10 Best (and 1 Worst) Manga Series of 2007

Now that we've given the nod to the Best New Manga of 2007, it's only fair to give props to the Best Current Manga Series of 2007 as well. These are the continuing manga series that had new volumes out this year, and 2007 was definitely the year that Naruto bulldozed over the competition, both in sales and pop culture impact.

With VIZ Media's accelerated release schedule this fall, fans got a heaping helping of the teen ninja's adventures -- 12 volumes over 4 months. With the added push of a new animated movie, card and video games, Naruto was clearly the 500-pound gorilla (or nine-tailed fox) of the graphic novel bestseller charts for months. All this wouldn't have happened if the story just wasn't so interesting and addictive to begin with. So call it over-hyped, call it strictly for teens -- Naruto still kicked every other manga's butts this year, and propelled strong sales for the rest of the category along with it.

But Naruto wasn't the only manga worth reading this year. Check out my list featuring the Best Continuing Shonen Manga Series, Best Shojo Manga Series, Best Seinen and Josei Manga Series, plus as an added bonus, two book picks: Best Book About Manga and Best Book About Japanese Pop Culture.

And because no "Best of" list is complete without a few "Worsts," I also handed out the first annual "Worst So-Called Excuse For Manga" award. Visit the Best Current Manga of 2007 list and find out which unlucky book got that honor.

Image credit: © Masashi Kishimoto / Shonen Jump