I have read more than a few manga ever since I discovered just how awesome it is but there are few that have really made an impact. But, the other day when I was stuck on a shuttle for a few hours I was reading some and I came across another one that just makes you sit back and go "whoa..." Now, that doesn't happen very often. Bleach and Naruto have had a few moments that get a close reaction to that, especially recently. But I think that there are only a few that can really say they had the "whoa..." factor going. One would be One Piece. Not the whole thing mind you, just a handful of chapters when Luffy's brother, Ace, is captured and the Navy tries to execute him. Luffy comes to save him, and the chapter after Luffy has set Ace free and the two of them are trying to escape was good enough to deserve the "whoa..." in addition to a "holy...." I just stared at it for a while. And there haven't been very many manga chapters that have done that except for Ichigo's Mugetsu chapter and the flashback chapter about Naruto's wicked awesome dad fighting Madara. But it's important to remember that those are only about one or two, possibly a handful of chapters within the entire series that's good enough to warrant that. One Piece has so many chapters now I don't even know how high it is. Just the epic chapter that had serious "holy..." going on was number 574 and it's still going. So, I have to wonder if Naruto and Bleach can pull it off again. Bleach has failed to seriously interest me or impress me since the Mugetsu chapter but Naruto is making a noble effort to see how many characters can have epic boss fights and that's good, but still lacking the "whoa..." or "holy..." factor in any degree of significance. At the top of my list for any manga and certainly for the "whoa..." factor would have to be Fullmetal Alchemist. There were plenty of chapters that had the "whoa..." or "holy..." factor, but the final chapter had both with a generous dose of "gggpoiehpotviutpjqoklpaojkmnkaoerhggppyyytthhhickkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" It was just that good. I was at a loss of words and that does not happen often, anyone who knows me can tell you that. But the last chapter of Fullmetal Alchemist was just so epic it reduced me to gibberish. Rurouni Kenshin had a pretty epic ending too, but didn't have the "reduce to gibberish" factor. Still, overall, Kenshin and Fullmetal Alchemist are the best shonen manga I've ever read. As for shojo, well, I rarely read it and usually grow very tired of it. But, still, there has to be a best of what I have read, and I think that's Fruits Basket. It has good balance between the romantic comedy/drama without getting melodramatic. And it ended the way I wanted and that gives it serious brownie points. Some day I will finish reading Tsubasa and make a call on that one, and I get the feeling it will get some serious "whoa..." "holy..." and "oh wow..." points. At any rate, it's pretty much one of the best shojo just because there are so many swords in it. Can't go wrong with swords.
Now, I understand I've left some out, more than likely because I haven't read them yet, but this is my take on the ones I have read. Death Note doesn't make it up there just because it was more of a mind trip than anything. Plus it ruined the ride when L was gone. So, there it is. We'll see where the chips fall after this.
