Best Fantasy Manga of 2006

Reminiscent of a broken toy box, the mystical Abyss is a terrifying realm home to monstrous creatures called Chains. Most believe it to be only a fairy tale, used to scare children who misbehave. Oz Vessalius, the cheerful and mischievous heir of the noble Vessalius family, is one such individual—until, at his coming-of-age ceremony, the mysterious Baskerville Clan arrives and condemns him to the Abyss for a sin he neither committed nor knows anything about. Oz then forms a contract with Alice, a unique Chain who can take on human form, in an attempt to escape from the Abyss. As Oz struggles to unravel the mysteries behind his sin, the Abyss, and a tragedy from one hundred years ago, he and his companions find themselves confronted by the Baskervilles and ghosts from the past. Meanwhile, his journey back home is plagued by relentless despair.Included one-shot: Volume 8: Pandora Hearts (pilot)

Tucked away in the English countryside lies the ominous manor of the Phantomhives, a family which has established itself as the cold and ruthless "Queen's Watchdog" as well as the head of London's criminal underground. After a tragedy leaves the Earl and his wife dead, many are shocked when their son, a young boy named Ciel, claims his place as the new Earl of the Phantomhive house. At first, many perceive him only as a child surrounded by a few eccentric servants. But they soon begin to realize that it is foolish to meddle with Ciel and his demonic butler Sebastian. Taking place at the end of the 19th century, Kuroshitsuji follows these two as they face countless mysteries and dangers that plague England and threaten the Queen, uncovering the truth about what really happened to Ciel's parents in the process.

Shirayuki is Tanbarun's friendly neighborhood herbalist, whose unique red hair ends up drawing unwanted attention from the vain prince of Tanbarun, Raji Shenazard. Faced with the unattractive proposition to become his concubine, Shirayuki chops off her hair and flees the country overnight. In her journey deep into the forest, she encounters Zen Wistalia, the prince of the neighboring country of Clarines. When Zen takes a bite out of a poisoned apple that Prince Raji sends in order to recapture Shirayuki, she expertly uses the herbs at her disposal to cure him. Together with Zen and his two friends, Kiki and Mitsuhide, Shirayuki travels to Clarines, where she aims to make a life for herself as an apothecary of the royal court. As Zen slowly begins to mean more to her than the prince of her new country, the two of them must learn to work together toward their respective dreams despite the difference in status.Included one-shots: Volume 1: Hachigatsu no Shikisai (Colorful Seasons of August) Volume 2: Bokura wo Tsunaide. (Connect Us) Volume 13: Shizuku no Saki ni (Beyond the Drops) Volume 14: Natsuyasumi 00-nichime (00 Days of Summer Vacation)

A young traveling merchant, Kraft Lawrence, has become accustomed to days of roaming and trading with few companions. Or so it was until one peculiar day when the trader finds a young, naked, wolf-like girl asleep in his wagon. The beautiful girl, calling herself Holo, claims to be a local wolf deity worshipped by locals as the God of Good Harvest. Year after year, she ensured they would reap a good harvest, but she has since grown tired of fulfilling the wishes of the ungrateful locals. Holo ends up striking a deal with Lawrence: if he helps her escape the villagers, she will gladly help him in his merchant endeavors. Together, they roam from town to town in search of business, and Lawrence realizes both the ups and downs of traveling with a haughty and shrewd wolf goddess.

Witches suddenly declare war against humans, causing two-thirds of the world to fall apart. They summon monsters called "Supporters" and devastate human residences... but why? Survivors gather people with the power to combat the witches and called them Witch Hunters! Tasha Godspell is one of the strongest nicknamed "The Marksman" along with his "Jack-O-Lantern" looking Supporter. He fights the witches but cannot really bring himself to hate them...

The Holy Grail War is a ritualistic battle fought to determine who is worthy of commanding the Holy Grail: an omnipotent wish-granting device. The war is held between seven mages, each armed with their own familiar, an ancient heroic spirit of legend. The Einzberns, a major contender in the grail war, have recruited the infamous mage killer Kiritsugu Emiya as their representative in the Fourth Holy Grail War. Though armed with his own arsenal, Kiritsugu is faced with six other mages vying to win. From bettering humanity to garnering respect, all opponents have their own reasons for seeking the Holy Grail. Taking place 10 years before the events of Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Zero illustrates the events of the fateful Fourth Holy Grail War.

1. Hotel: Since A.D. 2079 2. Present 3. Subete wa Maguro no Tame datta (It Was All for the Tuna) 4. Stephanos 5. Diadem

In the land of Amberground, an artificial sun serves as the only source of light for the capital city of Akatsuki while an eternal night persists. The further away one is from the capital, the darker and more dangerous it is. In the surrounding areas of Yuusari and Yodaka exist enormous armored bug creatures called Gaichuu that prey on people's hearts. Despite this, it is the duty of Letter Bees, a special group of mail carriers, to deliver letters throughout Amberground while risking their lives battling the Gaichuu. Twelve-year-old Lag Seeing aspires to become a Letter Bee like Gauche Suede after their fateful meeting five years ago, where Gauche "delivered" Lag himself as a letter sent by his missing mother. Determined to see Gauche again and uncover the truth behind his mother's disappearance, Lag begins his journey to become a Letter Bee.

Energetic and strong-willed, Beni doesn't care if she lives or dies as long as her death will result in embarrassing her arrogant father! But one day, she suddenly encounters a Kagetora, a ninja who's fallen from the sky and swears complete loyalty to her—as her bodyguard. Kagetora has time traveled from a long, long time ago, and has devoted his life to protecting Princess Beni. Little does Kagetora know that this Beni is not the real princess... Can true love and honor survive after centuries-long time warp—in a crazy modern world?

On the continent of Cruzon, quartz is the lifeblood of civilization, powering all machinery and granting everyone the ability to wield magic. However, Rygart Arrow has a rare condition that sets him apart: he is born an "un-sorcerer," unable to interact with quartz. Despite this, he attended military school, where he forged deep friendships with Sigyn Erster, Hodr, and Zess. After graduation, his limitations lead him to withdraw to the outskirts of Krisna and settle into a quiet, unremarkable life as a farmer. But Rygart's peaceful lifestyle abruptly ends when Sigyn and Hodr—now the queen and king of Krisna—summon him to the capital. The kingdom is teetering on the edge of war with Athens, and the situation escalates when Zess, now a general in Athens' army, leads an attack on Krisna's capital. Amid the chaos, Rygart discovers an ancient Golem—a mobile suit from a long-lost civilization. Unlike modern machines, this one can only be piloted by an un-sorcerer. Armed with this extraordinary weapon, Rygart is thrust into the heart of war, torn between former friends now divided by ideology and bloodshed.

In the quiet little hamlet of Twilight Town, there lives a boy named Roxas. He and his friends Hayner, Pence and Olette are trying to enjoy their final days of summer vacation, when strange things begin to happen. First the group is falsely accused of stealing photos from all over town. Then they are attacked by bizarre, white creatures. But the oddest occurrences are the recurring dreams Roxas has of a boy named Sora, and the presence of a girl named Naminé, who has a mysterious secret to share with Roxas.

Karin Hanazono is ready to settle down and live life without her heavenly powers until she is told in a dream to search for the "Three Honored Gods." When she awakens the next morning, she is shocked to find a small child sleeping peacefully in her bed. Introducing himself as her future son, Suzune tells Karin about the dire fate that awaits her and his father unless she can destroy the "Seeds of Chaos." In order to do so, she must assemble three gods—Uranus, Hades, and Neptune—and combine their powers to eliminate the threat. Having already identified Kazune Kuujou as Uranus, Karin must also find Hades and Neptune in order to save Suzune's future from ruin. At the same time that she sets out on her journey, a mysterious and sinister girl appears, sowing Seeds of Chaos wherever she goes. Now, with the power to travel through time, Karin must do everything she can to find the remaining two gods and the origins of the Seeds of Chaos before it is too late.

It's the Meiji Era in a slightly alternate Japan, and the Gregorian calendar has just come into effect. The fox-eared girls living in the youkai part of town are about to be put to work together with a delegation of young human soldiers, to promote interracial understanding. So what will happen when Zakuro's strong personality collides with human sensibilities?

Sunny Milk, Luna Child, and Star Sapphire are three mischievous fairies that have special powers, setting them apart from other members of their kind. When they are not doing their usual pranks, they try to pass the time by engaging in activities within the vast magical forests, the Hakurei Shrine, or even the Scarlet Devil Mansion. As they live out their lives, the trio meets various humans, youkai, and other fairies—all of whom could be the next target of their comedic shenanigans.

In this school fantasy story set in the distant future, creatures contaminated by pollution have overtaken the land, forcing humanity to live in isolated mobile cities called Regios. One such city named Zuellni is a self-contained school in which freshman Layfon Alseif has just enrolled. Layfon reluctantly joins the 17th Martial Arts Studies Unit led by the third-year student Nina Antalk and embarks on a series of adventures.

Skyla is a young witch in a world where witches no longer exist. On her way to meet her husband she is picked up by an easily bored old woman and her servant, and a mysterious alchemist. What adventures will Skyla face on her way to Wells?

Frau and Kio are angels, and it's their duty to protect the passage of souls to Heaven. Their roles are reversed when Frau gets promoted, leaving Kio behind, and then suddenly appears to be Kio's protector. Can the two work out their new relationship while battling off the Manifus...?Volume 1 starts off with chapter 0, originally a one-shot called "Eden".

In our world there are objects that go by the name of "Relics". Not antiques or items of classical art, but mysterious things like a stone that brings luck, a doll whose hair grows night after night, or a mirror that shows your future appearance. The world is big and so there happens to be a shop that offers such suspicious items — the Tsukumodo Antique Shop (FAKE). But as the name suggests, only fakes can be found there. To make matters worse, the shop assistant is a girl whose attendance couldn't be blunter, so the store hardly has any customers at all. However, from time to time a real Relic appears and makes things interesting. Very well, now let us talk about those who have obtained one of these mysterious items.

Erin is a young girl who lives with her mother in a village which raises war-lizards, called Touda. We see her daily life, which changes as she grows up. Meanwhile, there is growing tension between the two provinces of the country she lives in.

Kino is an ordinary high school student enjoying an ordinary life in an ordinary world. But when a mysterious entity transforms her classmates into demons and besieges the school, it’s up to her to transform into Mysterious Bishoujo Gun Fighter Rider Kino and bring peace back to the city! Accompanied by Hermes the talking cell phone strap, Samoyed Mask the handsome but highly incompetent self-proclaimed protector, and the ever-mysterious Detective Wanwan, Kino sets out to conquer every restaurant in town and maybe save the world if she has time to spare. A spin-off of the acclaimed Kino’s Journey series, Gakuen Kino is a lighthearted comedy where nothing is sacred—not even the original series.

With her mother missing and an empty stomach, the Oni girl Senri reluctantly came down the mountain towards human habitation, where she collapsed in the street. Coming across her by chance, the human girl Shin offered her house as place for Senri to live.

The story is about Yugi, a very popular guy who loves to fight. He always has the same mysterious dreams about people of a different era and a woman called Gai. After a car crash, he gets those dreams more often and even in broad daylight. Yugi wants assurance and visits a fortuneteller club.. Note: Version 2 of the manhwa under the same name with slightly different artwork and re-written story.

Citro's an all-too-human android boy who lives with his "grandfather," an old mechanic, and Corona, the mechanic's granddaughter. When warring factions battle it out at his home, a powerful device implants itself in Citro, making him both more powerful and the target of evil forces. Tragedy propels Citro and Corona on a quest, accompanied by their new ally Tera, the broomstick-flying, techno-witch.