Best Comedy Manga of 2001

When the taller than average 172 cm Risa Koizumi learns that her occasional nemesis, the shorter than average 156 cm Atsushi Ootani, is romantically interested in her friend, she decides to team up with him. After all, she also has feelings for his friend. Unluckily, however, their respective crushes fall for each other instead. Determined to find new love after their recent misfortunes, the pair decide to cheer each other on while maintaining their usual dynamic of constant bickering. Although they continually deny it, Risa and Ootani are more similar than they like to admit: they both have unusual heights, failing grades, identical tastes in food, and a tendency to act extremely childish. Together, they inspire laughter among their peers as a so-called comedic duo. Could the love that these two are looking for be closer than they think?Included one-shots: Volume 12: Hoshi ni Nattemo Aishiteru Volume 16: Bokura no Ibasho

At the tender age of 12, Mitsuki Kouyama has a sarcoma in her throat. Though this rare cancer can be cured by removing her vocal cords, Mitsuki refuses because of her desire to become a pop singer and keep her childhood promise to Eichi Sakurai, her first love who left for America. Unable to both heal and keep her voice, she allows her health to deteriorate, as she accepts her tragic fate. One day, while escaping the home of her music-hating grandmother to attend an audition, Mitsuki meets two shinigami, Takuto Kira and Meroko Yui. Realizing that Mitsuki can see them, Takuto and Meroko reveal to her that she will die in a year. Moved by her plight, Takuto allows Mitsuki the chance to pursue her dream by giving her the ability to transform into a healthy sixteen-year-old girl. After being chosen for a contract with Seed Records, Mitsuki makes her debut under the stage name Full Moon and chooses to pursue her dream music career before her life's end.Included one-shot: Volume 2: Ginyuu Meika

Kiyomaro Takamine, genius middle schooler, is greeted one morning by Gash Bell, a boy with a mysterious red book. Tasked by his father to decipher it, Kiyomaro soon learns Gash is no ordinary boy. Able to shoot lightning from his mouth at the chant of a word, Gash is a demon child—one a part of a war that takes place every 1000 years to decide the Demon King. With Kiyomaro being the only one who can read Gash's book, the duty of partner is thrust on him in this exciting tale of friendship, determination, and melons...?

Shinichi Chiaki, the perfectionist son of a famous pianist, is in his fourth year at Momogaoka College of Music, hoping to achieve his secret dream of being a conductor. His admiration for his father led him to pursue a career in music. As much as he wants to return to Europe, his phobia of flying traps him in Japan where he now lives. One night, he passes out, and ends up being taken in by Megumi "Nodame" Noda. Upon first glance, Nodame is a talented pianist, but she is also slobbish and eccentric. What's even worse is that she is his neighbor and he ends up forced to work with her. Though it sounds like a recipe for disaster, Chiaki is drawn to this girl who makes him remember the love for music he once held. Just what does the future hold for this musical duo?

Hana Tsukishima is a country boy that recently moved to city. He is a good guy, ingenuous and honest, but he is also very strong. His goal is to become the "strongest student" of a school of thugs led by clan-logic, strength hierarchy and fights.

Ueki no Housoku tells the story of the Battle of the Supernatural Powers, a tournament to decide who will be the next King of the Celestial World. Each candidate (100 in total) is required to choose a junior high school student to act as their fighter. Each student is given a unique power—the power to change one thing into something else. The winning King of the Celestial World Candidate will become King of the Celestial World and the winning student will receive the Blank Talent, a talent that can be anything they choose.

Satoyama Katsuki and his best friend Kawakami Kyouta, both age 15, enrolls in Mizutani Boxing Gym to get close to their tomboyish crush, Mizutani Katsuki, whose father owns it. However, Satoyama soon finds out that she is distant from her father. Worse, it turns out that she hates boxing. In a sparring match, everyone including Mizutani soon discovers Satoyama's hidden yet unpolished skill in boxing. Satoyama soon learns that Mizutani is really in love with boxing, but disdains it because its a man's sport of which she cannot join. Mizutani then takes it upon herself to be Satoyama's trainer/manager to reach the championship belt. Satoyama complies to be closer to his crush. As the story progresses, we soon find out that Satoyama has a hidden past and lineage, one that would give him the necessary skill and talent to be a legendary oriental pro-boxing champion.

Ikuto Touhouin is a 14-year-old boy, who had a fight with his father and ran away from home. He later boards a ship overseas, but a huge storm hits and sinks the ship. After spending a week drifting in the ocean, he arrives in an island, with the only exception that all the people there act like people from the Meiji era, and that they are all actually females! The girls were unable to come into contact with other people, let alone males, as there were whirlpools surrounding the island, making it impossible to leave. Now that these love-starved women finally come into contact with a male, what will happen now?

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...

Shiratori Ryushi wants to become a picture book writer, and he moves to an apartment, Narutaki-So, in order to go to an art school in Tokyo. Narutaki-so is an old Japanese style one-story house which doesn’t fit in urban scenery. It is owned by the cousin of his mother, and the manager of the apartment is Aoba Kozue. She is his second cousin, and they met with each other when they were children although he doesn’t remember her much. She is in the second grader of a high school attached to Aoba Junior Collage. There are five people living in Narutaki-So. First, Chanohata Kotomi is living in the room #1. She is a best friend of Kozue. Then, the resident of the room #3 is Momono Megumi. She is a kind of person who goes her own way. In the room #5, Kurosaki Sayoko and her daughter Asami are living. Asami is in the first grade of a junior high. Finally, in the room #6, Haibara Yukio is living with his puppet, “Johnny”. They are all characteristic and eccentric persons. However, in fact, the most eccentric person is Kozue. She has a secret; when she is shocked at something, she changes her personality. Not knowing this, Shiratori moves to Narutaki-So to realize his dream. What kind of a new life will be waiting for him?

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.