Good ideas for a first Manga

[Katherine]

I've been thinking of getting into manga, but I have NO IDEA where to start. Any suggestions on how to choose one, or any suggestions in general?

[Skynetmain]

Hayate the Combat Butler - It is very funny and has some good action and romance parts. It is one of my favorites.
Ranma 1/2 - Same as Hayate, only older.
Anything by CLAMP - They have a wide array of different genres and the art is beautiful.
Azumanga Daioh - Quick and easy read since it is in 4-coma style.

There are probably others, but these are easy to get into and develop at a good enough pace so you don't get overwhelmed or lost easily. Once again, I want to recommend Hayate since that series is great; it makes a ton of references to other series; and the characters are relatable (I feel like Hayate all the time). Most of the other series I read are a little too heavy for a first time.

PS: Note Nagi from Hayate in my sig. Isn't she cute! You know you want to read more about her.

[Kitten Medli]

Hmm.. yeah, for a first time you'd probably want to stay away from long/on-going mangas such as Naruto or Bleach. They'd be way overwhelming. I haven't read the Azumanga Daioh manga, but the anime is simple and cute, so it might be a good place to start.

[Siniri]

It depends on what kinds of genres you're interested in. I'd also shoot for ones that have been completed and aren't too long. Then again, I prefer ones with a decent plot, so I like the slightly longer ones. Two that are completed that I particularly enjoyed were Death Note and Tokyo Crazy Paradise (the latter has not been licensed to an English-translating company, and thus can only be read on-line unless you can read Japanese). Death Note is a psychological thriller and cat-and-mouse game, and there were about 13 volumes. Tokyo Crazy Paradise is a mecha/romance that takes place in the near-future -- which is not usually the type of thing that I enjoy, but it had an interesting plot and characters; it was about 110 chapters long, if I remember correctly.

I'm currently reading Gokusen, which has about 1 volume left to be scanlated -- it's about a dedicated teacher trying to hide her yakuza background, and it's funny and heartwarming. It's 15 volumes long, but a fast read. If there are any animes that you like, you might want to consider starting with the manga to those if they exist -- many actually started as manga (though some go the other way, too), and I usually prefer the manga to the anime.

These might be longer than you'd be interested in, but they seem a decent length to me because I started with Naruto because of my nephews -- it's currently at chapter 430! (And I definitely wouldn't recommend starting with it.)

[Effogalfurl]

There's a sale going on at work Buy 3 manga get 1 free on any new and used. New are regular price but Used are like 5 for most 10 new. So for 15 I got:
Negima V2-3
Haruhi V 1
Samurai Deeper Kyo V1

[Jacob]

The Horror genre of manga is amazing, and while I know a few names, it's incredibly disturbing. To the point I don't think it's proper to share here. In summary, the Japanese know how to translate their J-Horror films into manga form quite well. So if you're not a fan of those...*shiver*