If I remember correctly... the manga really starts to diverge from the anime around volume 10 or so, when the incredibly awesome Chou Koumei shows up, 'kills' Taikoubou and briefly replaces Houshin Engi with a shounen soccer manga. *laugh* Houshin Engi doesn't just break the literary 4th wall, it nukes it. Reading up on Taoism will make you appreciate Taikoubou even more... but Shinkouhyou has always been my #1 favorite. He's such a totally unrepentant pain in the ass.