
Originally Posted by
Valcherion
Hayate no Gotoku [Literal: Like Hayate [A Gust of Wind]] / Hayate the Combat Butler: Probably the only manga with over three-hundred chapters that I've stuck with. The idea is very basic,that of a poor, abandoned kid who has to work as a butler in order to not be kidnapped by the mafia to pay off his useless parents' debt, and the plot is pretty much non-existent apart from some few continuous strings here and there, but in terms of hilarity and character development, it's brilliant.
Maou Yuu Maou Yuusha: Be mine, Hero! I refuse!: Yes, I had to be that specific because there are A TON of manga adaptations with this title, and this one is probably the only one that takes the cake. Politics, economics, romance, fantasy all mixed into one - sounds a bit over-used, but its presentation and story is simply fantastic.
Minamoto-kun Monogatari: A modern take on the Hikaru Genji legend. It's basically full of cockblock [both within the story of the manga, and the fact that it only has, on average, nine pages on a monthly release basis], but it nevertheless makes for an interesting and addicting read.
Otoyomegatari: The story of several girls [and their friends and families] in some remote part of sub-Siberian Asia as they go through adulthood and face the challenges of cultural expectations a midst the tide of change enveloping the world in the late 19th/early 20th century [there is no really specific indication of when it is taking place, so I'm mostly throwing guesses based on technological and political references made throughout the story].
Necrophile of Darkside Sister: The story of a troubled young priest, Georg, as he seeks to protect his older sister who seems to be suffering from some kind of disease. Seeing as you liked Gantz, I figure you're going to like this, too. Plenty of blood, gore, intrigue, and taboo-breaking happening in here.
Solanin: Sweet little story about lovers who are also part of a band, and the main character's struggle to write a song befitting their situation. Was adapted into a movie I think in 2009 or 2010.
Gokukoku no Brynhildr: Do you believe in magic? Even if you don't, prepare to be thrown into the chaotic world of this manga, where human girls are experimented on to become 'magic users'. The protagonist is dragged into their struggles through a series of unfortunate [or fortunate?] mishaps, foremost being that one of the girls, Kuroneko, looks exactly like his missing childhood friend, Kureha. Note that this manga is written by the same person who wrote Elfen Lied, and, honestly, I think this is a much better work than that.
Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou [Daily Life with A Monster Girl]: Monster girls galore, need I say more?
Kure-nai: Same name as its anime adaptation, and the light novel from which it was adapted. It tells the story of the titular character as he struggles through daily life being an orphaned sixteen-year-old, with the help of childhood friends, romantic interests, and employers alike. Contains a healthy amount of martial arts and supernatural elements to spice up the story, as well as a dash of romance.
Aaaaaand hopefully I helped a bit. I have a ton more somewhere, just can't remember them right now. Enjoy!
One thing I didn't like about Bakuman was the terribly subtle [which probably makes it worse] misogynistic streak in it... I mean, one can argue that most animu/mango have that in them, but Bakuman was, for me, particularly sneaky about the way it laid the ideas into the audience, and it made me sort of... I don't know. For one thing, it made me stop reading it.