The Christmas holidays are the ideal time to introduce an amateur or a neophyte to the rich universe of manga. We offer here five series, some recent, others older, to slip under the tree. This eclectic selection will delight, we hope, the shonen enthusiast as much as the fan of complex plots or the amateur, the lover of magical girl. Happy reading
Saint Seiya: Lost Canvas. The worthy heir
Saint Seiya is the bible su shonen. Often cited (the samurai of the eternal), rarely equaled, manga has declined in series, sequels, animated films or soon a live film. To enter a rich and complex universe, why not start with the best manga series (since the original) retracing the previous holy war. 
In addition to a beautiful and modernized drawing, the series lifts the veil on the past of important characters and multiplies moments of bravery while deepening the cultural syncretism between the mythologies of the world. The icing on the cake, it is drawn by the talented Shiori Teshirogi, a mangaka (which is unusual for a shonen) who brings a touch of refreshing femininity while admirably understanding the meaning of the work. The series is available in its entirety from Kurokawa Publishing.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica : the magical girl in force
Puella Magi Madoka Magica was first a huge editorial success in Japan when it was released in 2011 as an anime series, also hailed by critics and the public. She was also treated to three excellent feature films. All that was missing was a France release of the paper work, a wish realized since December of this year. And what a huge surprise. 
Puelle Magi Madoka Magica is a work that breaks the codes of genre and narrative. This manga reinvents the image of magical girl, borrowing as much from Sailor Moon as from Dark City or Haruhi Suzumiya. Funny, sad, melancholic, baroque, epithets are lacking to describe a work aimed at any public regardless of genre or age.
Billy Bat: In the Shadow of the Bat
Urasawa's work has already been praised by our authors (see here the review of the manga Pluto). With Billy Bat, Naoki Urasawa delivers a sum of work that will delight lovers of investigations, mysteries, adventures, conspiracies and cultural references of all kinds. Summarizing the story is a challenge in itself. It takes as its starting point the investigation conducted in Japan by Kevin Yamagata, Japanese-American cartoonist and inventor of the cartoon character Billy Bat. He has indeed learned that a character, identical to his own, exists in the land of the rising sun. 
From this research stems a chain of events that will revisit the Cold War, the conquest of space, the Walt Disney mystery, medieval Japan, the history of E.U.Has.Only one thing seems to connect these disparate elements: a mysterious bat. Fans of the Lost, Dark series, will be delighted by this manga that masters from start to finish its ambitious concept. The series is available from Pika.
Dimension W: Cowboy Bebop meets Edgar and Ghost in the shell
With Dimension W, you enter a science fictional universe where humanity has seemingly found the answer to energy challenges using coils, inexhaustible batteries drawing their resource from a parallel dimension. But this prosperous future is built on unspoken things that Kyoma Mabuchi, a bounty hunter, a specialist in tracking illegal coils sellers, will have to discover. 
The series completed in 16 volumes available at Ki-Oon is a compendium of actions, reflection, mysteries. Built as a series of seemingly independent investigations, it will quickly focus on the secrets surrounding this miraculous energy. Carried by a charismatic hero who has nothing to envy to the nonchalance of Egar of the burglar or the cynicism of Spike Spiegel, the manga reserves big surprises until a prodigious finale.
No Longer rangers: who is behind the Biomen?
The Dragon Keepers are the last line of defense of planet earth. And they have a lot to do to repel the evil army whose forces are trying to enslave humanity. Admired, adored, they form a squadron whose members are carefully chosen and whose battles are followed by millions of spectators. But what if all this was just a show? In reality, the invasion was stopped 12 years ago. The alien leaders have been eliminated, only the basic soldiers remain, who have been spared provided they lend themselves to a masquerade: losing again and again in front of the cameras. 
With this basic premise, Negi Haruba offers a funny and satirical manga taking as hero one of these basic soldiers who decides to put an end to this imposture. He will then discover who is really hiding behind the masks of the Dragon Keepers. Halfway between Bioman and Alan Moore's Top 10 , this manga scratches with humor the world of superheroes and the power of staging. The series is currently being published by Editions Pika. We wish you beautiful readings and happy Christmas.
