Readers Choice Yaoi Manga

Author / Artist: Fumi Yoshinaga
Japanese Title: Tsuki to Sandaru
Publisher: Juné Manga / Digital Manga Publishing
Volumes: 2
US Publication Dates: 2007
Compare prices for The Moon and Sandals Vol. 1

Ida is new to teaching, so he's more than a little unnerved when he notices Kobayashi, one of his students staring at him intently. Where Ida is insecure, Kobayashi is a tall, confident teen who knows what he wants -- and what he wants seems to be Ida.

"Yoshinaga writes realistic yaoi: Moon and the Sandals manages to be laugh out loud funny, sweet, tender, sexy, & heartbreaking"
- Robin Brenner, @nfntrobin

"Two couples deal with relationship issues, but it's the odd girl out who'll make you sob."
- David Welsh, @PreCur

10 Shojo Manga Must-Reads

Author/Artist: Ai Yazawa
Publisher: Shojo Beat/ VIZ Media
Volumes: 21 (continuing)

Two very different young women named Nana move to Tokyo, hoping to fulfill their dreams. Nana Komatsu has been unlucky in love, so she wants to get a fresh start (and maybe a new boyfriend) in the big city. Nana Osaki is a rock goddess-to-be who wants to hit the big time with her band. The unlikely pair meet on the train to Tokyo, and end up becoming roommates and fast friends.

As the years go by, Nana O. fulfills her rock and roll dreams, and Nana K. does find someone to love -- but it all comes at a steep price. Will their friendship survive the many ups and downs that fame and fortune brings to them?

Nana is a beautifully-drawn series that is filled with heartfelt drama, big city glamor, fabulous fashion, rock and roll sass and many unexpected twists. It's the kind of shojo series that sucks you in and won't let you go, volume after volume.

2012 Preview Top 25 Manga

Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: January 30, 2012
Subscribe now to Shonen Jump Alpha

Yes, I know, this isn't technically a new manga series, but it is a revolutionary development that's been years in the making and one that fans have been begging for, for years. After over over 10 years in print, the English language version of Shonen Jump Magazine is making a quantum leap into the future by going from a print monthly to an all-digital weekly magazine starting in January 2012. Now fans will be able to read the latest chapters of Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Bakuman and Toriko only two weeks after they hit the newsstands in Japan.

What's the catch? Well, it's only online, it's only available to readers in North America, and after March 2012, the print edition will end its run. A tip of the the hat to you Shonen Jump, to what you've accomplished so far, and all that's to come.

10 Shojo Manga Must-Reads

Author/Artist: Ai Yazawa
Publisher: Shojo Beat/ VIZ Media
Volumes: 21 (continuing)

Two very different young women named Nana move to Tokyo, hoping to fulfill their dreams. Nana Komatsu has been unlucky in love, so she wants to get a fresh start (and maybe a new boyfriend) in the big city. Nana Osaki is a rock goddess-to-be who wants to hit the big time with her band. The unlikely pair meet on the train to Tokyo, and end up becoming roommates and fast friends.

As the years go by, Nana O. fulfills her rock and roll dreams, and Nana K. does find someone to love -- but it all comes at a steep price. Will their friendship survive the many ups and downs that fame and fortune brings to them?

Nana is a beautifully-drawn series that is filled with heartfelt drama, big city glamor, fabulous fashion, rock and roll sass and many unexpected twists. It's the kind of shojo series that sucks you in and won't let you go, volume after volume.

2012 Readers' Choice Awards Winners

Author and Artist: Kaoru Mori
Publisher: Yen Press
Compare prices for A Bride's Story Vol. 1

From the creator of Emma comes a story set in a place far from Victorian England. This time, the action takes place in the Middle East, circa mid-19th century. The "bride" of A Bride's Story is Amira, a young woman who has been sent to a neighboring village to marry Karluk, a young man who, at 12 years of age, is 8 years her junior. While her new family and young husband accept Amira, circumstances have changed back home, so her brother has been sent to annul the marriage and bring his sister back, by force if necessary.

See the other nominees for Best New Comedy/Slice of Life Manga

2012 Preview Top 25 Manga

Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: January 30, 2012
Subscribe now to Shonen Jump Alpha

Yes, I know, this isn't technically a new manga series, but it is a revolutionary development that's been years in the making and one that fans have been begging for, for years. After over over 10 years in print, the English language version of Shonen Jump Magazine is making a quantum leap into the future by going from a print monthly to an all-digital weekly magazine starting in January 2012. Now fans will be able to read the latest chapters of Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Bakuman and Toriko only two weeks after they hit the newsstands in Japan.

What's the catch? Well, it's only online, it's only available to readers in North America, and after March 2012, the print edition will end its run. A tip of the the hat to you Shonen Jump, to what you've accomplished so far, and all that's to come.