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The source material for the most famous anime film of all time, the manga of Akira surpasses even its cinematic interpretation.

Katsuhiro Otomo combines awesome artwork with strong characterisation and an unbelievably engrossing storyline to create an absolutely epic tale of a future apocalypse.  Presenting characters that are neither good nor evil, Otomo explores the motivations and feelings of each in depth, causing you to support and identify with them from early in the story.  The changes of pace and scale are handled superbly, and the action, horror and emotion of the story are given full reign as the tale masterfully recounts events on a citywide scale but still manages to focus on the individual.  An absolute masterpiece in every sense, the manga makes even the film look ordinary, and very few stories can even come near its depth and power. 

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Rumiko Takahashi, a woman famous for her romantic comedy stories, showed her darker side with this action packed horror tale.

Drawing on her own short stories and past brief forays into horror, Takahashi creates her most serious tale yet, but also retains the romance, fun and strong characterisation that made her previous series so popular.  Assembling a cast of likeable, well defined characters, and throwing in her most intriguing, sprawling and action packed story to date, Takahashi takes the reader on a journey through the violent Japan of legend, packed with mythological creatures and demons.  The romance is handled in the same way as her previous series, but what sets this apart is not only the superb action but also the frequently disturbing and gory horror, which will often catch you off guard.   Superbly drawn, this is one of the best multi-genre series available.

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Although in a similar mould to series such as Tenchi Muyo, Love Hina stands apart as a well written, frequently hilarious and often moving romance.

Rising above its clichéd premise (geeky man ends up in a house full of beautiful women who all seem to fancy him) with a combination of strong plotting, great art and excellent characterisation, Love Hina is one of the best romantic comedies available.  The story manages to avoid repetition and there is genuine character development, with each character visibly changing over time.  The comedy is excellent, sometimes reaching the point of absurdity but always rescuing itself in time, and the romance is modern and touching, often on a par with Maison Ikkoku.  The drawing is clear and stylish and the whole thing has a very contemporary feel that is missing from many romantic comedies.  A successful combination of insane comedy and moving romance, Love Hina rises above most of its peers. 

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The least sprawling and most focused of Rumiko Takahashi's series, Maison Ikkoku is a real gem.

Packed with her trademark comedy, romance and strong characterisation, the series is arguably her best.  A fairly straight romantic comedy, with no fantasy or sci-fi elements, Maison Ikkoku is packed with great characters and truly moving moments.  The artwork, as usual, is superb and perfectly augments the story, whilst the comedy is excellent and doesn't overwhelm proceedings.  Takahashi paces the story well and the characters develop right up to the closing chapters, which are handled with great skill and successfully and satisfyingly tie up all of the loose ends the series has created.  Some of the scenes in Maison Ikkoku are amongst the most moving you will read and the dialogue is awesome.  A must read, this is the yardstick all romantic comedies should be measured by.

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The only manga by the master animator Hayao Miyazaki to reach these shores, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind proves his skill not only lies in films.

Taking the author over 12 years to complete between other projects, Nausicaä is an absolutely epic tale with a strong ecological message.  Unbelievably detailed artwork combined with awesome characterisation, with the principal character being one of the best ever created, in a story that is on a par with Akira.  Action packed with some truly moving moments, Miyazaki changes the pace effortlessly and successfully manages to follow several different subplots without ever losing sense of the whole story.  Detailing the feelings and experiences of an almost messianic figure and her effect on others with a power that has you hanging on every word, Miyazaki creates a work that puts most other manga to shame.  An absolute classic that has few equals.

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They say the best things come to those who wait, and that is certainly true of those following the Neon Genesis Evangelion manga.

Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's take on Hideaki Anno's nihilistic epic is a triumph, with superb and highly detailed artwork coupled with his own vision of the Evangelion saga. 

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Following her long running and immensely successful manga Urusei Yatsura was always going to be a hard task.  However, Rumiko Takahashi cemented her reputation with the anarchic comedy of Ranma 1/2.

Running at an epic 38 volumes, Ranma 1/2 is packed with some of the most insane and funny martial arts battles you will ever see, including martial arts tea ceremonies and martial arts calligraphy.  Using the seemingly gimmicky idea of characters that change form with a splash of water to great effect, Takahashi gives another dimension to her characters and creates one of the most enjoyable and infectious mangas you'll read.  Her clear art and strong characterisation is once again much in evidence and the whole series is underpinned by a great sense of fun.  Infinitely re-readable, you will never tire of the hilarious battles and likeable characters, great fun for everybody.