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...?!
"If one more guy asks you out, we'd be tied... Then how about I do it?" Chikage and Haruto have competed over one thing or another since elementary school. It even went as far as a battle to see who could get asked out more times by their high school graduation?! ...Now, several years later, these two who could hardly cross paths without challenging each other to some sort of battle have grown up: Chikage is a model, Haruto is an actor, and they are each embarking on their own paths in life. And then, just as Chikage gets her first shot at filming a made-for-TV movie, it turns out that Haruto will be her costar... As this clumsy pair is led to and fro by love and work, their romance will have your heart throbbing!
Mei is a beautiful baby girl... but she thinks in a Southern accent...?! Yuka and Masato are brand-new first-time parents, and it shows! They have a lot to tackle as they learn how to raise Mei. It's a heartwarming story about the joys and challenges of parenting. Follow Mei, Yuka, and Masato as they experience life lessons in childbirth, breastfeeding, outings, baby socializing, weaning, and much more!
"Hey Keisuke. I'm really looking forward to the wedding." Miyagi Prefecture, Sendai City. This is where our protagonists, Chiaki and Keisuke met and vowed to marry each other. After graduating college, Keisuke starts working at a big-name trading company in Tokyo. Doing LDR is a bit lonely, but Chiaki believes in the love they have. However... Keisuke changes after moving to Tokyo. Every weekend, Keisuke has vulgar affairs, and does nothing but lie to Chiaki, and the two stop talking. Things are miserable. But Chiaki put up with it. She knows about everything and stays with Keisuke for 5 years. And there are only three months until their wedding...
"I'll never forgive him...!" Affairs, gambling, momma's boys... These wives are ready to serve husbands, who've trampled all over them, their just desserts. They're here to take their revenge for all the h*miliation they've suffered!
Fiona, the only daughter of a margrave, was fed up with her husband, Jan, who was acting all high and mighty while neglecting his duties as the head of the house and as the father of two children. After being away for half a year for work, Jan brings back a daughter of a baron to stay with them. "I don't need a husband who doesn't care about our precious children"... It's time for Fiona to fight back!
"I'm living on the green side of the grass." Successful career woman Sono never let envy drag her down. She had everything she ever wanted, and she'd gotten it all through her own hard work. On top of her growing list of accomplishments at work, her relationship with her boss (and live-in boyfriend) Taiya was going great, with a proposal right on the horizon...until one unexpected twist brought her whole perfect life tumbling down around her. Heartbroken and needing an escape, Sono moved to a run-down little apartment, only to realize it had a secret hole in the wall that looked straight into the neighboring apartment. When she sees what the neighbor is getting up to, she can't seem to look away, and as the days pass she finds herself more and more obsessed with peeking in on her neighbor... A mature love story about a career woman intent on being "strong and independent," the mysterious boy next door, and their slowly intertwining lives.
42-year-old Kyoko Otsuka has spent the last 13 years living life as "mom" for her rebellious daughter and soft-spoken husband. Kyoko thought her average and hectic life would continue this way until one day she is told that she only has a year left to live! Shocked by this news, Kyoko decides she wants to spend the remainder of her life "living for herself." She declares to her family, who have been spoiled and taken her for granted, that she is done being their "mom" and is going to take back her life as "Kyoko"!
Aika Ito, is 27 years old. She and Shinya, a high school classmate, got married after 10 years of dating and soon ended up pregnant. Though things were smooth sailing, Shinya was assigned to work abroad, forcing the two to live in separate countries. After giving birth, Aika visits Shinya for the first time, but when she meets him again, she's met with a cold attitude. Aika is perplexed by the sudden change in her husband. It was in that moment that her husband's colleague, 22-year-old Mona, a local woman, comes to visit...
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...
"Who... are you?"" Risa's beloved fiance, Aya, got into an accident and lost his memories of her. She thought she would have to go on by herself, but Aya's actually been the one comforting her... Risa's already had enough on her plate, but now her coworkers and Aya's ex are up to something as well! But even with all that, Aya still treasures their time together from the bit of fragmented memories he has. Now Risa is ready to return the love and make memories with Aya again, regardless of who tries to stand in their way."
Saki Sugita (26) is a hardworking woman with no friends and no boyfriend. She is doing well at work, but she is very awkward in her private life. She is in love with Nishimoto, her boss at work, but he's married. Just when she was about to give up, Nishimoto confides in her that he's divorced...? The relationship is gradually deepening, and perhaps marriage is on the horizon! Saki is at the peak of her happiness, but she gradually learns of Nishimoto's true nature hidden behind the happiness, through the social media account of Nishimoto's wife, with whom he is supposed to be divorced...!
"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!"
After finding a job in a company that sells clothing all over the country, I've been assigned to a store. The manager is a really nice guy, and he's been helping me learn the ropes. I practice, I keep working, and I'm in love... with the manager even though he's already married. One day, he whispers in my ear, "I'll be waiting for you by the convenience store tonight." One thing leads to the next, and clothes come off without question. Lips on lips melt into chaos... the unfathomable abyss of love.
Have you ever cried while looking in the mirror...? "With this face, if I talked about fashion or went out to buy cosmetics, I'd be a total joke." Living with such thoughts, pitifully ugly office worker Tachibana Rin passed the days miserable and taunted by fate since she shares a first name with the most beautiful woman at her company, Kaizuka Rin. But that's just how it had to be. After all, for ugly girls, life's over before it begins... Then one day, Rin wins 11,910,000 yen in the lottery!! "Life's over for ugly girls, but for me this is just the beginning."
I want to be loved, as a person, and as a woman. - Misaki Nakamichi (35) is a teacher who has been married for 5 years to her attractive husband. She appears to have a life that many would be envious of. However, the truth is that she has been concerned about her marriage due to the lack of intimacy - Her husband only sleeps with her once a year, on the day of their wedding anniversary. As she continues to question her husband's sexual desire for her, their next anniversary arrives... and she receives a shocking confession from him!
Eighteenth-century France--the eve of a revolution. At the court of Versailles was a certain dressmaker who enjoyed even greater influence than the nobility, despite her commoner roots. This woman's name was Rose Bertin. Favored by the tragic queen Marie-Antoinette, she was then swallowed up by the tides of revolution. This is the story of the bold, pioneering woman credited as the mother of fashion design.
"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?
Momoka is an ugly sex worker that has clients rushing in with big wads of cash. But she doesn't flirt with the men; it's quite the opposite. Men want her, so they come and flirt with her! One day Momoka visits a brothel as a special instructor for newbies. That's when she meets and saves a woman who was tricked into joining the brothel by her boyfriend...
Haruka is married to Shoji, a kind and wealthy man, and while she dreams of having children, she enjoys her life as a housewife, though it sometimes leaves her feeling bored. One evening, Shoji goes out for drinks with friends, but something feels off...he seems to be hiding something. Haruka begins to suspect he may be having an affair. Unable to shake her doubts, she starts digging and uncovers a shocking revelation. Could her entire marriage have been a lie all along?