Best Award Winning Manga of 2014

After the Golden Kingdom is sunk underground by an insane magician, its king emerges, promising all of his treasure to any who defeat the magician, before crumbling to dust. Guilds are spurred on by this promise, traversing the labyrinthine dungeon in search of the magician. Laios Touden, the leader of one such guild, encounters a dragon that wipes out his party and devours his sister, Falin. Despite having lost the entirety of their supplies and belongings, Laios along with Marcille Donato, an elven healer, and Chilchuck Tims, a halfling thief, immediately reenter the dungeon, determined to save Falin. Time being of the essence, Laios suggests the taboo of eating the monsters of the dungeon as a means of gathering supplies. Upon the preparation of their first meal in the dungeon, they are stopped by an on-looking dwarf named Senshi. An enthusiast of monster cooking, he helps them prepare their monster ingredients for safe consumption. After learning of Laios' circumstances, Senshi expresses his desire to cook a dragon and joins their guild, thus beginning their food-filled foray into the dungeon together.

Saichi Sugimoto is feared as the "Immortal Sugimoto" for his savagery on the battlefield during the Russo-Japanese war, but he is by no means a war hero. Sugimoto has been left to fend for himself after his release from the army for nearly killing a superior officer. Braving the rough terrain of Hokkaido, Sugimoto is now searching for gold in order to keep a promise to his lost brother-in-arms. His efforts have been fruitless for a long time until a mysterious traveler tells him of an urban legend that would rid him of all his troubles. According to the legend, a criminal stole the gold of the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido, and hid it away in a location that can only be found when a map—made not from pieces of parchment, but the tattooed skins of escaped convicts—is brought together. Upon meeting with a young Ainu girl, Asirpa, Sugimoto sets off in search of the tattooed prisoners, but many dangers await as soldiers and mercenaries seek the gold as well. Aided by Asirpa's knowledge of the lands, the two of them depart to find the stolen Ainu gold in a journey of revenge, murder, and greed.

Amidst a post-apocalyptic world, Chito and Yuuri seem to be the final survivors of the war that brought civilization to its demise. No longer having a place to live, the girls roam around the city on their half-track motorcycle, ever in search of resources to sustain their vagabond lifestyle. Despite the bleak future ahead of them, the duo still finds ways to entertain themselves throughout this melancholic journey. As the happy-go-lucky Yuuri and the serious Chito hopelessly search for a sign of civilization in a barren world during the harsh winter season, their expedition may in fact become humanity's last tour.

When you look up at the sky, what do you see? A blue sky? Freedom? A hopeful future? The people of Tokyo see none of these. Instead, an ominous alien mothership looms overhead, engulfing the city skyscape. Three years ago, they came. The arrival of the "Invaders" sparked the greatest war humanity had ever faced—one that threatened to end the world. The Japanese government scrambled to fight the Invaders. Weapons were mass-produced, sparking controversy and pacifist movements. That day, everything changed. And yet, nothing has changed. Kadode Koyama and Ouran Nakagawa live their final days like they always have: going to school, playing with friends, and doing what any carefree high school girl would do. As they grow up, they come to learn what it truly means to be an adult in a world where adults seem to be demons who only deceive and destroy. They come to learn the real threat to humanity is not the Invaders, but humanity itself.

Fable is a legendary hitman who has completed numerous jobs for a variety of clients. After concluding his latest assignment, the number of people he has recently killed becomes too high, and Fable is ordered by his boss to lay low for a year. He is suggested that having to adapt to life as an ordinary citizen might prove a valuable experience for his future work. Fable is to be accompanied by the woman who acts as his driver, and the two will assume new identities as siblings. However, their boss warns them that they will both face a deadly punishment if Fable kills anyone during his time off. Thus begins Akira and Youko Satou's joint one-year sabbatical from the underworld.

Akira Tachibana is a soft-spoken high school student who used to be a part of the track and field club but, due to an injury, she is no longer able to run as fast as she once could. Working part-time at a family restaurant as a recourse, she finds herself inexplicably falling in love with her manager, a divorced 45-year-old man with a young son. Despite the age gap, Akira wholeheartedly embraces his mannerisms and kind nature, which is seen as spinelessness by the other employees, and little by little, the two begin to understand each other. Although unable to explain why exactly she is attracted to him, Akira believes that a concrete reason is not needed to truly love someone. On a rainy day, she decides to finally tell her manager about how she feels. But just how will he react?

At a business meeting, 26-year-old Tsugumi Kawana faces the biggest surprise in her life: she is reunited with Itsuki Ayukawa, a former high school friend and her first love. She is elated that Ayukawa has been able to achieve his dream of becoming an architect, while she herself has secured a stable job at an interior design company. As they reminisce about the past, Tsugumi is shocked to find out Ayukawa has been disabled following an accident. Unable to walk on his own, he now has to rely on the use of a wheelchair. Tsugumi knows that dating a disabled person is a complex matter; moreso, she does not want to ruin her friendship with Ayukawa, who refuses to be romantically involved with anyone. However, as she begins to interact with him more and learns about his condition, Tsugumi realizes her feelings for him may not have disappeared entirely.

Yaichi Origuchi's uneventful day is interrupted by a big, burly foreigner who shows up at his front door and begins to hug him. The man introduces himself as Mike Flanagan, and Yaichi quickly discovers that Mike is the widower of Ryouji, his younger twin brother. Since Ryouji left for Canada a decade ago, Yaichi heard nothing about him other than he married a foreigner and passed away the month before. While Yaichi is apprehensive about the whole situation, his young daughter Kana is absolutely thrilled at the idea of having a gay Canadian uncle. Kana's lack of understanding of Japanese societal views on homosexuality cause Yaichi to reflect on his own preconceived notions. And as Mike continues to stay with the family, Yaichi gradually learns more about his brother-in-law, and he recalls his own past with Ryouji.