Manga About Drama (P.23)

A humble rock is at the center of this transmigratory tale of two souls who take the form of penguins, otters, crows, and more as they learn about the the value of culture, the beauty of play in the face of capitalist pressure to produce and reproduce, and the power of love in the face of total annihilation.

When Jackie's ex-lover Noah dies, she decides the best and quickest way to get over the love of her life is to hold a personal ritual with Noah's ashes. Jackie consumes the ashes in the form of smoothies for 12 days, hoping the pain will subside with her profound reaction to Noah's death. While she and her partner-in-crime Nick, Noah's brother, spend the time in the closed space her apartment, they slowly become consumed by Noah's tragedy.

Some among the undead feel that now is the time, in the midst of human complacency, to strike against the mortals in a coup that would leave humanity at the mercy of the "dark creatures." Of course, it is at a time of human complacency that dogmatic agents in the Catholic Church also feel ready to strike against "evil," with just as little regard for the cost to human life.The power to stave this ultimate, destructive conflict between evil and righteousness rests in two wise and powerful undead brothers. The only problem is they haven't spoken to each other in a hundred and fifty years.

Winner of the 24th Manga Division Excellence Award at the 2020 Japan Media Arts Festival

Every young couple has high hopes for their unborn child, and Sara and Kouta Takano are no different. But only days away from giving birth, Sara learns about the tragedy of Malala Yousafzai's attempted assassination at the hands of the Taliban, and her pure and innocent belief in the future is shaken. If such a smart and courageous child can be hurt so badly by the world, how can she keep her own baby safe? With Sara now in a state of shock, will the young couple be able to bridge the widening gap between them, or will it tear their family apart?

The reality of this world, as seen through the eyes of an author that has spent years illustrating the women and their lives.

"This book brilliantly captures the anxieties held by people of today. Sara embodies the joyful anticipation of a mother-to-be, until an international story breaks and expands her list of hopes and fears in the information-flooded world. A modern audience can relate to her distrust in the times, and Sara's anguish is universal in its resonance. The work devotes numerous techniques to express its intentions but remains accessible. Colored pencils bring the story to life, at different times injecting turbulence and warmth. Through a small but striking backlist, the artist has secured a singular presence in the industry. What does it mean to be wise and brave? How do we resist and reverse the cruelties of the world? The artist plumbs this fathomless question and offers a powerful response." - Kazuko Kawahara, Japan Media Arts Festival

"A story that exposes its whole heart on the page, Miki Yamamoto's A Smart and Courageous Child perfectly encapsulates the nearly unbearable hope and angst of being a new, expectant parent. It is no exaggeration to say this comic made me cry with recognition and remembrance of this fragile time before my own children's births. Raw and relatable to any parent, A Smart and Courageous Child uses simplistic illustrations to tell a universal story. Drawn only with black, red, yellow, and slate-blue colored pencils, it captures a muted snow globe of a world-the strange liminal space that new parents occupy, seemingly insulated from everything else." - Lauren Orsini, Anime News Network

"It may just be the timing, but this ended up being a very comforting book to read in a dark time, and I hope that enough people read it. Not only because its a great book. Not only because hopefully it will result in more of Miki Yamamoto's works being translated. But because I feel this is a book we need right now, to remind us that life is worth living outside of the doomscrolling, and it reminds us of this in the most human way possible." - Kevin T. Rodriguez, Fandom Post

"Such stylistic choice contributes to making A Smart and Courageous Child a heartwarming reading, where mutual trust and care are presented as a potential solution to the issue of a world saturated with bad news and skepticism. [...] Powerful and moving in its apparent simplicity, A Smart and Courageous Child sure deserves the popularity enjoyed upon receiving the 24th Manga Division Excellence Award at the 2020 Japan Media Arts Festival, whose commission did not fail to notice how behind Miki Yamamoto's gentle visuals lies a much-needed call for change. A change towards an age where kindness and adaptability are the antidote to horror." - Giovanni Stigliano, Asian Movie Pulse

"If you've ever felt any anxiety about something you can't control, you will empathize with Sara and how she can't cope with these new fears that have sprung up out of what feels like nowhere, the loss of control that she can't help but feel. The art is deceptively simple, using what looks like colored pencils to create a sense of a picture book, which of course, as one character says, is for not just children, but parents as well." - Rebecca Silverman, Anime News Network

Not everyone chooses the streets. Sometimes, when everything is taken away, it's all that's left. The slums of Shindjin have long since been the champion of poverty. Violence and extortion are commonplace, where one's fate can literally be determined by a roll of the dice. A place where the fallout of these actions fall onto the shoulders of children. Shou and Jun are two such children, torn from the comfort of the lives they knew and thrust into an environment where organized crime is law. With nowhere to turn, they're forced to become the very thing that ruined their lives.

In the 14th year of the Tianbao Era (CE 755) An Lushan, a military governor with ties to the Knights Templar, leads his elite corps to rebel against the Tang Dynasty, and the ill-prepared Tang empire falters under the threat. The two capitals Luoyang and Chang'an fall and China falls under the oppression of the cruel An Lushan.

As the Tang dynasty starts to crumble, Li E, a shady Assassin trained by the Hidden Ones in the far West, teams up with Tang loyalists to turn the tide and save both the dynasty and the country from this crisis.

Not long before the exploits of Eivor Wolf-Kissed, Jarl Stensson and his sons, Ulf and Bjorn, make their way to England at the behest of Halfdan Ragnarsson and Ivarr the Boneless. Filled with excitement, confidence and bloodlust, the two brothers are eager to go to war against Aelfred the Great and his Anglo Saxon army. But they would do well not to underestimate what awaits them on those green shores...

Boys of Summer volume 1 features story by Chuck Austen and art by Hiroki Otsuka. Bud Waterston is a decent looking guy in full hormonal bloom. He's heading for college, and imagines the sexual liberation he will face living in a dormitory full of other post-teens just like him. But like all best laid plans (no pun intended), nothing goes as Bud hopes or expects. His roommate turns out to be a closeted homosexual and all the good-looking girls in the dorm are interested in somebody else. When the girl of his dreams, who wanting nothing to do with him, joins the school baseball team, it inspires Bud to join, too, in an effort to prove to her she's all wrong about him.

Toshimitsu Yamamura owns a real estate company and loves baking delicious, healthy snacks in his spare time. When his coworker comes to him one day with the idea of advertising their real estate agency as LGBT-friendly, Toshi realizes this little change could really help people who often face discrimination in his industry. He's terrified, though, because he worries this move will out him as gay. Joined by his boyfriend Gonta who inspired him to bake in the first place, Toshi navigates a changing world that's slowly becoming more accepting, faces his fears and discomfort, and bakes some incredibly lovely treats along the way.

The gateway to Hell is opened in this tale of demonic bloodlust and angelic redemption. Alone and disfigured from a tragic car accident in childhood, Seisu is plagued by haunting visions and hellish nightmares. But when a stay at a remote monastery brings the mysterious young man Yabrail into his life, Seisu discovers not only what's behind his fragile state of mind, but also that Heaven and Hell aren't as distant as he once believed...

Meet up-and-coming pop diva Tina Young, as she pursues an almost maniacal quest for fame in the stranger-than-fiction world of entertainment!

Winner of EXCELLENCE AWARD in the Manga Division of the 23rd JAPAN MEDIA ARTS FESTIVAL in 2020.

Yuujin Kamoshima and Takara Takarada are fellow actors in the same theater troupe who live next door to one another, with similar day to day lives.

Though they aren't exactly close friends, when Yuujin is cast as Takara's double, he sees first hand his extraordinary acting skills and is blown away. From that moment on, he's determined to help him succeed and support him in his dream of becoming a world renowned actor, even if Yuujin has to be in his shadow. But as the acting world begins to take notice, that's easier said than done...

This stylish, full-color bande dessinee is a beautiful coming-of-age story focusing on themes of family, friendship, self-confidence and personal growth through the lens of music and dance.
Emma and Capucine are sisters and best friends, who have worked their whole lives to attend the most prestigious ballet school in Paris. However, when Capucine passes the auditions and Emma doesn't, their world collapses completely. Dealing with parental pressure, new friendships, and first loves, the two girls learn to follow their hearts - and that, sometimes, what you really want is something you never expected. Growing up and finding yourself isn't so hard... when you can dance through it!

Grace, a bedridden girl with no reason to live, is visited one night by a mysterious boy who invites her to leave her room. As they journey together to strange and wondrous cities, it slowly becomes clear that the boy is dead! In this simple yet poignant story that deals with the universal themes of life, death and dreams, will Grace finally find the courage to let go of this life and join him?

Aki is a shy, introverted teen trying to cope with the death of her older brother. Coupled with the daily pressures of being the most bullied kid in school, she keeps having mysterious blackouts. Entire days begin to be unaccounted for as Aki finds strange items in her closet. Adding to her bewilderment, the cutest boy in school is suddenly taking an interest in her. Aki wonders if her grip on reality is slowly slipping away, but something even more shocking might be behind this haunting tale...

As a child, Ameya had always considered his cat more a sibling than a pet. As the years went by, their bond grew ever tighter. But the day his feline "brother" died was the day Ameya withdrew from the world. Several years later, Ameya encounters a drenched stray cat in the park. Little does he know what fate has in store for him...

IF YOU WERE ATTACKED, WOULD YOU FIGHT BACK?

What if your family, your hometown, your entire way of living were threatened by force? That's what the people of Ukraine faced when Putin's Russian army invaded their sovereign land, displacing millions of refugees and causing an international crisis threatening democracy across the globe. But the Ukrainian people refused to cave - and these 9 stories weave the greater tale of their resistance - and fight for Victory!

This anthology is a collection created by Ukrainian artists during the first weeks of the Russian invasion, channeling all their emotions - their anger, courage, dreams, and despair into one goal, one manifestation of their nation's fight for survival!

A portion of the proceeds for the paperback will be donated to Razom for Ukraine ("Razom" meaning "together" in Ukrainian), a non-profit Ukrainian-American human rights organization established to give direct support to the people of Ukraine in their pursuit of a democratic society with dignity, justice, and human and civil rights for all.

Part of the digital proceeds from this comic book will be donated via the UNITED24 platform. Launched by President Zelenskyy, the platform is the main venue for collecting charitable donations in support of Ukraine. Please join Mark Hamill and the Army of Drones to strengthen Ukraine and protect its people.

"For anyone looking for an engrossing learning experience in hopes of understanding what Ukraine is currently going through, along with a history lesson in the nations past, this graphic novel is a must-buy." - Joe Anthony Myrick, Screen Rant

"Written and illustrated by Ukrainian creators, PEREMOHA doesnt just chronicle recent events during Russias invasion. Instead, it turns some of these now more well known circumstances on their head. From a witch enacting her own vengeance on intruders to a slightly retold version of the Russian attack on Snake Island, PEREMOHA sucked me right in from the first page. This is a phenomenal way for folks to connect emotionally with what all is happening in Ukraine, what has happened in the past, and what will happen in the future." - Kvothe Harris, Rediscovered Books

"But there is no room to debate the merits of PEREMOHA: Victory for Ukraine, since it is ultimately the artistic embodiment of a nation's desire to maintain its sovereignty and protect its people. [...] All of us who desire a democratic world free from senseless war and violence should read this graphic novel, and understand the Ukrainian fight for freedom." - Brett Michael Orr, Honeys Anime

A sci-fi lesbian romance taking place in two possible realities: a cozy little cabin on modern Earth, or the distant planet Nebulon ruled by technological advances far beyond our time. This unique and thought-provoking graphic novel by acclaimed Spanish artist Ana Oncina features a variety of color palettes contrasting between each setting, creating a soft-hued, dreamy atmosphere for this story about searching for one's place in the world.

Nature-loving loner Valentina lives in a small, cozy cabin in the middle of the forest with her dog Sopa. Every night, she has a dream: she lives isolated on another planet with Ane, her partner. And although everything is too strange, too white and too silent, it seems that Ane and Valentina are made for each other. But is Ane real? To what extent is this alternative reality a dream?

Ai is the only royal princess of Ai-Land, a magical kingdom caught in the midst of a horrific revolution. When Princess Ai makes a hasty escape from her war-torn land, she finds herself in modern-day Tokyo. Confused and in shock, Ai wanders the streets in this strange new land to unravel the secrets that could tear her and her kingdom apart...

Princess Ai of Ai-Land: The Comic Strip Collection features story by D. J. Milky and art by Pauro Izaki. Long before her adventures in the original manga trilogy, Princess Ai had to cope with the pressure of becoming a teen! Take a madcap journey with the young Ai as she navigates a ruthless teenage landscape of majestic pageants, home school study halls, crash diets and volunteer service. But just give our young Princess Ai a guitar, and she'll be sure to rock the party! She's got an overprotective king for a dad, a hyperactive Dougen for a pet and a tutor who's also her best friend - and a great role model until she turns into the Groupie from Hell at their first rock concert... For the first time ever, gathered here - uncut and in full color - is the entire first year of the Princess Ai of Ai-Land Sunday comic strip feature. This collection also includes daily color strips that have never before been seen in print!