I was sitting around thinking about my favorite manga and noticed that I never made a list of my favorite artwork. Sometimes because the series are so enjoyable I always forget about how it actually looks so here are my top 5 favorite drawn series in no particular order.
Dragon Ball/Z
Dragon Ball is an underrated pick as not many people have read the manga but watched the anime instead. Though I love the 90's anime aesthetic, the manga was a gem, a dirty gem that people neglect to talk about. The way Toriyama uses space and lines to bring not only his characters but the scenery as well to life is amazing considering everything is in black and white, drawn with ink. His artwork may seem simple at times but with a closer look you can tell how detailed everything is. On top of this, nothing seems out of place. Even things in the distance are still drawn amazingly next to things from up close.
Gintama
I love the Gintama artwork. Its always so clean and refined even when there are no major events happening. I can't recall a single moment of Gintama having mediocre artwork. My favorite aspect may be the way Hideaki draws clothing. Clothing in Gintama honestly makes the man and when its drawn so beautifully it now becomes apart of the character and not something extra to draw. The details in making it separate from the person at the same time is amazing. Facial expressions are also always on point. And during fights, spacing is very important as nothing feels cluttered, everything is very crisp.
Sun Ken Rock
Maybe my favorite art here as Bochi always takes his time with every single detail he can. The way he draws hair and abs is memorizing. At times it seems like the characters are coming right off my computer screen.The character veins are also drawn proportionately. My favorite part maybe the way he draws aura or his use of black to convey not only emotions but scenery and thoughts as well. Not only do you see whats happening but the artwork makes you feel it as well. There is not a dull moment with the art drawn here. There are times where he uses water color for the suits or most of the clothing Ken wears and its gorgeous.
Berserk
Is there much to say about Berserk's artwork besides it being godly? The way the Guts's Black Swordsmen Armor is drawn is beautifully. It actually looks like a shiny coat of metal and seeing it against a white backdrop makes it pop even more. Of course I also love the way the dragons and other demons are drawn, the scenery and how close he pays attention to detail on mountains, scales and buildings.
Hajime No Ippo
The reason I love the Hajime no Ippo artwork so much is because of how realistic it gets. Unlike all other series that have that polished gloss of an extra hint of realism, because Ipo is a sports manga it actually looks like regular people with regular faces, bodies and such. Granted these are boxers but you can see how chiseled they are but more importantly you can tell how tall, short, ugly or thick someone actually is if they were real. Also the fights are drawn almost easily with how clean they are. I'm never confused as to what's happening. Then there are scenes that are supposed to feel significant, they look significant as well. Just look at how Ippo was rocked.
Honorable Mentions
Toriko, Fairy Tail, One Piece, Binbougami ga, Nanatsu no Taizai
Dragon Ball is an underrated pick as not many people have read the manga but watched the anime instead. Though I love the 90's anime aesthetic, the manga was a gem, a dirty gem that people neglect to talk about. The way Toriyama uses space and lines to bring not only his characters but the scenery as well to life is amazing considering everything is in black and white, drawn with ink. His artwork may seem simple at times but with a closer look you can tell how detailed everything is. On top of this, nothing seems out of place. Even things in the distance are still drawn amazingly next to things from up close.
Gintama
I love the Gintama artwork. Its always so clean and refined even when there are no major events happening. I can't recall a single moment of Gintama having mediocre artwork. My favorite aspect may be the way Hideaki draws clothing. Clothing in Gintama honestly makes the man and when its drawn so beautifully it now becomes apart of the character and not something extra to draw. The details in making it separate from the person at the same time is amazing. Facial expressions are also always on point. And during fights, spacing is very important as nothing feels cluttered, everything is very crisp.
Sun Ken Rock
Maybe my favorite art here as Bochi always takes his time with every single detail he can. The way he draws hair and abs is memorizing. At times it seems like the characters are coming right off my computer screen.The character veins are also drawn proportionately. My favorite part maybe the way he draws aura or his use of black to convey not only emotions but scenery and thoughts as well. Not only do you see whats happening but the artwork makes you feel it as well. There is not a dull moment with the art drawn here. There are times where he uses water color for the suits or most of the clothing Ken wears and its gorgeous.
Berserk
Is there much to say about Berserk's artwork besides it being godly? The way the Guts's Black Swordsmen Armor is drawn is beautifully. It actually looks like a shiny coat of metal and seeing it against a white backdrop makes it pop even more. Of course I also love the way the dragons and other demons are drawn, the scenery and how close he pays attention to detail on mountains, scales and buildings.
Hajime No Ippo
The reason I love the Hajime no Ippo artwork so much is because of how realistic it gets. Unlike all other series that have that polished gloss of an extra hint of realism, because Ipo is a sports manga it actually looks like regular people with regular faces, bodies and such. Granted these are boxers but you can see how chiseled they are but more importantly you can tell how tall, short, ugly or thick someone actually is if they were real. Also the fights are drawn almost easily with how clean they are. I'm never confused as to what's happening. Then there are scenes that are supposed to feel significant, they look significant as well. Just look at how Ippo was rocked.
Honorable Mentions
Toriko, Fairy Tail, One Piece, Binbougami ga, Nanatsu no Taizai
Garser Dismuke is a writer for Blerdsonline.com as well as Garserspoetry.com
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