Best Comedy Manga of 2004

The life of Tsunayoshi "No-Good Tsuna" Sawada is a complete wreck. Terrible grades, horrible fitness, and a non-existent social life means he has no reason to attend school, especially after discovering that his crush, Kyouko Sasagawa, is already seeing someone. Unbeknownst to him however, the blood of Giotto, the great Vongola the First, runs through his veins. Enter home tutor Reborn, an infant who claims to be the world's greatest hitman. Under orders from Vongola the Ninth, Reborn has come to train Tsuna to become a worthy successor to the famous Vongola Famiglia name. Tsuna, however, refuses, and claims that he will never become a mafia boss. How will the world's greatest hitman react to such opposition? Will he force Tsuna to adhere? Or will he use this unwillingness to his advantage? This is a story of a reluctant successor as he takes on the responsibilities of becoming the underworld's next ruling mafia leader, with the help of his friends and a one-of-a-kind home tutor.

Molester Man is a perverted, socially inept otaku who spends most of his time on the textboard 2ch. One day, on the way home from his part-time job, he is mistaken for a stalker and arrested. After clearing the misunderstanding, Molester Man learns that the girl, whom he subsequently refers to as Miss Understanding, was left traumatized by her stalker, so he offers his hand in the hope of dating her. However, exceeding his own expectations, he gradually becomes closer to Miss Understanding and her friends, the cheerful Kansai and the guileless Loli Jugs.

Easygoing and energetic Yamato Akitsuki is ready to start his high school life in Tokyo. Having been invited by his aunt to stay rent-free at her housing complex, he unhesitatingly accepts her offer. But unbeknownst to him, the boarding house is actually an all-girls dormitory. Upon visiting his new school, Yamato catches sight of a girl training for the high jump. Amazed by her athletic ability and beauty, he yearns to learn more about her. To his fortune, this girl, Suzuka Asahina, lives right next door to him—but all of their encounters thus far has given Suzuka a bad impression of him. In spite of the constant misunderstandings, Yamato still joins the track team with the intent of impressing her and soon discovers he has the potential to become a top hundred-meter sprinter. With friendship, and possibly love on the line, Yamato trains his heart out in order to win over the girl he loves.

Misfortunes abound in the life of 16-year-old Hayate Ayasaki. Even though he is underage, he spends most of his time working part-time jobs to make money to support his extravagant parents. As if that wasn't hard enough, his parents disappear without a trace one day, leaving him behind with a debt of almost 150 million yen. As a result, he finds himself being chased by debt collectors. Running for his life, he stops in a park, believing that he is safe. Contemplating his jobless future, he decides to kidnap a wealthy child for ransom. And thus, when he sees a rich-looking blonde girl, he attempts to capture her. However, she too is kidnapped before Hayate can even try! Hayate then saves her, and as a reward, he requests a job, and the girl makes him her butler, revealing herself to be the daughter of a wealthy family. Even with a job, his misfortune remains; Hayate will have to go through many nasty predicaments, all the while burdened by his lousy luck.

Imperial Academy is an elite private school whose student body is divided into the ranks of Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Depending on your family's wealth and your individual merit, you can be classified as a Silver or Bronze student. However, there is only one Gold student, and this year that person is Shizumasa Touguu—nicknamed "the Emperor" because he is the Student Council President. When she was very young, Haine Otomiya fell in love with Shizumasa, after reading the children's picture book that he authored. She had met him twice before attending Imperial Academy, but as a Bronze student, her rank is far below his, so she has been unable to approach him at school. Haine jumps at an opportunity to get close to Shizumasa, and she unexpectedly becomes his bodyguard as well as a member of the Student Council. It seems like a dream come true for her, but soon she will learn that everyone in the Student Council is hiding secrets, and her own shameful history cannot be forgotten either.Included one-shots

Uru is a very short girl and is constantly mistaken for an elementary school kid, but despite that, she is ridiculously strong and decides to live by herself after her mother gets remarried. She ends up working at a small cafe with two rather unique co-workers, Shindou, who acts gruff and intimidating, but who is really a nice guy who loves to make cakes and pies and the like, and Ichirou, who is really good-looking but who instantly falls asleep when he gets hungry and doesn't wake up again until he's force-fed something? What will the future bring to them?Included one-shots: Volume 2: Suitei Seinen Shoujo Volume 4: Hana to Ageha, Natsu. Volume 7: Number One DX

Twenty-year-old student Kou Ichinomiya has always followed his elite family's motto: never be indebted to anyone. However, an unfortunate situation puts his life in danger, and he is saved by a stranger named Nino, who claims to be from Venus. As if owing someone is not bad enough, the peculiar girl wishes that he repay her deed by experiencing love together—and he must live with her under the Arakawa River bridge. Although Kou figures that he will somehow fulfill this obligation, his plans are blown away by Nino's friends: various riverside residents who seem even more eccentric than his new lover. From the Village Chief who gives Kou a new name, "Recruit," to a gentle-looking but sadistic woman managing an animal farm, one can never tell which outlandish character will next color Arakawa's bizarre life under the bridge.

Charley, a cyborg vampire who does the Vatican's dirty work, is the thrall of the local vampire playboy Johnny Rayflo. As the two fight crime—and each other—hilarity, violence and sacrilege ensue! But can Charley resist his own desperate cravings for blood? Find out as the devilish duo go up aginst a childlike vampire princess, a mysterious branch of the Unitarian Church...and one another.Included one-shot: Volume 2: Zoul Half

Have you ever seen a "very manly girl"? The heroine in this story, Oikawa Ibuki is just that type of girl. To find her true soul mate, after transferring school, Ibuki was determined to act like a gentle lady. Yet on her first day of transfer, due to her righteous sense she went to save a small dog, and at the time she was seen by the suspicious "crow messenger"! Is Ibuki's whole image ruined!? And who is this mysterious "crow messenger"!? Included one-shot: Very Black White Day

Sachie Wakamura just lost her mother, and her estranged grandfather has shown up to take care of her. The only problem is that Grandpa is the head of a yakuza gang! Too scared to join her new family, Sachie tries to continue living her normal life. She can't run far though, since one of the most popular guys in school is part of her grandfather's gang and her new protector. No one at school knows about Rakuto's hidden life, and soon Sachie finds herself falling for her bodyguard. But she's the granddaughter of Rakuto's boss, and he can never show his feelings for her. Can Sachie find a way to fit into her new family and grab her chance at love?

Chi is a lost kitten that is surprised to be picked up by a small family. Suddenly, she finds herself in a strange new environment full of frightening things like baths and big dogs! In these short, full-color comics, see the world from the point of view of an adorable kitten.

Chiemi Yusa's high school record is far from perfect. She's already been suspended twice for fighting, and she's not even half-way through her first year! In danger of getting expelled for starting yet another brawl, her teacher approaches her with an unexpected offer: get her classmate Akifumi "Deranged Devil" Hirata, the nastiest fighter in the whole school, to clean up his act, and her record will officially be cleared. Reluctantly she accepts and immediately goes on the attack. But as she's waiting for him to retaliate, she discovers that he has more in store for her than just a fight! In Junai Tokkou Taichou!, you'll find a rollicking brawl of a good time as the roughest guy and girl in school get themselves into trouble—and find themselves in love.

Every few years, the prestigious Seiso Academy holds a prominent musical competition, and only the very best students at the Academy are allowed to participate. Though all are eligible to apply, only students from the music department actually make it to the competition...until now.

Shun, Kaname, and the twins Yuuki and Yuuta have been friends since kindergarten. It's a little hard to tell if they actually get along or not. But even as high school students, they still hang out together. Recently, they've had a new addition: the half-Japanese transfer student Chizuru, who has started to liven up the group. This manga is about their daily lives, which aren't particularly passionate or exciting. A tranquil and sometimes comedic story of youthful friendship...

The continent of Halkeginia is tumultuous—a place where the various kingdoms, princedoms, dukedoms, and fiefdoms strive against each other to expand their domains. The nobility scheme and plot among themselves to gain influence to their lieges or to even foreign lieges. In the middle of Halkeginia is the small but important kingdom of Tristein. The most notable fact about this kingdom is the Tristein Academy of Magic where nobility from all over the world come to study magic so they can become magi. Although friendships will form across national boundaries at this school, will they survive the politics and games of the world at large once they leave? Louise is a student at Tristein Magical Academy. She is known to be quite a screw up when it comes to her magic. One day, a ceremony takes place where each student is to call forth a being or entity that will become his or her familiar. For Louise, her familiar comes in the form of a boy named Hiraga Saito. Somehow, he managed to get transported from his world into hers, and shortly after became her familiar.

Set in a family restaurant in Hokkaido, the northern prefecture of Japan, 16-year-old high school student Souta Takanashi works part-time along with his strange co-workers: Popura Taneshima, a high school girl who's a year older than Souta, yet easily mistaken for an elementary/middle schooler, and Kyoko Shirafuji, the 28-year-old store manager who doesn't bother to do any work at all.

High school student Yukari Fujimaru knows a potential star when she sees one…because she sees the special "aura" they give off, in the form of angelic wings. Yukari's fellow student, the beautiful Ryouko Katsuragi, has a small pair of wings herself, and is one of these aspiring talents. She's so talented, in fact, that no one even knows that "she" is actually a boy in disguise. Now, to make her own down-to-earth dream come true, Yukari must help her new friend become a star.

Accepted to a high school specializing in the arts, Yuno moves into a nearby apartment complex to make her commute easier. Just a few days into her new routine, she quickly discovers that creativity doesn't end with the art school bell! Her neighbors—Sae, Hiro, and Miya—are all fellow students, and each has her own hilarious quirks. And eccentricity clearly rules this school; Yuno's homeroom teach is a cosplay otaku and the principal is just...weird. Will the quiet Yuno be able to handle this creatively kooky cast of characters?

Set in 2100 A.D., where video games feel 99% like real life. Follow Feng Lan in her adventure as the first player to play as the opposite sex in the VRMMO "Second Life" to prove to her brother that she can beat the game without using the "female benefits." But after she offends her family in a pvp match and even meets her real life friends and acquaintances in-game, can she continue to keep herself out of trouble by keeping her identity a secret?

Satoshi Yanagawa is working part-time as a police assistant, and works with a beautiful girl that he likes at first sight. But she has a pretty bad character. Are there any prospects for romance? Read on to find out, the story is hilarious at certain moments, and touching at others.

When Hina hits a homerun ball and goes to get it back she realizes she has damaged a shrine with the baseball. When she touches the object inside the shrine the object is absorbed into her and she becomes the shrine's god. Now she is protected by the shrine's guard dogs, Shishi and Koma. Along the way she meets other spirits, guardians, and the legendary nine tailed fox.

Kyon is an ordinary freshman high school student who, self-admittedly, has given up his fantasies of ESPers, time travelers, and aliens as he left middle school. However, sitting behind him is the beautiful, intelligent, and eccentric girl Haruhi Suzumiya, who in her class introduction blatantly states her singular desire in meeting aliens, time travelers, sliders, or ESPers. Interested, Kyon starts trying to make small talk with her before class, eventually leading to normal conversations with Haruhi. One day, after making a comment about Haruhi's displeasure with the available school clubs, he finds himself dragged into membership of the newly formed Spreading Excitement All Over the World with the Haruhi Suzumiya (or SOS) Brigade.

A one-volume series that kicks off as a side-story from Junjou Romantica (last chapter of volume 4) featuring the characters from Romantica and Egoist. First part flashes back to the younger days of Akihiko Usami and Hiroki while the second part is a cute story about the younger Misaki and his brother... Contains extensive information and an interview with the cast of the drama CD of the same name.

A series of short stories portraying the past of some characters from Shin Angyo Onshi. Included one-shot: The Fools

It's Kisaragi's first year in G.A.: the specialized art and design department at her high school. The timid Kisaragi has a lot to learn, but with the help of a very unique group of friends, even the most difficult lesson becomes loads of fun—if not downright silly! With the aid of full-color pages throughout, you too can learn the basics of color theory and become a great artist yourself!

Spinning off from his Zaregoto series, these novels feature the Zerozaki family, the only one of the seven killing families not to be actually related to each other. Zerozakis spontaneously emerge every so often from the general populace, and define their family connections by which fully fledge Zerozaki discovers and trains them.

College is full of opportunities to leave one's comfort zone. One third year student is constantly fantasizing about how his life might differ had he joined various campus circles—chasing, with mixed results, an idealistic rose-colored campus life where romance, friendships, and purpose fuse into a perfect university experience... at least until bad luck, questionable decisions, and dubious relationships enter the mix!

Yonezo Yonekura is a young student, who is just starting to mature and notice his old childhood friend Tomoyo. Unfortunately for him, Tomoyo only likes intelligent people, and let’s just say Yonezo isn’t the brightest crayon in the box. One day when walking home, a strange old man warns Yonezo not to touch a demonic book that he will come across on his way home from school, but when Yonezo sees the book, he is too curious and picks it up anyways...