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This thread got me thinking.

Suu-san asked for recommendations of "good, Mormon-appropriate" mangas.

I've been a Mormon for about 30 years at this point. I wouldn't say that I considered any of the manga that I read or have read (and by that I mean the ones where I follow the series) to be "bad" or "inappropriate." But I'm not sure that some of the ones I like wouldn be on her list. "Here is Greenwood" is pretty fun. I started getting the books because I'd liked the anime so much, particularly the love story at the end. However, there's a couple in the story who are pretty clearly gay. They're only minor characters and it's never a big deal, but would that be "inappropriate" for a Mormon reader? It doesn't bother me but it might bother someone else.

Then there's the fact that manga is an Asian product. (I say Asian because many Korean comics are popular now also.) Their cultural attitudes toward nudity and sex are very different. The characters are more frank in their discussions. There are many, many jokes made about the stimulating effects girls can have on boys. (That's what the nosebleed joke is about, in case you didn't know.) So while I would never recommend anything pornographic, how do I know whether or not the level of nudity in "Ranma 1/2" (which is practically a running joke, since the central idea is that certain characters change shape when they get wet) is too much for someone else?

There are also stories like "Kare Kano," which eventually includes (but never shows) premarital sex. There's also "Boys Over Flowers" and I'm sure many others where characters assume that of course the main boy and girl are going to sleep together, whether or not they actually do. Japan is not a Christian country and premarital sex is pretty much the norm; quite naturally this gets reflected in their stories. I don't like it and I don't agree with it but that doesn't prevent me from enjoying a well-told, engaging story, so long as it refrains from sharing all the details.

What do you think? How do you draw your lines?

yeah, that's what i was thinking as well...as well as gereral values that a lot of Mormons have (such as no drinking, no sensual stuff, no cussing). It's just something I typically say to my friends when they invite me to a movie before i tell them yes or no.
Good of you to ask, i really didn't think it through before i used the term...and now i have something to ponder more.

I use the same method. I've read some that went bad *embarrased* but they started out great. There are some that are really good too and gett better. Then there are some that start out iffy and get really good, adn cleaner(Ie: Rumiko Takahashi's longer works. They get really clean after a while, course that's after 8 or so volmes). Mostly though, flipping through it helps alot to see if you want it or not. That's how I decided never to read gunsmith cats.

DNAngel rocks! XD who'd think you're gay from reading that? it's a great story! 3nodding

crying crying crying But it's my all time favorite..... well, Kenshin's up there too... it's harder to find good anime than good manga. I know it get's worse in Stars, but I still want to finish it eventually. And I love this scene.... I wish they edited out the nudity without butchering the translation.

Good anime is anything upbeat, action packed, a little romance and lots of humor, without excessive unneeded nudity, resonable language(IE: part of one person's personality which changes over time, like Kyo! heart ), and extra horrific gore. I want to enjoy myself, not get creeped out.
Rurouni Kenshin's a historical fiction witch mostly follows the manga until teh end of vol. 17 or so. then it goes nuts. voilent and funny, plus you learn somehting about the culture and history of an often over looked country! Very good.

Read all but one volume of chopits once each. redface It was a clamp story I hadn't read adn my friend recommended. Like I said, once. I give most manga a try. If they don't make me want to rip them apart in the first volume, I go for the next one. If I wonder why I read it, I never pick it up again.
The fruit basket anime ended depressingly adn that was all I watched of it. Don't wanna watch things that end bad. The end has to be just as good as the beginning for me. haven't watched trigun in years, bleach isn't easy for me to get ahold of adn haven't watched the others yet. May though.

I agree. I'm the one who is giving the lesson in Relief Society today, and it's on the law of chastity, and one of the things that is mentioned is keeping thoughts pure as well as other things. We usually don't do something if we haven't thought about it before.

A very nice meassuring device is asking yourself, would you read this with the Lord on a dayly bassis.
or is it something you would stash in the back of your closet when he stopped by for a visit?

I wouldn't recommend "Love Hina" anyway. Sorry, Nephite Warrior, but my husband and I were quickly disaffected with it. The way the poor main character was always being punched or kicked into orbit when, by and large, he hadn't done anything to deserve it was distressing. I never read the manga though, only saw the anime.