Best Mystery Manga of 2017

**After breaking a “curse” on the imperial heirs, a palace servant with training in herbal medicine is promoted up the ranks to food taster…and right into the thick of palace intrigue!** Maomao, a young woman trained in the art of herbal medicine, is forced to work as a lowly servant in the inner palace. Though she yearns for life outside its perfumed halls, she isn’t long for a life of drudgery! Using her wits to break a “curse” afflicting the imperial heirs, Maomao attracts the attentions of the handsome eunuch Jinshi and is promoted to attendant food taster. But Jinshi has other plans for the erstwhile apothecary, and soon Maomao is back to brewing potions and…solving mysteries?! *Source: SQUARE ENIX USA, Vol. 1*

After his parents died, Shinpei Ajiro lived with the Kofune sisters, Mio and Ushio, but he has since moved to live on his own in Tokyo. But after Ushio drowns while trying to save the young Shiori Kobayakawa, he returns home to mourn her departure. However, bruises around Ushio's neck bring her cause of death into question. Taking a step back, Shinpei becomes convinced there must be another explanation. Dangerous entities roam among the islanders, and a vision of deceased Ushio asks him to "save Mio" as her final request. He is certain that something is afoot—and Ushio's death is only a piece of the puzzle. With the help of Mio and various others, Shinpei struggles to forge a future in which he, his friends, and family can stay alive. But the more he investigates, the more impossible such a future seems. This darkness infiltrates his home island. Just how much more suffering will he go through before finding the right path to save it all?

Average college student Totonou Kunou's usual morning making curry gets interrupted when police officers come knocking at his door, questioning him about his whereabouts on the night before. As it turns out, one of his classmates was found dead near his house—and the police take Totonou to the station as a prime suspect for murder. Having no close relations with the victim, Totonou claims he is innocent since he had no reason to harm him. But when a witness places him at the crime scene, he must remain under custody longer than he first anticipated. When he starts to interact more with the members of the police department, they realize Totonou is no ordinary suspect. Although a bit hard to deal with, Totonou is also highly observant—as he guesses each of the members' personal dilemmas with just a handful of clues. With evidence against him continuing to pile up, Totonou must use his deductive skills to solve the mystery behind his classmate's death to clear his name and find out who is framing him.

"It's chic to go saving a girl who has nothing to do with you every once in a while." Female students from Naoetsu High School have gone missing one after the other. When the mummified bodies of the girls are discovered, there's a very distinctive marking left on the napes of their necks...? Koyomi Araragi, now a first year university student, goes on the move to track down the culprit!

An alternate ending to Steins;Gate that leads with the eccentric mad scientist Okabe, struggling to recover from a failed attempt at rescuing Kurisu. He decides to give up and abandons his lively scientist alter ego, in pursuit to forget the past. When all seems to be normal, he is seemingly pulled back into the past by meeting an acquaintance of Kurisu, who tells him that they have begun testing a device that stores the memory of a human and creates a simulation of them with their characteristics and personalities. Okabe begins testing and finds out that the simulation of Kurisu has brought back anguish and some new unexpected tragedies...

Hitori Sonoyama can only be described as a blessing brought by a clumsy stork into Osamu and Youko's childless lives the day they adopted him. He is the perfect 13-year-old boy who exceeds all of the couple's expectations. However, there is more to the Sonoyamas' new son than he lets on. In actuality, Hitori is not a single person; he is a facade for identical twins Migi and Dali. While the twins take turns portraying a well-mannered and curious boy in front of everyone around them, they are secretly scheming behind the scenes to unravel a mystery silently plaguing the town they now reside in. As they become more entwined with the affairs of the various citizens of Origon Village, Migi and Dali soon realize that everyone has something to hide—and revealing these secrets may cost them dearly.

Her first encounter with Toriko Nishina was on the Otherside after seeing "that thing" and nearly dying. Ever since that day, exhausted university student Sorawo Kamikoshi's life changed. In this Otherworld, full of mystery, which exists alongside our own, dangerous beings like the Kunekune and Hasshaku-sama that are spoken of in real ghost stories appear. For research, for profit, and to find an important person, Toriko and Sorawo set foot into the abnormal. A tale of two girls' bizarre exploration and survival, brought to you by an up-and-coming sci-fi author!

In the East is a land ruled by an emperor, whose consorts and serving women live in a sprawling complex known as the hougong, the rear palace. Maomao, an unassuming girl raised in an unassuming town by her apothecary father, never imagined the rear palace would have anything to do with her—until she was kidnapped and sold into service there. Though she looks ordinary, Maomao has a quick wit, a sharp mind, and an extensive knowledge of medicine. That's her secret, until she encounters a resident of the palace at least as perceptive as she is: the head eunuch, Jinshi. He sees through Maomao's façade and makes her a lady-in-waiting to none other than the Emperor's favorite consort... so she can taste the lady's food for poison! At her lady's side, Maomao starts to learn about everything that goes on in the rear palace—not all of it seemly. Can she ever lead a quiet life, or will her powers of deduction and insatiable curiosity bring her ever more adventures, and ever more dangers?

Two years after 10,000 players were trapped in the VR world and forced to participate in the impossible death game known as Sword Art Online, VR technology has only continued to evolve. A state-of-the-art AR device called the Augma has risen to prominence, becoming a near-essential part of everyday life as well as the exclusive home of an MMORPG called Ordinal Scale. Blurring the lines between fantasy and reality, Ordinal Scale quickly captures the attention of Kirito and his friends, who decide to start playing. But things take a turn when Kirito gets word of SAO bosses appearing inside this new world...

Known for his biting wit and rapid-fire brain cells, Yukito Ayatsuji is a detective and top-ranked skill user who possesses the ability to expose any crime. When a request to investigate a puzzling murder incident hits his desk, Ayatsuji must team up with Mizuki Tsujimura, a spunky agent sent from the Special Division, to tackle the case. Can the unlikely duo get to the bottom of this mystery?!

On June 24, 1989, 21 people, among them children, were found poisoned to death in the elementary school of Otousu village in Hokkaido. Bungo Sano, a police officer of the same village, was arrested. Twenty eight years later, Sano's son, Shin Tamura, starts to suspect that his father, who continues to plead his innocence even after being handed the death penalty, may have been wrongfully convicted, and launches his own investigation. Upon arriving at the crime scene, a thick fog descends, engulfing Shin, and he finds that he has slipped back in time to the year 1989. The curtain rises on this authentic crime suspense that transcends time and space in a confrontation with the truth.

Based on the game of the same title, a variety of authors and artists write a large offering of short stories starring the various characters featured in the game. The stories range from being lovingly heartfelt, packed full of comedy and gags or being downright evil or messed up sometimes!

When Lord El-Melloi II, the later Waver Velvet, gets asked to claim his inheritance over Adra Castle, he travels there with his apprentice Gray to do so. But they are not the only ones called that way. The will of the previous owner states that the assembled contestants—including Luviagelita Edelfelt—must compete in a game of wits to win the castle.

In the city of Fuuto, criminals make use of USB-like devices called Gaia Memories to turn themselves into superpowered monsters known as Dopants, wreaking havoc in the otherwise peaceful city. However, there are also heroes who utilize Gaia Memories to fight these criminals, one of whom is the self-proclaimed, hard-boiled detective Shoutarou Hidari. With the help of his witty partner, Philip, the two transform into Kamen Rider W—the legendary hero of Fuuto. After the fall of Museum—the evil organization responsible for many crimes in Fuuto—the production and distribution of Gaia Memories has halted. However, remnants of Gaia Memories still remain within society and are sold in the black market at high prices. Thus, the two heroes from Narumi Detective Agency are yet to have time to relax. Sights of Dopants still occur and the agency receives more and more clients who claim to experience supernatural phenomena. Regardless of the arduous nature of the task, Kamen Rider W promises that those who hurt Fuuto will inevitably count up their sins.

In a tranquil neighborhood of Tokyo, seven teenagers wake to find their bedroom mirrors are shining. At a single touch, they are pulled from their lonely lives to a wondrous castle filled with winding stairways, watchful portraits and twinkling chandeliers. In this new sanctuary, they are confronted with a set of clues leading to a hidden room where one of them will be granted a wish. But there's a catch: if they don't leave the castle by five o'clock, they will be punished. As time passes, a devastating truth emerges: only those brave enough to share their stories will be saved.

Noel Cerquetti, a girl who lost her arms and legs in a contract, works together with the great devil Caron, to get her revenge against one man. This man – dubbed the "pride of the citizens" – is Burrows, the mayor of LaPlace. Why is this girl furiously seeking revenge against this unrivalled man, loved by the people for bringing peace to LaPlace that was once overrun by the mafia? While unsteady without her limbs, Noel doesn't give up on her path of revenge, as Caron watches mercilessly, at times risking his own life to support her. With vengeance, the pair begins their chase after Burrows.