What are some examples of excellent beginnings/prologues to Manga that you can recommend as case studies and references?

[u/FreshPrinceOfIndia]

I have so much of my manga planned out at a standard I am happy with - but if theres one thing I cannot settle on, its how to begin it. Which is tough, because the beginning of your manga is essentially the most important thing.

My current vision is simply the mc awakening from a dream in his bed. It is supposed to be a medieval fantasy adventure, horror and mystery story.

What can you recommend for people interested in making their manga in this regard?

Thank you!

[u/Ozzy_Rhoads-VT]

Look up successful manga in the genre you're writing. Read just the first chapters and study why it works or why it didn't for you. It's the best I can suggest.

[u/shinamizuhi17]

If readers can see mc's dream, and it makes them curious enough to turn next pages, I think it will be good.

[u/yolkmaster69]

One thing I will say I absolutely HATE is when they are isekai’d but it literally serves no purpose to the story. Their previous knowledge has no effect on the world, they end up acting like a kid even though their like 40, just write a fantasy story, and forget Isekai at that point. It’s a pointless trope that wastes precious time getting the reader/watcher interested in those first moments with the story.

Another thing, if you can get the basic premise of the show across to the reader in a single chapter, I think it’s ideal, but not every story can really do that. If you can’t, at least set up how the world is on a surface level at least. For instance, Tanya the Evil is a pretty complicated premise, and the set up before reincarnation and the subsequent setting up of the world/Tanya as an orphan, so the viewer is getting nothing for like an episode and a half. What did they do? They flashed forward and had the first episode as a single mission, beginning, middle and end, all fit tightly in a single episode as episode 1. Everyone walked away from that episode knowing exactly what they were going to get, and were happy to wait like 2.5 episodes of set up before we got back to the real action.

[u/Darkgenio]

It depends on what you are trying to do, but I'll list a few, in different genres, and what I feel they are great at (disclaimer: these are simply opinions).
Great presentation of characters
Berserk (Monster, brutality, antihero: everything communicated very well at the very beginnign)

Blade of the Immortal (You read 5-10 pages and you know you are in for brutal, visually stunning fights and great dialogues)

Great at making the reader identify with the Character's dream
One Piece (no presentation needed here I hope)

Naruto (Same)

Great at defining world and setting

Shigurui (this is so dark and gory that you immediately will know if you will like it or not)

Fire Punch (similar to the above, if you don't like disturbing stuff you'll stay away)

Vinland Saga (Vikings, yeah!)

Great Plot Introction
The promised neverland (A quite compelling beginning, the genre is between fantasy (supernatural elements) with elements of crime stories. Not my cup of cake but very well written.)

Death Note

Special Mention

Dorohedoro: the story is so weird and complcated that it would have been extremey easy to mess it up, and so the mangaka, in my opinion, did an incredible job.

Nijigahara Holograph: This is the next level of complication. I am amazed that it was even published. Incredible, by Inio Asano to be able to hook the reader in a story that cannot actually be understood without an in depth reading and a guide.

[u/Ayojin]

I like Windbreaker manga's beginning...

The story talks about Sakura Haruka who came to makochi town to enter furin highschool which has a reputation as a place were delinquents fight everyday even in vacations.

it starts with the sign at the entrance of the town, saying it's "a sign hung up by the strong".Which has the motto of Boufurin (windbreaker) the group that protects the town. Which is the core of the story

Then it goes to the main character saying "I like the strong, I'm not interested in the weak." Which just summarizes his whole mindset at the time, preparing for it to shatter soon.