Vinland Saga ＊＊＊＊＊
Taking place in 11th century northern Europe, the manga is the story of Thorfinn, a boy who becomes a ruthless warrior in order to avenge his father's death. His story takes place against the backdrop of historical events, including the Viking invasions of England, the rise of king Canute and the Norse settlement of Vinland (though, as of chapter 93, they've yet to get there). The history and culture of the time and place are researched fairly well, though the story is not without breaks from reality for the sake of drama and "awesomeness". The manga is perhaps most famous/notorious for its intense and gory battle scenes.
With dialogues ranging from political and philosophical discussions in highbrow keigo heavy on archaic phrasing to highly informal vulgar warrior banter, all sprinkled generously with vocabulary and concepts from a cultural context very alien to modern-day Japan, the language in Vinland Saga is about as far removed from everyday conversational Japanese as possible. So, probably not a good choice for beginners, unless you're planning on reading lots of historical fiction or European-style fantasy in Japanese.
Furigana: only in the first two volumes. Early in its publishing history this manga was moved from a weekly shonen to a monthly seinen magazine, which meant that the artist no longer had to add the furigana. It also meant a less constricting schedule, which led to an improvement in the detail of the artwork.
Oh, and I might be missing something, but I'm pretty sure that "Yotsuba" and "Yotsubato" refer to the same manga.
Taking place in 11th century northern Europe, the manga is the story of Thorfinn, a boy who becomes a ruthless warrior in order to avenge his father's death. His story takes place against the backdrop of historical events, including the Viking invasions of England, the rise of king Canute and the Norse settlement of Vinland (though, as of chapter 93, they've yet to get there). The history and culture of the time and place are researched fairly well, though the story is not without breaks from reality for the sake of drama and "awesomeness". The manga is perhaps most famous/notorious for its intense and gory battle scenes.
With dialogues ranging from political and philosophical discussions in highbrow keigo heavy on archaic phrasing to highly informal vulgar warrior banter, all sprinkled generously with vocabulary and concepts from a cultural context very alien to modern-day Japan, the language in Vinland Saga is about as far removed from everyday conversational Japanese as possible. So, probably not a good choice for beginners, unless you're planning on reading lots of historical fiction or European-style fantasy in Japanese.
Furigana: only in the first two volumes. Early in its publishing history this manga was moved from a weekly shonen to a monthly seinen magazine, which meant that the artist no longer had to add the furigana. It also meant a less constricting schedule, which led to an improvement in the detail of the artwork.
Oh, and I might be missing something, but I'm pretty sure that "Yotsuba" and "Yotsubato" refer to the same manga.