I've been thinking of creating my own manga and I've read and research quite a few. I think the really great ones are Immortal Rain, Hana Yori Dango. It brought to my mind what makes a really good story that people good enjoy?

If anyone has any ideas for me to start one please let me know.

This is an interesting question because it really depends on what your audience is looking for. You just really have to pick something that you like and go with it. For instance, some people like the harem-ish manga, some people like the romance, etc.

As far as for what I look for in any work of fiction, I like the complex story. I like to know that the author has really put in a lot of work into something while I read it. As long as there is a plot (that doesn't seem like it was just conjured last night out of thin air), I can learn to appreciate just about anything.

Are you thinking of making manga for fun or for profit?

its different for everyone, but for me itd be interesting storyline, interesting characters, basically anything thtll keep me interested which isnt tht hard to do

and btw, good luck in tht making a manga thingy, i tried to, but it went horribly wrong

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Name: Bikuki
Date Of Birth: xx/xx/19xx
Location: XX
From: The Place That Rhymes With China.

to me, A good manga needs action, romance, comedy, fantasy, and a moral. Of course the manga also has to be realistic and have nice art.

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Life, what would it be without so much wrongs and rights?


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Well... if you ask my opinion I'd say that I really like complex plots with unpredictable elements. I really hate when I see any new twist coming from a mile away...
But you see, if you are going to write anything, well it has to be something that goes with what YOU think makes a good manga.
Because after all, everyone has different tastes... See ares6 thinks having a morale in the story is good... I hate that. I think that I'm way over the age where I need to read story's with a moral...

simple: angst, bishoujo, complex plot...umm more bishoujo.

I think an interesting plot and characters are the most important for a good manga. A manga might be able to do without one, but not both of them. For example, Hajime no Ippo is basically fight -> train -> fight, but it's still good because of the characters.

It would be extremely hard, if not impossible, to think up an original storyline. I like a storyline that I can see is actually going somewhere, and doesn't get drawn out too much on some parts. (For example, I like Bleach and all, but did we really need to spend so much time in Soul Society?)

I don't really have many things I look for in characters, but I guess the main thing is to make them somewhat realistic. I don't like characters, especially main characters, that are totally good or totally evil. They're just not interesting to read about, and I doubt many readers can identify with them. Also, I hate really naive and stupid characters. I mean, being somewhat naive is alright, and many comedy mangas depend on a naive main character. But having absolutely no idea how the real world works, and blindly trusting everybody, just isn't good.

Since you say that you really like Immortal Rain and Hana Yori Dango, I guess you prefer shoujo manga. So you don't really need to hear this, not to mention it's pretty obvious, but if your art isn't good, don't draw ecchi/fanservice.

I would have to say two major things make a good manga:

VERY good art,
and versitile(sp) characters.

When i'm at borders or where ever, the first thing i look for, is appealing art or cover to the story..(of course it has to be a good story, or that just ruins it...) but having well-drawn characters is just a boost to an addition to a good story!! ^.^ (ex: works by Matsuri HINO: MeruPuri Vampire Knight)

And i love stories with versitile characters...... in ouran high school host club...almost(stressing the almost) every character has a unique personality...and that contrast of personalities, makes it interesting. it causes compromising situations and such that are jsut fun to read about. ^^
idk...i just feel that if i'm reading a manga that has interesting, different characters, that i can really get into it and love it.

oh! also...(if you don't mind thinking alot about your story and making up stuff...) i enjoy reading stories with hidden meanings or deeper meanings and such (ex: FLCL)

That's what i personally love in manga's!! ^.^

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Cry "HAVOC!"
and let slip
the dogs of war.

Lesbians.

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haha ive been studyin all day, i needed that laugh


but on topic, good, individual characters can make even a really crappy plot memorable

Well, if by moral, you could mean political commentary, or satire or something, I would welcome that. That is one of those techniques that add intelligence to a manga, and hardly anyone uses it. Which leads me to the #1 thing I think makes a good manga...

Originality. Or if you can't have that, have it feel original.
From there it is just my superficial preferences (bad: angst, girly men, and emotionally weak people)

Oh, yes and Lesbians work too.

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Nova you ask a fun question. One million dollar question, as it is

Seriously, mangaka and authors all over the world ask that question everytime they start a new project. The answer differs every time, i am afraid.

Some says storyline and characters must be two most important quality for a great manga. Myself included in those. But do pay attention to all Oh Great's manga. Oh gods in heaven and under earth, storyline of OG is simply... sucks. His characters are okay, but not that great either. Do his manga sell well and have loyal fans? hell yes (myself included). On the other hand, storyline in IO, Pluto, Chronicles of Vampire... are very complex.

Some say Sex trump all. (Sex, as in fan service) I like sex, but it's not that important, i'm afraid. Of all the Hmanga out there, most memorable is Slut Girl. But without its characters, Slut GIrls simply cant stay above its sisters and brothers at all. And plenty of other entirely forgetable Hmanga out there.
And there's some bloody boring, doesnt-worth-downloading-let-alone-reading fanservice manga. Blue Eyes is a Hmanga serving BBW obsession fans out there. And it's okay, considering its characters, story AND sex elements.

Some say let's use the coat-tail of famous names out there. But game/film/anime-derived manga are not necessary good. Plenty of FF7 doujinshi out there. Any worth remember? Nope (again, my opinion only).

So what's my advice as a manga avid reader? You must attract your readers to what you are doing. Either by storyline, or by characters, or by fan-service. You maybe crappy in what you do, but if the readers are sucked into your works, they will forgive you, ignore your shortcomings and focus on your best features.

An example of Oh Great: his characters are so-so, but his arts are simply breath-taking (Aya with the scene of katana at the first vols is a big drawing card of Tenjo Tenge). And the relations betweeen various girls/boys couple with sex suck readers right in. But gods! his physics details as well as story development is ... bleeh

on the contrary, Shirow Masamune suck the readers in by characters and SF elements/details.His world is huge, his details are minutes and pretty accurate. From Appleseed to Ghost in The Shell... his manga has a rereadablity quality of 7. HIs fanservice is there, but not important compared to other qualities.

But, as the creator, only you can experience and know what is working for you. Our advices are from readers stand point only.

Good luck! And have fun!

this might be jumping ahead a bit but i guess an ending which doesnt totally piss everyone off wouldnt hurt

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| One Punch Man | Noblesse | Nanatsu no Taizai | Gun x Clover |

Things that will keep me reading:

#1 - Interesting, believable characters that I can actually care about.

#2 - Plot that keeps me wondering what will happen next, how the problem will be resolved, etc.

#3 - Comedy! My life, and the world in general, could use a lot more laughter. (^_~)

Great/pretty art is nice, but art alone will not make me read or drop a series.

Any one of those three things will generally keep me reading, but the manga that combine ate least two are the ones I'll stick with in the long run, and manga with all three are the ones I buy in English and Japanese (no, I can't actually read much Japanese) and read over and over.

I really don't mind a bit of "willing suspension of disbelief" - an example would be Tokyo Crazy Paradise, which has great characters, plot, and comedy, but you have to kind of ignore the fact that they're all supposed to be about 14 years old. The art isn't exactly "pretty" most of the time, in fact sometimes it's downright odd looking, but it gets the job done.

And yeah - a good ending helps.

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"[English] not only borrows words from other languages; it has on occasion chased other languages down dark alley-ways, clubbed them unconscious and rifled their pockets for new vocabulary."
-James Nicoll, can.general, March 21, 1992