Good Manga Series That Are Only 1-3 Volumes Long?

Okay, so I'm helping out someone at work with a project and they need suggestions for manga that only have 1 - 3 volumes in them. I can think of a few, but I'd like to give them a good selection to choose from.

The Stipulations:

1) It can't be rated any higher than OT/16+

3) It needs to have some sort of "theme" if possible (i.e. bullying, single parent household, etc.) and it doesn't have to be a "major" theme

4) One volume is preferred, but must not exceed three

5) Must be published and available for purchase in the U.S. (No Out of Print titles please)

Thank you, in advance for all of your help and suggestions! ^_^

Azumanga Daioh only has 3 volumes, doesn't it? (Ah, according to the touchstone list it's 4 - but I think I saw that the new Viz editions are only 3 volumes?)

Actually...I think Azumanga is an omnibus book now, but omnibuses are excellent suggestions too, because for the purpose of the project (a book club) they're viewed as just one book. :) Thanks!

not simple. Surely it can't be rated over that. It would make some good discussions

>4 shinkeikaku:

Because it's for a teen library book discussion group, no, it can't be rated any older than that. I had to be very persuasive to even get them to agree to 16+; originally they were only going to allow 13+ and younger. :(

I'm actually really surprised only one person has posted a rec - I know there aren't a lot of titles that fit the requirements...I've got a few personal favorites in ming, but I was hoping to get some other people's favorites as well.

Maybe some of my ideas will get some discussion going. Here are one's I was considering:

Azumanga Daioh Omnibus
Be With Me
Clover Omnibus
Darker Than Black Omnibus
Socrates in Love

(more to come later)

I've actually been trying to think of more, but most of them seem to be 4+ volumes, or else aren't licensed in English yet. :(

Yeah, I really wanted them to use Imadoki...but it's two volumes too many. :( But thank you for continuing to think about other suggestions. ^_^

I'm having trouble coming up with things that are shorter than four or five volumes (very few of which have been collected as ommibuses). Out of curiosity, why the limit to three volumes max?

most of my 1-to-3-volume recommendations are not yet available in english... although ai yazawa has been pretty popular up in the states, so if kagen no tsuki is available in english (i see it on amazon, but is that really a guarantee of anything?), that might be a pretty good one. it's more juvenile than young adult.. but it deals with a few elementary school students trying to solve the mystery of a ghost/trapped spirit (whose only memory is the name "adam") that seems to be haunting an abandoned house.

>8 shadrach_anki:
The limit is due to our limited funds. A copy of each title is bought for each member of the club, of which there are nine. Even at only three volumes each, that's a lot of money for just one session. However, they've specifically requested manga be included in the club, so we're trying to do that.

>9 lilasia:
oops, the amazon listing was for a german volume.

>11 lilasia:
Yeah, according to ANN, it's only been translated into French and German. :(
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=5717

Aya Nakahara (Love*Com) wrote a few stories that were only two or three volumes long, such as Nanaco Robin, Ringo Nikki, Benkyou Shinasai!, and Love! Love! Love!, but NONE of them are licensed, even though they're all really cute. Not at the level of Lovely*Complex, but they're also written earlier than that one...

And, of course, it was those that jumped to mind as having the first three conditions, but not the fourth. :( (Another problem is that they might be a bit too girly for some of the teens.)

I've looked at the Yen Press catalogue in the past, but it seems like most of the titles that might be shorter are ongoing. (Also, every time I see the One Fine Day by Sirial, I wish I could get my hands on a preview of it. It looks like it's probably really cute?)

BUT now that I'm clicking every single title and there are several that are only one or two volumes, but a lot of the summaries seem kind of underwhelming to me. So maybe you could try going down the page and seeing if any might be appealing to your group? http://yenpress.com/?page_id=4

Some titles: 2 volumes: Suzunari!, Forest of Gray City, Kieli ; 1 volume: Crimson Shell, The History of the West Wing, An Ideal World ; 3 volumes: Kaze no Hana...

I actually never took the time to look closely at every single title on the list before, so I'm finding a lot that are making me want to sign up with paperbackswap to see if I could snag. :P

Time Stranger Kyoko by Arina Tanemura is 3 volumes, and I think it came out in English, though if it did it's long out of print. :(

>13 keristars:
Oooh, yeah, Yen Press has some interesting ones. I'll have to go through my collection and read the ones I own. ^_^;

Has anyone read Yanshu Yu's Step? It sounds promising...but I don't own it.

>5 purpledragon42:
I meant I don't think the manga not simple can be rated 16+, but I don't know where that info is for English releases.

>16 shinkeikaku:
Ah, I'm sorry. I completely misunderstood. ^_^; I didn't realize you were referring to Ono's manga - I thought you were saying it was "not simple" to find manga rated less than 16+ *blushes* Sorry for the confusion. Viz is the U.S. licensor, so I was able to find the age rating on their website.

http://www.viz.com/products/products.php?product_id=8750

The rating is good, but I haven't read not simple yet and I don't own it, can you tell me a bit about the story? Why do you think it would make good discussion?

You have quite a few requirements, lol.
Here is simply a list of short manga:

Gunslinger Girl = 3 volumes, age 15+
Peppermint = 4 volumes
Steady Beat = 3 volumes
Princess Ai = 3 volumes
Paradise kiss = 5 volumes
Forbidden Dance = 4 volumes
Angelic Layer = 5 volumes
Dramacon = 3 volumes

Is Gunslinger Girl complete at 3 volumes? I was pretty sure that it's got at least 8 (and Wikipedia says there are 12, and it's still ongoing).

>19 keristars: my source said 3, but I could be wrong. I read the first volume, and it seems to be just short stories with the same principal of the girls with the guns

Wikipedia looks like they got about 6 translated into English, and then 6+ more that haven't been done yet. It was ADV and it's been a few years since the last one, so who knows if it will be. It does get to be a pretty involved story, with overarching plots and themes. When you mentioned it having 3 volumes, I wasn't sure if you meant that it was compiled differently in the English version, or if it was cut off before completion...

The first two volumes do line up pretty well with the first series of the anime, though, so I guess they could be seen as a set.

for anime/manga information I generally use the anime news network. They only list 3 volumes

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=2645

Maybe I should try finding the rest of the series I liked the first one.

How strange - if you scroll down, it lists all 6, though it only has the descriptions for three at the top.

But if you liked the first one, you might want to look for more. The story really does get more involved, with more depth. I really like some of the stuff that comes towards the end of the translated volumes, though it's sort of philosophical in nature. But I like to read/watch things about created beings and whether they can be "human" (Frankenstein is one of my favorite novels, too :P) - these girls were once human, but now they're mostly machine, and they've been heavily brainwashed/trained, with no real memories, so they fit into that created beings thing that I like.

The plot involving political factions and motivations gets more complicated as the story progresses, too, but that doesn't interest me as much as the character driven parts.

Dramacon is the best title I can think of that fulfills your requirements. The series is 3 books, but there's also a single omnibus available now.

Flower of the Deep Sleep is only 2 volumes long; I didn't much care for it myself but I've seen others who liked it.

Fool's Gold is a series that is really good, and was originally meant to be a trilogy, I think. Only 2 volumes ended up getting published, and it ended on a cliffhanger, but I think teens would really enjoy it.

It's really hard to think of series that are less than three volumes...

Dramacon was good. I should re-read it. I had the chance to meet the author once, but I forgot she was coming and did not go. I'm still kicking myself in the but for missing it.

>25 novelandmangacrazy:
I got to meet her a couple of years ago at a library convention. It was awesome getting the chance to speak with her and get all my goodies signed. :D Plus, not a lot of the other librarians had heard of her so the line was short! YAY! Anyway, she seemed very sweet and humble about her work, which was refreshing. ^_^

Backstage Prince by Kanoko Sakurakoji is two volumes long and is about a Kabuki actor (and teen romance of course).

Legal drug is also a 3 volume series, but I'm not quite sure of the rating, but I think it would be ok.

The only frustrating thing about Legal Drug is that it isn't finished. The first three volumes are great, but you are really left wanting more. The series is on hiatus, although CLAMP periodically says they are going to finish it.

Hayao Miyazaki has done print versions of all his most popular movies like Spirited Away and Castle in the Sky. He also did a 7 volume manga of Nausicaa-the only manga that he has done.It's available in English and in an omnibus version I believe. It would be a good choice for boys and girls as there are battles and such but a strong enviromental message.Svetlana Chmakova has a new series called Nightschool but its already at volume 3 and not finished

>29 Helcura:
awww... I wanted to read legal drug, but there's not much point in reading something that isn't finished. I hate not knowing the end.

>31 novelandmangacrazy:

Legal drug is still fun. It's just that you feel teased when there isn't any more. I know I was so upset when it (and X) went on hiatus that I stayed fannishly annoyed at CLAMP for years (What is it, like 6 or 7 years now?). I still haven't read TRC or XXXHolic as a result.

I'm getting there :p though my inner fangirl still mutters. Once upon a time there was a chapter of X AND Legal Drug in the same issue of Asuka! Once upon a time! *waxes nostalgic*

XXXholic is close to ending, and I suspect TRC will follow a little while after, so there's hope.

I find XXXholic very enjoyable even though it hasn't ended because it's got lots of little complete stories in it. TRC not so much.

xxxholic finally has an ending date? I know that TRC did end a few months ago, so the English translations will probably catch up and finish before long, but I hadn't heard about an ending for the other one (well, not after the xxxHolic: Rou, or whatever it's called)

I never new that xxxHolic wasn't fully published, lol
I haven't read it by my friends like it

I don't have a hard date - I just heard that it was going to end soon. Maybe they were talking about the crossover part with TRC, and not the whole series. If so, I'll still read XXXholic as it gets translated because it's good enough to enjoy even if the end isn't in sight.

Another series that's relatively short - Beast Master by Kyousuke Motomi. It might work for the original poster's purposes...story is about teenagers, and revolves around themes of friendship and alienation/judging based on appearances.

I really liked the manga Pixie Pop: Gokkun Pucho. It's a shoujo fantasy/romance, and it has three volumes. It's very cute and entertaining :3

I have read some short manga. Their called one-shots.

Sugar Princess: 2 volumes. About a girl who has a hidden talent for skating.
Gaba Kawa: 1 volume. About a girl who comes down to earth to kill some people so she can be a full demon.

>2 keristars:

Azumanga Daioh has 5 volumes. I have read the fourth one but not the fifth..

40> Isn't the 4th a newish redo/best of sort of thing, though? I was under the impression that there was 1 volume per year, and high school is only 3 years. And besides, I have read the Yen Press omnibus, which comprises only 3 volumes...

> 41
there were 4 volumes, originally, printed from 2000-2002, under the dengeki comics ex label... the original american release followed the original binding, having been done in 2004.

i think it's in the reprints in 2009, under the shounen sunday comics special label, when they did the year 1, year 2, year 3.... in 2009 (or 2007??), a 1-volume omnibus was released for american consumption...

amazon.co.jp and amazon.com list all of these editions.

I'm not a fan of Azumanga Daioh. I watched the anime a week ago and did not like it. I also did not like the manga.

Oh, that explains the volume discrepancy, then. I've only known Azumanga Daioh since its had the 3 volume form.

And, yeah, I agree with you on not liking it, novelandmangacrazy. I only read it because I had access to the omnibus and my love for Yotsuba made me willing to try it out. Blech. I didn't care for the anime for Hidamari Sketch, either, and that one's also a 4koma, right? I'm thinking maybe 4koma anime aren't my thing (though I thought K-On! was okay for what it was - no desire to see the second season, but as a show all about moe girls doing cute things with nothing sad happening in a music/high school theme, it was decent).

>44 keristars:

what's 4koma?

4koma/yonkoma = 4 panel series. Azumanga Daioh, K-On!, Hidamari Sketch are all fairly well-known examples. I think Hetalia was at one point supposed to be a web-comic in that form, but stopped.

Have a link: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Yonkoma

>46 keristars:
thanks for the explanation and the link

If you want, you can also find a list on LT, of a sort: http://www.librarything.com/tag/yonkoma and http://www.librarything.com/tag/4-koma are both common tags for them.

(If you'd be so helpful as to click "yes" on the combination proposal at the bottom right of either page, they'll eventually point to the same place and be more fully populated, since both "yonkoma" and "4-koma" will be mixed together.)

ok, will do, and thanks again :)

Here are a few short volume series

Glass Wings - one volume (multiple stories)
Fairy Cube - 3 volumes. Fantasy.
Heaven!! - 3 volumes
Suki! - 3 volumes
Soul Rescue - 2 volumes
Ra.i - 1 volumes

I don't know about the availability of these titles at this time. Most of the good short ones I have are out-of-print or one volume over your limit. :(

I suggest maybe doing the Fruits Basket Ultimate Edition Volume 1 which includes the first two volumes. The second volume doesn't end in a cliffhanger. It's an excellent series and would make for good conversation.

The Twelve Kingdoms novels are also very good and can be found in the manga section at the book stores.

Though this is not going to help...

legendz-4 volumes (fantasy, adventure, action)
Byakuman- 4 volumes (fantasy, adventure, action)

Toward the Terra= 3 volumes, old school sci-fi

GoGo Monster= one shot, really really good, and would be good for older kids to read.

Card Captor Sakura is out in a two volume omnibus edition.

The Embalmer= 4 volumes, I remember this one was really, really good, but I can't remember if the +16 rating because it was really graphic or just that it dealt with mature themes.

here are some more short series

is Yume Kira Dream Shoppe just 1 volume?
Wanted is also a single volume story.
MeruPuri = 4 volumes
time stranger kyoko = 3 volumes
sugar princess: skating to win = 2 volumes
short-tempered melancholic and other stories = single volume of short stories
Punch! = 3 volumes (unsure if the series is entirely published)
Kamikaze Girls = single volume
I.O.N. = single volume
Heaven's Will = single volume
Fall in Love Like a Comic = 2 volumes
Crown of Love = 4 volumes
Cactus's Secret = 4 volumes
blank slate = 2 volumes
Beast Master = 2 volumes

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>54 Cedo.Jenna: I'm happy you find this page useful. Unfortunately, we in this group are just now coming up with a plan for how to respond to direct links to pirating sites. I've hidden your message in the meantime.

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