Rurouni Kenshin was the first manga I ever read, and it has been my favorite ever since. (2007) If you have never heard of it, check it out! The art is evocative and deceptively simple, the story is unforgettable, and the main character is someone who actually should be the title character. Instead of a meandering plot that never seems to resolve, three evenly-paced story arcs neatly bridge 28 volumes. The combat scenes are intense, clever, and usually have underlying significance. I've yet to find a more powerful story in manga---if you're not a fan of at least a couple of characters once you've finished, I don't know what to tell you. Something to note... I *strongly* recommend reading the manga before watching the anime. The biggest problem with the anime is that most of the final story arc is missing. As in many cases, the TV series began airing before the manga was complete, so the writers of the show ran out of material and created a whole season of filler episodes which fail to properly end the series.