RJ Writing Ink

*The following was originally published on FANDOM. Due to the FANDOM Contributor Program being shut down, it has been copied and moved to my blog. Thank you!

Summer’s in full swing, and do you know what means? Aside from going to the beach, it also means more time to catch up on our manga reading! Amazon Kindle covers all your manga needs with some of the best titles ever written. Whether you’re new to the medium or a hardcore fan, these six manga titles are some of the must-reads Kindle offers.

DRAGON BALL

Among Kindle’s manga library is Akira Toriyama ’s legendary masterpiece, Dragon Ball. The manga follows the life of Goku, a young boy who dedicates his life to becoming the best fighter he can be. As the manga progresses, Goku faces enemies that continue to increase in strength. By the manga’s end, he’s fighting opponents capable of threatening the entire universe; in short, he’s strong.

What makes Dragon Ball an essential read isn’t the media franchise it created, but its impact. Goku became the gold standard for the shōnen hero and an iconic character worldwide. Moreover, Dragon Ball has been an inspiration for some of the greatest manga in history. See where the legend began in the original Dragon Ball manga on Kindle!

RAVE MASTER

Better known for Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima got his start in manga with Rave Master. Rave Master tells the story of Haru Glory, a teenage boy who’s chosen to become the next Rave Master. Armed with a magic sword, Haru must find five mystic stones of light, called Raves, and use them to defend the world.

Rave Master is a very entertaining read, filled with memorable characters and fights. Plus, if you’re a fan of Fairy Tail, you’ll notice how he carried over characters and concepts from Rave Master. Unlike Fairy Tail, though, Rave Master never became as well-known in the West, partly due to heavy criticism of the English dub of the anime. Terrible anime aside, Rave Master is worth the time to read and something that you will love.

ROSARIO + VAMPIRE

Do you think it would be awesome to have a bunch of beautiful girls fight over your affection? Try feeling like that when the girls are actual monsters, like in Rosario+Vampire. Ordinary human boy Tsukune Aono gets enrolled in a school for monsters disguised as humans. As scary as that is, Tsukune decides to stay after befriending several girls who end up falling for him, and hilarity ensues as he tries to keep his human identity a secret.

Don’t get fooled by the premise, though: when it’s not about the comedy, Akihisa Ikeda’s work is about the fights. Tsukune and friends get into conflicts with various threatening supernatural foes. By the end of the series, the heroes even face off against a legendary vampire bent on wiping out humanity. This careful balance between the comedic moments and the high-stakes fights make Rosario+Vampire worth your time.

JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure has been around since Dragon Ball’s run, and is still going strong. The manga tells the story of the Joestar family as they use supernatural powers to fight evil. What’s important to note is Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is split into several parts, each with its own main protagonist connected by their family and the shared nickname “Jojo.” Though preferable, prior knowledge is not necessary so you can start on any part you want.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure lives up to its name, featuring some of the most bizarre fights one can find in manga, with the protagonists fighting everything from zombies to a man who can stop time so that he can crush them with a steamroller. These pulse-pounding fights will leave readers on the edge of their seats, enjoying every bit up until the last “Ora!”

MY HERO ACADEMIA

My Hero Academia is a rising star in the anime/manga community, and with good reason. In a world where most of humanity has superpowers, Izuku Midoriya dreams of being a superhero, though he has no powers. All that changes, though, when he meets the world’s greatest hero, All Might, and impresses him with his selfless bravery. As a result, the legend taps Izuku as the one to inherit his powers and become the next Symbol of Peace.

At its heart, My Hero Academia is a coming-of-age story set in the popular superhero genre. While it offers all the fights you’d expect of a superhero story, the manga goes deeper to ask serious questions about heroes. Most notably, what does “hero” mean when it is now a paid profession? If you’re a fan of all things superhero, then My Hero Academia is the manga you need to read.

BATMAN

Yes, you read that right: Batman has a manga version! When the Batman TV series premiered in 1966, Batmania hit Japan. That year, Jiro Kuwata created a shōnen manga based on the show that ran for a little more than a year. Once the craze had faded, the manga stopped serialization and faded into obscurity.

Kuwata’s Batmanga remained unknown in the West until the release of Bat-Manga!: The Secret History of Batman in Japan in 2008, with all three volumes of the series currently available on Kindle. Aside from the classic manga look, the manga’s biggest highlight is that it draws from enemies outside of Batman’s traditional rogue’s gallery, making it all the more interesting. Whether you are a hardcore Batfan or grew up with the show, this is Batman like you’ve never seen before.

*The following was originally published on FANDOM. Due to the FANDOM Contributor Program being shut down, it has been copied and moved to my blog. Thank you!

These days, one significant factor in a video game’s success can come down to whether or not it’s worth replaying. No matter how good it may be, some games aren’t worth coming back to after a player completes it the first time. Other games, though, leave players hooked with anticipation for the next time they can play it. Whether it’s the different endings to the story or the freedom for creativity, these five PC games are the kind that will leave you saying “just one more turn.”

KERBAL SPACE PROGRAM

Getting to space has never been as easy or as fun as it is in Kerbal Space Program. Developed by indie game developers, Squad, the secret to this space flight simulator’s high replay value boils down to the freedom of creativity it gives players. While your primary goal is to get your plucky aliens, the Kerbals, into space, the game lets you decide what you use by constructing spaceplanes and rockets from scratch.

If the base game doesn’t have the parts you want, no reason to worry — it’s supported by a thriving modding community that’s continually adding new mechanics, skins and spaceship parts for players to use. The passionate modding community, in addition to regular updates, ensures that Kerbal Space Program will keep players reaching for the stars for years to come. That or they blow up ships in a hilarious fashion.

FALLOUT 4

Bethesda raised the bar on the open-world RPG with Fallout 4, and it has enough content to keep players busy until the bomb drops. The base game itself is massive in size and scope, with developers loading every portion with items to hunt, locations to explore and legendary enemies to kill.

In a first for the Fallout series, Bethesda added a base building feature, allowing players to build the post-apocalyptic settlement of their dreams. Combine that with several factions-based endings, the game’s modding community, and the DLC packs adding more places to explore, and you’re liable to ignore the plot and wander the wastelandsfor eternity.

CIVILIZATION IV

Of the many PC games that developers have released over the years, Sid Meier’s Civilization series stands near the very summit, and Civilization IV is possibly the greatest out of them all. On the gameplay level, Civilization IV and its major expansion packs contain numerous scenarios based on historical events or historical fiction that players can immerse themselves in for hours on end.

What makes this game so addictive, though, is the sheer level of customization available, with the world builder tool letting players design a world from scratch and build it as they see fit. Throw in a theme song so good it won a Grammy and narration by Leonard Nimoy, and little wonder why people keep coming back!

SID MEIER’S PIRATES!

Another creation of Sid Meier’s, Sid Meier’s Pirates! is the pirate game that refuses to grow old. A 2004 remake of the 1987 game of the same name, this is the go-to experience for those dreaming of life as a pirate. Sailing the waters of the 17th century Caribbean, the appeal of the game lies in its constantly changing scenarios.

While players can decide the difficulty, nationality, and starting era, the game randomly generates different situations involving a war between the four nations in the Caribbean for players to profit from, ensuring that no two games are alike. With the constantly changing variables, deep gameplay, and graphics that still look amazing even 14 years later, this is one game that you’ll want to replay dozens of times over.

JURASSIC WORLD: EVOLUTION

A recent release meant to coincide with the new Jurassic World film, Jurassic World: Evolution is the business simulator dinosaur lovers have wanted for years. The goal of the game is like the Zoo Tycoon series, only instead of lions and tigers, you have to worry about velociraptors and T-Rexes eating people.

The primary campaign on five unique islands presents a fun challenge as you adapt your build style, but its the sandbox mode on the original island of Isla Nublar where this game flexes its muscles, with unlimited funding leaving you free to make your dream dino park. When you’re bored with that, let the dinosaurs out and go nuts; that’s part of the appeal of the franchise, after all.