Mizukami Satoshi rocks. Note this.

[Dracos]

http://www.mangafox.com/search/author/MIZUKAMI+Satoshi/

I've yammered to brian and a few others on this guy before, but he's really an excellent and enjoyable mangaka.  One notable thing on his stories is that they tend to be short, self contained, and FINISH.   Linked above is a bunch of his pirated stuff online, so a good way to get a look into some of the things he's done.  Take a look.

Now look at your classic manga, delivering the interesting or amusing or romantic comedy week after week.  Hundreds of chapters.  Stories that sometimes leave you wondering if that guy and that girl will ever resolve the romantic tension between them (No, they won't).  These are often fantastic fodder for fanfiction, because they often leave both a very full universe and an abiding dissatisfaction with one or more elements of them.  The guy didn't get the girl.  The girl didn't get the guy.  The author never chose who gets who, or even gave a harem ending.  The harem setup had the guy choose someone, leaving one of your faves in the cold as the series had no developed characters outside of the harem set.  The author deliberately left out some big chunk, and that's just ample area for play.  Or the author sucks (*eyes naruto's author*) and virtually anybody can play with the toys that were set out and end up better.

This guy's works?  Not so much.  It's one of the thrilling things about going through any of his works is that there's a decisiveness and general completeness to the stories being told.  The author isn't afraid to finish the stories he begun, resolve the romantic tension (even if it involves killing someone), and even break up the love triangles with an active resolution brought about by characters being honest or straightforward with their desires or accepting defeat and moving on.  Sure, there's still places to play, but the concise power and decisiveness generally leaves his works with very satisfying direction.

This doesn't mean they are necessarily simple and straightforward, or that they lack in subplots, twists, or surprises, but it's more that from early to end, there's a clear vision of how things will conclude (and that they will conclude) that doesn't have to mangle about it.  Villians are people in it with motives, objectives, or reasons.  Same with the heroes ("Get out of here, I'm trying to study for my medical exam.") that isn't usually 'go out, save the world, befriend people, or in the name of the Moon...'

Interested?  Where should you start?



Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw8mhk3zm6E&feature=related fan work available here) is an excellent place to get in, being one of his works that is entirely available and of reasonable length.  A high school student is awoken one day by an obnoxious magical mascot that declares that he is one of the knights that must protect the princess, and in turn he gets a wish in exchange for fulfilling this duty!  He grabs the thing and tosses it out the window and tries to get back to sleep. 

It also has one of the most awesome 'princess' figures ever.  Seriously, early motive of "Destroy the World"?  "That thing will not destroy the world, because the earth will be destroyed by my own fists!"

Afterwards, Psycho Staff is a cute short tale about a very talented psychic, whereas Sengoku Youku is about a brother and sister adventuring to bring peace. :P

Anyhow, give it a look.