Desert Rose (post: 1270916) wrote:What I like in my manga, is depth. I don't like panty shots, detailed nudity, graphic sex scenes, stuff like that. Violence I don't mind so much, and it's better if the swearing is mild.
I like drama, adventure, character development, and humor. It's annoying to read a manga that relies on fan service. I want to see the man character grow mentally and emotionally.
With that said, what manga have you read would fit this description?
For me, it would be Basara, Vampire Princess Miyu, New Vampire Miyu, and From Far Away.
From Far Away made me wish I could have my own chimo.
Though this is a late response if you're still looking a manga I've recently finished reading that had 'depth' was X-Day by Setona Mizushiro. It's a story about a group of kids that want to blow up their school. They meet up in a chat room and find themselves discussing about what makes their lives so miserable. They come to the conclusion it’s the school and so they devise a plan to get rid of it. It's only 2 volumes in length and deals with issues such as loneliness and self-loathing. It's really fascinating how you think the story will center on the supposed "X-day" (aka when they want to blow up the school) but it really focuses on the day to day lives of the characters you meet within the series and why/what they hate about their lives. I know by what I’ve described it sounds like some kind of “teen angst emo shtick” but it really is a wonderful read (in my opinion) that does make you think.
Since this is an “Older Teen” title there is some mild bad language and a two scenes where certain characters become intimate with another (you don’t see anything but them in bed together). Aside from that this manga is really clean. There is also one ‘questionable’ relationship between a teacher and student but doesn’t amount to much and is tastefully done.
Someday's Dreamers: Spellbound is also a light slice of life read. It has "magical girl elements" in it but the story mainly focuses on the real life of the main protagonist which is anything but magical. ^_~ The issues it touches on is hate, not belonging, and loss of faith. It's also a great coming of age story. XD
I also second La Corda D'Oro. That series literally doesn't have a drop of fanservice in it.