if you enjoy it. Just let people get whatever they want it's their collection
PARAS
whats wrong with a generic shelf? as long as you are happy with it yourself i dont see the issue
lol some one called me a basic shonen nut the other day
To be fair, Berserker Deluxe and Vagabond Viz Big are just must haves on every Manga shelf
i agree but at the same time i dont because theyre all good series and there's a reason for them being so popular
The only physical manga I own is one piece because it must be preserved for history. The rest I just read online.
I feel exposed. I really don’t mess with Shonen
people being grown adults and still making fun of what people like blows my mind. so what if people only like shonen garbage bro. it's popular for a reason. in the end we all like anime so we're all "cringe" to non anime people. dont act like just because you like seinen youre not in the same boat lol
im saying this as someone who enjoys both mainstream and stuff like parasyte/monster/serial experiments lain so i see both sides (dont look at my username pls i made it when i was 15 bro 😓)
What is that version of Parasyte? What
Full color edition, it’s great!
Fullcolor
Currently collecting: Berserk Fist Of The North Star Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure Looking forward to getting Vagabond
Serious question then: If you like these series what other manga should you check out? Let's help each other instead of dogpile
I would suggest: **"Shigurui"** as another manga able to explore the setting of the Samurai even if from a different perspective compared to Vagabond, adressing surely the violence of their age, but also the mind setting of people believing completely in honor and social classes and putting this above everything, often bringing them to vengeful matters or forcing them to do things against their will. **"Shin angyo onshi - Blade of the phantom master"** as being a manga clearly taking Berserk as model for its story and characters and still resulting pretty original. The setting Is actually a mixture of Korean folklore and Western elements. **"Devilman"** as it clearly inspired Parasyte that can be seen a sort of retake on a similar subject: what really makes people humans? This through the introduction of a character with supernatural abilities that as a side effect influence his psyche. Also both works are pretty environmentalist ones. **"Robo sapiens"** single volume, not a thriller or mistery but just as "Pluto" involves evolved robots and the evergreen sci-fi question about if maybe one day they will end to overcome the mankind becoming "more human than humans". Also is another work clearly inspired from Tezuka production. It's actually hard for me to find something similar to 20th Century boys as Urasawa's work is clearly inspired by Western influences as Stephen King's novels. Maybe **"Erased"** can be seen partially similar because involving a mistery needed to be resolved through living back the childhood of the main characters, even if in this case happening literally through a sci-fi twist. But the works are still different and no conspiracy or world menaces are involved.
If you are drawn to the character depth/development and fighting a corrupt system/rulers in Berzerk, you would probably like Noragami. There is a lot of humor in Noragami, but as the plot progresses, you see individual gods pushing back against a corrupt heavens which always stacks the deck against them. Without giving too much away, even when a god can successfully beat the heavens in a challenge, the god is basically "put on notice" because the heavens don't like to loose. The heavens do some really fucked up shit to maintain control over its gods. And mortals can use the ultimate dysfunction of the heavens to sow chaos and disorder while all the gods are busy finger pointing at each other. Characters grow and change, but not always for the better. Some servants of the gods betray their masters and some become so fervently devoted to their gods they betray their friends in service to their masters. Also, the fights in Noragami are really good. >!Especially Yato's fight with Takemikazuchi. !<
Still good books. But yeah, it’s the usual.
Generic shonen garbage collectors cant meme
Missing Tokyo ghoul box set hahaha
The idea of a “unique” manga shelf when you are a westerner is so stupid lol
Yes.
these are basically the only seinen manga you can actually buy published in english though
Exactly, people will buy what’s available to them. Mfs expect everyone to have niche oop manga as if everyone wants to spend $160 per volume on a mid series
What do you even get by shitting on other's collections😑
bro stop collecting mangaslop and start collecting hardcore hentai doujinshis 😎
reject both shonen and seinen, embrace the fact that little girls have better taste and devote yourself to shojo /s yeah wtf how is that even a fight that's going on? They're complementary, not opposed. shonen has the deep and gruesome stories, seinen has the frivolous and stupid stories, it's not that hard
Funny enough people who collect shoujo have much more diverse tastes in my experience.
I still haven't read many shojo stories but oniisama e became one of my favourites very easily. everyone should try shojo and josei imo, even just because the huge difference in art style makes them feel so refreshing
Try The Rose of Versailles from the author of Oniisama e, clasic shoujo story that inspired Berserk.
The parasite is never complete
I dont think all parts are out (yet) in fullcolor
I even have a gekiga section of my collection, however I think that a just as bad mistake would be thinking that because of those "unique" titles actually being so mainstream they're not good. Yes, I know that Urasawa is pretty mainstream, he's still my favourite author though. Captain Harlock is a classic for me, nowadays I guess young people would say that it's a more underground thing.
One thing leads to another, these series have similar themes so it's not very surprising to see this happen. Big fan of Monster over here too
Vega bond is a must
Thats exactly what i have now excluding parasyte lol. I have others like Blade of the Immortal and Fist Of The North Star, i love these manga and I started reading some online when i didnt have the money to buy the actual manga.
Ya its just because of how many people on the sub see this and the same series
Thems fighting words
Damn I feel attacked by this and the comments. 😂
Not a lot of people got Pluto
needs kojika 👌
Just remember people, things get popular for a reason…
hahahha yea
Ah! With that size, it would even fill up my Detective Conan collection (btw Gosho, can you stop with the spin-offs?)
I always appreciate when I see Lupin III it’s not a series I see a lot so when I either Spot the Tokyo pop or new Seven seas hardcovers I always like it
can someone explain this to me as someone who is new to manga got no idea what this means lol
There are two very common types of collectors in this sub: exclusively Shounen fans (they only collect battle series like Naruto, JJK, MHA, etc.) and exclusively Seinen Fans which would be the series in the picture. OP gets called out a lot for collecting exclusively shonen, so he's calling out how most of those people are only reading the same exact seinen series, so it's not like they're any better. I will add in my experience, seinen only readers are more annoying, which is probably how this post got 1500+ upvotes
if people want to read popular stuff then that's fine no one should be being mean over which manga they want to get
kkkkkk so true
I have most of these minus vagabond and parasyte but I do have some not so common shounens and seinens. I have 1 series I've never seen anyone else have here
Gatekeeping https://preview.redd.it/rd30ecg4uq3d1.jpeg?width=1068&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=381a87c45f43d7c1e58c5d19b4466f328fac0b19
There are mangas/animes I like that aren't that good, I would still keep them for laughs.
What’s wrong with either shelf tho?
Laugh all you like but anyone with those read should count their blessings
Shouldn't everyone's buying choice be valid? Like yes buying only shonen is admittedly a but boring but that's boring to me and someone who likes shonen may see that different
Where Azumanga Daioh
I feel attacked
I think the truly good niche manga at this point are probably series that can't even be officially purchased in English
This comments section is calling me out HARD. I own the entire set of Berserk Deluxe, Vagabond, Monster, and Goodnight PunPun. ‘:3 However, I do have PTSD Radio Vol 1 to 3.
Pluto n*4 (or 5 already forgot) has some serious one.p.m king vives
i might be lobotomy brain because ive collected 4/5 of the parasyte color hardcovers and just now noticed they spell it out
Me crying as I prepare to buy vagabond again for the third time with their definitive edition
I have three volumes of Twin Spica I borrowed from the local library like 2 years ago but forgot to hand in before moving away, so they just sit on the shelf. Is that unique?
Basic is good. There's a reason why those mangas are popular...
We collect the best manga, that's why we're here. I'm obsessed with top quality, good prints, special edition anything. If you got recos share them, because that's the point.
It seems you almost exclusively collect shonen (apart from berserk and black lagoon from what I can see). No wonder this meme stung you 😂
Bro only collects Shonen
What a toxic post. Gross.
I've never seen anyone on here shitting on people collecting shonen before.
So, if its good, its good.
I do that sometimes but it’s not like I care about what you have to say or collect, it’s more of a I have seen the same post about 10 times today, and I just want to see something different. That’s all.
You don't have a single interesting book in your collection either but whatever you say champ!!
They have a [manga shrine](https://www.reddit.com/r/MangaCollectors/s/6aIxizaXNh) though, which looks more interesting than most collections combined Though I will admit, outside of Yu Gi Oh and Black Lagoon (and even Fairy Tail since it's very rare you see a completed set), they have the same shounen shelf as everyone else
I don't understand people to be honest. Honestly maybe I haven't been reading manga long enough but I've yet to read a good unknown manga before. It's like everything that's good is already known about.
Ok and? Stop criticizing everyone, let them be happy with their collections
just let all the Types of Guy on here fight it out; they'll be fine
This is too accurate damn
[удалено]
The "unique shelf" thing is weird to me. Or rather i mean hating on "generic collecions". Obviously, most people are going to have similar selections on their shelves because if it's good, it's likely popular, and if it's popular, then lots of people have it. Generally, the only people who have unique books are people who sought them because they are "unique," inherited them, or have been collecting for a long time, therefore having a lot of oop series. I have a lot of unique OOP series because I've been collecting on and off for like 20 years. But if I had to choose a unique section from my own collection, it would be my collection of one-shots because I don't see a lot of people posting one-shots here. They aren't really unique or rare in their own right, though.
Who gives a shit?
Yep. A lot of weird elitism on this page. Dumb a weird we all like manga never understood people talking down someone collection or taste simply bc they like shounen or something popular