Hi~ This is my first topic. =D

I'm searching for something (be it manga, manhwa, manhua, webtoon, or anime) that has a unique and rarely used theme in real life.
For example:
Ballroom e Youkoso --> dancing
Attaque --> fencing
REAL --> wheelchair basketball
Chihayafuru --> karuta
Hikaru no Go --> go
Eyeshield 21 --> american football
The Embalmer --> embalming

Yeah, I noticed that it mostly sports except The Embalmer, but actually I'm not looking for a sports manga. Any theme and any genre is acceptable, including yaoi/yuri.

I want it to be written in real life setting, so no fantasy or supernatural-thingy. Hikaru no Go does have it but the MC later grew up without the help from the supernatural part so it's okay.
I also want it to be scanlated regularly or completed (I only got REAL and Hikaru no Go licensed here in Indonesia TwT).

Here's my manga list if you want to check, but I doubt it will help since I mostly read supernatural manga hahaha...
Thank you~

Manga:
Since you already have read/watched Aria (Gondolier), I suggest you to read Amanchu! (Snorkeling) by the same author's.
Yugo (Negotiator)

Anime:
The Wind Rises (Aviation Engineer)


Dari beberapa yang saya sebutkan, hanya yugo (level comic) dan aria+aqua (m&c) yang seluruh volumenya sudah lengkap terbit di Indonesia.

Tales of a Charcoal Burner - Only one chapter out so far, but I expect the next couple of chapters out reasonably soon. (And I'm cautiously optimistic that it'll continue to come out at a good pace... There's only 1 volume, so you could just put it on a wish list and wait for it to be completed.) While it has some supernatural parts, they're presented as a matter-of-fact, personal take on Japanese beliefs - it's an adaptation of an autobiographical book.

Little Forest - Foraging mountain forests for one's meals. Based on the author's own experiences.

Ping Pong - If you're willing to try another sports manga.

The Yellow Book (title story) - The joy of immersing oneself in reading an actual book.

Am I right to assume that you're looking for the realistic depiction of unusual activities (arts, crafts, sports)?
If that's the case, check out my lists. They are dedicated to promote manga with educational content, so you should be able to find some series to your liking there.

To name a few:
Nodame Cantabile Classical music (completely scanlated)
Peony Pavilion ancient Chinese poetry (completely scanlated)
Sakamichi no Apollon Jazz (completely scanlated)
The Man of Tango Tango (completely scanlated)
Bartender Cocktails (regular releases)
Kami no Shizuku Wine tasting (dropped but too good to pass by)
Dr. Frost Psychology (regular releases)
All-Rounder Meguru Mixed Martial Arts (regular releases)

You can find an overview of my rating system here. Anything rated 3-4 is realistic and well-researched.

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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!

Uchuu Kyoudai - astronaut recruiting and training. btw the anime (99 ep.) is one of the best ever imo, very captivating
Ashita no Ou-sama - theater, scriptwriting
Oishii Kankei - restaurant, cooking
Otoyomegatari - intense look into culture and living in middle east

seconding Bartender, Kami no Shizuku, Dr. Frost, Nodame cantabile, Peony Pavilion and Yugo

You might also like
Silver Spoon (farming)
3-gatsu no Lion (shogi)
Nanamaru Sanbatsu (quizzes)
Supinamarada! (from ice skating to ice hockey)
perhaps Initial D (driving/ street racing)
IS - Otoko Demo Onna Demo Nai Sei (intersexuality/ hermaphroditism)
Kono Oto Tomare! (playing Koto, a traditional japanese instrument)
Katana (sword sharpening)

Tetsugaku Letra Spanish Dancing.
Shounen note Choir

Also, honourable mention to Again!!, it does have an unrealistic element (namely the main character is living his Highschool years again) but one could say it's mostly about the cheering club, which is something new and unique.

Barakamon deals a bit with calligraphy.
Bakuon!! is a humourous 4-koma slice of life with motorcycles.
The theme is used a lot more now, but Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun deals with being a mangaka.
Saijou no Meii deals with surgery & medicine.
Shoukoku no Altair is an alternate setting about the Ottoman empire.
My Girl (Sahara Mizu) deals with being a single father raising a child.


I'll second Ping Pong and Tetsugaku Letra.

Thank you so much for your reply!
Now I have tons of manga to be read haha~

@kamfreto: Yugo, 22 volume, *nangis dulu liat dompet*, harus minjem ke temen yang punya haha~ makasih..

@Ed U. Manga: yes, that's it! English isn't my native language so it's kinda hard to express my feeling. Reading something and gain a real-life knowledge (I'm quoting you XD) makes reading much more enjoyable. I'll check your list often if I need something new and refreshing. =D

Again!! Japanese cheerleading
Moon Ballet


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Favorite Art:
Oboreru Knife
19 Days
Gangsta

Kokou no Hito - Mountain-climbing
Wa ga Na wa Umishi - Scuba diving and salvaging

I really enjoyed these two

Is Bakuman not unique enough since nobody mentioned it...

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"I'll shut your mouth~~~~~ with mine~~~"

二息歩行

Golondrina, a girl that wants to be a bullfighter.
What about Tobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji? I only watched half of the anime, but the plot sounds interesting.

More random RL manga not mantioned:
Billy Bat: About everything !
Death Sweeper: Cleaning up scenes of death
Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga: Just what it says.
Gaku: Mountain Climbing/Rescue
Gin no Saji: Agriculture
Historie: About Eumenes the secretary to Alexander the Great.
Ja Ja Uma Grooming UP!: Horse Racing
Jisatsutou Not really RL but read it. It´s Walking Dead the manga with no zombies.
Kento Ankokuden Cestvs: Slavery. New translation when ?
Kounodori: Child deliver
Mashiro no Oto: About a Shamisen player. New translation when ?
Saikyou Densetsu Kurosawa: Construction work.
Superior Day: Corpe disposal.
Vinland Saga: Discovery of Vinland.
Yamikin Ushijima-kun: Dark/Realistic take on black market money-lenders.
Yawara!: Female judo.

Hunt even more here: http://mangaupdates.com/showtopic.php?tid=48756 or in my profile as i read some "unique" stuff. Male focused ballet anyone ? I maybe should have posted female demographic works(40% of my reading list) but you know where to look.
You may even find Steve Jobs about Steve Jobs.

Last edited by residentgrigo at 2:54 pm, Jan 23 2015

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