Terrence M Marks wrote:

I'd just like you-all to reccomend some things to me in terms of Japanese
(translated) and American comic-books. 

	Boy are YOU asking for it!  Is all this for some sort of source
book or something?  Well, let's see if I can help you...
	Japanese
The Other Works of Rumiko Takahashi:

Urusei Yatsuru-  One word, LUM...If you don't know, this is a
story          about the worlds biggest lech and the alien who latches
on to 	     him.  This one defines all that is weird and is
exceptionally           funny.
Pro-One NEVER has to look elsewhere for what-ifs, chances are
whatever       your thinking, it's happened here.  Funny, damned funny. 
Again I       say you LUM, the tiger stripped bikini clad alien goddess
that      makes this poor miserably life worth living!!!
Con-There really aren't any, but for those who are used to
Ranma,            there ARE some differences.  This is one of
Takahashi's earlier         works so the drawing style isn't the one
Ranma fans are used to,        it's a bit more confused and SD's(Super
deforms) more often.  The       stories while connected, really don't
flow from any actual thread      of plot, most of them could stand alone
making them really a      collection of one-shots into weirdness.  HIGH
on the humor, the      story is low on the heart warming, the love and
romance usually      shown in Takahashi's works are pushed aside for
laughs, but REALLY      good laughs.
Favotite Character-Male, it's a tie mention Mendo and Ataru.
Female,      there can be only Lum! 
Overall- A weird comedy at it's best...Very wierd, Very funny

Maison Ikkuku-Smile Mister Godai...The story of a lonely, poor,
wishy      washy, and yet strangely appealing(we share all our most
prominent      flaws)Ronin and his rollar coster romance with his
apartment         manager.  Just add boiling neighbors from hell and let
simmer.
Pro-The romance here CANNOT be beaten, though it's filled with your     
basic Takahashi(Yes I'm deliberatly trying to say her name as often     
as possible) should I, no, I won't let him/her know my true     
feelings, the love is defanitly there.  We also get more time     
"alone" with the various characters and though there are the     
traditional love triangles, we truly feel that no one well get left     
out.  
Con-Like Uruasa Yatsuru, there aren't any real flaws per se, just     
differneces between this and her other works.  Basically, this is     
the opposite of Lum, the art work is more sutle and the humor is     
often compromised for the romance.  Also, the stroy is more plot     
intensive, so you may be lost for the first comic.
Favorite Character-Male a tie between Godai(one of my few favorite
main      characters) and Yotsua.  Female Yamagami
Overall-The BEST romance I have ever read.  This one is actually my     
current favorite comic to read and I couldn't live without it.

Mermaids Saga-But when your tired of immortallity, what becomes of     
you...Yuta, an immortal after partaking of the mermaid's flesh,     
travels lonely through a world of mortals, finding bueaty and     
madness along the way.
Pro-Welcome to creepy-ville, I personally think this is where
Takahashi      dumps all the dark emotions brooding in her while writing
comedy      all day. Never have I been so emotionally moved and
horrified then      with this books.  She spends almost the entire time
showing us the      madness and the repurcussions of the horror she only
shows in           spurts.  Humph, wish I could say the same for most
"horror"        writers.And she says she does this story as a hobby?
Brrrrrrrr!
Con-If you can't take the heat, or more accurately, if you can't
take     the woman ripping her face off so she can "put" on a new one,
stay     far away.  
Favorite Characters-Male that kid in Mermaids Scar.  Female the
woman     who puts on a new face in Mermaids Mask.
Overall-This stroy might look like it's holding it's punches, but    
actually it's just preparing a chi-attack of madness.  If your like    
me, you'll love it, otherwise RUN AWAY!!! This is NOT the Takahashi    
your used too.
  
And as for Rumik World, well of course it's great.  This are mostly just
short stories she writes in her spare time.  Beware, the next Ranma will
most likely come from one of these.  

Overall-Rumiko Takahashi has shown herself to be on of the best and most
versitile writers in the world.  She can do obsenly funny and weird
comdies one second, and then heart wrenching romance(to say nothing of
heart pounding horror) the next.  Worship her at the local temple of
your choice.

	Now you'll have to give me a moment or two as I look through my ample
supply of Manga, I pull nearly 30 titles.  I just decided to start with
the best and besides, I had just finished reading the latest Maison
Ikkuku and wanted to spread the good word so to speak.
Next comes Masmune Shirow, Joji Manobe, CLAMP, Keiche Sonanda, Kosuke
Fujishima and many more...

	Wasn't that great the way Kyoko broke that bamboo broom with 	that
tight smile on her face?
	Masion Ikkuku part 6 number 7