Born into a life of acting and dance with a traveling theater troupe in 14th-century Japan, 12-year old Oniyasha has one problem-he doesn't know what the point of any of it is. Why must I step with the left foot here instead of the right? Why is one performance good and another, bad? Why do people dance at all? It all seems perfectly arbitrary, until a chance encounter in a run-down shack sets him down a path to revolutionizing the art form and influencing much of Japanese culture to come. A fictionalized account of the early life of Zeami Motokiyo (Oniyasha), the founder of modern Noh theater-the world's oldest surviving theater art-this coming-of-age artist's journey vividly brings to life a man far ahead of his time during one of Japan's most culturally and socially vibrant eras.
Kiri and her husband, both in their 30s, have been happily married for several years. They don't have any children yet, and Kiri knows that at her age they'll need to start trying soon if they ever want to. Yet she can't seem to take that first step, knowing that once she makes a decision, she won't be able to turn back. While Kiri agonizes, feeling more drained with every pregnancy announcement she hears, her husband seems awfully detached and casual about the whole thing...? In a sudden rush of motivation, Kiri takes the plunge and manages to get pregnant, only to face a world of new, unfamiliar challenges as a first-time mom-to-be. This story of one woman's journey into motherhood is for the women also struggling to decide, for those already expecting, for long-time mothers reminiscing about their own pregnancies, and of course for the men in all their lives. It's a story anyone and everyone can enjoy.
"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?
Ayako's a stay-at-home mom, living a happy life with her husband Yusuke, who works at a design firm, and their 4-year-old son Daichi. They've been married for 6 years now, and her husband has been very proactive with both his job, housework, cooking, and taking care of their son. However, there is just one thing... it seems that the two can never have a full conversation together! Up until their son was born, they would sit down and talk about all sorts of things. Is something changing in their relationship? Can they figure out what might be wrong? Another day goes by without any chance to just talk...
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...
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...!
Meet Sasaki, an overworked, middle-aged office worker. His days are marked only by the passing of more unrewarding corporate drudgery. Smoking helps take the edge off, but other than that, the only bright spot of his day is when he goes to the nearby supermarket and sees Yamada's smiling face. So, one evening after yet another exhausting day, he heads to the supermarket to find he missed Yamada's shift. Dejected, he decides to go find a smoking area but discovers there isn't one to be found. Just as he's about to leave, a girl in a biker jacket named Tayama asks him to join her at a secret smoking area!
Please note that this work is a fictional portrayal and does not endorse or encourage smoking in any way.
"There's no such thing as sincere love..." Mianna Caroline was raised strictly as a light mage user from a young age. After her mother passed away, her father remarried and adored her stepsister, ignoring Mianna. Then, to make matters worse, her fiance broke off their engagement, saying he wanted to marry her stepsister instead. Mianna always believed that living honestly would be rewarded, but this betrayal makes her fall into using "dark magic" that humans aren't supposed to have access to. But in the next moment, she wakes up to find herself returned to the day she was born! Then, God tells her, "I'll give you a second chance." With a fresh start, Miana's journey to find love and heal her heart begins again...
After losing her parents at a young age, Yae Sachiyama was taken in by her uncle. Since then, she's been living under his roof while he and his wife drain her of both freedom and money. The only place she can truly relax is at her workplace, Kuga Industries. There, she quietly harbors feelings for the CEO, Tomomitsu. Because of her difficult home life, however, she can't bring herself to tell him. Her feelings for Tomomitsu only grow stronger with each small act of kindness he shows her.
But one day, when Yae returns home from work, her cousin's attitude suddenly takes a strange turn and she finds herself pushed further into a corner...
The story of a sweet but complicated marriage, born from a life of mistreatment.
Mei had always believed that money was the most important thing in life?more important than love, relationships, or anything else. But when her apartment burnt down, leaving her with nothing but a pile of ashes, her carefully constructed world crumbled. In her moment of despair, "Wanna stay over at my place?" Takayuki, a coworker she despises, stood before her, his offer as genuine as his gaze. His simple words were a key that unlocked her heart, melting the cold, steel armor she had built around herself for so long.
Even though she's gorgeous on the outside, Hana is a 26-year-old girl with a timid nature. Each time she fantasizes about having a bright future with the person she's with, she ends up being betrayed and having her heart severely broken. It's as if Hana's heart is a black hole that keeps attracting another "horrid" person who approaches Hana disguised as her "one true love".
From a lack of self-confidence, Hana is dependent on others and addicted to love. This is an omnibus love series that stylishly depicts the stories of a single girl falling deeper into hell as she's being taken advantage of by different men and women.
At the end of this torment, will Hana ever find real "happiness"...?
Takao Kasuga is a bookworm. And his favorite book right now is Baudelaire's Flowers of Evil. While the young man may often be seen lost in thought as he rabidly consumes page after page, Takao is not much of a student. Actually when we are first introduced to the middle school teen, we find him sneaking some reading as he receives an F on a recent language exam. Nakagawa is known as the class bully. When she is not receiving zeros she is usually muttering profanities to those around her. While she doesn't care for books or their readers, she does have a thing for troublemakers. Takao may not be one, but having read over his shoulder a few times, she knows he is not very innocent. If anything he is bored and aware of it. Together, by chance, they shake up their entire rural community as Takao tries to break out of his shell in a random moment of passion and affection...not directed towards Nakamura. And contrary to Takao's predictions, the girl he was falling for, Nanako Saeki, responds by eventually accepting the bibliophile for who he is. Or at least, who she thinks he is. And therein lies the conflict. Takao is not a hero. He is not a troublemaker, either. He is a regular teen who through equal moments of cowardice and chivalry takes a long step towards adulthood as he desperately tries to cover up a dark secret. Takao Kusuga has stolen an item precious to someone he is attracted to, and if he doesn't form a "contract" with his new best friend, she is going to tell.
"You're already 30 years old! Women are only appaealing when they're still young!" were the cruel words my husband spoke. Masumi and Shinichiro have been maried for seven years. With their five year old daughter, the three of them make up a happy family... Or so it seemed. The last time Shinichiro and Masumi had sex was three years ago. From wife to mother to 30 years old in the blink of an eye. Will Masumi spend the rest of her life simply aging and losing sex appeal? "... I won't stand for this!" Masumi's ready to polish up her charm and salvage her relationship with her husband... But then this...
Minaho and Yuichi have been married for five years, and in this time, she has been putting up with her husband's verbal harassment. One day Minaho falls ill. Despite this, Yuichi continues to berate her, and instead of worrying about her when she collapses and is rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, he swears at her. At this point, Minaho's patience has run thin, and she consults her male friend, Nanao, for advice. He tells her that she is too kind, and if she doesn't fight back, she'll be treated like a slave for the rest of her life. He then teaches her the secret to fighting in a marriage. Will Minaho be able to get out of the messy doldrums and be happy?