My favorite manga. While some of the history facts are simplified to appeal to mainstream readers, ROV has some of the best character development I've ever seen, and ably deals with themes of independence and freedom through both the Revolution and the show's wide and diverse cast. Oscar is the strongest person I know; she tackles gender issues and feminism in a way better than any other character... k2f5t

Finally, a shonen fighting manga where all the characters have well-developed backstories and the main character is actually SMART! If you're sick of lunkheads like One Piece's Luffy and the childish moralizing of Naruto, than here's a dark fantasy fighting series you could take seriously.

Sweet Blue Flowers is even softer and more slice-of-life than Marimite, plus it has more overt yuri. While most of the relationships in Marimite are ambiguous deep friendships between girls with only a few crossing the territory into solid romance, SBF is obvious shojo-ai, with a confirmed lesbian relationship established in the first chapter, and almost every female character has at least a...