Ten Well Written Anime and Manga you need to see (now if not sooner...)

10. Sankarea. 

At first glance, Sankarea seems like a clichéd romantic comedy that just happens to be about a guy with a zombie girlfriend. But it isn’t. The story involves a schoolboy named Chihiro who meets up with a girl called Rea who happens to suffer from constant sexual and emotional abuse by her father. A suicide attempt turns her into a zombie, a type of zombie that still retains their memories and personality when they were truly alive. The series explores the two getting closer together and Chihiros struggle with protecting Rea from her father and supporting her with her zombie illness. None of it is played for laughs and the two make what has to be one of the sweetest but most heartbreaking couples in all of anime. The anime and manga certainly were some of the most emotionally taxing I’ve ever seen.

9. Five centimeters per second.

Nothing much can be said about 5cm without spoiling the whole punch of the film; it isn't a story with a plot so much as an experience on the trouble people have with love, making a really haunting and beautiful romance movie. It's a film that is sure to be enjoyed by both girls and guys as its message applies to anyone who has had tough luck with love. One other thing that can be said is that the ending, set to the famous Japanese song 'One more time, one more chance' is very poetic and beautiful. It’s like Twilight was written well but didn’t involve any soppy emo whining; people Bella in Twilight was supposed to lack a personality in order for the typically female teens to put themselves in her shoes. 5 centimeters does this blank slate concept right.

8. Hayate the Combat Butler.

Hayate is a spoof of shonen action manga and anime that also happens to be a romantic comedy. It's also the story of a boy meeting new friends and getting closer to them and the misadventures they go through together. Hayate because of it's usage of different genres and never taking itself too seriously gets away with a lot of jokes and ideas that in a different story would not make any sense; a lot of the events that take place in Hayate are either genuinely funny, genuinely awesome or both. Beneath it all, Hayate has a great cast of fun and likable characters and in my opinion they're its biggest strength. It's very fun seeing them play off each other or being genuinely kind to each other and the heartwarming moments in the series make it one of the most joyful reads out there even though as of late the manga has decreased in quality rather drastically.

7. Baccano!

Another series with a great cast of characters, Baccano takes place in prohibition era America in the years 1930, 1931 and 1932 respectively; 1930 deals with how certain crime families are in a huge conflict involving an elixir that grants immortality; 1931 deals with the highjacking of a train called the Flying Pussyfoot (snigger…) and the struggle that takes place onboard it; and 1932 deals with 16 year old Eve Genoard as she searches for her brother who mysteriously disappeared following the 1930 events.

 All the events are distinct but towards the end connect in a way that is just genius. The anime jumps around with little to no warning between them, giving a non-linear but ingenuously written story that is very rewarding to anyone who tries connecting the dots. It's a story that doesn't focus on the plot so much as it's twists and turns and there is no central main character; there are many and they are all equally compelling. Special mention goes to Isaac and Miria: these two have to one the funniest and most likable criminal couples in all of fiction, with antics involving robbery whilst dressed up as Charlie Chaplin and robbing rich people in order to fight for what they think is 'heroic justice'.

6. Paranoia Agent.

When I finished Paranoia Agent, my head hurt because it's one of those anime that makes you seriously think about what it wanted to say and what on earth you just saw. While simultaneously a psychological thriller and a mystery, Paranoia Agent also has a really innovative way of telling its story: it uses heavy symbolism and we're constantly seeing things through the eyes and the mindset of the individual characters leaving what is real and what is ultimately their imagination up to interpretation. Is it a deconstruction of Japanese kawaisa culture or is it just a supernatural mystery? Who knows, I myself think it's a mixture of both. It's highly recommended for anyone who wants something that is almost free of any of the usual anime clichés for anyone who loves a deep mystery. One thing though: I do disagree with some aspects of its message but that is a discussion for another blog post.

5. Monster.

Monster is another psychological thriller, albeit FAR from being as confusing as Paranoia Agent. It’s the quest of the  kindly Doctor Tenma as he struggles to search for Johann Liebert, a patient he had healed of a gunshot wound to the head years before only to realize later on that Johann himself is an absolute monster of a person who literally has no motivation for all the evil that he commits. Monster is what every great mystery story should have: very compelling and relatable main characters, an equally compelling villain, a suspenseful, complex and deep mystery that still makes sense by the end, plus the philosophy and aesops it delivers will seriously change your perspective of life in a way only few works of fiction can ever do. It uses all of Naoki Urasawa's greatest strengths and is highly regarded as one of his greatest works. Speaking of which...

4. 20th Century Boys.

Another Naoki Urasawa work, 20th Century Boys is in one word, epic. Its story is of a huge scale, one that spans several decades from the 1960's to even the late 2010's, a deep mystery that rivals that of Monster with the quality of it's writing, very compelling main characters and themes that include what struggles society has to endure living in a post apocalyptic world. Characters that seem minor at first constantly turn out to be important later on and the ending which practically involves the power of music to turn the tide is too awesome to describe. However, by the end of the manga you'll be feeling too wowed to care for any lesson you may have learnt. The winner of numerous awards, 20^th Century Boys is a must read for any fan of epic stories.

3. Rurouni Kenshin.

There was a time when Rurouni Kenshin was the Naruto of the day; it was simply the most popular anime around and everyone was busy buying the videos and merchandise related to Kenshin, and with good reason. Kenshin is one of those anime and manga whose simple story and themes influenced a lot of the works that came after it. Unlike most shonen manga of the day, it had an older protagonist who himself was tired of adventure and wanted to settle down instead of actively seeking more diversions in life. Of course, the story goes out of its way to prevent that from happening but who cares? It also took themes like romance, the way war and politics affect people and the ethics of killing vs. not killing seriously and deconstructed a lot of the common tropes found in fiction dealing with the Jidai Geiki genre. The titular character, an ex-swordsman who wields a reverse-bladed sword so as to not kill people is in my opinion one of the greatest characters in all of anime and manga. He's the type of guy you look up and wish were more like but at the same time he is still very relatable because he is not invincible; there was always the danger of him giving in to his former murderous habits. Kenshin is a must watch for any hardcore anime fan both for it's plot and it's really, really convincing philosophy.

2. FullMetal Alchemist.

This entry deals with the manga and its anime adaptation which follows it very closely, not the 2003 anime.

After Edward and Alphonse Elric lose their limbs and their body respectively, they unite together to search for the philosopher’s stone in order to get their bodies back. What follows is an epic quest that involves the two brothers bonding closer together, a government conspiracy, alchemy, and the fate of the entire world they live in being at stake. What is so great about FullMetal Alchemist and its adaptation Brotherhood? Literally everything as it gets everything a good story should have right, and it is what distinguishes it from all the other entries; The characters are all deep and very well developed with the heroes being very likable and the villains being truly horrible people; it has a perfect mix of comedy, tragic and downright horrifying moments; the story is of a truly huge scope and with a very well developed world and well crafted plot that never insults our intelligence; It is in some ways the story I always wanted to read as a kid and more. FullMetal Alchemist has something for everyone and if you haven’t watched it yet, I envy you. So go watch it. NOW. FMA would have topped this list if it wasn’t overshadowed by another work called…

1. Berserk.

Note: No one image from the manga can define Berserk, it is THAT good.

Widely regarded as the most well written manga ever, Berserk deserves the number 1 spot because it gets everything what Brotherhood and all the other anime and manga did excellently on this list and blows them out of the water. There has never been a manga as subtle yet with a message with as much impact  than Berserk. it is the story of Guts, a fearsome swordsman seeking revenge against his former leader and best friend Griffith. Guts himself always lived a very, very rough life from being raped as a child culminating to him losing his arm, one eye and almost everyone he really cared about in a very traumatic and hellish event called the Eclipse. He turns from a man with a dream to a bloodthirsty brute only concerned with vengeance but through his harsh journey, he meets up with a lot of new and old allies that force him to realize that maybe revenge isn’t really worth living for…

Berserk isn't good for children at all or for anyone with a very weak heart. It easily is the most violent manga ever and the subject of rape is practically a theme. However, it's all done to show how horrible the world of Berserk is and together with these deep themes, Berserk has some of the greatest character development not only in any manga but in all of fiction. Period. Guts himself is a very inspiring character who despite all his suffering never gives up on life and continues to live just because it’s worth living for by itself. Plus, the artwork in the manga is just amazing; every page looks like it was drawn by Albrecht Durer and is very detailed and beautiful.

All this considered, Berserk easily lands the number one spot as the most well written manga of all time. It deserves to be studied and analyzed as a work of literary genius.