I had a discussion once with a friend about collecting manga. I had just gotten the Kodomo no Omocha Perfect Edition, griping a little about the price. But of course, I plunked down the $14 per book (Import!) for the pleasure of having an obviously better quality edition with color plates.
Of course, the conversation turned to my other favorite manga title - Rurouni Kenshin. I'm very happy of it's success in English, of course, but RK will always have a special place in my heart. It's the series that really lit a fire in me to learn to read Japanese. Of coures, a lot of my kanji knowledge has faded with time (and lack of use), but I still love to pull down my RK manga now and then and read it.
I even purchased the novels in Japanese. My translator friend S. commented that it would be hard for me to read since there was hardly any furigana (phonetic kanji pronunciation) to guide me in reading it.
Well, years have passed since college and now the Rurouni Kenshin Perfect Edition is coming out in Japan. Am I going to buy the volumes as they come out? Probably. I love the characters. I love the story. I love the ending. So I'm going to get my otaku on and pick up the series again.
There's something to be said for a series that caused one of my Japanese Teaching Assistants to exclaim, "Divorce is easy! Kenshin just has to write it out and give it to her!" when I brought her the news that he had been married. Once she found out he was, um, a widower, she breathed a sigh of relief.
series is kinda like an RPG, but with ye-olde prostitutes. 
takes place in the memories of another ancestor. This one in Renaissance Italy. Ezio Auditore is handsome (which is great if you're playing for hours!) and athletic. And he is not only willing to spill blood. He is eager. For vengeance!!!
and 
, there are memorable characters and creatures.
