Yoshiwara, old Edo's paradise of pleasure, has been reborn in modern-day Tokyo.... In this playground of the powerful, where money rules all, women sell both their bodies and the idea of romance to their male clientele. Thrust into this world is the ingenue Asuka, who's been sold out by her foster parents to pay off their debts. While at first oblivious to the nature of Yoshiwara, she accidentally barges in on a "transaction" between a courtesan and her client. Confronted with her new reality of being bought and sold, she longs to make a break for it... but is there anyone around her she can trust...?!
What do you do when nothing's going right in your life?
Minori (29), who has been struggling from day to day, has become pessimistic about life as a whole. This year has been especially dreadful. Work has become a hellish experience because of her new boss. Her childhood friend and longtime crush, Asai, just told her he only sees her as a friend. When all seems hopeless, Minori is suddenly visited by a "Toshiotoko", a fairy whose job is to bring luck and happiness to their charge. With his gentle and encouraging support, she slowly learns to take control of her life by the reins. What will Minori discover as she continues her search for what happiness really means to her?
"Both my career and my love life were going so well...but it all fell apart on my 25th birthday, the day of that fateful incident." Aiko Miyata may have lost her parents at a young age, but she still grew up with plenty of love in her life from her kind older sister Sae and her doting doctor boyfriend Yuuma Yoshimura. Her happy life seems to be headed toward pure bliss, with Yuuma poised to ask her a very big question at her birthday dinner, when out of nowhere she gets stabbed by a hooded figure. From that day onward, Aiko finds herself mired in a tragedy of epic proportions...! This psychological thriller blurs the lines between love and hate as Aiko struggles to stay afloat. Hard to watch, but even harder to look away... How much can you handle?
"Everyone should just be 'saba saba' like me!" Nami Amihama (age 28) works in the editorial department for a women's fashion magazine. Nami constantly uses being saba saba (aka blunt) as an excuse for her biased assertions and has been ostracized by her coworkers because of it. One day, when Nami was being her usual arrogant self, she is confronted by her antithesis, Mai Honda (age 26). Mai is beautiful and feminine, and Nami can't hide her irritation. The battle between the self-proclaimed saba saba woman vs. the true saba saba woman begins!
"I'll help rehabilitate you... I'll become your boyfriend." Koharu Momose was dating someone from her office, when out of nowhere the whole relationship fell apart. The reason: "you're a boring woman" ?! Momose, now stuck thinking about how her past relationships have ended with men thinking she just isn't interested, is now convinced she just isn't cut out for this love business. However, the ace of the sales department, Ayato Shiomi, has something else to say...!!
Content Warning: this title contains material that may be distressing for some readers. Earnest and meek looking Hasumi has been working at a customer support center for a month now. Having to deal with customer complaints and inquires day in and day out has caused some pent-up stress, and in order to relieve said stress, some intense bullying has started in the office. Unfortunately for Hasumi, she has become a target, and is reaching her limit...or is she?!
You're great just the way you are. Even though Miku is 25 years old, she hasn't learned a thing about how to do her own makeup -- but her boyfriend, Haru, tells her that he prefers her that way. Miku and Haru live together, after all, and they might get married, in which case she'll just quit her job anyway, so it's probably fine never to learn... At least, that's what she tells herself. One day, a boy with a special love for makeup suddenly appears in her life. The beautiful stranger does Miku up gorgeously and Haru's reaction to her new look is almost unbelievable--? A story of starting anew and taking one's life back through makeup!
"Do I really have to work here from now on...?" Maya Blanche was born the daughter of nobility, but the family's wealth is in ruins due to her father's loan. The only place she could find immediate work as a noblewoman was the most fearsome house in all the land, the San-Chevalier House. There are rumors of servants of the house going missing... as pain and fear comes over Maya, she suddenly feels a strong head pain and all her memories come flooding back to her. "In my previous life... I was a high school student!" Maya was reincarnated into the world of one of her favorite fantasy novels after an accident on her way home from her maid cafe job! She now remembers the head of the house, Etel San-Chevalier, is actually an assassin...! Now begins the story of an isekai love fantasy of excitement and wonder, avoding the death flags at all costs!
"I thought I was the happiest person in the world... Until that day." Aya is twenty-nine and in her second year of marriage. She was enjoying a peaceful life with her husband, a handsome and faithful man who was the envy of those around her. One day, Aya sees a certain message on her husband's cellphone, and now he's starting to come home late... "Is he actually busy with work? Or is there some other reason...?" Should Aya question her husband and risk destroying her marriage, or should she keep her doubts to herself and protect the peaceful life she has...? A marriage life of uncertainty is about to unfold...
Since she was just a child, Lydia was determined as the daughter of a Marquis to do everything in her power to support the royal family. However, everything seems to be changing before her very eyes as her fiance Rogerio begins showing romantic interest in a lowly noble aide to the princess. While ignoring their duties, the two seem to be getting awfully familiar... and yet Lydia seems to only be treated as an antagonist when confronting the situation. Feeling betrayed, her manners and patience have reached their limit...!
Erika is married to a loving husband and blessed with a child; she should be feeling nothing but happiness. However, things begin to fall apart when she returns to work after her maternity leave... Erika must take care of the irregularities of her child and do all the major housework. She's left to endure parenting all by herself, and she begins to feel dissatisfied with her husband, who's only felt the need to focus on his work up until this point...
"This is my punishment - someone as hideous as me falling for someone as good-looking as you..." Yumeko had a mountain of complexes about herself. Then, a terrible accident befalls her. Though somehow saved from the brink of death, Yumeko wakes up a completely different person. "Is this...me...?! I'm SUPER cute!!" Those around her can't hide their surprise and wonderment at this 180-degree change... But Yumeko's new hyper-positive attitude starts to change her surroundings, too. Worries and complexes can affect anyone, and Yumeko will chop right through those of her various supporting characters!! In love, work, friendship... And an attempted murder case?! This frenzied romantic comedy will leave you bubbling with energy!
*This volume compiles ch. 1-5 of "Plus-sized Misadventures in Love!"
"I wonder if he no longer sees me as a woman..." Orie has been married to her husband, Takuya, for ten years now. They've been trying to have children for over seven years without any luck. She feels like he's given up and no longer cares about having children with her. Constantly seeing her friends posting about their new babies causes her to spiral, questioning her self-worth. At the OBGYN, she meets Keisuke, who's accompanying his wife, and the two hit it off, discussing their troubles with conceiving. What does it mean to be a wife, a mother, a woman? A powerful, touching drama about the universal struggles of womanhood!
Everyone said becoming a wife was supposed to be a happy thing... Whenever Chieko, Rinko, and Kasumi meet up, all they talk about are their marital struggles. Emotional ab*se, cheating, mommy's boys. As the years progress, the true nature of each one of their husbands comes to light... and the three of them are fed up! These women take a stand to reclaim their stolen pride. It's time their good-for-nothing husbands get what's coming to them. Off with their heads!
A coworker who keeps chasing after teen idols despite her age; a useless boss; and a completely unsociable new hire. Ann, a fortyish woman who looks down on those around her and blames everything on others, dreams only of marriage with the boyfriend who won't sleep with her. But then one day, when she learns that one of the colleagues she looked down on is getting married, she reveals her hidden nasty side right in front of the newbie. From that day on, she is visited by one misfortune after another....
Koyo Ito works at a law firm while studying to pass his examinations to become a judicial scrivener. One day while out drinking with his friend, Morio, he meets a mysterious and alluring girl in college who goes by the name "Nana." Koyo, who for some reason or another had already given up on dating, is met with a suggestion by Nana that the two "go on a date." Right as a spark is ignited between the two, Koyo's co-worker, Minegishi, begins showing interest in Koyo, which leads to the breaking down of Koyo's everyday life.
Juggling work, raising her daughter, and taking care of the house, every day is a struggle just to survive for wife and mother, Yuri. Despite this, the only thing her husband Yuto does to help out is pick their daughter up from the nursery. Although Yuri isn't entirely happy with the status quo, they live a relatively happy life together. But one day, she discovers a familiar sweet scent and a long, black hair on her husband's shirt when doing the laundry. Suspicious, she takes a peek at her husband's texts and finds an intimate conversation between him and their daughter's favorite homeroom teacher at the nursery, Miss Moe!
Ryo, my husband of six months, has become distant lately. Every time I speak to him, he seems irritated and responds with sharp words. Our strained relationship has taken a significant mental toll on me, but thankfully, I can lean on my best friend Miku. She's someone truly precious whom I trust and can confide in about anything. One day, I decide to surprise Miku with a visit, only to find my husband's car parked outside her apartment. He'd told me he was heading out for golf with his boss early that morning, but it turns out he was lying. The truth? He's been sleeping with my best friend behind my back! And as if that weren't enough, he showers her with affection he never shows me while also trash-talking me. As I grapple with my disbelief, a dark resolve forms within me, urging me to get rid of both my husband and best friend.
Ayumi Suzuki was having a hard time. Between her husband Takuya's backhanded compliments and the loud parties he insisted on hosting at their house, she could barely keep her head above water. Takuya seemed to be trying to relive his glory days by inviting over the usual group of old high school friends to sing and drink all night, while Ayumi was stuck cooking and pouring their drinks. Hard as that was, she still stayed devoted to her husband... And then she found out he had been having an affair with a woman from that "usual group" of party friends! As she listens to them having sex and badmouthing her like the insults were their pillow talk, Ayumi finally hits her limit. Now she has a new party to plan: an Affair Expose Party!
Miki Kobayashi is a housewife living with her husband, Kazuya, and their two daughters. To outsiders, their family appears happy, but recently Kazuya has turned his contempt toward Miki. He belittles her work as a housewife, and the strain is beginning to take a toll on her. One day, while shopping with her daughters, Miki unexpectedly runs into Kazuya's former boss, who reluctantly suggests that Kazuya may not be faithful. Determined to protect her family's future, Miki resolves to take action.