After years of struggling to get her work published, 28-year old manga artist Natsume is on the brink of giving up. When her boyfriend gets transferred to India and asks her to come, she takes it as a sign to finally let go of the dreams she'd pursued her whole life. But when she arrives and realizes that he sees her as little more than a dutiful future housewife, she dumps him on the spot and finds herself all alone in an unfamiliar land. Through her encounters with the resilient and radiant women she meets there, Natsume slowly finds the strength to follow her dreams once again.
Hitomi, now 33, is an averagely diligent office worker who has tiptoed her way through life avoiding anything that would make her stand out. She has also been dating her younger coworker Takuma for two years. Sure he hasn't popped the question yet and she's getting a little anxious, but otherwise, Hitomi's content with life. Then, one day, news breaks that Takuma is getting married to the young receptionist at work...! Wanting to forget her heartbreak, Hitomi wastes no time and finds a new job with a publisher in their comics division. Problem is, she has to work with explicit romance comics. Oh, and the fact that she's often at the mercy of her passionate editor-in-chief Mr. Adachi, in more ways than one! ...But before she gets used to the rhythm of things (and the butterflies), a married Takuma suddenly shows up, suggesting that they continue meeting discretely...!
Since that night, our temporary relationship as lovers began... Office Lady Riho is on a company trip but is in a terrible mood. Why? She caught her crush, Hasegawa, making out with another coworker, Ayano. Although she wanted to support their happiness, everything changed when she received a message from Hasegawa: "Can we talk? Just the two of us." It turns out this was an elaborate plan to put Riho in a difficult situation! Now Hasegawa believes she likes the President and has told her he plans to "keep her by his side." Is she merely a pawn in the President's game now?!
Shinobu and Saki Taura work for Daido Publishing and are a loving married couple. Shinobu is kind and good at his job, making him a popular guy at the office. This has Saki start to worry that he might decide to up and leave her. One day, Shinobu asks if he can go to a blind group date. On top of that, there's someone lurking behind the scenes trying to break the couple up! A friend, a coworker... or maybe even Shinobu? Just who is the traitor?!
Haruka Takano is a 36 year old woman leading a peaceful and happy day life. But one day she sees the news about Tokyo IR, Japan's first casino, and becomes uneasy. She fears that her husband's gambling addiction might resurface. However, it's been 10 years since he's made a full recovery, and when she sees how kind and loving he is, she thinks that her anxiety is ridiculous. One morning however, Haruka notices that her husband's eyes are very vacant and hollow, so she calls out to him. He says he's fine. Then, after withdrawing all the deposits from their account, he disappears...
"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."
In the city of flowers, Paris, at the end of the 19th century, a mysterious and beautiful petshop opened up in a corner of a passage. The owner is, of course, Count D... But no! It's actually not the Count D that you all know, but a different person: his grandfather! What is this Count D doing in gay Paree? Please enjoy the new Passage Arc, a scaled-up Petshop in classic Paris!
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...!
Minami Kishimoto, a new employee, admires her glittering training officer, Ms. Yumi Yagi when she first meets her. Ms. Yagi is a senior employee who is seemingly good at her job and therefore untouchable. Plus, she's as mean as an ogre when it comes to others not following the rules. When it comes to her, however, she can do no wrong in her own eyes. What's worse is her catchphrase: "I'm allowed, because I'm special." Minami, hang in there!
Reiko has been frustrated. Nanami is bragging about her new boyfriend again today. She doesn't work as hard, she doesn't take anything seriously. Reiko can't help but focus on all the things wrong with Nanami... so why is she able to get things like love? Finally, Reiko hits a breaking point when she learns that Nanami is dieting to try and get someone else to like her. Reiko starts to become obsessed with supplements. The only thing on her mind is being slimmer than anyone around, especially Nanami. What will come from this new shocking obsession of hers?!
Tomoyo Shiino has stood by her friend Mariko through years of ab*se, abandonment, and depression. However horrific her circumstances, their friendship has been the one reassuring constant in Mariko's life-and Tomoyo's too. That is, until Tomoyo is utterly blindsided by news of Mariko's death. In life, Tomoyo felt powerless to help her best friend out of the darkness that ultimately drove her over the edge. Now, Tomoyo is determined to liberate Mariko's ashes for one final journey together... to set free her dear, broken Mariko.
When Fuuta comes home tired at night, all he wants to do is spend time with his sister's cat, Kyuruga. So many of the mysterious habits and mannerisms of house cats-from the surprising array of shapes Kyuruga likes to twist into, to the bizarre challenge of getting a good photo of him, to his lightning-fast mood changes-are carefully reproduced in this relaxed and cute comedy about living with an adorable furball!
The dapper staff of The Watering Hole are always eager to serve their clientele with grace and charm. But little do the patrons know that these handsome gents are actually penguins in disguise! The sharply dressed flightless birds love all that the human world offers, but as the saying goes: "You can take the penguin out of the Antarctic, but you can't take the Antarctic out of the penguin!"*
*Not all penguins come from the Antarctic.**** Yes, this actually matters in the world of Penguin Gentlemen.
Based on the critically claimed novel. High schooler Atsushi Andou has always hidden the fact that he's gay. But one day, he sees his classmate Sae Miura with a BL book-a small moment with major consequences. Atsushi longs for a "normal" happiness with a loving wife and a biological child, but what can he do when he's not turned on by women?
Born during the sunrise - an auspicious beginning - the Azumas' newborn son is named Hikaru, which means "light". But during one play date, his mother notices that her son is slightly different from the other children. In the alternately heartwarming and bittersweet tale, a young mother tries to cope with both the overwhelming discovery of her child's autism and the trials of raising him while keeping her family together. This is a story that resonates not only for those whose families have been affected by autism, but also for all past, present, and future parents.
Akari had wanted to be a novel writer for as long as she could remember. However, that all changed after what her high school friend did to her. She couldn't help but put as much distance as possible between herself and her stories. Years later, a moment comes where she thinks that she may want to write again. In that moment... a cameraman starts snapping pictures of her?! He even comes to her workplace telling her to come with him... what could possibly come from this mysterious guy???
"You idiot..." Hina, a housewife trapped in an abusive marriage with her husband, Yuji, has been convinced that she's living a privileged life. After graduating from vocational school, she married Yuji and became a full-time housewife, never holding a job. When a friend offers her a part-time job, Yuji refuses unless she can maintain her housewife duties flawlessly. On the day of her interview, Hina receives a tour of the office and meets Totsuka, a man who seems to know her from somewhere. As she takes her first steps out from under Yuji's watchful eye, the gears of her life begin to slip, and her world starts to shift, all because of this fateful encounter!
Count D has crossed space-time for a new grotesque adventure...
Count D is on an ark that can freely travel through space and time, so where is he stopping next? When is he stopping next? This volume contains the story of love and hatred that unfolded in a country beyond the desert and the life of a woman who was toyed with through plots and treachery. Count D watches over all this coldly, but what is his aim? This new series of the mystery-horror masterpiece that guarantees even more fascination is finally being published!
Three years into her marriage, housewife Hana still enjoys cooking for others, but the constant complaints from her in-laws have started to wear away at her. When her marriage goes even further awry, her broken and battered heart finds a deli still open at 11 PM... Feel all your daily food stresses simply melt away in this short story collection!
Content Warning: this title contains material that may be distressing for some readers. "Do you really wanna kill me that badly?" His lips and his breath get closer as he says those words... Ever since her parents died, there's been a man Mayumi wants to kill. That man is the Kurose clan's young head, Yuya Kurose. One day, she sees him at the lounge she works at, and comes up with a plan to kill him. However, Yuya sees right through her. He takes the only keepsake she has of her parents and tells her, "Come with me quietly and I'll give it back to you." He takes her to the Kurose clan's estate. "You can kill me when winter comes around. Until then, be my 'soulmate'." What will Mayumi do? A suspenseful love story intertwined with hate and passion begins!