"Favorite Anime" has already been done, so we'll cover "Favorite Manga" now.
My favorites:
(All summaries from animenewsnetwork.com)
20th Century Boys:
Kenji and his friends start to notice a series of odd occurences related to their childhood. A mysterious cult-leader named "friend" is out to destroy the world, and it has something to do with Kenji's childhood memories.
Aishiteruze Baby:
High school playboy Kippei finds himself in charge of his 5-year old cousin, Yuzuyu, after her mother disappears. Now Kippei must learn to deal with raising a child.
Angel Densetsu:
Kitano Seichiro - a boy with a face of a demon, but the heart of an angel. The story begins with him attending a new school, where nobody knows him... Because of his appearance, teachers and fellow classmen think he is the worst delinquent, "violence incarnate". They try to correct him, expel him or beat him up. Lots of accidents doesn't help to fix the situation either, and he gains the guardian position at his school. But because of his ultra-goodie attitude, some of those that attack him become his friends...All the misunderstandings make the story extremly funny.
Beck:
For the first 14 years of his life, Yukio Tanaka has been one heck of a boring guy. He has no hobbies, weak taste in music, and only a small vestige of a personality. He yearns for an exciting life, but his shy, and somewhat neurotic personality make him his own worst enemy. Little does he know that his life will be forever changed when he meets Ryusuke Minami, a wild and unpredictable 16-year old fresh from America, who happens to be in a rock-and-roll band named after his Frankenstein-like patched dog--Beck.
Berserk:
Gattsu, known as the Black Swordsman, seeks sanctuary from the demonic forces that persue himself and his woman, and also vengeance against the man who branded him as an unholy sacrifice. Aided only by his titanic strength, skill and sword, Gattsu must struggle against his bleak destiny, all the while fighting with a rage that might strip him of his humanity. Berserk is a dark and brooding story of outrageous swordplay and ominous fate, in the theme of Shakespeare's MacBeth.
Guts, the Black Swordsman, wanders around in a mediaeval world slaying demons as they are attracted to a demonic mark on his neck. To his help he has inhuman strength gained from a harsh childhood lived with mercenaries, a gigantic sword, an iron prosthetic left hand and the elf Puck. In his search for vengeance on the one who gave him the mark, he meets many interesting persons and creatures, whom all is affected by him in one way or another.
Blade of the Immortal:
Manji is an amoral swordsman, who has been cursed with eternal life. He has grown tired of living with all the death he has created. He has no skills other then those of killing, thus he forms a plan to regain his mortality: he shall kill one hundred evil men for each good one he has killed. The old witch who afflicted Manji with immortality agrees to Manji's proposition and Manji is set on his path to kill one thousand evil men. On his journey he meets a young girl, Rin, who has her own vengeance to seek against the sword school whose members slaughtered Rin's family. Rin and Manji journey together, each hoping to find some kind of peace. In their way are many varied enemies. Rin and Manji are almost constantly under attack and must learn to live their lives, avoiding being consumed by revenge.
Eyeshield 21:
Kobayakawa Sena is a freshman in highschool. Despite his previous decisions to change his life, he finds himself in the exactly same place he was in during elementary school and junior high: a push over and an errand boy. However, this changes when Hiruma, the most feared person in his school and president of the American Football Club, notices Sena and forces him to join the Football Team. Now Sena will become Eyeshield 21, a mysterious running back with lighting fast speed.
Hana Yori Dango
Happy!
Harlem Beat
HunterxHunter
Ichigo 100%
Mars
Monster
My Name is Zushio
Naruto
Othello
Peach Girl
Yakitate!! Japan
Yawara
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō
The name that crops up most in my favorites list is Naoki Urasawa, author of 20th Century Boys, Monster, Happy!, and Yawara. I REALLY recommend his manga.
