While some of the voting in the various categories in the 2008 Readers' Polls were close, the poll for the Best New Shonen Manga of 2008 wasn't so much a race for first place, but a duel for second and third place. Why? Well, mostly because Slam Dunk by Takehiko Inoue from Shonen Jump Manga / VIZ Media was far and away the leader for most of the voting period, and sure enough, it took home the first place prize.
Maybe that shouldn't be a suprise. After all, Slam Dunk is one of the best-selling and most beloved shonen manga series ever published, period. Its return to the U.S. publishing scene this year (after its ill-fated run with Raijin Comics) was one that was greatly anticipated and warmly welcomed by many manga readers. Now that it's done with its run in Shonen Jump magazine, we'll be seeing more volumes of this 31-volume sports manga series come out at a faster clip in 2009. Yee-hah!
The race for the next slots was a little more competitive, but in the end, the infectiously fun adventures of Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima from Del Rey Manga came in second place. It was followed closely by the creepy and compelling Higurashi: When They Cry by Ryukishi07 and Karin Suzuragi from Yen Press, which took home third place honors.
See the rest of the nominees at the Best New Shonen Manga poll page, and view the full results of the voting. Also, see the rest of the results in all of the 2008 Readers' Polls. Thanks for voting! Next up: The results in the Best New Seinen (Men's) Manga poll.
Image credit: © 1990 – 2008 Takehiko Inoue and I.T. Planning, Inc.
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