Araki, Hirohiko

In the American Old West, the world's greatest race is about to begin. Thousands line up in San Diego to travel over six thousand kilometers for a chance to win the grand prize of fifty million dollars. With the era of the horse reaching its end, contestants are allowed to use any kind of vehicle they wish. Competitors will have to endure grueling conditions, traveling up to a hundred kilometers a day through uncharted wastelands. The Steel Ball Run is truly a one-of-a-kind event.

The youthful Johnny Joestar, a crippled former horse racer, has come to San Diego to watch the start of the race. There he encounters Gyro Zeppeli, a racer with two steel balls at his waist instead of a gun. Johnny witnesses Gyro using one of his steel balls to unleash a fantastical power, compelling a man to fire his gun at himself during a duel. In the midst of the action, Johnny happens to touch the steel ball and feels a power surging through his legs, allowing him to stand up for the first time in two years. Vowing to find the secret of the steel balls, Johnny decides to compete in the race, and so begins his bizarre adventure across America on the Steel Ball Run.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 7: Steel Ball Run

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run

ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 Part7 STEEL BALL RUN

NISIO, ISIN

VOFAN

This is a story, a "ghostory" of sorts, about scars that bond, monsters that haunt, and fakes that deceive.

The story of Koyomi Araragi begins through a fateful encounter with the all-powerful, blonde-haired, "hot-blooded, iron-blooded, and cold-blooded" vampire, later introduced as Shinobu Oshino. Their tragic rendezvous results in the end of Araragi's life as a human and his subsequent rebirth as a vampire—a monster. However, this encounter is only the start of his meddlings with the supernatural. Koyomi's noble personality ultimately sees him getting further involved in the lives of others with supernatural afflictions. This is his desperate attempt at returning to a normal human life, in a paranormal world filled with nothing but tragedy, suffering, and inhumanity.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

This entry includes the first season of the Monogatari Series.

Monogatari Series: First Season

〈物語〉シリーズ ファーストシーズン

Take

A dropout from an elite Houston-based program for teens is on a visit to a private island. Its mistress, virtually marooned there, surrounds herself with geniuses, especially of the young and female kind—one of whom ends up headless one fine morning.

(Source: Kodansha USA)

Zaregoto Series

Zaregoto

戯言シリーズ

Urushibara, Yuki

Mushi: the most basic forms of life in the world. They exist without any goals or purposes aside from simply "being." They are beyond the shackles of the words good and evil. Mushi can exist in countless forms and are capable of mimicking things from the natural world such as plants, diseases, and even phenomena like rainbows.

This is, however, just a vague definition of these entities that inhabit the vibrant world, as to even call them a form of life would be an oversimplification. Detailed information on mushi is scarce because the majority of humans are unaware of their existence. So what are mushi and why do they exist? This is the question that a Mushishi, Ginko, ponders constantly. Mushishi are those who research mushi in hopes of understanding their place in the world's hierarchy of life.

Ginko relentlessly chases rumors of occurrences that could be tied to mushi, all for the sake of finding an answer. It could, after all, lead to the meaning of life itself.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Mushishi

蟲師

Toboso, Yana

Tucked away in the English countryside lies the ominous manor of the Phantomhives, a family which has established itself as the cold and ruthless "Queen's Watchdog" as well as the head of London's criminal underground. After a tragedy leaves the Earl and his wife dead, many are shocked when their son, a young boy named Ciel, claims his place as the new Earl of the Phantomhive house. At first, many perceive him only as a child surrounded by a few eccentric servants. But they soon begin to realize that it is foolish to meddle with Ciel and his demonic butler Sebastian.

Taking place at the end of the 19th century, Kuroshitsuji follows these two as they face countless mysteries and dangers that plague England and threaten the Queen, uncovering the truth about what really happened to Ciel's parents in the process.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kuroshitsuji

Black Butler

黒執事

CLAMP

Living alone after his parents passed away, Kimihiro Watanuki is a high school student who can see otherworldly creatures that are attracted to him. His days are plagued by these nuisances, and he wishes to rid himself of this inconvenience. One fateful day, as Kimihiro is being chased by a horde of spirits, his feet bring him into a mysterious store to seek shelter. Here he meets Yuuko Ichihara, the mistress of this supposed store, who claims to be able to grant wishes. Yuuko offers to grant Kimihiro's, as long as he pays an appropriate price.

Thus begins Kimihiro's time working in her store to earn the payment necessary for his wish. In Yuuko's employ, he must become further involved with spirits and the supernatural before he can leave that world behind. How will he fare in the inexplicable encounters that await him?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

xxxHOLiC

Yamamoto, Hideo

Susumu Nakoshi is a middle-aged man who spends his days between a lavish first-class hotel and a park full of homeless people. One day, an eccentric young man approaches Nakoshi in search of subjects willing to partake in trepanation—the procedure of drilling a hole in the skull. 

This mysterious person claims that Nakoshi is the perfect man for the experiment. Initially rejecting the offer, he doubles back on his decision after his car gets towed off. Nakoshi agrees to let Manabu Ito, a 22-year-old medical student, drill a hole in his skull in exchange for 700,000 yen. The procedure bears no results at first, with Nakoshi showing no abnormalities. This normalcy comes to an abrupt end, however, when Nakoshi begins seeing the homunculus in every person. With his perception distorted, how will Nakoshi face these homunculi?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Homunculus

ホムンクルス

Akino, Matsuri

Beyond the mist-filled alleyways in the concrete crevices of Los Angeles' Chinatown hides a mysterious pet shop, home to many bizarre yet friendly creatures. The store's proprietor is an enigmatic young man who goes by the name of Count D.

Count D welcomes those who feel lonely and wounded through the doors of his shop, claiming to sell "love, dreams, and hope" in the form of the fantastic beasts that lie within. Each creature comes with a special contract accompanied by a set of rules. However, he warns customers that he cannot be held accountable for any consequences of breaking the rules.

Short-tempered detective Leon Orcot traces the source of several crimes back to Count D and what the former considers to be a pet shop of horrors. Determined to find proof that the Count is a criminal, he begins to pay regular visits to the shop.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Petshop of Horrors

Pet Shop of Horrors

Petshop of Horrors (ペットショップ オブ ホラーズ)

Inada, Shiho

Ono, Fuyumi

Mai Taniyama's school has an ancient, abandoned, and allegedly cursed building. Whenever it is about to be torn down, a series of unsettling deaths occur and halt the demolition. To prove it is haunted, Mai and her friends try to summon a specter by telling ghost stories. No ghosts appear, but the group encounters Kazuya Shibuya, a 17-year-old transfer student. Though her friends are charmed by Kazuya's attractive looks and great manners, Mai does not trust him.

Following a mishap, Mai discovers Kazuya's real identity as the president of Shibuya Psychic Research, a group hired by the school principal to investigate the building's rumored paranormal activity. As a consequence of her actions, Mai must temporarily help Kazuya if she does not want to pay him damages. Joined by other individuals experienced with the supernatural—former Buddhist monk Houshou Takigawa, self-proclaimed Shinto priestess Ayako Matsusaki, famous medium Masako Hara, and Catholic priest John Brown—Mai and Kazuya must uncover the mystery surrounding the building before any more innocent lives are lost.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ghost Hunt

ゴーストハント

Yuki, Kaori

Deep in the heart of 19th century London, a young nobleman named Cain walks the shadowy cobblestone streets of the aristocratic society into which he was born. Forced to become an earl upon the untimely death of his father, Cain assumes the role of head of the Hargreaves, a noble family with a dark past. With Riff, his faithful manservant, and Mary Weather, his 10-year-old half sister, Cain investigates the mysterious crimes that seem to follow him wherever he goes.

(Source: VIZ Media)

Included one-shot:
Volume 5: Nichiyoubi no Solomon Grundy

God Child

Godchild

ゴッド チャイルド

Matsui, Yuusei

The Demon Neuro has a raging hunger for "enigmas." Being dissatisfied with his current regime in hell, he's come into the mortal realm in order to satiate his ever-growing appetite. The murder case of a young girl's father seems to be sufficiently enticing for the Demon's needs... But what else might happen between these two?

(Source: aerandria.net)

Included one-shot:
Volume 23: Rikon Choutei (Divorce Conciliation)

Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro

魔人探偵脳噛ネウロ

Kibayashi, Shin

Kanari, Youzaburou

Satou, Fumiya

Kindaichi (frequently with best-bud, Miyuki) travels to various places where a murder has taken place, typically involving ghosts, curses, myths and folklore of significant events from the distant past, and solves the mystery using ingenious deductions of curious clues and his cool magic.

(Source: Tokyopop)

12 Manga Like Akuryou Series