Manga, Japan's new cultural export, caters for grownups as much as the little ones. Here's a selection to explore this relatively new medium by.

Literature is as good as its ability to release emotional tension and refresh the mind. Manga, the Japanese comic medium, is no exception to this. Because most manga marketing campaigns in the West concentrate on younger target audiences, older readers tend not to know that they are exceptionally well catered for. Here are some popular titles for you to explore the medium by:

Berserk

Writer/Illustrator: Kentaro Miura

The setting of Berserk is inspired by Medieval Europe- the reader is able to witness the graphic violence of war first hand, as well as witch hunts and other gory pastimes. Our protagonist, the anti-hero Gutts, was born from his mother’s corpse hanging from a tree. He is saved by a mercenary’s lover and so starts his life as a sword wielding mercenary warrior.

Berserk’s illustrations are beyond the imagination- if ever Hell had to be depicted Miura would be the man to do it. Miura’s not afraid to spend hundreds upon hundreds of pages developing a character, their bonds with others, their romantic and sexual relationships, their dreams and goals, only to have said character viciously killed and their dismembered body used to adorn a battle axe.

Berserk is also a tragic love story and answers how far one is willing to go for a loved one that has changed into a different person.

Read the first volume and you’ll be hooked.

Emma

Writer/Illustrator: Kaoru Mori

Emma is a historical romance manga set in the end of the 19th century. So far as romance manga go, this is as good as they get. Emma, a maid, and William Jones, a member of the gentry, fall in love at first sight. The latter’s family disapproves and threatens to disinherit William and so starts the story of forbidden love.

The mangaka, Kaoru Mori, is a self-professed Anglophile and she even hired a historical consultant to ensure the accuracy of her story. The first four volumes of Emma are masterpieces but the following three just can’t keep up the pace in my opinion- even though they do conclude the story well. Despite this, Emma and William can rival Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy easily.

Furi Kuri (FLCL)

Writer: Yoji Enokido

Illustrator: Hajime Ueda

FLCL is about a young boy getting run over by a Rickenbacker 4001 bass playing alien on a Vespa scooter, and then having his alter-ego robot grow out of his head. Highly recommended for grownup artist/musician/manga lovers.

Battle Royale

Writer/Illustrator: Koushun Takami and Masayuki Taguchi

It’s a good thing that sadistically violent stories like Battle Royale are hard to come by- nevertheless, this manga is thoroughly entertaining despite its infatuation with sex and graphic violence. The premise for the story: A bunch of senior high school students get put on an island to kill each other for a reality television show. If they refuse to kill their classmates, or try and escape, they are killed by the show's producer by means of an explosive collar around their neck. The one who doesn’t die is the winner and gets to rejoin society.

After reading Battle Royale you’ll never see your classmates or workmates the same- if you were all put on an island where the last one surviving was the winner, who would be killed off first? Who would kill who? Who would try and kill you? Entertaining procrastination to say the least.

Battle Royale is just as famous for its gore as it is for its portrayal of the human instinct to survive and the concept of friendship and alliances.

Click here to go to the original Manga for Grownups.