Best Mystery Manga of 2001

Aoyagi Ritsuka is one troubled 6th grader. Two years ago, he mysteriously lost his memory and developed an alternate personality. His mother constantly berates (and occasionally beats) him, asking what happened to the "real" Ritsuka, and his only defender and friend, his older brother Seimei, was recently killed. Suddenly, Seimei's apparent "friend," Soubi, appears. Soubi tells him that Ritsuka's true name is "Loveless," and that Soubi was assigned by Seimei to take care of Ritsuka and protect him. Ritsuka soon gets sucked into a bizzare underground society where teams of people, a "Fighter Unit," and a "Sacrifice," battle using elaborate and beautifully-phrased spells. He seeks both acceptance of himself, and the answer to the mystery of who killed his brother and why.

Natsu Iwashimizu's last memory of her family is eating her favorite meals with them. Unfortunately, she wakes up from her dream only to find herself in a sinking ship, being rescued by three strangers: Arashi Aota, whose kind-hearted personality does not match his quick temper; Semimaru Asai, who enjoys ridiculing Natsu's meek nature; and Botan Saotome, a skillful woman seemingly aware of their situation. Following the four's successful escape, they sail to a deserted island. Unbeknownst to them, the mysterious island is Japan. After a meteorite landed on Earth, humanity was wiped out and the environment changed drastically. To repopulate the country, the government initiated the "7 Seeds" project, consisting of five groups—Spring, Summer A, Summer B, Autumn, and Winter—each with seven young healthy individuals and a guide. Natsu and the others were put into team Summer B, whose members are considered failures by society. To get more supplies, the group must find one of the seven shelters built by the government. In a hostile, unfamiliar world with no loved ones to depend on, the quartet must learn to cooperate with each other to ensure their survival.

Deep in the heart of 19th century London, a young nobleman named Cain walks the shadowy cobblestone streets of the aristocratic society into which he was born. Forced to become an earl upon the untimely death of his father, Cain assumes the role of head of the Hargreaves, a noble family with a dark past. With Riff, his faithful manservant, and Mary Weather, his 10-year-old half sister, Cain investigates the mysterious crimes that seem to follow him wherever he goes.Included one-shot: Volume 5: Nichiyoubi no Solomon Grundy

Houtarou Oreki is a high school student who lives his life conserving as much energy as possible, only delving into matters that feel absolutely necessary to him. So when his older sister forces him to join the Classics Club to keep it from disbanding, he finds himself terribly inconvenienced. To his surprise, Oreki finds that the Classics Club already has a single member: the inquisitive Eru Chitanda. Not long after, Oreki's friends—the knowledgeable Satoshi Fukube and the headstrong Mayaka Ibara—also join. Although the club does not have any set activities, Chitanda's constant curiosity soon begins to drag the members into all sorts of mystery-solving escapades. Koten-bu Series revolves around the members of the Classics Club as their eccentric day-to-day activities slowly begin to brighten up Oreki's drab way of life.

Makoto Kubota wandered through life, not taking things too seriously or looking too deep within himself. His job as the head of the Izumo Group's youth gang kept him pleasantly occupied with yakuza wars, mahjong and assassinations... Until the day he stumbled upon a strange drug called Wild Adapter that produces bizarre side-effects—including death. Forever changed, Kubota becomes entangled with a drifter named Minoru Tokito, and the two form an unlikely companionship that draws them deeper into the mystery of Wild Adapter...

Detective School Q is the story of a group of young students from Class Q of Dan Detective School (DDS), a prestigious and renowned detective academy founded by Morihiko Dan, the most famous detective in Japan, and the adventures and mysteries they unfold and solve together. They eventually work against Pluto, a mysterious organization which creates almost fool-proof plans that only a handful of detectives can solve.

A family, struggling to survive in Japan after the second World War. An orphan girl in London, working her fingers to the bone every day just to pay for the food on her table. A young man in a war-torn world, fighting without knowing his purpose for living. Across time and space, these strangers share just one thing in common—the wonder boy. A mysterious traveler who appears here and there throughout the ages, watching the triumphs and sorrows of humanity… *Source: Yen Press, Vol. 1*

It is the Edo period. Ichitarou, the young master of Nagasakiya, one of the largest stores in Nihonbashi, has been in poor health since birth and is unable to go out. However, Ichitarou is always protected by demons such as Shirasawa and Inugami, who serve him. One night, Ichitarou goes out secretly and witnesses a murder. From that day on, bizarre murders begin to occur one after another in Edo... With the help of the demons, Ichitarou's search for the culprit begins!