Akira, Vol. 1


Katsuhiro Otomo - 1984
    The science fiction tale set in 2019 in Tokyo after the city was destroyed by World War III, follows the lives of two teenage friends, Tetsuo and Kaneda, who have a consuming fear of a monstrous power known as Akira.

Ghost in the Shell


Masamune Shirow - 1989
    In the rapidly converging landscape of the 21st century Major Kusanagi is charged to track down the craftiest and most dangerous terrorists and cybercriminals, including ghost hackers When he track the trail of one hacker, her quest leads her to a world she could never have imagined.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Vol. 1


Hayao Miyazaki - 1982
    Thriving industrial societies disappeared. The earth is slowly submerging beneath the expanding Sea of Corruption, an enormous toxic forest that creates mutant insects and releases a miasma of poisonous spores into the air. At the periphery of the sea, tiny kingdoms are scattered on tiny parcels of land. Here lies the Valley of the Wind, a kingdom of barely 500 citizens; a nation given fragile protection from the decaying sea's poisons by the ocean breezes; and home to Nausicaä .Nausicaä, a young princess, has an emphatic bond with the giant Ohmu insects and animals of every creed. She fights to create tolerance, understanding and patience among empires that are fighting over the world's remaining precious natural resources.

Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 1


Yoshiyuki Sadamoto - 1994
    1, contains a Japanese sound FX glossary plus special bonus commentary by series mecha designer Ikuto Yamashita, as well as the famous "confession letter" written by director Hideaki Anno in the months before the original TV series premiere that laid out his deeply personal motivations to make Evangelion.

Dragon Ball, Vol. 1: The Monkey King


Akira Toriyama - 1985
    But the precious orbs are scattered all over the world, and Bulma needs Goku's help (and his super-strength)! With a magic staff for a weapon and a flying cloud for a ride, Goku sets out on the adventure of a lifetime...

Vagabond, Volume 1


Takehiko Inoue - 1999
    For now, Takezo is a cold-hearted killer, who will take on anyone in mortal combat to make a name for himself. This is the journey of a wild young brute who strives to reach enlightenment by way of the sword--fighting on the edge of death.Chapter TitlesChapter 001. "Shinmen Takezo" (新免武蔵様)Chapter 002. "Akemi" (朱実)Chapter 003. "Oko" (お甲)Chapter 004. "The Brigand Tsujikaze" (野武士辻風)Chapter 005. "Blood Game" (血遊び)Chapter 006. "The Troubles of Honi'den Matahachi at Seventeen" (本位田又八17歳の懊悩)Chapter 007. "Farewell Takezo" (さらば武蔵)Chapter 008. "Miyamoto Village" (宮本村)Chapter 009. "Fiancee" (許嫁)Chapter 010. "Left Behind" (残された者たち)

Battle Angel Alita Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1


Yukito Kishiro - 1990
    He names her Alita and equips her with a powerful new body, the Berserker. While Alita remembers no details of her former life, a moment of desperation reawakens in her nerves the legendary school of martial arts known as Panzer Kunst. In a place where there is no justice but what people make for themselves, Alita decides to become a hunter-killer, tracking down and taking out those who prey on the weak. But can she hold onto her humanity as she begins to revel in her own bloodlust?

Parasyte, Volume 7


Hitoshi Iwaaki - 1993
    He's an ordinary high school student whose body has been invaded by an alien parasite. And he alone knows a terrible secret: The aliens are plotting the destruction of humankind. Now Shinichi is the target - for both the government and the alien invaders - in a hunt that will lead to a terrifying, bloody showdown....

Trigun: Deep Space Planet Future Gun Action!! Vol. 1


Yasuhiro Nightow - 1995
    Created by Yasuhiro Nightow, this compound of genre-bending ingredients has turned the Trigun animation into a wildly popular series, and finally, the long-awaited manga comes to America.Somehow the past has placed a sixty billion double dollar bounty on Vash's head, and the gunslinging pacifist can't seem to get away from money grubbing, itchy-trigger-finger citizenry. Find out why Vash is worth so much money dead! Feel the clumsy worry of the unfortunate citizens of the pulverous planet! Follow the follies of an unlikely hero in a forbidding world! Join Vash the Stampede - with his troubled past and an uncanny ability to dodge a gazillion bullets - and a cavalcade of unlucky characters on a dusty, desert planet in the distant future.

Claymore, Vol. 1: Silver-eyed Slayer


Norihiro Yagi - 2002
    Claymores are half-humans, half-demons who willingly transformed themselves by mixing their blood with monster's blood. Claire, nicknamed silver-eyed killer, is such a powerful Claymore, she can slay a Yoma using only one hand. But she must constantly struggle to keep from becoming a monster herself.

The Drifting Classroom, Vol. 1


Kazuo Umezu - 2004
    While parents mourn and authorities investigate, the students and teachers find themselves somewhere far away...somewhere cold and dark... a lifeless, nightmarish wasteland in which their school stands like a lone fortress. As panic turns to terror, as the rules start to fall apart, a sixth-grade boy named Sho and his friends must fight to survive in an alien world...

MPD Psycho, Vol. 1


Eiji Otsuka - 1997
    Enjoy the 11-volume MPD-Psycho series for all of its absurd twists, sci-fi touches and inventive torture scenes, but you’ll also be mesmerized by the plethora of odd conspiracies and case files found in Otsuka and Tajima’s uncontrollable, urban horrorshow. In MPD-Psycho Volume 1, police detective Kobayashi Yousuke’s life is changed forever after a serial killer notices something "special" about him. That same killer mutilates Kobayashi’s wife and kick-starts a "multiple personality battle" within Kobayashi that pushes him into a complex tempest of interconnected deviants and evil forces. Earning praise for its consistently shocking plotlines and Tajima’s clean, arresting art style, MPD-Psycho is the manga event of the decade!

PLUTO: Naoki Urasawa x Ozamu Tezuka, Band 001


Naoki Urasawa - 2004
    Europol's top detective Gesicht is assigned to investigate these mysterious robot serial murders; the only catch is that he himself is one of the seven targets.

Eden: It's an Endless World, Volume 1


Hiroki Endo - 1998
    In the near future, a large portion of humanity is wiped out by a brutal, new virus that hardens the skin while dissolving internal organs. Those who aren’t immune are either severely crippled or allowed to live with cybernetically enhanced bodies. Taking advantage of a world in chaos, a paramilitary force known as the Propater topples the United Nations and seeks world domination. Elia, a young survivor searching for his mother, travels towards the Andes Mountains with an artificially intelligent combat robot. When he encounters a group of anti-Propater freedom fighters, a maelstrom of unique characters unfolds. Graphic, cyberpunk, and philosophical, Eden is a place where endearing heroes face a constant struggle for survival and violent surprises wait around every corner!

Cowboy Bebop, Vol. 1


Yutaka Nanten - 1999
    Spinning off from the anime story line seen on Cartoon Network, the manga series hooks readers with the same combination of sci-fi action, crazy comedy, and a twist of old-school hipster cool. This black-and-white miniseries, released in the 100% Authentic Manga format, is perfect for fans of the Cowboy Bebop anime.