I'm going to attempt all the questions in the first post. D:
-Who is your favorite/least favorite mangaka/author?
My favourite mangaka include Naoki Urasawa, Sho-u Tajima(although I dislike his older art style), Osamu Tezuka, Naono Boura, Miwa Shirow, and Akimi Yoshida to name a few I love in terms of both story and art. Least favourite that come to mind are Minekura Kazuya and Ellie Mamahara; I can't stand their art.
-Which mangaka/author has the most beautiful art/art style/best stories?
It's difficult to narrow it down, so I'll go three for each. Naoki Urasawa, Akimi Yoshida and Sho-u Tajima probably take art, Miwa Shirow, Sho-u Tajima and Naono Boura style, and Naoki Urasawa, Akimi Yoshida and Osamu Tezuka story.
-Which publisher/scanlator is your favorite/least favorite?
Publisher: No idea. I have had love/hate relationships with both Mixx/Tokyopop and Viz for years, on quality, content, and censorship. I might say right now that I don't view Tokyopop in a favourable light, because of the narrow flow of mainstream titles they're liscensing. I'm also against their practice of releasing manwha and North American titles under their manga label, as I feel as it gives disrepect to the artist. Humbuggery. :/
Scanlator: Although they're not always up to date, I have to say I admire Omanga for their selection of titles. Mangascreener takes a close second for the very same reason; offbeat titles which might easily be overlooked get their even share and I'm grateful for the consistency of their releases and translations. Third may be Hawks, or Shi-ran for introducing me to Naono Boura's works.
-Which publisher/scanlator does the best/worst translations?
I find it depends more on the title than the publisher/scanlator. I can't answer this question because I've had great and horrible experiences with nearly everyone I've tried.
-Which manga has the worst/best/most mangled/etc translation?
I thought Mangascreen's translation of Naoki Urasawa's Monster was very well done, but then I may have just been taken in by the story itself. Omanga's MPD Psycho isn't the worst, but there are often spelling mistakes, typos and grammatical error riddled throughout every chapter. I'm very displeased with Tokyopop's translation of Gravitation as well. The fan translation I was using to read along with my Japanese copies did better justice to the series than that bastardization ever could. :/ I don't know if they hurt the story, but the personalities of the characters were seriously altered, and for the worst.
-Which manga is your favorite series/short story?
Series: As much as I want to turn out a list here, I'm going to keep it simple and say Naoki Urasawa's Monster. That was eighteen volumes of heartwrenching beauty that held an atmosphere about itself and kept me thinking months after I had finished it. Words cannot express how strongly I feel about this series.
Short: I don't know why, but I really loved Tanaka Suzuki's Muddy Stream. It wasn't particularily deep or anything, but it hit me somewhere profound, really hard.
-Which manga is the funniest/saddest/scariest/dumbest/etc?
I never have these types of emotions associated with any particular series, so I am incapable of answering this question. Uh, I think Absolute Boyfriend is the most idiotic tripe to worm its way out of Japan, in terms of the dumbest.
-Which manga is the most over-rated/worst/annoying/etc?
Over-rated: Yuugioh. It is a plug for a card game. WHY? Also, Inu-Yasha. Hey, I like Rumiko Takahashi, but the popularity of this series is ridiculous. In all honesty I prefer her comedies.
Worst: Ai Yori Aoshi. I'm not even going to touch that.
Annoying: Love Hina. I can't stand harem.
-Which manga is the most obscure/oldest/popular/newest manga you've seen?
Obscure: Homunculus seems pretty obscure, although it might be my thinking because seinen manga is not widely appreciated by the English manga community. What other manga has trepanation as a primary plot device?
Oldest: I don't know, Tezuka manga? I've read a bit of his stuff, but I'm not certain on the chronology.
Popular: Series such as Love Hina and Tsubasa Chronicles seem widely popular, although I purposely stay way from both. I miss Ranma 1/2 and X/1999's popularity.
Newest:New manga pops up all the time. :/
-Which manga made you cry/scream/giggle/etc?
Cry: When I was eleven, I cried while reading Sorcerer Hunters. I've cried while reading Monster and Naruto, and a bit as one point in Death Note. I sobbed through a couple of Tanaka Suzuki's shorts. That's all I can think of.
Scream: Never.
Giggle: Can't help but giggle while I'm reading Miwa Shirow's Dogs, Sho-u Tajima's MPD Psycho, Akimi Yoshida's Banana Fish, and Oku Hiroya's Gantz. There is so much unnecessary crack in Gantz, it's insane. And of course I used to break into giggling fits while reading Ranma 1/2 and Urusei Yatsura, since they are (at least partially) comedy series.
-Which manga were better as a anime, and vice versa?
Manga>anime: Ranma 1/2 was infinitely better than its animated counterpart. Naruto manga won out because the anime had constantly shifting quality and long, boring filler arcs. Otherwise, I think manga is generally better than anime to begin with.
Anime>manga:Rurouni Kenshin. I say this because I grew to the anime series before my exposure to the manga, and because the first two Kenshin OVAs were really, really good.
-Which manga do you want to see as a live action or as an anime?
I'd kind of like to see Banana Fish as an anime. If it was handled well I think it could manage to accomplish just as much as the manga did. Those action sequences would look amazing! I'd also like to see the recently announced live action Death Note. That is, I hope it goes down well. It would be a crime for the characters to be misrepresented.
-Which manga do you wish was real/live in?
Naruto, because everyone wants to be a ninja at some point.
-Which manga has your favourite scenes? What are they?
Naruto has some of my favourite villain-centric scenes ever. Like Kabuto giving Orochimaru a sponge-bath, and that fight scene where Kimimaro ripped out his spinal cord for a whip. I love the "story book" scenes in Monster, as well as most of the flashback scenes, and the ending's entire arc. Death Note has some very interesting arguement/action scenes, and Banana Fish has the most adorable every day scenes you could imagine.
-Which manga has the best/worst/most romantic/etc ending?
Best: Monster. The way the end of this series played out made sure it would stay with me forever, and the very last page set off an entire procession of emotions and thoughts all on its own.
Worst: I really didn't like the ending of Akuma no Ororon. It was conclusive enough, but at the same time there was no conclusion to things. It was predictable and uncaptivating.
Most romantic: Haha, the end of Toshihiro Ono's Pokemon manga! I'm such a sucker for Satoshi and Shigeru.
-Which do you prefer, manga or anime?
I prefer manga, although that is not to say that I won't watch anime because I look down on it as a lesser medium. Manga is much more personal in terms of art and story, as there are so few people working on any given series in comparison to anime. The effect can be accomplish with anime, but it's generally only seen in one or two series a year. (Examples for me being, recently, Samurai Champloo and Gankutsuou.)
-Which manga quotes do you like? What are they?
I like the line "Sehen sie mich! Sehen sie mich! Das monstrum in meinem selbst ist so gross geworden!" from Urasawa's Monster. Most recently I got a kick out of the term "daytime lantern" in Oku Hiroya's Gantz, as a label/nickname for the protagonist.
-Which manga are you currently reading?
.Death Note(awaiting new raws/scans)
.Naruto(awaiting new raws/scans)
.Banana Fish(awaiting next Viz release)
.Gantz(on volume 15, catching up to current raws/scans)
.MPD Psycho(awaiting new raws/scans)
.Homunculus(awaiting new raws/scans)
.Dogs(on part 2, catching up to current raws/scans)
I have a few series sitting around that I haven't started yet.
-How many manga do you own?
Roughly 94, including a few volumes of Banana Fish in the mail.
-Which characters/villains/fighters/catgirls (whatever you can think of) are your favorites and why ?
My favourite characters in general are typically villains.
Monster: Johann Liebert
Death Note: Mello, L
Naruto: Orochimaru, Shikamaru, Gaara, Kabuto
MPD Psycho: Toguchi Kikuo, Nishizono Tetora, Nishizono Shinji
Banana Fish: Shorter Wong
Akuma no Ororon: Othello
Sorcerer Hunters: Marron Glace, Chocolat Misu
King of Hell(manwha): Samhuk
Sailor Moon: Jedite(No kidding!)
Pokemon: Shigeru, Kojiro
Most of these characters are either villains, antagonists, rivals, or generally amoral.
-Which characters you think are the most attractive/sexy/bishie/cute/etc?
I don't know. I think Kenzo Tenma(Monster) makes an adorable hobo. Mello(Death Note) has an amazing fashion sense as well as an admirable haircut and AWESOME facial scarring. Fashion also applies to Tetora(MPD Psycho). And of course, Orochomaru(Naruto) is the sexiest *****, ever.
-Which characters you think are the strongest/dumbest/smartest/etc?
Strongest: For all she's dealt with, Anna Liebert(Monster) remains a very strong person. I don't know, she came to mind at this.
Dumbest: Kishimoto Kei(Gantz). Her stupidity astounds me.
Smartest: Orochimaru(Naruto) seeks ultimate knowledge, why not.
-Which character you want to be/replace/make real/etc?
No desire.
-Which characters are your least favorite and why you dislike them?
I dislike love interests that only have a place in the plot as love interests(exception being Tae in Gantz). And the energetic optimist. Ug.
-Which pairings, real or otherwise, do you want to see/like?
Death Note: MelloxNear. Not necessarily romantic, I guess, but I like their relationship in general.
Naruto: OrochimaruxKabuto. Because their love is like, the purest, truest love in existence.
Gantz: KuronoxTae. I don't know why but I love their squishy romance. Kurono is a total losery dork, and I was surprised with his decision to stay with Tae despite himself.
Banana Fish: AshxEiji of course. It's either that, or I would have to include the ***** mafia. Actually, Corsican mafia x Chinese mafia is pretty hot. Trading favours. D:
-Which animal/creature/mecha/etc are your favourites and why?
This is kind of cheating, but I like the design of Zechs Merquise(Gundam Wing)'s Gundam Epyon.
-Which weapons/powers/abilities you find to be the coolest/lamest/flashies/etc and which ones you want?
I want Pokemon. biggrin *lame* A Death Note would be pretty hot.
-Which character you'd like to marry/be trapped on an island with/go on a date with/team up with to save the world/kill or humiliate/steal from/bake cookies with (whatever you can think of)?
I would like to have tea with Johann Liebert(Monster) and host a dinner party with Orochimaru(Naruto).
Oh man, that was torture by the end. Can you tell I got lazy?