hi guys, so i am in the mood to read a really complex, nonlinear story that has a lot of detail. i seem to really like manga that put a lot of thought into the background, putting small details in places you didn't think to look, and making things happen you never thought would.

it doesn't have to be historical but most of the ones i have read like this are. some examples of what i want would be

Song of the Long March -absolutely love this one for the realistic characters and detailed story

Tower of God -some of the second season gets a little to typical shouneny for me but the first season was very well done (it seemed like every word that was said had some meaning behind it)

Bokura no Kiseki -you have to pay attention to every little thing all the minor characters do to be able to understand everything that goes on

Shoukoku no Altair -not so much this one as the others but i liked how non linear the story was and the world was detailed.

Rakuin no Monshou (Novel) -don't even know what to say about this one, EVERYTHING is detailed, and i love it!


sorry if this is too specific of a request, oh and please no ecchi, hentai, BL/GL, smut, or adult. mature is fine as long as there are no explicit sexual scenes(like Kingdom had).

also its a plus for good art

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Please Save My Earth

Kingdom has explicit sexual scenes? I don't remember that.

Have you read Monster and 20th Century Boys? If not, these. Other stuff by the same mangaka would probably qualify too but I haven't read any.

i have read some of please save my earth but did not get far because i did not like the female MC very much but ill try it again, thanks.

and as for kingdom, yes its later on when zheng's(the king) mother has an affair with chancellor lu



i have been planning to read monster for awhile now so ill start on that one. as for 20th century boys, the art always reminded me of gintama so i didnt think it was that kind of manga haha well ill try it.
thanks for the suggestions

any more?

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Girl Queen maybe?

the manhwa itself isn't at all as y as the summary conveys.

Vampire Juuji Kai

Or virtually anything from that author.

Seconding anything by Naoki Urasawa, seconding Vampire Juuji Kai.

Adding:
Pandora Hearts: this series is pretty insane in terms of plot twists and 'characters are not whom you expected them to be.' It also does a very good job of giving each character a unique role. As a bonus, it seems to be a few chapters away from completion, so I won't describe more.

Gunka no Balzer: the story isn't that complicated, per se, however this historical is very interesting in how it explores All aspects of war including technology, military formations, public opinion, diplomacy, conspiracies, logistics and more. As a bonus, the art is gorgeous and the main character is a mix of badass and hilarious (plus he's kind of villain-y, which is suprising). Oh wait, I just noticed that you already have this on your list. My bad.

Kubera: this fits Exactly what you described. I'd rate this as several times more complicated than Tower of God. It looks deviously simple at first, but when you re-read you'll notice that even the most trivial-looking detail is actually a clue to very important events (you can re-read half a dozen times and still notice Important clues, because the story is just that big). This is essentially a mystery/drama spanning several generations, several centuries, several major historical events, over half a dozen races and several realms, and told from the point of view of ten main characters, each with their own complex history and connections, as well as several dozen side characters who Also have unique roles. By using multiple points of views and treating each character as the protagonist of his/her own life (even the so-called villains), the author does an incredible job of gradually fleshing out all the characters (for example, the author fleshes out Gandharva as a father, a husband, a friend, a teacher, a King, a villain, a victim, an idealist and a hypocrite all at the same time). The worldbuilding and characterization is quite unique too. Contrary to ToG, which starts out atypical but has become rather shounen-ish lately, Kubera starts off typical-looking but later on slaps the shit out of every single Shounen ideal/trope. Oh yeah, and there's the highly unlinear story-telling that mixes flashbacks from all sorts of events as well as brief glimpses into the future, making the whole story a huge puzzle to slowly piece together.

7 Seeds: Several teams wake up in a devastated future as part of the 7 Seeds future to preserve humanity. This story starts painful to read because it starts with the 'loser' team, but it really picks up when it switches to the other teams, plus eventually it has some of THE best group development/characterization I've seen Anywhere. The story switches from group to group (often further subdivided as the individuals get separated), and they all try to survive in this world, but the best part is easily the incredible character writing. It's hard to describe, so you'll have to read for yourself.

Oooku: Another historical, and this one is absolutely gorgeous. It's set in a fictional ancient Japan where a disease has killed off a large part of men. As a result, the story documents its slow transition from a male-dominated society to a female-dominated society, but the best thing about it is how realistic it all is. The character writing is pretty astounding.

The Umineko series: This is a murder mystery series with a highly unusual format where each arc, the story is told again, with some differences. By gathering the clues from all the arcs, you can start deducing the truth behind the events. It has a unique atmosphere and pretty unusual characters. I wish it'd tone down on the fanservice though. Taking individually, each arc may not seem like much, but taken as a whole, this is a unique reading experience.

Let's see, what else...

Ah, in my previous post I was thinking 'long story' and thus forgot Nijigahara Holograph. I really love this one and it would be difficult to find anything more complex. The art is gorgeous too - mangaka is Asano Inio.

Boku dake ga Inai Machi - Great thriller with time travel elements.

Silver Diamond - This is shounen-ai, but there's barely any romance or that much touching. (At most maybe a kiss, but I don't even remember if there was any. Hugs, for sure yes.) Wide range of characters with a very interesting world building. It's starts out slow paced, but as you get further along in the story, you realize all the "hints" were given to you early on and throughout the story.

Have you tried Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (Novel)?

Well the characters themselves aren't too complicated and the story itself isn't what I would call convoluted, however the world of magic described by the author is very detailed and specific. It goes into how the world containing magic works, how it comes to be, and it's interactions from a personal scale up to the international scale. It also does things attributed to what I like to call real sci-fi where it adheres to as many existing laws of physics as possible even as impossible it may be currently.

It's technical in that it's objective, and the main character notices everything. You might be looking for more subjective observations, which I would then ask do you read actual novels? As much as there is manga and light novels, there is a whole other world of stories that have the very distinction of being more detailed and complex as they have tons more pages to do so.

I strongly second Nijigahara Holograph. One can spend hours trying to comprehend this sinister-looking work and may never understand it fully. Still your efforts will be rewarded as it contains one of the most profoundly uplifting messages that I have ever come across.

Usotsuki Mi-kun to Kowareta Ma-chan - Totteoki no Uso by IRUMA Hitoma/ SATOU Atsuki
Short and dark mystery crime story. I found the narrator's ambiguity especially intriguing.

Doctor Du Ming by HAN Jinglong and ZHANG Jing
Psychotic thriller. The plot isn't overly complicated but it switches between two interwoven timelines. The protagonist serves as their linchpin. You will come across a few sexual scenes but they are more implicit than explicit.

SAKU Yukizo's Kurokami no Helga
Highly allegorical tale that contemplates various concepts like purity, sexuality, discrimination, sin, personal accountability as well as the independence of the mind. The style and imagery draws a lot from religion and fables.

Made in Heaven by SAKURAI Ami and YASHIKI Yukari
Slightly messy non-linear Science-fiction story about a secret cyborg's struggles. There are some minor sexually explicit panels but they are of a spotlight-like nature. The majority of the first volume is made up of snapshots that require the reader's intelligence to build a storyline. The second volume, however, is more linear and easier to follow. Not too deep but ends on an emotional note.

OKAZAKI Mari's Bathroom Guuwa
All of her stories are rich in imagery: ethereal backgrounds, odd personifications, ephemeral bits of thoughts and narration - they are an abundant source for analysis and interpretation. The title story is particularly metaphorical.

XIA Da's Peony Pavilion
The narrative may not be too challenging, however, this adaption of Chinese poems gives off a sense of depth that eludes the untaught reader.


Last edited by Tripitaka at 4:07 am, Sep 8 2014

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"Stories are what death thinks he puts an end to.
He can't understand that they end in him, but they don't end with him."
- Ursula K. Le Guin, Gifts

To be savoured:
- Blood Alone by TAKANO Masayuki
- Otoyomegatari by MORI Kaoru
- Gangsta. by Kohske
- Seishun Kouryakuhon by AKIZUKI Sorata

Billy Bat story line is one of the most komplex I can think of. Story in story, back and forth, many characters ...

Liar Game linear story line but with super strategic mind games. it's hard to follow.

Otoyomegatari amazing art, very detailed. Historic plot focuses on many characters, not only the MC.

Uchuu Kyoudai same here: complex plot with many characters divided into arcs.

And I second Oooku

looks very interesting , ill definitely try it out thanks!


i have wanted to read this one for awhile but heard that the end is pretty sad and that discouraged me. is the ending sad sad, or is it a more bitter sweet sad?


already read pandora hearts and am reading gunka no balzer and love both of them. as for kubera, my sister has been obssessed with that one for awhile and has talked about it non stop haha, but it sounds like after naver started coming out with the english version that all the other groups stopped translations of it so ill probably wait until naver has translated a decent amount until i read this one.

i have not read 7 seeds, its on my with list but i have been kinda put off by the drawings but if its really good ill read it anyway. and i havent heard of Oooku or umineko, they both look very good ill definitely try these. thanks for all the time you spent on suggesting all of these and your thoughts on them!



yeah it doesnt have to be a long story, short stories can be just as good.
i have had Nijigahara on my wish list because i heard the art is really good but i didnt know it was such a complex story, sounds like its pretty good so ill read this one now.
thanks for all your suggestions.


apparently boku dake is on my wish list haha i totally forgot about this one, thanks for reminding me of it i wouldnt want to miss one that looks this good.
i probably wont read silver diamond because its shounen ai but ill look into it more to see just how much BL there is in it.
thanks!


i have, i read the first volume of this one and loved it. but then in the 2nd volume there was just soooo many girls and it almost never showed the MC which made me stop reading it because i loved the MC and i wanted more of the MC haha. but your right about the detail, i really like perceptive characters like him.
thanks for your thoughts


it sound like Nijigahara Holograph is just what im looking for so ill definitely read that one for sure.
usotsuki mi-kun sounds like ill like it, and i have been wanting to read doctor du ming for a really long time but i saw the mature + obsessive love tag and desided against it but if it doesn't happen that often and is not really explisit then i might read it.
dont know about kurokami no helga, looks interesting but the rating isnt too good, well i sometimes like those anyway so ill try it out.
made in heaven looks short so ill probably read this one first.
mari's bathroom, hmm this one looks interesting and is also short so ill read it.
Peony Pavilion -good art + really good rating + poetry? WHY have i not heard of this one?? you Triptaka, just made my day!

wow you really suggested a lot! and almost all of them i have never heard of before. and i really like how you give credit to the author and artist when your suggest it, it shows respect to them. thank you very very much for your opinions, they are much appreciated!


never heard of billy bat so ill try this one, i have tried liar game but didnt get very far for some reason, ill try it again. and i totally agree with you with otoyomegatari the art is amazing! i have only read the first volume of this one because i wanted to read it as i buy them so i didnt know that it shows other characters perspective in it, thanks i think ill go buy the next volume now.
never heard of uchuu either, looks like a slice of life one, thanks ill try it!
thank you for all your suggs!

wow SO MANY MANGA!!!! haha thanks so much guys now i can read manga all day yay!
any more suggestions are definitely welcome!

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Vampire Juuji Kai does have a sad ending... but it's a sad ending with hope.

ok, as long as its not a hopeless sad ending that will make me feel depressed about life for a week after i read it, ill try it out. thanks


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Like educational manga? take a look at Ed U. Manga's list of manga here