manga I think about long after they're done

Before this piece I actually doubted the long scrolling manhwa as an artform. After this work I genuinely began to believe that the manhwa format is a vehicle for art, so long as the artist and the message rings as true as this work. Short read, lovely.

It takes a lot for me to respect a yandere romance. I think the dynamicism of the relationship suits the intense yakuza politics well, and the romance itself lends to an extreme chemistry that holds up well in high stakes.

An author that truly loves to people watch. There's a quintessential love of humanity that grows with each chapter, and you can tell because even in the stillness of frames there is something growing. Even in the joy and actionable frames, there is something growing. Even in the most miserable frames, something is growing.

Read the official webtoon translations if possible. My nominee for best localized manhwa ever. The writing shoots it up to a modern classic, queerness and all. A psychological manhwa that transfixes on who is more repressed and who can come out on top because of it. Brilliant drama ripe with projection. Go in blind.

I think art is about realizing the conjoined shame and joy of being surface level, then subsequently diving deeper into a world you may not truly understand. Then coming back up to the surface and experiencing that joy again, after realizing the shame is also part of the journey.

One of my contenders for favorite shounen of all time. People talk so much about the art but what about want of connection? What about not truly understanding how valued you are in the world until you work hard to make those connections? What about the payoff of putting your whole heart into growing?

My other contender for favorite shonen. This is one of those "you're going to have to trust me on this one" because the hypersexuality and hyperviolence is actually a vehicle for some insane critical thinking. My skeptical reading paid off after arc 2, though I hope the momentum of arc 2 continues to keep growing and growing. Eccentric. Movie-like direction wherein there are often shockwaves to the audience long after a plot point is set in motion, even if Denji himself doesn't know how to feel.

Read on Webtoon if possible. My favorite webtoon currently. Romance melded with nostalgia.

Incredibly sharp writing that competes with the best of the best power scaling shonen of all time. In my opinion the power system, protagonist, world building and intrigue is beyond stellar. Read on Webtoon if possible to simply support the author but mangago actually has the true version here too. Has potential to be an all time great.

Ahead of its time, dystopian cyberpunk where psychic powers disrupt the political balance of the world. Masterpiece.