Manga love

Sorry I haven't posted in a while - busy busy busy...

Anyway, I've been reading a stack of manga tankōbon recently (thanks to Auckland Public Library's growing collection). And it's been a revelation! Sure, a lot of them seem pretty dull and samey after a chapter or two, but here's a couple of series I just can't get enough of!

TRAMPS LIKE US
by Yayoi Ogawa
(Tokyopop)
Wow! Apparently this belongs to the genre of josei manga (i.e. manga aimed at women, rather than girls). Seven volumes into this series, I'm totally hooked. It's hilarious, gentle, humane, subtle, sensitive and intelligent - and beautiful, restrained drawing. Makes me want to try more josei stuff (the work of Kiriko Nananan sounds particularly promising). Recommendations welcome!

GENSHIKEN: THE SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF MODERN VISUAL CULTURE
by Kio Shimoku
(Del Rey)
I can't remember when a comic has made me laugh so much. The story of a small band of dedicated otaku, and the poor girl who falls for one of them. I can't imagine anyone who's interested in manga/anime/popular culture not finding this series fascinating - and enormously fun. And, again, very nicely drawn...

So, if anyone has any recommendations for other manga worth reading, please pass them on.