For the past two weeks, I've been posting new polls and asking you to make your choices for the best new manga in 11 categories -- but as of midnight (Pacific Time) tonight, voting in the 2009 About.com Manga Readers Polls will end, so that this year's results can be tallied up and the winners can be announced next week.
The voting so far has been pretty interesting, I must say. In some categories, a clear leader was decided early on and the only question has been who's going to take second or third place? In others, the race for first place is pretty tight, with several worthy contenders in what looks to be a toss-up even with only a few hours left to vote.
Here's a quick look at where the polls stand now, and how (or if!) you can make a difference by putting in your vote for your fave:
Best New Shojo Manga Readers' Poll
So far, two Shojo Beat/VIZ Media titles are in the lead, with Kimi ni Todoke: From Me To You ahead of all the rest and Otomen following behind. Can Maid Sama! (from TokyoPop) Black Bird or Honey Hunt (from Shojo Beat/VIZ Media) or Itazura na Kiss (from Digital Manga Publishing) pull off an upset at this point? Vote now!
Best New Shonen Manga Readers' Poll
A similar phenomenon occurred almost immediately in the Best New Shonen Manga poll: a front runner almost immediately emerged from the pack and left the others in the dust. In this case, it is Pandora Hearts by Jun Mochizuki, from Yen Press. Two other Yen Press titles, Soul Eater and Nabari no Ou are contenders for second and third place, with Shonen Jump/VIZ Media's Tegami Bachi as a somewhat distant fourth place contender. Want to tilt the balance in your favorite new series' favor? Vote now!
Best New Seinen/Josei Manga - Drama Readers' Poll
With so many astonishingly good new drama series for grown-ups debuting this year, this poll had 10 very noteworthy nominees. In this case, the top three nominees are fairly close: Pluto by Naoki Urasawa is in the lead, with 20th Century Boys, another Urasawa title following behind, along with Ooku by Fumi Yoshinaga and Dogs: Bullets and Carnage by Shirow Miwa. Want to push one of the also-rans to the front of the pack? Vote now!
Best New Seinen/Josei Manga - Comedy Readers' Poll
I will admit, the current results of this poll caught me a little off guard. With all the raves that Detroit Metal City has been getting this year, I thought for sure Kiminori Wakatsugi's profanity-laced death metal comedy would get most of the votes from readers. But no! Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei from Del Rey Manga is beating its next closest competitor by a 2:1 margin. Also making a surprisingly strong showing? Geijustsuka Art Design Class, a 4-panel comic about a bunch of girls attending art school from Yen Press. Agree or disagree? Vote now!
Best New International / Original English Manga Readers' Poll
Last year, this category was one of the most hotly-contested contests -- and this year is no different. The total votes cast in this category is almost more than both Seinen/Josei polls combined. The current leader? 1520 by Kai from Udon Entertainment, with Nightschool and Maximum Ride from Yen Press and X-Men: Misfits from Del Rey Manga nipping at its heels. Want to push your fave to the front? Vote now!
Best New Korean Manhwa Readers' Poll
Call it the Yen Plus factor, but KookHwa Huh and SuJin Kim's romantic comedy Pig Bride is so far the most popular pick in the Korean manhwa poll. Practically tied for second and third place are Time and Again and Jack Frost -- two more series that are currently featured in the pages of Yen Plus. Agree or disagree with these choices? Vote now!
Best New All-Ages Manga Readers' Poll
Once again, another dark horse nominee has taken the lead. This time, it's CMX Manga's sweet fairy tale, The Lizard Prince that is besting a plethora of kid-centric titles from VIZ Media and Udon Kids. But with relatively few votes cast in this category, it could still be anyone's game to win. Vote now!
Best New Yaoi Manga Readers' Poll
There were a few write-in votes in this category for Cut by Toko Kawai and Color by Taishi Zaou and Eiki Eiki from Digital Manga Publishing, but the lion's share of the votes so far have gone to ZE by Yuki Shimizu (also from DMP). Still, the difference between the leader and the second, third and even fourth place nominee is pretty slim, so Age Called Blue by est em or U Don't Know Me by Rakun (from NETComics) or Yokai's Hunger by Naono Bohra (from Media Blasters) could still eke out a win. Vote now!
Best New One-Shot Manga Readers' Poll
The top five nominees in this poll are pretty close in the vote totals, so who knows who'll win this one. So far, GoGo Monster by Taiyo Matsumoto (from VIZ Media) and A Drifting Life by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (from Drawn & Quarterly) are neck and neck. But The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (from Bandai Entertainment) or Swallowing the Earth by Osamu Tezuka (from Digital Manga Publishing) could still grab the title. Vote now!
Best Classic or Re-issued Manga Readers' Poll
While two titles by Naoki Urasawa are competing against each other in the Best Seinen/Josei Drama category, two titles by Kiyohiko Azuma from Yen Press are pitted against each other in the Best Classic or Re-issued Manga poll: Yotsuba&! and Azumanga Daioh! The possible spoiler in this race? Dark Horse's deluxe re-issue of Clover by CLAMP. It could really be any of the these three that could take the title, so vote now!
Best New Manga Book Readers' Poll
While the Art of Osamu Tezuka and the Tsubasa art book have got their fans, at this point, this race is the Otaku Encyclopedia's to lose. Patrick Galbraith's overview of otaku culture and Akihabara movers and shakers has got a groundswell of support from you -- but is an upset possible here in the last day of the poll? Vote now!
If you've already voted, thank you for picking and clicking! I'll be tallying up the results this week and posting the results on Monday, so stick around!
Image credit: © 2005 Karuho Shiina / SHUEISHA Inc., © Jun Mochizuki / SQUARE ENIX, © Koji Kumeta, KODANSHA Ltd., © KookHwa Huh, SuJin Kim / Haksan Publishing Co., Ltd., © Yuki Shimizu, Shinshokan, © Kiyohiko Azuma / YOTUBA SUTAZIO
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