The strange kid at school, the odd woman in the apartment building, the troublesome man at work. Such people exist everywhere, in everyone's lives. All it takes is a word for it to start. An unsettling question, a bizarre remark, or even a kind apology. Once their hooks sink in, the cracks form. Darkness floods into the recesses until nothing else remains, and then...Sirens, screaming, dull thuds on the pavement. They have always existed. They just are. And when they show up, people die.
All Hiroto has ever known is a life on a tiny coastal speck of Japan. Much of the country has been swallowed by Yokohama Station, a mysterious, ever-growing series of buildings that's been around for as long as anyone can remember. The few who live outside its many entrances have never seen Inside and know only rumors and legends of the station's interior. That all changes when Hiroto is given an 18 Ticket, a mysterious item that lets him enter the massive complex for five days. The young man has always sought a purpose, but the one he finds may not be the sort he'd hoped for...
Yuzuru Asada is filled with regret. In junior high, he dated a girl named Ai Mizuno, but her free-spirited nature, the very part of her he fell in love with, ultimately drove them apart. After Ai moved away, their love should have faded into a bitter memory. But during the summer of Yuzuru's first year in high school, she suddenly reappears in his life and, without a trace of resentment, tells him that her feelings haven't changed. Yet old wounds and misunderstandings resurface. Can the two of them overcome their past, or are they destined to carry this regret forever?
A vampiric romantic comedy...? After a lifetime of hardship due to a curse placed on him by his grandfather, all Ryouta wants is to be left alone. However, when he wanders into the mountains to find some peace and quiet, instead he finds a town taken over by vampires! To make matters worse, one of its residents, a haughty (and rather eccentric) girl, soon sets her sights on him with the goal of making him her servant. Now, Ryouta has a choice to make-escape back to his old life in Japan or live out his days as the minion of Shiren Fuyukura in the quirky town of Akinomiya. An absurd new adventure from the author of I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level!
When Ionia, proud knight of the realm, loses his life in a violent insurrection, his memories are inherited by a boy born one day after his death. Years later, Leorino Cassieux, fourth son of the Margrave of Brungwurt and blessed with angelic beauty, begins to see Ionia's memories in his dreams. He relives Ionia's ill-fated romance with the king's younger brother, Prince Gravis, as well as his death at the hands of a traitor to the kingdom! But as Leorino tries to make sense of the feeling swelling in his chest, he stumbles too close to the truth of that fateful day. The traitor's identity is revealed, and in a panic, the traitor threatens to end himself and take Leorino with him! As Leorino's life hangs in the balance, he instinctively cries out for his only hope: the love of his past life, Gravis.
One summer night, Natsuki Uzume meets Yuki Iwato, an art student from the same university, and falls in love. After that, they spend night after night together. But as autumn approaches, Yuki suddenly tells him to find a cute girlfriend, wishes him well, and disappears from his life. Desperate to see her again, Natsuki visits her family home, but an unimaginable secret awaits him there: Yuki suffers from a mysterious illness that forces her to sleep through the winter each year. Is Natsuki willing to stay with her, even if it means spending every winter alone? And can Yuki, whose strange way of life has only brought her heartbreak, trust him enough to give him a chance?
In an alternate 2023, the Your Forma, a miraculous "smart thread" technology initially developed to treat a massive outbreak of viral encephalitis, has become an integral part of daily life. But these convenient devices come with an invasive drawback-they record every sight, sound, and even emotion their users experience.
For electronic investigator Echika Hieda, diving into peoples' memories via the Your Forma and hunting for evidence to solve the toughest crimes is all part of a day's work. The problem is, she's so good at what she does that her assistants literally fry their brains trying to keep up with her. After putting one too many aides in the hospital, the top brass finally furnish Echika with a partner on her level, a brilliant yet cheeky android named Harold Lucraft. Does this unlikely duo have what it takes to resolve their mutual suspicions and avert a deadly technological infection from sweeping across the globe before it's too late?
Mitsuha, a high school girl living in a small town in the mountains, has a dream that she's a boy living in Tokyo. Taki, a high school boy in Tokyo, dreams he's a girl living in a quaint little mountain town. Sharing bodies, relationships, and lives, the two become inextricably interwoven--but are any connections truly inseverable in the grand tapestry of fate? Written by director MAKOTO SHINKAI during the production of the film by the same title, your name. is in turns funny, heartwarming, and heart-wrenching as it follows the struggles of two young people determined to hold on to one another.
During the events of your name., Mitsuha and Taki's miraculous encounter forever changed their lives and the fates of everyone in the tiny mountain village of Itomori. But their earth-shattering ordeal represents just one chapter in Itomori's history, and Mitsuha's experience form only a single thread in the fabric of her community. Every story has as many sides as there are characters to tell it, and every life affects countless others... In Another Side:Earthbound, the stories of Mitsuha's family, her friends, and the boy from Tokyo come together to weave a greater picture of the circumstances surrounding the comet and the forces that bind the people of Itomori together.
New York, 1931. The manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited by law, but behind this prohibition, organized crime flourishes-so, too, do bank robbers, bootleggers, assassins, and homunculi. Some want money, some are chasing the secret to immortality, and others just want to have a really good time. You know what they say, though: You can't always get what you want.
The World Has Already Ended. The future--where a terrible battle against a parasitic virus called "Gastrea" has been fought...and lost. Humanity is cornered and lives in despair. Rentaro and Enju face constant danger in their work as a team of anti-Gastrea specialists known as "civil security officers." As if the daily fight against oblivion weren't enough, they'll soon face a threat that could destroy all of Tokyo...
Doppo Kunikida is an idealist and a straitlaced detective at the Armed Detective Agency, an organization that takes on dangerous jobs even the police won't handle. Everything in his life is going just as he's planned...until one day, he's paired up with the agency's newest hire: a suspicious, eccentric, suicide-obsessed man named Osamu Dazai. Their first case together turns out to be far more complicated than Kunikida anticipated-and it looks like the detective agency's sworn enemy, the Port Mafia, is somehow involved, too! Set two years before the events of the manga series, this is the tale of how two seemingly incompatible personalities end up forming the partnership that has made them one of Yokohama's top detective duos!
THIS IS MORE THAN A GAME-THIS IS REAL LIFE. Sixth-grader Yuuma Ashihara and his twin sister, Sawa, are playing Actual Magic , a brand-new virtual reality MMORPG, when it suddenly begins fusing with the real world. Amid all the chaos and confusion, it becomes clear that death is lurking around every corner, including when Yuuma runs into his classmate Sumika. Before, she was one of the cutest girls in his class, but she's since undergone a terrible metamorphosis-into one of the game's horrifying monsters! From the author of Sword Art Online and Accel World comes a story beyond VR and AR, where gaming and reality are one and the same...and staying alive is just the beginning!
What would you do if you got transported into a video game...with your mom?? That's the dilemma facing high schooler Masato Oosuki, who has been unwittingly thrown into an RPG world with his doting mother close behind as part of a secret government scheme. As an avid gamer, Masato is eager to show off his skills...but that's hard to do when your mom is an insanely overpowered, dual-wielding, multi-target specialist!
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE DOWNRIGHT WEIRD. The Ikebukuro district in Tokyo is full of interesting people. A boy longing for the extraordinary. A hotheaded punk. An airheaded pseudo-stalker. An information broker who works for kicks. An underground doctor who specializes in truly desperate patients. A high school student infatuated with a monster. And a headless rider on a pitch-black motorcycle. Their story may not be a heartwarming one, but as it turns out, even weirdos like these sometimes fall in love.
A YEAR AND A HALF AFTER THE FALL OF THE DOLLARS, A NEW BREEZE BLOWS THROUGH IKEBUKURO...Celty hasn't been seen in Ikebukuro for some time, but her influence remains strong. After being treated like a monster in his hometown, Yahiro Mizuchi has come to Tokyo in hopes of meeting another so-called monster. Meanwhile, Kuon Kotonami wants to turn the Headless Rider into a moneymaker. As for Himeka Tatsugami, her sister vanished after trying to write an article on the urban legend. To make matters worse, some longtime residents of Ikebukuro have been disappearing from the city's streets. When the new trio begins attending Raira Academy, another set of strange adventures begins...
Finding herself, one note at a time... After a terrible disappointment at the All-Kyoto Concert Band Competition, music has lost its spark for Kumiko. But her first year at Kitauji High School is a chance for a fresh start. So when it comes time to choose a club, she can't resist joining the band again--even though they're simply terrible. The strict new club director has promised to whip them into shape to reach Nationals, but the trouble runs deeper than just a lack of practice. Plus, the discord within the club tugs at Kumiko's old insecurities. Will Kitauji High School find its rhythm before the competition? Will Kumiko?
INTELLIGENCE IS THE MOST DANGEROUS WEAPONFollowing a devastating military conflict, countries fight their wars in the shadows. One unusual spy, Klaus, has never failed on the job despite his quirks, and he is building a team to take on an Impossible Mission-one with over a 90 percent chance of failure. However, his chosen members are all washouts with no practical experience. They'll have to use every trick in the book (and some that aren't) to prove they're up to the task!
The school-city of Rokka-also known as "Asterisk." Here boys and girls of the Starpulse Generation all compete in the Seibusai-the "star battle festival," fighting for glory on the greatest combat entertainment stage of the world. Ayato Amagiri has just arrived at one of these academies at the express invitation of its student council president, but when he begins his career by making a dangerous enemy, his life on Asterisk is off to a rough start!
THESE GIRLS AREN'T HUMAN, BUT THEY ADMIRE HUMANS MORE THAN ANYONE.I'm Rei Hitoma, a self-professed misanthrope thanks to some past trauma. Just when I thought my new teaching job in the mountains would provide a chill, rejuvenating environment, it turns out that this school is actually for demi-humans who want to become full-fledged human beings! There's a mermaid, a werewolf, a rabbit, and a bird...all of whom are now my charges. It's my duty to teach them about humankind-and maybe in the process, I'll learn a few things myself. This isn't an alternate world or a case of reincarnation. It's just the story of a teacher at a somewhat peculiar school and his students who are striving to become human.
Alisa Mikhailovna Kujou is Seiren Private Academy's "solitary princess." She's a half-Russian beauty with silver hair, at the top of her class, student council accountant, and...completely unapproachable. For some reason, she's also taken on the responsibility of reprimanding the slacker who sits next to her in class. Masachika Kuze is constantly frustrating her by falling asleep, forgetting his textbooks, and just being an overall unexemplary student. Or at least, that's how it looks from the outside. She may put on a tough act, but she doesn't mind Masachika as much as others would think. She even lets him call her by her nickname, Alya. Anyone hearing the comments she mutters in Russian under her breath might know how she really feels, but since none of her classmates understand the language, she's free to say whatever she likes! Except...there is one person who knows what she's saying. Masachika eavesdrops on her embarrassing revelations, pretending to be clueless, all the while wondering what her flirtatious comments actually mean!
THE FUTURE WAITS FOR NO ONE The cyberpunk metropolis Shinjuku-a massive city-state bedecked with neon signs, towering skyscrapers, and the latest cutting-edge technology. It is here, in year 2099 of the Fused Era, where the legendary Demon Lord Veltol has his second coming five centuries in the making. But this landscape is nothing like the one he conquered all those years ago, for the fusion of magic and engineering has elevated civilization to dazzling, unprecedented heights. Veltol may have been reduced to a historical footnote, but make no mistake...this brave new world will be his for the taking!
A Chance to Come Back! A mysterious door stands open, inviting a boy who's been brutally bullied all his life to take a courageous step forward into the unknown. On the other side, he finds a hoard of priceless artifacts and a world as filled with magic as it is with monsters. The most shocking revelation, however, is that he can bring whatever he wants back with him when he returns to Earth. It won't be long before this double life changes him forever...
TAKE A HAMMER TO OVERWORK!Alina Clover signed up to be a receptionist for the Adventurers Guildthinking it would be her ticket to the good life-stable pay, regular hours, and safe workplace conditions. Unfortunately, her dream gig turns into a nightmare of endless paper work and overtime whenever the adventurers she helps coordinate get stuck clearing a dungeon. But people aren't made to grind forever, so Alina sneaks off at night to give the monsters holding things up a beatdown, courtesy of her massive war hammer. Keeping this all under wraps to avoid violating her office's ban on second jobs is difficult, especially when the tales of her exploits start to spread, but Alina somehow manages to keep her identity safe...until the leader of the strongest party in the guild catches her defeating a boss one fateful night! Does Alina have what it takes to stop her life from going topsy-turvy?!
In a world where the Demon King has died, a host of demigods capable of felling him have inherited the world. A master fencer who can figure out how to take out their opponents with a single glance; a lancer so swift they can break the sound barrier; a wyvern rogue who fights with three legendary weapons at once; an all-powerful wizard who can speak thoughts into being; an angelic assassin who deals instant death. Eager to attain the title of "True Hero," these champions each pursue challenges against formidable foes and spark conflicts among themselves. The battle to determine the mightiest of the mighty begins.
Within the tenth-floor boss room of the Sazardon Labyrinth, the mighty minotaur awakens once more. Unlike its predecessors, slain at the hands of treasure-seeking adventurers, this monster's primal urges push it further than ever before. Kill. Consume. Grow stronger. The more powerful its opponent, the more powerful it becomes. Even the very rules of the labyrinth seem to bend to its indomitable will. Can none triumph against this bovine behemoth? Will the minotaur ever meet its match...?
Ryouran High School is a private arts academy full of geniuses in every field-music, dance, fashion. But in reality, it's looks, not talent, that decide its students' success. My sister, Shika Ikebukuro, is a shut-in who can't do anything without her older brother, and I was sure that devastating lack of charisma would doom her. But I know a secret. Behind her mask, the internet sensation VSINGER is none other than my sister Shika! Her voice is one-of-a-kind, but will it be enough to overcome Ryouran High's entire social order?
Love is a battlefieldFor years, a great war has raged on between the scientifically advanced Empire and a paradise of witches known as the Nebulis Sovereignty. This age-old battle sets the scene for a fateful encounter between two young combatants: an imperial swordsman, Iska, and the witch princess, Aliceliese. As sworn enemies, they vow to cut each other down in order to unite their worlds, and yet Iska finds himself entranced by her beauty and righteousness, while Aliceliese is moved by his strength and resolve. In the midst of a never-ending war that forbids them from being together, they have no choice but to destroy each other-or can they find another way?
Klaus reveals he is married to a member of Lamplight, but the identity of the bride remains unknown. In an effort to uncover the truth behind this strange secret, the girls review some of their recent smaller adventures to find any revelatory clues-until the investigation descends into a full-on battle royale! Get a peek into the girls' daily lives in this collection of vignettes!
Van, a former soldier made slave, toils away endlessly in a salt mine. An unexpected chance at liberation drops in his lap when a pack of infected dogs passes through, killing everyone but him and a young girl he names Yuna. Van hopes to make a peaceful life for them both now that they've escaped. However, the disease that cleared out the mine begins to spread, endangering the nation and placing Van and his ward at the center of a conflict greater than any the world has ever seen. Thus begins a tale of ecosystems, viruses, and cultural relations.
A homebody's worst nightmare!Three years into her life as a shut-in, vampire Terakomari Gandesblood (Komari for short) awakens to find she's been appointed as a Commander in the Mulnite Imperial Army! The thing is, her new unit consists solely of belligerent ruffians who revolt against their superiors at the slightest hint of weakness. Although Komari hails from a line of vampires as powerful as they are prestigious, her refusal to drink blood has made her the picture of mediocrity-scrawny, un-coordinated, and inept at magic. With the odds stacked against her, will the help of her trusty (and slightly infatuated) maid Vill be enough for this recluse to blunder her way to success? Or will Komari rue the day she ever left the safety of her room?
As soon as he opens his eyes, the man realizes he has been reincarnated into the world of the famous RPG series "Spirit Wars: Dungeon Magia." However, it isn't as the protagonist that he has been reincarnated, nor even as a background character... With weak abilities, little to no talent, and the catchphrase "Nyahaha!" he has been born again as a bottom-feeder boss destined to die in the tutorial! All that awaits him is his own grim end! However, after finding out that his beloved older sister is destined to die from illness, he makes her a promise: "I'm going to wreck every unfair plot point in this damned world with my own two hands!" Taking advantage of his vast knowledge of games, the man decides to rebel against the original scenario. The strongest secret boss, the boss from the saddest route... He sets out to meet all the bosses of the world. But what lies in store...?!
One day when Mashiro flunks a test in school, she decides to run away from home. If only her bad test grade could be wiped from her parents' memories... As she fantasizes about the impossible, a girl in an eyepatch and a neon pink hoodie pops up out of nowhere with a suitcase in tow. This strange girl vanishes just as quickly as she appears, and she leaves behind a small box and a black book full of bizarre products: an Instant Grim Reaper, a Friend Raffle, an Execution Kit...and a Memory Erase Button?! Just what are all these freaky items, and are they even safe for Mashiro to use? There's only one way to find out-if she dares!
In a Japan that's on the verge on ruin, he's surviving alongside a cute underclassman! A sudden zombie outbreak ravages the country. Amidst the fleeing crowds, high school student Yuuma Kousaka ended up being bitten. Afraid of dying, he reunited with his friend's sister Haruka Hinata for the first time in years. She offers to fulfill his dying wish and be his girlfriend. And with that, Yuuma makes his best and final memory. But after becoming a zombie, he retains his consciousness! "I thought you were going to die soon, so I showed you my boobs! This wasn't the deal! You need to take responsibility!" And thus, a romantic comedy begins between Yuuma, the strongest boy in a world of zombies and Haruka, a girl who knows all his weaknesses.
This is the Masked Ballroom: a place where people revert to beasts, let go of reason, and revel in freedom and anonymity. Here, with the help of a "monster supplement," anyone can transform into beasts and do as they please. It's the only "government-approved slum," where people can forget the suffocating atmosphere of the surveillance state. It's in this city where Reiji, a young vampire and a real monster, alongside his werewolf partner Tsuki, take on the task of keeping the streets clean. They search for centaurs who have committed hit-and-runs and fight life-and-death battles against the urban legends that manifest. And a meeting with the "Medicine Witch" will change the fate of Reiji and his friends...
One day, Tougetsu Umidori suddenly receives a mysterious request from Nara Yoshino, a classmate of hers she is rather close with. Little does she know, however, that this is only the beginning of a series of bizarre events. Soon after, an enigmatic girl in a cat hoodie shows up at Umidori's house, calling herself "BS." Thanks to her, all manner of strange things happen, including toilet borrowing, betrayal, threats, a grapple for freedom, and finally a desperate plea for mercy. Once everything is over, this strange new girl asks: "Hey, will you kill the lies with me?" And without knowing why, Umidori joins in on her quest.
Shizuku Futakawa is used to being abandoned. So far, he's been abandoned by his mother, his abusive father, and his stepmother. He doesn't have time to wallow, though, because he's responsible for his younger stepbrother Kikutaro. Determined to be a good big brother, Shizuku sets out to ensure a successful future for Kikutaro to the best of his ability.
One day, he returns home and mistakenly thinks that his little brother has been kidnapped by his next door neighbor, Tsujido. Seeing that the brothers are struggling on their own, tough-looking and aloof Tsujido starts helping out and cooking warm meals for them. For the first time in his life, Shizuku gets a taste of what it's like to be cared for...
Leticiel was born as a princess in a time of war and was hailed as her nation's Greatest Sorceress. After suffering a devastating loss during an invasion by a neighboring country, she gave up her life to prevent the enemy from stealing her magical powers - or so she thought. Until she wakes up and finds she's been reincarnated a thousand years in the future. Not only that, but the body she's transmigrated into belongs to a truly pitiful woman despised even by her own family. There are many things for Leticiel to be angry about, but number one on her list: why is magic in the future so lame?
Kazunari Hira is not what you'd call popular. In fact, he's basically on the lowest rung of the social ladder, due largely to his stutter that tends to flare up when he's anxious. And then there's him: Sou Kiyoi, leader of the pack and the most beautiful man Hira has ever seen. When Hira is made the popular group's gofer, he realizes that he doesn't mind his lowly position so much when the orders are coming from Kiyoi's lips. In fact, Hira treasures every order Kiyoi gives him and every bit of change he's handed to run errands. Could he actually be... in love?
"A story about dealing with one's differences and what it means to grow in a tough and at times cruel world, the manga "My Beautiful Man" is one that will capture the hearts of those that have ever felt misunderstood or as an outsider. A story about what it could mean to also find a glimmer of hope that could change one's life yet be as confusing as it is a lesson in understanding oneself. [...] The [light novel's] tale is a deep study on what it means to find one's true self-worth and of trying to distance oneself from inner and outer negative thoughts. And, how that is easier said than done. [...] Enhanced by gorgeous illustrations that you can feel as you see them, this is a beautiful addition to anyone's shelf and one that brings joy and a bright light into issues that at times can be hard to navigate and teach." - Aurora Dominguez, Out SFL
"The angles of bullying and loneliness [...] give My Beautiful Man an empathetic, reflective feel to it. The artwork matches well with the story; its shading and spacing add to the pensive mood, and the attractiveness of the characters is suitable for, well, a manga titled [My] Beautiful Man. My Beautiful Man started out as a light novel series, and TOKYOPOP is releasing the light novels as well as this manga adaptation. In other words, if people enjoy one, they'll probably enjoy the other. Whether you read one version or both, My Beautiful Man is a sweet, melancholic title for fans of BL books." - Danica Davidson, Otaku USA
For those who can't get enough of the comically different yet extremely passionate pairing of Sou Kiyoi and Kazunari Hira comes a collection of short stories spanning the length of their relationship leading up to Volume 4 of the My Beautiful Man series. From their first meeting as high school students and leading up to living together as working adults, follow along as fanatical Hira falls in worshipful love with his shining star of a boyfriend, and Kiyoi deals with the fact that he cannot escape how much he loves weirdo Hira in return. "Love isn't something that can be handled easily.
"A story about dealing with one's differences and what it means to grow in a tough and at times cruel world, the manga "My Beautiful Man" is one that will capture the hearts of those that have ever felt misunderstood or as an outsider. A story about what it could mean to also find a glimmer of hope that could change one's life yet be as confusing as it is a lesson in understanding oneself. [...] The manga's tale is a deep study on what it means to find one's true self-worth and of trying to distance oneself from inner and outer negative thoughts. And, how that is easier said than done. [...] Enhanced by gorgeous illustrations that you can feel as you see them, this is a beautiful addition to anyone's shelf and one that brings joy and a bright light into issues that at times can be hard to navigate and teach." - Aurora Dominguez, Out SFL
"The angles of bullying and loneliness [...] give My Beautiful Man an empathetic, reflective feel to it. The artwork matches well with the story; its shading and spacing add to the pensive mood, and the attractiveness of the characters is suitable for, well, a manga titled [My] Beautiful Man. My Beautiful Man started out as a light novel series, and TOKYOPOP is releasing the light novels as well as this manga adaptation. In other words, if people enjoy one, they'll probably enjoy the other. Whether you read one version or both, My Beautiful Man is a sweet, melancholic title for fans of BL books." - Danica Davidson, Otaku USA