You know how all those epic series about extraordinary times (like, the world ending or empires falling) always focus on the heroes and the villains? The ones that actually change things, or are maybe even "fated" or "destined" to do so?

Well, I've had enough of that... I want a manga that focuses on "the little guy" - on the ordinary people who are living their lives in extraordinary times, but not as one of the major players or as anyone who would go down in history. Just... normal folks, trying to live from day to day, trying to keep it together, to be there for their families, lovers and friends.

An example would be a story about a tailor during WWII... Just a normal tailor doing his work and looking after his family even as the nuclear bombs are about to drop on Japan (or soon afterwards). Or maybe a story about an ordinary waitress and her first love, on a space colony which is embroiled in an intergalactic war... Or maybe a shoe-maker in a fantasy kingdom, just hanging around the fringes and making shoes, while somewhere there's a huge political struggle going on involving a prophesied "Chosen One" - all very far away from the shoe-maker's little corner of the world, which remains unaffected except for the occasional village-burning by the baddies, and the local puppet show in which the Chosen One is played by a colorful sock. Lol.

That's right - a manga ONLY about ordinary people! Not the "heroes," not the adventurers, not the generals, not the sorcerers, not the prophets or the prophesied ones, not the renegades... Just normal folks, in abnormal times.

Any recs like that? I'd really appreciate it, thanks!

Ore wa Mita
Barefoot Gen (Might be the same as the former.)
Good-bye (TATSUMI Yoshihiro)
Love Letter (SEO Kouji)
Only Words
Sunabozu
Toukyou Ubasuteyama
Yunagi no Machi Sakura no Kuni
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou
Dahlia no Obi - Summertime
Rome Rome
City in the Sea

Last edited by akari_mizunashi at 5:34 am, Jun 30 2010

Planetes and Dosei Mansion are sort of like that.
Suzu Rogu
Route 20
Island (KOMI Naoshi)
Aegis has this kind of theme on the side- but the one of the protagonists is very involved in the wars, and the other wants to (and tries to) live normally, but gets pulled into the fray all the time, so I'm not sure whether it fits here exactly.
Pure Trance - I haven't read it, and it sounds kind of trashy...so maybe.

Last edited by calstine at 9:11 pm, Jun 30 2010

THANK YOU, GODS OF B-U. *bows*

Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya? Main character is only normal character among

In the end of world category
Dragon Head
Kanojo o Mamoru 51 no Houhou

And the main group of
7 Seeds