Index by Title:
Doubt
Et Cetera
Franken Fran
Magic Kaito
MPD Psycho
Wish

MPD Psycho

Mangaka: Written by Eiji Otsuka, illustrated by Shou Tajima
Genre: Mystery, psychological, horror

Summary: A detective, suffering from multiple personalities, takes on a string of cases involving gruesome murders that eventually leads to a connection with him and the mysterious Gakuso organization.
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Review: Enjoy the 11-volume MPD-Psycho series for all of its absurd twists, sci-fi touches and inventive torture scenes, but you'll also be mesmerized by the plethora of odd conspiracies and case files found in Otsuka and Tajima's uncontrollable, urban horrorshow. In MPD-Psycho Volume 1, police detective Kobayashi Yousuke's life is changed forever after a serial killer notices something "special" about him. That same killer mutilates Kobayashi's wife and kick-starts a "multiple personality battle" within Kobayashi that pushes him into a complex tempest of interconnected deviants and evil forces. Earning praise for its consistently shocking plotlines and Tajima's clean, arresting art style, MPD-Psycho is the manga event of the decade!
[source]

My review: An amazing, truly psychotic manga through and through. Whether you like it or not, it just keeps drawing you in.

Wish

Mangaka: CLAMP
Genre: fantasy

Summary: "Kudoh Shuuichiroh, a 28-year-old surgeon of cool demeanor and unflappable poise, discovers what appears to be a child caught on a tree branch. A crow mercilessly pecks at the unfortunate little one until Shuuichiroh comes to the rescue. The "child" turns out to be a winged angel named Kohaku (Amber) who relentlessly thanks Shuuichiroh by offering to grant any wish."
[source]

Review: "This is not one of CLAMP's great epics, and it was never intended as such. Instead, it's a light-hearted character sketch with some dramatic interludes. If your tolerance for cuteness is low, this manga may not be for you. If you're looking for a CLAMP manga that appeals with a winsome cast and gentle storytelling, though, WISH may be the one for you."
[source]

My review: When does CLAMP ever disappoint? An incredibly cute, short series. But naturally CLAMP gives the conclusion a tragic and sweet twist. A definite CLAMP classic. Surprising it's so unheard of compared to their other works.

Magic Kaito

Mangaka: Gosho Aoyama
Genre: comedy, drama
[a good refrence page]

Summary: "Kuroba Kaito loves to do magic, and he is a good performer. At high school, his childhood friend/girl friend tries to keep the boy inline. Of course Nakamori Aoko isn't gentle with the boy she'd never admit to loving. One morning, the classroom is filled with the talk about "Kaitou Kid," a jewerly thief who uses magic in his robberies. Kaito isn't impressed with this so called legend that reappeared after eight years, and says he could easily take the thief magic to magic. At home, thinking about his dead father who was also a magician, Kaito stumbles upon a hidden doorway in his room. He discovers his father was the original Kaitou Kid. But since he is dead, he wonders who the supposed Kaitou Kid from recent robberies is. Kaito puts on his father's hat and cape, becomes Kaitou Kid to search out the imposter."
[source]

Review: "Do you like the Kaitou Kid from Detective Conan? If so, it would be a crime if you missed out on this! It tells about the origin of Kaitou Kid and also some of his schemes. A fun read indeed"
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My review: Probably needless to say (by my my nickname and internet alias KaitouKunoichi) that I adore Kid, and I adore this manga. Very lighthearted and fun while at the same time looking a little more in to Kaito's life.

Doubt

Mangaka: Yoshiki Tonogai
Genre: Mystery, Horror, Psychological

Summary: "There's a game based on lies and deception growing popular in Japan. The game is called 'Rabbit Doubt' and it is played on cellular phones. The premise of the game is that all of the players are rabbits in a colony, and one amongst them is randomly chosen to be a wolf that has infiltrated the group of rabbits. Every round, the wolf kills off a rabbit, and every round, the group tries to figure out which of the rabbits is actually a wolf in disguise. Sometimes the kids who play this game decide to meet up in person, and Yuu, Mitsuki, Rei, Hajime, Eiji, and Haruka have done just that. Unfortunately, while the group is enjoying themselves at a karaoke club, they are rendered unconscious and awake inside what appears to be an old, run down mental hospital. They soon discover someone among them has decided to take on the mantle of the wolf and has already killed once. As their situation grows more dire, their trust and camaraderie quickly dissolves and they begin to accuse one another, while the wolf continues to pick them off, one by one. Who is the wolf, and can they be stopped before everyone meets a very unpleasant end?"
[source]

Review: "Enter “Doubt”: a gore manga with a plot. A plot that revolves around a group of “Rabbits” (i.e. the protagonists) to find the “Wolf”, as illustrated in the very beginning of the book—like a cruel, taunting tease of what is to come. Needless to say, as people begin to di...e within the group, people go absolutely nuts and start to accuse people, exact revenge, and have their whole world cave in on them.
Now, mind you, this specific plot has been done before—“Battle Royale”, anyone?—but that isn’t a downside, at all. Actually, the execution of said cliché plot is what’s so refreshing and engrossing. It’s a mystery who-done-it that piles the mystery on, slowly answering each one. You become so engrossed in the mystery and the dark, dank atmosphere that you could care less on that fact.
The only down-side to this is that the characters aren’t all that intriguing, you don’t really feel for the main character (Yuu), and that was a bit disappointing due to how much it excelled in areas that I find particularly important—except it lags greatly in this one field. "
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My review: I really intriguing storyline. It reminded me in a way of the Saw movies, so if you like gore with a plot and plenty of twists, give this one a try.

Franken Fran

Mangaka: KIGITSU Katsuhisa
Genre: Comedy, horror

Summary: "Fran can make anyone into anything, raise the dead, switch heads and bodies and give you those eyes that you've always wanted. But do you actually want them? Is it a good thing to raise the dead? Do the ends justify the means? And does Fran care?"
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Review: "This manga is like a modern day Tales From the Crypt in that each chapter is its own stand alone story with different characters. The only constant characters are Fran and those that live with her. Fran just so happens to be a world famous surgeon that can literally perform any surgery. This skill of hers' comes back to haunt most characters in each chapter, as she interprets everyone's wording in a sick and twisted way, causing many "be careful for what you wish for" scenarios throughout the series."
[source]

My review: I can't find the words to say how much I love this series. A perfect mix of gore and humor. And who couldn't love the completely naive, well-meaning surgeon who loves to ignore human morals? All in the name of science and making people happy!