Best Sci-Fi Manga of 2007

After a powerful earthquake nearly destroyed all of Tokyo, a prison known as Deadman Wonderland rose from what was left of the city. Privately-run through the guise and functions of a theme park, Deadman Wonderland takes in prisoners from all over Japan, using them as attractions for tourists. Little do the public know about the true purpose of this "theme park" and the horrors that take place within. Enter Ganta Igarashi, a middle school student who has lived a normal life since the great earthquake occurred. This all changes when a mysterious masked murderer called the Red Man appears and kills his entire class, knocking him unconscious which consequently left him as the sole survivor. When he awakens, he is falsely convicted as the perpetrator behind the massacre, landing him a spot in Deadman Wonderland. What will become of this new inmate whose life depends on the bizarre "games" that this prison holds? And just what does Shiro, Ganta's supposed childhood friend who awaits his arrival, know about the Red Man?

Ageha Yoshina is a self-confident high school student who helps others for a fee. On his way back from a job, he finds a strange calling card with the word "Psyren" imprinted left behind in a phone booth and decides to keep it, unaware of its purpose. The very next day, Ageha discovers that his classmate Sakurako Amamiya has the exact same calling card in her possession. When he questions her, Sakurako asks him to save her, signaling the day his troubles begin. Confused by the circumstances of this encounter, Ageha realizes something is wrong when Sakurako goes missing. In an attempt to figure out what is happening, he decides to call the number provided on the calling card and is asked a series of questions by a mysterious voice, ending with a final, cryptic question: "Would you like to go to Psyren?" Thus begins two teenagers' participation in a game of life or death within a strange world inhabited by monsters called Taboo. Granted the ability to use psychic powers known as PSI, the duo fight to return to the place they call home.

For as long as he can remember, Tomoki Sakurai has woken up crying to the same dream: an angel he has never met disappearing into the skies, saying, "The sky has captured me." But one day, the dream is different. Now, the angel descends from the skies, desperately asking Tomoki for his help. After falling asleep in class, his childhood friend Sohara Mitsuki, wakes him up and notices the tears in his eyes. Worried, she has him consult Eishirou Sugata, their eccentric upperclassman who is obsessed with "The New Continent"—a flying anomaly whose existence no-one can explain. With the anomaly set to pass over their town, Sugata decides the trio should meet up at midnight in a bid to solve Tomoki's dream as well as gather more information on The New Continent. Being the only one who showed up, Tomoki is about to leave when an angeloid falls from the sky and binds herself to him, declaring him her master. Shortly after, Sohara forces him to join the New Continent Discovery Club, whose sole member is Sugata. Together, they work to uncover the secrets behind The New Continent, angeloids, and the girl behind his dreams—but what they discover may be much more sinister than what anyone expected...

Somewhere in Vladivostok, Russia, a deal has been successfully completed. Danger looms over the horizon; a deadly virus—capable of killing within three hours of infection—has now fallen into the hands of a mysterious woman named Maya. Enter Fujimaru Takagi, a seemingly ordinary student at Mishiro Academy in Japan. However, very few know that he was famed for exposing crimes and corruption of high-profile individuals with his brilliant hacking powers—the infamous "Falcon" who had abruptly vanished from the cyberworld. Only members of Third-I, a top-secret division of the Public Security Intelligence Agency led by Fujimaru's father, Ryunosuke, and his friend Otoya Kujou know of his past. When a KGB agent is murdered in Japan, the only clue to his death is a memory chip found at the scene of the crime. Fujimaru is recruited by Third-I to decode the chip, which contains a video file of an event called the "Christmas Massacre." Investigating the incident further, Fujimaru's father uncovers more information about the homicide and a mysterious code, "Bloody Monday," before being framed for the murder of his superior. Now, it is up to the hacker Fujimaru to utilize his expertise to help Third-I prevent the spread of terror and destruction in Japan, while attempting to clear his father's name.

"A big brother must always stay ahead of his younger brother. That is my responsibility as the older sibling"—these are the words that have always motivated Mutta Nanba to try his best when it came to his younger brother, Hibito. So naturally, in the summer of 2006 when the Nanba brothers witness something strange in the night sky, Hibito declared that he would become an astronaut and travel to the Moon, while Mutta countered with the affirmation that he would go to Mars. That was the promise they made to each other. Now in 2025, while Hibito is working with NASA and preparing to become the first Japanese to land on the moon, Mutta has been fired from his job in an automotive development company. Having difficulty finding another job, Mutta is given a lifetime opportunity when he receives a letter from JAXA—the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency—telling him that he has been accepted to participate in the next astronaut selection. As if fate has given him a chance to fulfill the promise he made all those years ago, Mutta undertakes the difficult challenge of going to space.

Naive boy Nai has been looking for someone important to him, with only an old bracelet and the name "Karoku" as his clues to their whereabouts. Along the way, he becomes ensnared by a monstrous woman hellbent on keeping him as a pet. But soon, he is saved by a clever and crafty thief named Gareki, who has broken into the woman's house to loot it. The two find themselves labeled as wanted criminals and end up entangled in the affairs of "Circus"—the country's most powerful defense organization. Circus is responsible for protecting the nation's citizens from entities known as "varuga"—monsters who consume human flesh—as well as uncovering the operations of a mysterious organization called Kafka. Circus has taken an interest in Nai upon learning that the bracelet he possessed turns out to be an old Circus ID. While Nai decides to stay in Circus' care, Gareki struggles to find his place aboard the ship. As their search for Karoku deepens, the pair encounter more dangerous varuga who all seem to gravitate toward Nai.

Thirty years ahead of the rest of the world scientifically and home to millions of students enrolled in the esper development program, Academy City never sees a dull moment. Here, espers are given one of five power levels, the highest of which consists of only seven members. Mikoto Misaka, a middle school electromaster, ranks third among these individuals, and is known as "The Railgun." In a city known for housing extraordinary individuals, it comes as no surprise that extraordinary things tend to happen. Recently, makeshift bombs disguised as everyday objects have been ominously finding their way into public areas. Mikoto's best friend, Kuroko Shirai, has been investigating the case as a member of the student-based disciplinary committee Judgement. As more and more of these incidents come to light, it becomes apparent that a hidden darkness exists within Academy City, one that may not only impact Mikoto and her friends, but also the fate of the city itself.

In their closed-off underground village, Kamina and Simon chafe at the limits imposed by the village elder. Yet all this will change, when Simon stumbles across a fantastic device - just as the village's peace is broken by a violent intrusion.

Ilegenes—an island globally recognized for its innovation in science and technology—has monopolized the world of genetic engineering. Behind closed doors, the country invests its resources in the black market, proliferating a breeding ground for cloning and illegal profiting. Due to Ilegenes' fall from grace and unrepentant nature, the island is notoriously nicknamed after a notable research project, the "Genetic Sodom." Fon Fortinbras Littenber, a diligent student representative of Ilegenes Military Academy, is the adopted son of Doctor Michael Littenber, a well-known expert in brain research and the founder of the Genetic Sodom. Due to his parents' dreadful death, Fon seeks to avenge them by annihilating the black market. Although he desires an uninterrupted life in school, he grows close to his roommate Jacques "Jake" Berne—an outgoing 22-year-old man who holds suspicions of Fon's character. As they carry on with school, Fon must find a way to survive his academic environment while remaining true to a vow he made long ago.

At the end of the Showa era, the Media Betterment Act was enacted, beginning a country-wide hunt for all media that were deemed offensive. Witnessing the senseless censorship, libraries stood up against this law; the Library Defense Force (LDF) became the only entity capable of fighting off the Media Betterment Committee (MBC). Tomboyish and avid reader Iku Kasahara is the newest member accepted into the Kanto branch of the LDF. Her love of reading has inspired her to join the force in more ways than one: she almost landed in trouble with the MBC five years prior when an unknown LDF agent came to her aid. Iku has since vowed to protect books just like that agent did, and—at just 22 years old—she has now become a promising talent among the new recruits. Although Iku has achieved her dream of joining the LDF, she clashes with her superior Atsushi Doujou, a straight-laced instructor who seems to be particularly hard on her. For that reason, Iku is surprised to find out Doujou, among others, recommends her to be part of the Library Task Forces (LTF). Now part of an exclusive team, Iku must show her value as a member of LTF while executing her duties diligently.

"Geass" is a supernatural ability bestowed upon people who are worthy of its use. Its exact effect depends on its user's desires, but those who command it wield devastating power. In the far away land of Area 11, formerly known as Japan, the astute 17-year-old student Lelouch Lamperouge is granted his own Geass by the mysterious woman C.C., which gives him the absolute obedience of those it is used upon. With this, Lelouch vows to destroy the only world superpower—the Holy Britannian Empire—under the guise of the revolutionary freedom-fighter Zero, to exact vengeance on those who ruined him and his family.

In Muv-Luv Alternative, Takeru wakes up three years after the end of Muv-Luv Unlimited to find himself back in his room. Although he first thinks that everything that had happened to him was a dream, he soon feels that something is wrong, and leaves the house to find that he has been sent back in time to the beginning of the events in Unlimited. Unwilling to accept something like Alternative V, he decides to help professor Kouzuki to complete Alternative IV and save mankind.

Andou is a high-schooler who possesses the ability to force others to vocalize his thoughts—an ability similar to ventriloquism. Inukai is young man shrouded in mystery who commands the vigilante group, Grass Hopper, which appeared in a city shaken by the downtown restoration program. This is a tale of courage, resolution… and confrontation; this is a depiction of the two boys' encounter.