See more of the best manga of 2009:
WINNER - GoGo Monster
Author and Artist: Taiyo Matsumoto
Publisher: VIZ Signature / VIZ Media
for GoGo Monster
First grader Yuki Tachibana says he can see and talk to 'monsters' -- but are these creatures just a figment of a disturbed child's imagination, or is he the only one who can sense the impending war between two factions of supernatural beings who are haunting his school?More »
2nd place - The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Author and Artist: Ranmaru Kotone
Authors: Yasutaka Tsutsui (original story), TOKIKAKE Film Partners (original concept), Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (charcter designs)
Publisher:Bandai Entertainment
for The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
After escaping a near death experience from a train accident, Makoto discovers that she can leap forward and backwards in time. At first she uses her abilities to ace her tests and avoid embarrassing mistakes, but Makoto soon learns that there's a price to be paid when you mess around with the flow of time and the workings of the human heart.More »
3rd place - A Drifting Life
Author and Artist:Yoshihiro Tatsumi
Publisher:Drawn and Quarterly
for A Drifting Life
With A Drifting Life, Yoshihiro Tatsumi recounts his life-long pursuit of a career as a professional manga artist during some of the most tumultuous and formative years of contemporary Japanese history. This 800+ page memoir takes readers from this manga maverick's early years from his childhood dreams of manga stardom and his fateful meeting with Osamu Tezuka, to the heady days when he helped found the gekiga ("dramatic pictures") movement.More »
 - Swallowing the Earth){kind=link}
4th place (tie) - Swallowing the Earth
Author and Artist:Osamu Tezuka
Publisher:Digital Manga Publishing
for Swallowing the Earth
Zephyrus is a bewitchingly beautiful woman who drives men mad with desire. As generations of men fall under her spell, Zephyrus leaves a trail of broken hearts, minds and bodies. That is, until she meets a man who is immune to her charms, a drunkard named Gohonmatsu Seki. Who is Zephyrus, what are her reasons behind her actions? Has Gohonmatsu captured the heart of this ice queen, or will her decades-long reign of seduction and destruction continue?More »
 - Heaven's Will){kind=link}
4th place (tie) - Heaven's Will
Author and Artist: Satoru Takamiya
Publisher: Shojo Beat / VIZ Media
for Heaven's Will
Sadou Mikuzu is a shy and skittish girl; but then again being able to see ghosts and demons can do that to a teen. When she stumbles into the local haunted house, she meets Seto, a pretty blonde in a Gothic Lolita black lace dress and Kagari, Seto's dark and sullen male companion. Mikuzu eventually finds out that Seto is an exorcist and Kagari is a vampire. On top of that, Seto is really a guy who cross-dresses for fun, and for darker reasons.More »
 - Castle of Dreams){kind=link}
5th place (tie) - Castle of Dreams
Author and Artist: Masami Tsuda
Publisher:TokyoPop
for Castle of Dreams
From the creator of Kare Kano comes a collection of short stories filled with wistful fantasy and romance. The title story is set in the 18th century and it focuses on a young man named Louie who lives in a small house with his love, Jennifer. But a chance encounter with a gentleman who has lost a child forces Louie to weigh his love for Jennifer against a lifetime of loneliness.More »
 - Only One Wish){kind=link}
5th place (tie) - Only One Wish
Author and Artist: Mia Ikumi
Publisher:Del Rey Manga
for Only One Wish
According to the legend, if you look in the mirror at midnight, you'll see an email address. Send your wish to that address and your wish come true. Four girls get their wishes granted by a young witch, but are will the girls' fondest wishes become their biggest regrets?More »
 - Red Snow){kind=link}
6th place (tie) - Red Snow
Author and Artist: Susumu Katsumata
Publisher:Drawn & Quarterly
for Red Snow
A traveling monk and a village of lonely women. A young woman and a tree spirit. A young bride goes mad after being sexually assaulted. A water spirit wrestles with the drunk husband of an abused woman. All of these characters and more give a glimpse of rural Japan of the recent past with these gekiga fables for grown-ups.More »
 - The History of the West Wing){kind=link}
6th place (tie) - The History of the West Wing
Author: Sun Jiayu
Artist: Guo Guo
Publisher:Yen Press
for History of the West Wing
Chen has been wandering the countryside, pondering the mistakes made in his past, and his purposeless future. Then he catches a glimpse of Pianpian, the lovely daughter of a government official, and his life is forever changed. Can he turn his life around and be deemed worthy to wed Pianpian, or will Pianpian's demanding mother dash this young couple's hopes of fulfilling their romantic yearnings?More »
7th place - Genghis Khan: To The Ends of Earth and Sea
Author: Nakaba Higurashi
Artist: Seiichi Morimura
Publisher:CMX Manga
for Genghis Khan: To The Ends of Earth and Sea
Before he became the warrior king who would unite Mongolia, Genghis Khan was a young man named Temujin. Genghis Khan: To the Ends of Earth and Sea tells the tale of Temujin's youth, his friendship with his blood brother Jamuqa and how the two young men become rivals on the battlefield, fighting for the destiny of Mongolia.More »