I began collecting manga in 2017. That year I took on the ambitious task of collecting and catching up on One Piece. I read an article on IGN about the anime and how nobody should start on the manga now, it would just be too much to catch up on - CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!
I did catch up on One Piece that year. Since 2017, I have collected Monster, Death Note, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (in hardcover), One Punch Man, My Hero Academia, Platinum End, Devilman Classic (Hardcover). I began Berserk, but am not caught up to it. I ended by the end of the Golden Age arc. I became aware of the new deluxe hardcover editions, so I am anxiously awaiting their arrival in March.
This Christmas, I was gifted a copy of Abara by Tsutomu Nihei, which I enjoyed, and three hardcover volumes of Junji Ito (Uzumaki, Tomie, and Gyo). I borrowed Uzimaki that first year from the same friend and absolutely fell in love with it.
I will continue to follow One Punch Man, One Piece, My Hero Academia, Berserk, Jojo, and Platinum End, but I feel like I want to expand a bit more into some new territory - perhaps smaller fare instead of sprawling epics.
I think first on my list will be to find Pluto and 20th Century Boys by Urasawa. Monster is one of my favorite series and it would be a disservice not to collect his other works. There are also additional Junji Ito volumes floating around (Frankenstein, Shiver, etc.).
Beyond that, I honestly don't know. Attack on Titan and Tokyo Ghoul are popular, but don't entirely speak to me - perhaps that is a mistake. Hunter x Hunter is another series that intrigues me. Vagabond, Vinland Saga, and Blade of the Immortal are also intriguing avenues to follow.
Manga has been an invaluable font for incredibly emotional story arcs. I know there is so much more left to discover off the beaten paths once I graduate from neophyte to a more sophisticated reader.
