Akira is set in the post-apocalypse Neo-Tokyo of 2030, a vast metropolis built on the ashes of a Tokyo annihilated by an apocalyptic blast of unknown power that triggered World War III. The lives of two streetwise teenage friends, Tetsuo and Kaneda, change forever when dormant paranormal abilities begin to waken in Tetsuo, who becomes a target for a shadowy government operation, a group who will stop at nothing to prevent another catastrophe like that which leveled Tokyo. And at the core of their motivation is a raw, all-consuming fear. A fear of someone or something, of unthinkably monstrous power known only as "Akira".

Note: Won the 1984 Kodansha Manga Award for best general manga, won the Harvey Award for Best American Edition of Foreign Material in 1993 and was nominated for the Harvey for Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work in 2002.

From Eternal Bunny Love:

Ami moves into a new house and finds a mysterious trapdoor in her room. From that trapdoor, pops out 3 strange animals. Iyo (rabbit), Issa (panda), and Kenta (bear) are from Animal Yokocho, which is where the trapdoor leads. Don’t underestimate these cute little animals, because they can cause a whole lot of trouble.

The manga won the award for children's manga at the 51st Shogakukan Manga Awards.

Shogo Ban, a college student from Fukuoka, likes to cook. Thanks to the owner of the restaurant where he works part-time, he finds himself working at the line of Roppongi's best Italian restaurant, Trattoria Baccanale, and discovers that the real deal isn't quite as easy as he'd thought. The manga follows Ban as he struggles to keep up with the hectic workload and his co-workers, along with issues outside the kitchen like his relationship with his girlfriend Eri, who he left behind in Fukuoka.

Bambino! received the 2008 Shogakukan Manga Award for seinen/general manga along with Takeshi Natsuhara's and Kuromaru's Kurosagi.

"Basara - The spirit of freedom which denies old authority, transcending traditions and customs."

Born under a prophecy that will liberate and unite Japan, Sarasa has had to take her brother Tatara's place as the "Boy of Destiny." Fighting for the oppressed, Sarasa journeys across Japan to gain allies and defeat her enemies--all while keeping her identity a secret!

Basara won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shoujo in 1992.

2300 years ago in China there existed a clan called the men of Bokk trained to aid and defend threatened cities with their lives. Kakuri, one of these men, is summoned to the little city of Ryo. Distrusted and even hated, Kakuri eventually gains the trust of Ryo's citizens as Tcho empire's vast army sets their camp on the other side of the river.

Bokko won the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1995.

From ShoujoMagic:

Yori's attitude has changed. He and his twin sister, Iku, used to be inseparable as children, but lately Yori's been different -- eager to be apart from Iku. Iku worries that he hates her, but the truth is far more scandalous. Now, Yori would risk losing everything to have his little sister. Iku loves her big brother enough that she would never risk losing him, and so she'll do what it takes to keep them together... but Yori doesn't want to have her that way -- as a sister dedicated to her twin. Can Iku ever love Yori not as a brother but as a man?

Boku wa Imouto ni Koiwosuru received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shoujo manga in 2008.

From Storm in Heaven:
Takatou Masaki is the second youngest of four sons, and seemingly a delinquent by nature. His hot temper has put a wedge between himself and his strict father, gotten him kicked out of one school, and tossed him at a school notoriously horrible for the one thing he's truly good at, basketball. A chance encounter with the willful Yuuki Kanako may serve as a catalyst for change, as the indefinable connection she feels with him draws them together.

Note: Won the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1988.

Osamu Tezuka’s vaunted storytelling genius, consummate skill at visual expression, and warm humanity blossom fully in his epic of Siddhartha’s life and times. Tezuka evidences his profound grasp of the subject by contextualizing the Buddha’s ideas; the emphasis is on movement, action, emotion, and conflict as the prince Siddhartha runs away from home, travels across India, and questions Hindu practices such as ascetic self-mutilation and caste oppression. Rather than recommend resignation and impassivity, Tezuka’s Buddha predicates enlightenment upon recognizing the interconnectedness of life, having compassion for the suffering, and ordering one’s life sensibly. Philosophical segments are threaded into interpersonal situations with ground-breaking visual dynamism by an artist who makes sure never to lose his readers’ attention.
Tezuka himself was a humanist rather than a Buddhist, and his magnum opus is not an attempt at propaganda. Hermann Hesse’s novel or Bertolucci’s film is comparable in this regard; in fact, Tezuka’s approach is slightly irreverent in that it incorporates something that Western commentators often eschew, namely, humor.

Note: Won the Bungei Shunju Manga Award in 1975 and the Best U.S. Edition of International Material for the Eisner Award in 2004 and 2005.

In the horror of witnessing so many classmates perish before his eyes in a violent train wreck, Teru discovers two survivors in the tunnel: Ako and Nobuo. But salvation from this bloody carnage is far from their grasp. As they try to dig out from the wreck in order to come up with a plan to stay alive, the lack of light and food, combined with the stench of death and decay, will lead one member of the group down a dark and demented path. And with sudden, violent earthquakes shaking the tunnel, escaping to the outside world may lead them to an even greater danger.

Won the 21st Kodansha Manga Award for general manga in 1997.

From Viz:
Nana "Hachi" Komatsu hopes that moving to Tokyo will help her make a clean start and leave her capricious love life behind her. Nana Osaki, who arrives in the city at the same time, has plans to score big in the world of rock 'n' roll. Although these two young women come from different backgrounds, they quickly become best friends in a whirlwind world of sex, music, fashion, gossip, and all-night parties!

Note: Won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo in 2002.

Kuragehime follows Tsukimi Kurashita, an 18-year-old who moved from Kagoshima to Tokyo to become an illustrator. Tsukimi is a jellyfish otaku who comes to live in a shared bath and toilet, women-only apartment, Amamizukan. Other tenants include fujoshi, NEETs and others who consider fashion their natural enemy, calling themselves "Amars". One day, Tsukimi meets a fashionable and beautiful girl, Kuranosuke Koibuchi, who saves a jellyfish that is about to die at a pet shop. She later discovers that Kuranosuke is merely cross-dressing in order to evade inheritance of his father's occupation as a politician.

Note: Won the Kodansha Manga Award for best shōjo manga in 2010 and was nominated for the 2010 Manga Taishō award.

Wakamatsu Masato lives with his step-sister, Miyuki, whom he does not have blood relationship with. Their father is always working oversea (in fact, he has not appeared in the manga at all...) and left the two of them living by themselves in Toukyou. Miyuki is cute, nice, sensitive and very popular among guys around Masato. Masato has a girlfriend at school whose name is Kajima Miyuki, who is pretty and gentle, the ideal dream of every high school boy. It took years for Masato and his sister to realize whom they love and care most after a lot of events.

This manga was very popular in Japan and was one of the winners of the 1982 Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen or shōjo manga, along with Adachi's Touch.

Pai is a strange, provincial woman who has come to Tokyo from the Tibetan highlands. Somewhere in Tokyo is a young man who can help her in her quest... to become human!
When Pai finally finds Yakumo, they set off in search of the artifact that can transform her, but it will take all of her mystical powers to keep the reckless Yakumo alive, even if she has to steal his soul to protect him!

Winner of the 1993 Kodansha Manga Award for Shounen.

Narue is an adorable schoolgirl with a secret. She's really an alien with powers right out of a sci-fi comic! But growing up is never easy, and sometimes it doesn't help when you're from outer space. Join our spunky heroine as she faces androids, alien invasions, and (scariest of all) her very first date!

Note: Won the Seiun Award for Best Comic in 2014.

From Viz:
Takemoto lives in a run-down student apartment, where his greatest worry is when he'll next be able to afford to eat meat and whether he'll get to class on time. Although he's away from home and living on his own, Takemoto is far from finished growing up. Along with his crazy cast of friends, Morita, Mayama, Yamada, and Hagumi, Takemoto sets out to discover life and his true self.


Note: Was adapted into a live action film in 2006 and a live action tv series.
Won the the 27th Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo in 2003 (shared with Kimi wa Pet).

From Viz:

Risa Koizumi is the tallest girl in class, and the last thing she wants is the humiliation of standing next to Atsushi Otani, the shortest guy. Fate and the whole school have other ideas, and the two find themselves cast as the unwilling stars of a bizarre romantic comedy duo.

Lovely Complex Plus is actually volume 17 with the final chapter called Love Com Final. The first two chapters are about before Koizumi Risa and Otani Atsushi met each other. The third chapter is about their first encounter and a little bit of what happens to them after the ending of Lovely Complex.

*Contains a side story called Hoshi ni Natte mo Aishiteru (Even When I Become A Star, I'll Still Love You) in vol 12:
Reina wakes up surprisingly in her boyfriend's room. But it seems that she passed away three days ago...

In 2004 Lovely Complex received the 49th Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo.

The son of a famous pianist, music student Shinichi Chiaki dreams of studying abroad and becoming a conductor like his mentor. Unfortunately, his fear of flying grounds his lofty plans! As he watches other classmates achieve what he has always wanted, Shinichi wonders if he should quit music altogether.
Then one day he meets fellow student Megumi Noda, also known as Nodame. This oddball girl cannot cook, clean, or even read a music score, but she can play the piano in incomparable Cantabile style. And she teaches Chiaki something that he has forgotten: to enjoy his music, no matter where he is.

Winner of the Kodansha Manga Award for Shoujo in 2004.

From Del Rey:

Everybody at Seiyo Elementary thinks that stylish and super cool Amu has it all: But nobody knows the real Amu, a shy girl who wishes she had the courage to truly be herself. Changing Amu's life is going to take more than wishes and dreams - it's going to take a little magic!
One morning, Amu finds a surprise in her bed: three strange little eggs. Each egg contains a Guardian Character, an angel-like being who can give her the power to be someone new. With the help of her Guardian Characters, Amu is about to discover that her true self is even more amazing than she ever dreamed.

Contains the side story Shugo Chara! Encore! in volume 12.

Shugo Chara! was awarded the 2008 Kodansha Manga Award for best children's manga.

An autobiographical work in which Hideo Azuma tells the story of his inability to cope with the pressures of his job as a mangaka and of his exeriences with alcoholism. The work is split into three sections, each of which details one of Azuma's breakdowns. The first section (Walking At Night) is set in 1989 when Azuma suddenly walked out on both his job and his family and became homeless for the first time. Much of this section is given over to describing the practicalities of eating, sleeping, and killing time whilst homeless. The second section (Walking Around Town) covers a similar set of events in 1992 but this time Azuma managed to find labouring work as a gas pipe layer after a period of living rough. This section also looks back over Azuma's career and describes the pressures he worked under in the 1970s and 80s. The third section (Alcoholic Ward) covers the author's descent into full-blown alcoholism and his experiences of being committed to a hospital rehab programme in 1998.

Note: Won the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Grand Prize in 1997. Won the Seiun Award for Best Non-fiction in 2006.

Shissou Nikki 2 was published in 2013. It was not released in English by Ponent Mon.