Manga
*Disclaimer: I am not caught up on these series yet (except Yotsubato!), so some objectionable content information may not be complete. Be that as it may, I will try to update as I catch up, but it should still give you an idea of what tends to be in each manga.
Liar Game
A dubious organization is hosting games to determine the best liar for reasons unknown. The stakes are high, and one has to win enough money to just get out of the game. One guy named Akiyama Shinnichi, with his sharp wits, and his friend, Kanzaki Nao, with her naive honesty, decide to make it to the top to find out what the Liar Game really is and help others to escape along the way.
There is a Jdrama for this, but I wouldn't recommend it. It just doesn't work for this kind of story. It just made a serious story silly.
Objectionable Content: I have not yet read it all, but have not been alerted to anything. One character is a transvestite, and there are some bountiful (but covered) breasts sometimes. One of the chapters' cover pages early on includes Nao nude, but the important parts are covered by a portrait of Akiyama. This is the only instance of anything like this anywhere in the manga. There is a brief instance of violence against an animal at the end of the contraband game, but there is no blood. There is also a cult in one of the arcs, and their beliefs are explained, although it is these beliefs that Nao struggles to dispel in making friends with one of the cult members.
Genres: Detective, suspense, psychological
A dubious organization is hosting games to determine the best liar for reasons unknown. The stakes are high, and one has to win enough money to just get out of the game. One guy named Akiyama Shinnichi, with his sharp wits, and his friend, Kanzaki Nao, with her naive honesty, decide to make it to the top to find out what the Liar Game really is and help others to escape along the way.
There is a Jdrama for this, but I wouldn't recommend it. It just doesn't work for this kind of story. It just made a serious story silly.
Objectionable Content: I have not yet read it all, but have not been alerted to anything. One character is a transvestite, and there are some bountiful (but covered) breasts sometimes. One of the chapters' cover pages early on includes Nao nude, but the important parts are covered by a portrait of Akiyama. This is the only instance of anything like this anywhere in the manga. There is a brief instance of violence against an animal at the end of the contraband game, but there is no blood. There is also a cult in one of the arcs, and their beliefs are explained, although it is these beliefs that Nao struggles to dispel in making friends with one of the cult members.
Genres: Detective, suspense, psychological
Touhou Series
Silent Sinner in Blue (manga)
Cage in Lunatic Runegate (written work; read after Silent Sinner in Blue)
Inaba of the Moon and Inaba of the Earth (4-koma manga)
Eastern and Little Nature Deity (3 Fairies manga series 1)
Strange and Bright Nature Deity (3 Fairies manga series 2)
Oriental Sacred Place (3 Fairies manga series 3)
Wild and Horned Hermit (ongoing manga)
Forbidden Scrollery (ongoing manga)
Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red (written work) Curiosities of Lotus Asia (written work)
I am a fan of the danmaku shooters as well, of which there are 18, Impossible Spellcard having just been released. There are also 4 fighters. Playing those first or at least reading synopses and other game content on Touhou Wiki would be recommended; despite being a series of shooter games, there is a lot of story and characterization to it. There are other written works, such as Perfect Memento in a Strict Sense, The Grimoire of Marisa, and Symposium of Post mysticism, but most of those are more lore and pretty dry. Even Curiosities of Lotus Asia approaches that dryness, but it's got some interesting stories. Extra of the Wind and Memorizable Gensokyo are short manga and don't have any real significant content to them.
See my Doujin Game Section for more details.
Objectionable Content: Being based heavily off Japanese mythology, magic, Shinto, and Buddhism, this may bother some people. It's a generally comical and light-hearted series and doesn't usually take it very seriously though. Curiosities in Lotus Asia probably has the most religious-type lore. There is no fan service in official works, despite the fact that almost the entire cast, save 4 characters (2 being merely alluded to, one being a chagrined narrator, and one being a turtle) are female. I would avoid fan works for the most part.
Genres: mystery, mythology, supernatural, comedy, slice-of-life
Silent Sinner in Blue (manga)
Cage in Lunatic Runegate (written work; read after Silent Sinner in Blue)
Inaba of the Moon and Inaba of the Earth (4-koma manga)
Eastern and Little Nature Deity (3 Fairies manga series 1)
Strange and Bright Nature Deity (3 Fairies manga series 2)
Oriental Sacred Place (3 Fairies manga series 3)
Wild and Horned Hermit (ongoing manga)
Forbidden Scrollery (ongoing manga)
Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red (written work) Curiosities of Lotus Asia (written work)
I am a fan of the danmaku shooters as well, of which there are 18, Impossible Spellcard having just been released. There are also 4 fighters. Playing those first or at least reading synopses and other game content on Touhou Wiki would be recommended; despite being a series of shooter games, there is a lot of story and characterization to it. There are other written works, such as Perfect Memento in a Strict Sense, The Grimoire of Marisa, and Symposium of Post mysticism, but most of those are more lore and pretty dry. Even Curiosities of Lotus Asia approaches that dryness, but it's got some interesting stories. Extra of the Wind and Memorizable Gensokyo are short manga and don't have any real significant content to them.
See my Doujin Game Section for more details.
Objectionable Content: Being based heavily off Japanese mythology, magic, Shinto, and Buddhism, this may bother some people. It's a generally comical and light-hearted series and doesn't usually take it very seriously though. Curiosities in Lotus Asia probably has the most religious-type lore. There is no fan service in official works, despite the fact that almost the entire cast, save 4 characters (2 being merely alluded to, one being a chagrined narrator, and one being a turtle) are female. I would avoid fan works for the most part.
Genres: mystery, mythology, supernatural, comedy, slice-of-life
Yotsubato!
About the cutest little girl in the world named Yotsuba and her daily life where everything is awesome.
Objectionable content: None whatsoever. Unless you count being incredibly cute as a sin.
Genres: Slice-of-life, comedy
About the cutest little girl in the world named Yotsuba and her daily life where everything is awesome.
Objectionable content: None whatsoever. Unless you count being incredibly cute as a sin.
Genres: Slice-of-life, comedy
Manhwa
The Gamer
There is a high school boy, Han Jee-Han, who suddenly and inexplicably receives the power of an MMORPG character. That is, everything that he does is related in game terms, such as gaining levels, skills, stats, equips and titles. He ends up involved in some mysterious circumstances because of these new powers.
Objectionable content: I have not yet caught up, but have not been alerted to anything to watch out for. Poong Sae-Yong is often kind of fanservice-y. There is one panel in one of the 40-something-chapters where Han Jee-Han imagines Kwon Shi Shi-Yun with her shirt open because he misunderstood something that she said. His witch mentor is flirty with him.
Genres: Comedy, adventure, slice-of-life, videogames
There is a high school boy, Han Jee-Han, who suddenly and inexplicably receives the power of an MMORPG character. That is, everything that he does is related in game terms, such as gaining levels, skills, stats, equips and titles. He ends up involved in some mysterious circumstances because of these new powers.
Objectionable content: I have not yet caught up, but have not been alerted to anything to watch out for. Poong Sae-Yong is often kind of fanservice-y. There is one panel in one of the 40-something-chapters where Han Jee-Han imagines Kwon Shi Shi-Yun with her shirt open because he misunderstood something that she said. His witch mentor is flirty with him.
Genres: Comedy, adventure, slice-of-life, videogames
Tower of God
There is a giant tower that everyone in this world lives in. Most live on the outside, but some are chosen to climb it. Getting to the top grants them a wish for anything they want. One boy named 25th Baam enters the tower to chase his friend Rachel, and makes new friends on the way. However, there is unrest within the tower, and the group is swept up in a plot of political intrigue.
I absolutely love this one. It almost makes me want to learn Korean just to read this in its native language, just to understand the characters better.
I will tell you right now, Yu Han Sung is a male.
Objectionable content: There is some blood, but nothing to be squeamish over. There is a single awkward panel in Volume One with the introduction to the Princess Anak's past, but it is not explicit. There is a brief section later on where Princess Androssi wears a bikini, but there is nothing particularly fan-service-like about it and the women are all treated with dignity. There is a scene in Volume Two where 2 male characters are nude, but it is not explicit visually (the important parts are not drawn) or plot-wise (they were lab subjects) and it was mostly from a distance or panned up.
Genres: Supernatural, adventure, action, drama, comedy
There is a giant tower that everyone in this world lives in. Most live on the outside, but some are chosen to climb it. Getting to the top grants them a wish for anything they want. One boy named 25th Baam enters the tower to chase his friend Rachel, and makes new friends on the way. However, there is unrest within the tower, and the group is swept up in a plot of political intrigue.
I absolutely love this one. It almost makes me want to learn Korean just to read this in its native language, just to understand the characters better.
I will tell you right now, Yu Han Sung is a male.
Objectionable content: There is some blood, but nothing to be squeamish over. There is a single awkward panel in Volume One with the introduction to the Princess Anak's past, but it is not explicit. There is a brief section later on where Princess Androssi wears a bikini, but there is nothing particularly fan-service-like about it and the women are all treated with dignity. There is a scene in Volume Two where 2 male characters are nude, but it is not explicit visually (the important parts are not drawn) or plot-wise (they were lab subjects) and it was mostly from a distance or panned up.
Genres: Supernatural, adventure, action, drama, comedy