Best Mystery Manga of 2011

In 2011, childhood friends Yasuho Hirose and Joushuu Higashikata discover a naked man buried in the ground just outside the town of Morioh. The man has no memory of his name or previous life; the only thing he remembers about himself is how to use his Stand, a supernatural ability that takes the form of a humanoid creature. The stranger is quickly given a name, Jousuke, and Joushuu's father Norisuke decides to adopt him into the Higashikata household until he can find his own home. As Jousuke begins to investigate his past, it becomes apparent that he is no ordinary amnesiac. There is much more to his identity than he first suspected, and, as he is thrust into a series of high-stakes Stand battles, he soon begins unravelling a deadly conspiracy that encompasses the entire town.

As the sole inhabitant of an enormous mansion, Coco would be utterly alone if not for her beloved black cat, Kuro. Although Kuro has his quirks, the two are an inseparable pair and enjoy fun-filled adventures on a daily basis. Lulled into bliss by these idyllic days, Coco is completely unaware of the harrowing reality that surrounds her. For everyone else in her town, life is filled with dread and unease. They fear the sinister forces enveloping their town, but they are also afraid of Coco and Kuro. Ignorant of the situation, Coco lives out her peaceful days with Kuro, but her days of blissful ignorance may be quickly coming to an end.

The time for logical debate and magical feints has come to an end; the revelation of the truth about Beatrice the Golden Witch is at hand. To facilitate this, game master Bernkastel has chosen Will Wright the Mage-Hunter to step onto her board and answer a single question: Who killed Beatrice? Joining him in the game is Lion Ushiromiya, Krauss's firstborn and heir, whose role is a mystery in its own right. Will's line of questioning draws together the stray strands from all the previous games, twisting them into a thread of truth, revisiting Kinzou's first encounter with the young Beatrice and working through the legends that have since sprung up around her...

Every three hundred years, the Evil God's awakening foretells destruction and despair. To prevent this from happening, heroes known as the Braves of the Six Flowers are chosen by the Spirit of Fate, and marked with a crest as the saviors of the world. No matter what, there are always six heroes—but this time when the chosen convene, seven arrive. Adlet Mayer, self-proclaimed "strongest man in the world," is one of the seven Braves. Among others, there is also first princess Nashetania Loei Piena Augustra, loyal knight Goldov Auora, feline-esque assassin Hans Humpty, childish yet deadly Chamo Rosso, the stern Mora Chester, and loner Fremy Speeddraw. Though all are likely candidates for being Braves, there is only one explanation for the extra hero—the seventh is an infiltrator attempting to sabotage their mission and tear apart the Braves from within. With all evidence pointing to him, Adlet becomes the prime suspect, and finds himself on the run, desperately attempting to prove his own innocence. But as the clock continues to tick down, and as the Braves turn on each other, the Evil God's minions restlessly await its return.

Despite her harmless exterior, Yukari Marii, hides a deep, dark secret: her pretty purple eyes see all living beings as robots. Initially considering it to be nothing more than a quirky eccentricism, her friend Manabu "Gaku" Hatou soon realizes there's more truth to Yukari's words than she first thought. Despite her weirdness, Yukari's diminutive cuteness instills in Hatou a deep desire to protect her. In contrast, Yukari considers Hatou a "super-modifiable all-purpose robot." Yet, Yukari's starkly unique view on the world has made her a lonely person, even causing her old friend Nanami Tenjou to act cruelly towards her. After an incident, Hatou finds out that Yukari is not the only one with a unique sight, termed a "Qualia." When Yukari is recruited into an institution for children with Qualia, Hatou is soon plunged into a conspiracy she must claw her way out of.

Hunted almost to extinction by monstrous humanoid creatures called "Titans," humanity found refuge by hiding within walled cities. However, with the passing centuries, ignorance fell upon the masses who forgot the Titan menace and have grown perfectly content to live within their fortresses. Angel Aaltonen is no different until, after witnessing the Titan's devastation firsthand, he starts to realize how fragile mankind's safe haven is. Resolved to protect his friends from the threat, the craftsman sets out to create a device powerful enough to fight the Titans. Over a decade later, Kuklo—who was discovered in Titan vomit as a baby and henceforth dubbed the "Titan's son"—finds himself freed from the cage that has held him since infancy. Aware that his life is now in his own hands, the boy soon finds a cause to live for: to meet a Titan face to face and understand why humans have only ever seen him as an object of fear. Thus Kuklo decides to join the Survey Corps, unaware that he may be the person the stagnant military unit has been looking for. Shingeki no Kyojin: Before the Fall tells two separate yet connected tales which detail humanity's struggle, loss, and determination to transcend the role of helpless prey and strike back against the Titans.

Ryouko Otonashi is a cheerful and frivolous student at Hope's Peak Academy, an elite school that accepts only the most talented students. However, Ryouko is different from the others: as a chronic amnesiac, she tends to forget events and faces, recording everything she witnesses in a notebook that can be trusted when her memory cannot be. In addition, her irritable childhood friend, the "Super High School-Level Neurologist" Yasuke Matsuda, works tirelessly to cure her disorder. Yasuke is the only person whom Ryouko can never forget—after all, she is deeply in love with him. This awkward pair lead a hectic but happy life at Hope's Peak Academy—until they are confronted by a strange girl who seems to be the very embodiment of despair. As her notebook becomes increasingly unreliable and Yasuke's dark secrets are revealed, can Ryouko cling to hope, or will she give in to despair?

Second season of Cheese in the Trap.

Akira, a second year middle school student, has a normal life on an island of solitude, a serene and peaceful school setting. Akira's daily life is shattered one day by the transfer of a mysterious boy; Matsushiro Nishigami who introduces himself as a shinigami with the phrase "Anyone who gets close to me dies." What could be the meaning of such a bizarre introduction?

A near future, where humans have been defeated by the viral parasites named Gastrea. They have been exiled into a small territory and live in despair, side by side with terror. In this world trapped in darkness— Rentarou, a boy living near Tokyo and member of the "Civil Security"—an organization specializing in fighting against the Gastrea—is used to accomplishing dangerous tasks. His partner is Enju, a precocious young girl. They fight thanks to their peculiar powers until one day, when they receive a special assignment from the government. This top secret mission is to prevent the destruction of Tokyo... Set in a near future, this thrilling heroic-action story... starts now!

High school student Koremitsu Akagi finds himself attending the funeral of Hikaru Mikado, who had died in an accident during Golden Week. He's not sure why he's there, as he only exchanged a few words with Hikaru at school. However, Hikaru doesn't seem to be completely gone from the world, as he comes back as a ghost in order to fulfill a promise to Aoi Saotome, his fiancée. Since Koremitsu is the only one who can see him, he asks him to carry out his promise in his place. Complying with his request, Koremitsu tries to fulfill Hikaru's promises to the rest of his "girlfriends," helping them overcome past misunderstandings and repair broken relationships. But the situation surrounding Hikaru's death is shrouded in mystery, as it's uncertain whether or not he truly died in an accident...

With the chains of fate finally broken and the best possible world reached, Rika Furude and her friends are free to live their ordinary lives in the mountain village of Hinamizawa. After so many hardships and heartaches, Rika assumes that she will no longer have to worry about anything, but she is soon proven wrong following her involvement in an accident. Upon waking up from her ordeal, Rika discovers that she is in a different world than the one she knows. This alternate reality differs from her original world in more than a few ways: her best friend Satoko Houjou is cold towards her, her older friend Keiichi Maebara never moved to Hinamizawa, and her parents are alive, among other things. While this world may not be perfect, it does seem appealing to Rika, so she must now make a choice: to stay in this new world, or to go back to the world that she fought so hard to change.

In a French town wracked by fear, Rose Dupre is bullied as a witch's daughter. Marie and Pierre don't believe such rumors at first. But when a wave of strange deaths sweeps in, the three children are no longer safe from wary eyes. Can Rose survive the curse of magic and suspicion? An expansive yet colorful gothic tale begins.

Giancarlo "Gian" Bourbon del Monte lives life at his own pace. It matters not if he is thrown in prison, because rest assured, he can leave whenever he wants to. As he is still deciding whether to give up his life of leisure behind bars, the unthinkable happens—four out of five captains of CR:5, the Italian mafia he belongs to, are arrested and incarcerated near-simultaneously. Gian knows of the captains—Bernardo Ortolani, Ivan Fiore, Luchino Gregoretti, and Giulio Di Bondone—but is familiar with only one, given that he holds a much lower rank in their organization. Therefore, it seems like a joke to be told that he has suddenly been promoted to their level. Furthermore, if he can successfully jailbreak the entire group, then he will become the next CR:5 boss. In spite of his confusion, Gian does not lack ambition, and he is not called "Lucky Dog" for nothing. He has no doubts about the future that awaits him once he brings his new friends to freedom.

Brothers Kanba and Shouma adore their terminally ill little sister, Himari, and aren't prepared to lose her. They're definitely not prepared for a family trip to the aquarium, source of many of Himari's fondest memories, to suddenly turn tragic when Himari collapses and dies. What happens next, however, is beyond the siblings' wildest imaginations—as Himari miraculously returns from the dead, sporting a penguin-shaped hat, and accompanied by some magical new friends!

Biblia Koshodou no Jiken Techou is a mystery series where Shinokawa Shioriko, a young owner of a bookstore in Kamakura, unravel mysteries of ancient books that are taken there. The story begins with a young man named Daisuke, who grew up practically without reading books due to a "phobia," brings the complete (and autographed) works of Natsume Soseki, Japanese writer of the Meiji era, inherited from his grandmother in the mysterious bookstore. Will the shy and introvert Shioriko solve the mystery of the books?