Hello MU community!


I'm the new representative for the Educational Manga Project. To all those who are wondering what I'm talking about: The Educational Manga Project is a revived campaign dedicated to providing the community with information and guidance on all educational manga.

What is an educational manga?
It can be anything as long as you gain real-life knowledge by reading it: Obviously, a sports series, a music manga, a cooking series or a historical story fits this criterion, but so does an unexpected manga discourse on gambling, Japanese sweets, medieval trading, or even one on underwear. There's nothing you can't learn from reading a manga. But where to start?

This is where we lend you a helping hand. Our team categorises, rates and reviews series according to their educational value to simplify your search. Our project is still developing so, both categories and ratings may change in the future. A detailed review system is also still in the making. For now, we use my lists as categories in combination with the following 4-star rating system:
★ - barely educational
★★ - moderately educational
★★★ - highly educational
★★★★ - solely educational/ highly instructive

As you may have guessed, we are but a small team of volunteers, and we cannot hope to dig up all the series on our own. Therefore, we need your support. If you know some series that you consider educational or even instructive , and you'd like them to be marked and reviewed accordingly, just send me a PM with your suggestions. You can view all pending suggestions on my wish list; revised ones will appear on my categorised lists or, if they were deemed non-educational, you will find them on my unfinished list.


So far so good. If you have any questions, just ask. Or let me hear your opinion on our current performance. I'm open to praise and criticism

Last edited by Ed U. Manga at 12:35 am, Sep 18 2014

________________
Need to study but want to read manga? Why not combine both? Check out my lists for educational manga recommendations!

Interested? Want to help out, give feedback or suggest a new educational manga? Just PM me!

This is a cool idea, good luck. I'll submit a few that come to mind.

Waiting for suggestions


________________
Need to study but want to read manga? Why not combine both? Check out my lists for educational manga recommendations!

Interested? Want to help out, give feedback or suggest a new educational manga? Just PM me!

Still alive and kicking and looking for helpers. If you're interested, just PM me.

EDIT: Please check my wish list to see which manga I already know and plan to assess.

Last edited by Ed U. Manga at 5:37 pm, Jan 14 2015

________________
Need to study but want to read manga? Why not combine both? Check out my lists for educational manga recommendations!

Interested? Want to help out, give feedback or suggest a new educational manga? Just PM me!

Hello
I can't think of much right now... Just expressing my sincere gratitude here.
But again, I have to share. So, what star ranting would you give a manga like Amanchu!?

And thank you!


* Topics like this, in Baka-Upates, are great. Too bad they're hard to find...

Tripitaka send me and here i am a day late and a dollar short. I can firebomb this tread with new or even better rewritten reviews of manga past i want to promote but let´s see what other can dig up first as i have a channel of my own(shameless plug: "Is it possible to write porn well?") to completely set up this week and then i need to give birth to a Comic/Bande dessinée corner. But then: I'll be back

Honey & Honey (8,5/10)
The best and most dignified portrait of homosexuality i ever saw in a manga

Japanese media usually fails me in the presentation of meaningful homosexuality but rarely a manga with such tags succeed to capture my attention. A lot of these are good in therms of narrative quality and not realism but this one did both !
The story is about two women and even if chapters are about the reality of living a (public) homosexual life in modern japan the focus is the slice of life aspect. This is a story about love and life first and not a about representing something or someone but the biographical and educational aspect are still top notch.
Some may have problems with the art style but i don´t. It looks very "independent" and while it doesn´t quite befit a japanese publication a connoisseur of international comics should dig it. While this is the highest rating i have given to story with one of the 4 "gay tags" on display or to a manga about LGBT themes i won´t go higher as superior international offerings like Alison Bechdel´s (yes that one) comic Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic exist and are the bar to be measured against. Let´s not forget Kevin Keller from Archie Comics while i am at it. Him i love too.

Educational: ★★★★ - solely educational/ highly instructive
The manga managed to teach me for example how the in japan officially nonexistent gay marriage can still "technically" be achieved, how gay pride is preceved by society and how it is executed. Furter how the transgender community in japan functions and last but not least what one can buy on amazon. Hint hint it´s sex toys but this is a good subject to adress in light of what the manga is about and this newfound knowledge even amused my co-workers to endless degrees when we looked up such reviews on amazon at work but i am getting off track. All in all every question i had about homosexuality in japan was answered to my full satisfaction and i had the feeling that i understood what makes the author tick and what made her write this award winning biography.
Recommended to every international reader over the age of 12. Could someone please translate her other (biographical)manga as i feel that we are getting robbed of something meaningful and rare.

Last edited by residentgrigo at 12:28 pm, Jan 20 2015

________________
I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

@exxp We have yet to read, to check and to discuss Amanchu!. We work in a group to guarantee the quality of our ratings and reviews for each title, but it takes up a lot of time. Therefore I cannot say anything about its prospective rating or when we will finish its assessment.

@residentgrigo Thanks a lot for your detailed review. We will definitely take the aspects you mentioned into consideration for our review of Honey & Honey. You are probably preoccupied with your own projects, but if you ever happen to have some free time, you're welcome to join our project, too.

________________
Need to study but want to read manga? Why not combine both? Check out my lists for educational manga recommendations!

Interested? Want to help out, give feedback or suggest a new educational manga? Just PM me!

Seems like a great initiative.

I'd highly suggest Teppu for Sports (MMA more specifically) and Doubutsu no Kuni for Nature, Environment and Agriculture.


Teppu accurately describes the Women's MMA scene through the eccentric journey of its female lead, Natsuo.


Doubutsu No Kuni is probably a great fit, as it covers richly all the words in Nature, Environment and Agriculture.

Might be spoiling a bit (though not much) some parts to exemplify how they might fit in their categories so I'm putting in spoiler tags.
I can personally feel the ammount of research these authors must have put on their works, as I have looked upon many of these subjects myself in the past. Hopefully these series fit into this project's requirements. Like most series I believe, they are not solely or purely educative, but I think there's definitely a couple things that could be taken from.

Last edited by Fate_Archer at 12:26 pm, Jan 20 2015

I can´t believe that i have to promote this gem as manga/comics of it´s kind are needed to grow the medium and get different demographics involved but here we go:

Steve Jobs 9/10
A very important book and manga

First of all i do not think that i like Steve Jobs on a human level as he was a giant but at least self admitted bastard and i never owned an Apple product but he is one of the most important people of the modern age and i always liked reading about the man when he was alive.
His bestselling and highly acclaimed biography this manga is directly based on is was a delightful read and now this version exists with quality Mari Yanazaki art. I am still very surprised that no english version of any kind is available and that it is barely covered by tech sites outside of it´s announcement. Oh well.
All my favorite bits are present as of volume 3 and the storytelling is top notch. Check out her award winning Thermae Romae too and the 1999 movie about Jobs named Pirates of Silicon Valley is a 8,5/10 that should be watched as a companion piece regardless what you think of him as hid did "put a ding in the universe".

Educational: ★★★★ - solely educational/ highly instructive
If you want to learn about tech and even american history then congratulations here is your manga. Buddhism and his drug experimentation is addressed and the Pixar portion should come in volume.
The story how he had "90 Hours A Week And Loving It!" printed on employee T-shirt´s is in in too and if you can´t read japanese then pick up the audiobooks and flip along. My mind cannot comprehend how this manga still has not left the border as tech sites even covered it a bit! We need an HBO show based on the book as Halt and Catch Fire isn´t cutting it. The book is a 10/10 btw. as it flows better and my favorite biography after "I Am Ozzy". Where is that movie?

I wrote the review for this thread to a degree and more manga with educational value can be found within and more so it´s other link.

Last edited by residentgrigo at 10:16 am, Jul 11 2015

________________
I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

Hadashi no Gen 8,5/10
An important historical masterpiece that overstretched

The first Madhouse movie is pretty famous worldwide but it represents only the opening act so this source maturial is thus a must. The manga itself preach heavily i will admit and it isn´t entirely unproblematic but the author survived Hiroshima after all and fascistic japan itself takes a big beating it the story too so i can overlook that aspect mostly. I was frankly surprised how bad a picture Nakazawa Keiji painted of his homeland at times so prepare yourself for a somewhat darker tale then the first film at times. The story does light up considerably after time is a lowed to progress a bit and the narrative become about rebuilding and having a positive attitude despite constant setbacks.
I believed that i was reading about children and not author inserts but don´t get me wrong though. The story stays a tragedy to the end as death is a constant companion. A clearer end point would have been nice but life itself has no ending so i will deal with that i guess. Classic art isn´t for everyone in general but i never had a problem with it and the art on display here is well done without a doubt despite the somewhat simplistic look. The gore and suffering comes of very well but the perspectives and landscapes are also professionally chosen. This masterpiece is somewhat flawed as i pointed out but i think that pretty much anyone needs to read it even if the dark content will be to much for some. Historical accounts form survivors need to be treasured and examined to not fall back into mistakes of past generations and Keiji Nakazawa made himself immortal with his magnum opus. I saw it (a 9/10 pilot btw.) and you should too!
Read the related and award-winning Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms (8,5/10) as a companion piece. His Struck by Black Rain is a fictitious and heavy handed 6/10 mess but it has some nice angry power so read it too.

★★★ - highly educational
The review already says all but the problems are the mentioned preaching, some historical opinions that some could find controversial and a focus on the fictional narrative later on that murk up the water and distracts from the setting as bit. Consider this a 3,5/4 star rating though if you want as better portraits of war and post-war barely exist in the comic form and this is first hand knowledge. Some versions off the series also have interesting interviews attached. My opinion on the comparable Grave of the Fireflies is similar with a 9/10 as it does not overstay and it has amazing direction but the message is a also a bit off and Bennett The Sage´s review explains it well. It also gets the same educational rating from me.

Last edited by residentgrigo at 10:46 am, May 4 2015

________________
I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

Dante Shinkyoku (8,5/10)
A Go Nagai manga I can actually recommend with no reservations

I despise the widely controversial author even if he helped to inspire Berserk (10/10) but every dog has it´s day and this is clearly his. Every Miura fan needs to read this one and the admittedly dry poem too as the themes are highly important to the narrative as a whole. Fans of historical and psychological publications should also take a look as Alighieri influences on literature and religion in general can´t be overstated.
Nagai´s version is very well researched and the artwork is based on the world famous Gustave Doré paintings that will look familiar to any Miura fan too.
The narrative is changed and simplified in comparison to what was written in the 14th century but it works fine. The art is the highlight for once and the straightforward characters, dialogue, narrative are nothing special but this manga is about the journey and the themes and not the story. A bit of historical knowledge or an open wiki pages will help too.
The hell portion is the part where Nagai unsurprisingly put most of his heart into as the later portions feel somewhat rushed but they are also recommendable. A length of 5 volumes (about a 1000 pages) would have been preferable but i can live with 3 too. A finished translation is a must in my eyes and would have liked to see an OVA based on this instead of the EA game but both were admittedly a trashy delight.
Mugen Utamaro (7/10) is his second best effort and another even less recognizable adaptation of a classic. He should have done more of these and his third best Amon - Devilman Mokushiroku (6/10) is the only part of the Devilman (4/10) mythos i can give to others without fearing a lawsuit. Finally make sure to not touch anything else directly written by him to prevent boredom or more importantly cancer of the soul.
Please take this to heart as i only want to help and Tezuka´s deeply psychological masterpiece Hi no Tori (10/10) and his equality perfect Buddha (10/10) should be your next step on your journey of self-discovery through manga.

★★★ - highly educational
My review states all and the manga is way better at representing the text in a visual way then as an adaptation. The poem is a bit hard to read now but lives of its vivid prose and that aspect is straight out lost here. Some changes and streamlining also took place and the manga loses steam as it marches on but you will certainly learn a few things along the way so read it along with an audiobook of the poem.

Take this test related test to see where you end up after reading.
Which circle of hell is yours? - The Test
and i posted links to Gustave Doré 11/10 paintings in the thread too.

________________
I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

[url=All Rounder Meguru]https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=38777[/u rl]
★★★★solely educational/highly instructive
An MMA manga which explains quite a lot of techniques from BJJ, Boxing, Muay Thai, Karate of some kind etc. I read it solely to find techniques.

[url=Welcome to Room #305]https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=59960[/url]
★★★ - highly educational
Manhwa that confronts common misconceptions about gay people and some of the struggles they may face (such as family conflicts, double lives etc) through a slice of life/comedy story about a homophobic university roommate whose roommate is gay. It's still the only manga/manhwa I've ever come across that examines real issues of discrimination (as opposed to discrimination in a fantasy world).

[url=51 Ways to Save My Girlfriend/Kanojo o Mamoru 51 no Houhou]https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=13106[/u rl]
★★★ - highly educational
Manga about a guy and girl trying to survive after a major Earthquake (8.1 on richter scale), showing the unexpected knock-on effects of an Earthquake in an urban area. Based on events that occurred after the 1923 Kanto Earthquake.


https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=1629
★★★ - highly educational
Martial Arts/Street Fighting manga. Gives detailed breakdowns certain techniques from Boxing, Muay Thai etc. Not much on fundamentals so far, but I've only read about 40 chapters or so.


[url=Space Brothers/Uchuu Kyoudai]https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=24720[/u rl]
★★ - moderately educational
Manga about a brother who is trying to follow his younger brothers footsteps and chase their joint childhood dream of being astronauts. It shows psychological struggles of astronauts, astronaut candidates and others involved in space travel/research, shows examination processes and presents realistic backstories for the various candidates. NASA has praised the series in the past for its realism. Only gave it 2 stars for education since a big chunk of its focus is more on the relationship of the brothers and their personal journeys rather than space travel.

https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=64690
★★ - moderately educational
Realistic insight into social exclusion, confidence and things along those lines. It's a drama/comedy/high school series, but it manages to have characters that are written realistically in terms of psychology in my opinion....at least more so than most manga and definitely more so than manga about somewhat similar characters like Welcome to the NHK! and Onani Master Kurosawa.

[url=RRR/Rock N Roll Rikitaro!]https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=13424[/u rl]
★★ - moderately educational
Boxing manga about a 27 year old Japanese struggling rock musician who pursues a professional boxing career and also ends up having to look after his sister's son. Learnt my jab from this manga lol. It has a detailed explanation of a few techniques and shows some training methods. Also the first manga I read (don't care if nobody cares).

https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=92
★ - barely educational
Boxing/romance Manga by famous sports mangaka Adachi Mitsuru. Doesn't teach that much stuff, but that said I'd say it's very realistic, just because it doesn't have ridiculous fight sequences, an obsession with "omg natural talent, natural powa yo!" and actually talks a bit about....movement and footwork! As such I rate it as a better boxing manga than Hajimme no Ippo, which has a load of crap, particularly in the manga (who the fuck throws a triple hook or just stands still in the ring?).

[url=Hajimme no Ippo!]https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=812[/url]
★ - barely educational
Famous boxing manga. Shows some realistic stuff, particularly in the very early stages of the manga (overtraining, weight cutting, some punching techniques, training techniques) but has a load of unrealistic crap, which stops it from getting a 2 or 3 star rating, because you have to wade through all the utter BS and really if you don't have much knowledge of boxing you would just get mislead reading this.


[url=Welcome to the NHK!]https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=188[/url]
★ - barely educational
Gives a bit of insight into hikkimoris, NEETS and social anxiety. Could be 2 stars....maybe. Education Rating for something like this (dealing with social issues or psychology) is somewhat subjective.

[url=Omoide Emanon]https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=29891[/u rl] and [url=Sasurai Emanon]https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=78014[/u rl]
★ - barely educational
Two manga about a girl who has a memory which stretches back to the very first life on Earth.


Also https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=142 about wheelchair basketball, but I haven't read it so can't say much.


edit: first time posting on MU so yep....screwed that up lol