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2007 Readers Poll: Best New Seinen Manga
Readers' Choice Results for Best New Mature Manga

By Deb Aoki, About.com

Grittier, more dramatic and graphic than shonen manga, seinen manga is manga for manly men and mature readers. Several notable series made their debut in 2007, so we asked our readers to pick their fave.

Mushishi pulled ahead at the last minute to take first place honors, with The Guin Saga: The Seven Magi taking second place. See full results.

View results in our other readers' polls:

1 - Mushishi

Mushishi Volume 1 by Yuki Urushibara from Del Rey Manga© 2000 Yuki Urushibara/KODANSHA LTD. All rights reserved.
Author and Artist: Yuki Urushibara
Publisher: Del Rey Manga
Visit Del Rey Manga's Mushishi page
Read a review of Mushishi Volume 1
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Mushishi is a series of self-contained, but related stories revolving around mushi, a mysterious type of lifeform/ parasite / force of nature. Ginko is a traveling mushi master or mushishi, who offers explanations and remedies to help the people who are afflicted or blessed by the presence of mushi in their lives.

2 - The Guin Saga: The Seven Magi

The Guin Saga Manga: The Seven Magi Volume 1 by Kazuaki Yanagisawa, Kaoru Kurimoto© Kazuaki Yanagisawa, Kaoru Kurimoto / Vertical Inc.
Author: Kaoru Kurimoto
Artist: Kazuaki Yanagisawa
Publisher: Vertical Inc.
Visit Vertical's The Guin Saga: The Seven Magi page
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A mysterious plague has descended upon Cheironia. The disease is so infectious and terrifying, the citizens of this mythic kingdom are resorting to desperate measures to find a cure. Some are even willing to kill their children to protect their families. Guin, the leopard-headed warrior king of Cheironia learns that the plague may have mystical origins, and that there are dark forces gathering to prey upon him and his subjects.

3 - Vampire Hunter D

Vampire Hunter D Volume 1 by Hideyuki Kikuchi and Saiko Takaki, published by DMP© Hideyuki Kikuchi and Saiko Takaki
Author: Hideyuki Kikuchi
Artist: Saiko Takaki
Publisher: Digital Manga Publishing
Visit DMP's Vampire Hunter D page
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The year is 12,090 A.D., and what little is left of humanity has finally crawled out from the ashes of war and destruction. From the darkness of fallout, mutants and a race of vampires known as the Nobility have spawned. They rule the weak with no remorse. Once bitten by a Nobility, one is cursed to become a member of the undead. Villagers cower in fear, hoping and praying for a savior to rid them of their undying nightmare. All they have to battle this danger is a different kind danger – a Vampire Hunter.

4 (tie) - MPD-Psycho

MPD-Psycho Volume 1 by Eiji Otsuka and Sho-U Tajima, published by Dark Horse Manga© Eiji Otsuka and Sho-U Tajima
Author: Eiji Otsuka
Artist: Sho-U Tajima
Publisher: Dark Horse
Visit Dark Horse's MPD Psycho page
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"MPD" stands for "Multiple Personality Disorder" and MPD-Psycho is a horror-suspense-sci-fi story that revolves around a series of bizarre serial murders. Detective Kobayashi Yousuke's life is changed forever after a killer notices something "special" about him. A series of events triggers something in Kobayashi's brain and unleashes the other personalities inside him. This transforms Kobayashi into an unusually insightful profiler who can track down serial killers because he is one himself.

4 (tie) - Togari

Togari Volume 1 by Yoshinori Natsume, published by VIZ Media© Yoshinori Natsume
Author and Artist: Yoshinori Natsume
Publisher: VIZ Media
Visit VIZ Media's Togari page
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Tobei, a ruthless punk from feudal Japan, has been damned to hell for the past 300 years. Given a chance for redemption, he's sent to the modern world to vanquish 108 malevolent spirits in 108 days. Will the baffling ways of the present prove to be an even greater foe than the sinister fiends he must defeat?

5 (tie) - MW

MW by Osamu Tezuka, published by Vertical Inc.© Tezuka Productions / Vertical Inc.
Author and Artist: Osamu Tezuka
Publisher: Vertical Inc.
Visit Vertical's MW page
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Handsome, affluent and successful, Michio Yuki looks like he has it all. But behind his smiling façade, Michio is a murderous sociopath who burns with the desire to discover the secret of MW. MW is a chemical weapon that killed the entire population of a rural island community, a horrible tragedy that was covered up by the government. Now free of morals and scruples, Michio will lie, steal and kill anyone who gets in the way of his twisted plan for the ultimate payback for his inner torment: the extermination of the human race.

5 (tie) - Parasyte

Parasyte Volume 1 by Hitoshi Iwaaki, published by Del Rey Manga / Kodansha Ltd.© Hitoshi Iwaaki / Kodansha Ltd.
Author and Artist: Hitoshi Iwaaki
Publisher: Del Rey Manga
Visit Del Rey Manga's Parasyte page
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Mysterious alien spores have descended to Earth. Each spore takes hold of unsuspecting humans that they transform and control to consume other people and animals. Ordinary Japanese teen Shinichi encounters one of these aliens, but by chance, the alien parasite only transforms his right hand and forearm. Now Shin and his alien right arm Migi must learn to coexist and figure out what the other aliens are up to, before it's too late for mankind.

6 (tie) - Variante

Variante Volume 1 by Iqura Sugimoto, published by CMX Manga / Fujimishobo© Iqura Sugimoto / Fujimishobo
Author and Artist: Iqura Sugimoto
Publisher: CMX Manga
Visit CMX Manga's Variante page
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After seeing her family slaughtered, Aiko is surprised to wake up on a laboratory table, apparently intact. But when she notices the horribly disfigured arm grafted onto her body, she soon realizes that life as she knew it before the attack is now over. Infused with the DNA of a mysterious monster known as Chimera, the arm acts on the urges of its master - leaving Aiko powerless to stop it.

6 (tie) - The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls: Revenge of the Hori Clan

The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls Volume 1 by Masaki Segawa and Futaro Yamada from Del Rey Manga / Kodansha© Masaki Segawa and Futaro Yamada / Kodansha
Author: Futaro Yamada
Artist: Masaki Segawa
Publisher: Del Rey Manga
Visit Del Rey Manga's The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls page
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In 17th century Japan, a rebellion in the Aizu territory has been brutally crushed, leaving twenty-one brave warriors dead and most of the nuns of the local convent slaughtered. Now the surviving nuns have sworn to seek revenge. The women turn to Jyubei, a ninja swordsman of the Yagyu clan for training in the art of war – but can he teach these inexperienced women the skills they need to defeat the fearsome Aizu Seven Spears?

7 - XS Hybrid

XS Hybrid Volume 1 by Song Ji-Hyung, published by Dark Horse Manga© Song Ji-Hyung
Author and Artist: Song Ji-Hyung
Publisher: Dark Horse
Visit Dark Horse's XS Hybrid page
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In a strange future where gifted, "hybrid" humans police the planet, Mina is a likeable tomboy with growing psychic powers. When a young boy falls into a coma after gazing into her eyes, it's clear that there's more to Mina than her pretty looks. This young boy, Hinchang, grows up to be quite a daredevil, and his awkward, secret love for Mina fuels his protective fire when mysterious men arrive, bringing the violence of the "hybrid" world with them!

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