Charles McCarter: I don't read much manga anymore; I suppose one could call it an occupational hazard. However, an excellent choice would be the LOVE HINA international edition (since it's bilingual English and Japanese). And for those who are fans of THE BIG O, the manga has stories that go beyond the too-short anime series (those with patience may want to wait for the Viz release of this title early next year.)

Keith Rhee: Hojo Tsukasa's work is enjoyed by many for the illustration style, melodrama, and zany humor. CITY HUNTER is perhaps Hojo's best-known manga series, and the recent ANGEL HEART is a quasi-continuation of CITY HUNTER with a tragic twist to it. Fans expecting the same light-hearted tone of CITY HUNTER should be forewarned that ANGEL HEART's premise hinges on the death of one of CH's major characters, but if you can overcome that bit, it's a worthwhile read.

Mike Poirier: Who says entertaining manga can only be found on the printed page? And who says it even has to be from Japan? MEGATOKYO is an immensely creative, painfully funny and beautifully well-drawn online comic produced by Fred Gallagher (Piro) and Rodney Caston (Largo). Cleverly mixing anime and computer gaming references into a plotline that includes American expats in Tokyo, squirrels acting as consciences, high school zombie queens and lots of other pretty girls, the MEGATOKYO website usually updates two or three times a week and that is not nearly enough! Every time a new installment appears, it's like Christmas and your birthday all rolled into one. (And if you're looking for gift ideas, check out their nifty MT merchandise—I'm wearing my "3V1L L33T" shirt as I'm typing this!)

Eri Izawa: I reiterate again that few things beat P NO HIGEKI and SENMU NO INU by Takahashi Rumiko (author of RANMA 1/2, etc.). But no furigana on the kanji make these delightful tales unfortunately difficult to read.

Mark Johnson: The re-release of AKIRA by Dark Horse Comics in its signature phone-book size is my manga suggestion. If you thought the movie is all there is, you need to check out how truly different and groundbreaking the original comic was.

Ken Lee: REAL BOUT HIGH SCHOOL is a funny, action-packed manga series about one Mitsurugi Ryoko, the Samurai Girl, who's a modern high school student in love with the precepts of being a "samurai." She's trained extensively and is now the K-Fight champion, but she's constantly getting challenges on all fronts from bad-ass fighters on the streets of Ikebukuro in Tokyo, to hot-headed, Osaka-ben-slinging handsome warriors. The manga is a wonderful blend of comedy, action, and sexy (but not gratuitous) women (and men). The art and detail lines are wonderfully stylized and the action, comedy, and high-school life drama never end. Very cool.

Egan Loo: FRUITS BASKET. It's sweet, charming, and understated—yet zany, over-the-top, and simply addictive. An orphaned girl must work and stay at the home of some classmates—including some cute guys, of course. Sounds clichéd? Well, first, the classmates have a family secret tied to the mystical Chinese animal zodiac... To say any more is to spoil the wondrous surprises from chapter to chapter. There's an animated version of the manga, and it's quite faithful (except for some rearranging). The biggest concern is when the television series storyline overshoots the slower manga, the anime writers will have to resort to fillers. (MARMALADE BOY in New York City or the pirates of RUROUNI KENSHIN TV, anyone?) For better or worse, the anime series is ending in the last week of 2001 at 26 episodes, although the producers have left open the possiblity of a continuation later. Whatever happens to the anime though, there will still be Takaya Natsuki's manga to read in all its endearing charm.

Eric "Scanner" Luce: There is so much manga out there that I would recommend. How to narrow it down? Well, let us bring it down to the over-shadowed and the somewhat obscure. At least over-shadowed and obscure to readers in the U.S.

The Over-shadowed: The READ OR DIE manga by Kurata Hideyuki and Yamada Shutaro. Here we have some of the same characters in the extremely popular OVA READ OR DIE. You ever wonder why Yomiko Readman, aka The Paper, does not like her glasses being touched? Or you wonder how she became The Paper? If you do then you need to read these manga. Stay tuned for an upcoming review! Very funny stuff.

The obscure: MILK CLOSET by Tomizawa Hitoshi. Best described as part of the horror, parallel universe traveling science fiction genre. This series is collected in 4 volumes. This is by the same author who did the ALIEN NINE manga and also worked on the ALIEN NINE OVAs. I actually subscribed to the monthly AFTERNOON to read this story as it came out. It starts with some way out there visuals and questions. Just where do these young kids jump to? Just how dangerous are the thousands of parallel universes? Where did our reality come from? Inevitably you have to read on with trepidation and wonder just how bad can their luck get before it finally turns around. It has to turn around, right?

John Yung: The English translation of FIVE STAR STORIES is still going strong, and after reading the latest chapters, it doesn't look like Nagano Mamoru is running out of steam. I continue to read this series in anticipation of how Nagano is going to flesh out the timeline printed in the back of the book, and each volume brings new wonders (and characters which make me glad that they keep a scorecard at the beginning of each book) that haven't disappointed me yet.

Another English manga recommendation is GEOBREEDERS from Central Park Media's comic book division. Some people complain that the translation's not perfect, that some pages have been censored, and that print quality could be better. But it's still an action-packed fun read.