Awkward high school student Koharu Minami is in love with Shimizu, the popular boy in her class. So she's shocked when she inadvertently discovers that his friendly demeanor is all an act. Or is it? The more time they spend time together, the more Koharu notices the kindness hidden behind the constant teasing and disgruntled comments. Could finding out about "the real Shimizu" actually end up bringing the two closer together?!
Campy queen vs. Miss forever-alone: this defeat-your-insecurities (romantic?) comedy goes out to all you folks full of self-loathing!! Unpopular with men, unattractive, and unsure of herself...... At a mixer one night, insecure and forever-alone Fujiko found her soulmate- No, wait, it was a femme guy playing mother hen?! Fujiko has never been confident in herself as a woman, but with help from prettyboy queen Koyanagi, now she's going to give femininity another shot...!
Yosuke Sakura, a novelist who can't seem to find an audience under his own name, makes a living from the shadows as a ghostwriter. Then out of the blue, he receives a request to ghostwrite the memoirs of the vanished pop idol Haruka Masaki. Sakura gets cold feet when he hears that Masaki requested him personally, wondering what she would want with someone like him. But while he's thrown for a loop by her uninhibited personality, the distance between them gradually shrinks. However, once the interviews start, the reason Masaki gives for her disappearance paints a portrait of the entertainment business that is darkness itself...?!
"What's Wrong with Being Innocent?" I want to be sweetly embraced like a cherished treasure for my first time. That's when I thought to call a male escort service and make my dreams come true. What I got was a nightmare instead! Ryota would be the call boy who took my virginity, full throttle and nothing like how I wanted my first time to be. To make matters worse, turns out he's a student at my university. Wanting to try my luck again, I call the same escort service only to be sent Ryota a second time. Somehow he manages to make up for the last time and gives me the "sweet lover's special" I've always wanted...?! Love grows in between the lines of aloofness and passion on this clumsy heart-throbbing pendulum.
Sayaka Narimiya is 28 year-old, single, and works at an advertisement agency. But as luck would have it, she's been fired from her job. As an in-between, she picks up a nude modeling part-time job. While naked in front of the student artists, none other than Renji Hasumi, Sayaka's high school heartbreaker appears---. Completely flustered upon learning of Hasumi's position as associate professor, Sayaka somehow manages to finish the job and head home. It is then when Hasumi stops Sayaka for what is to be a reunion? Or maybe something else?
One year ago, high schooler Hana Odamaki (age 17) and auto factory worker Shogo Kine (age 38) suddenly switched places in body and mind. Now, after a year in each other's shoes, the two run into each other again. The man who found himself as a young maiden has brushed up his vessel's femininity and become an amateur model, while the girl in the body of a middle-aged man was treated as an amnesia case and lost any steady employment. They may have been reunited with "themselves", but what should they do when they can scarcely recognize the person they once were...?
Ichigo Kaida is in his first year of college. It's raining heavily and he's biking home along the Kamogawa river after a couple of particularly grueling shifts at his part time job. That's when, out of the blue, he finds an abandoned dog. Whoever left the dog also left a letter, which relays two facts: 1. The dog, though truly and genuinely a dog, loves to eat bread. 2. The dog's name is Koppe Roll. Ichigo feels for Koppe and decides to take care of him, regardless of the struggle... but what will Ichigo do when the little dog simply refuses to touch the food that Ichigo puts out for him...?!
If I could live again, I'd like to be a cat...independent and not bound by the obsessive desire for human affection. And so, the dog's wish was granted. But before long, misfortune strikes and he stumbles into a river. When hope is all but lost, Miki rushes to his rescue. Moved by her kindness, he decides to dedicate his life to bringing her joy... only to find out that she's a dog person. Refusing to give up, he then vows to become Miki's new dependable "canine"!
-A collection of peculiar yet heartwarming short stories depicting the bond between "cat" and human.
Meiko has the perfect life. Kentaro is the perfect husband. He supports the family with his high-salary job at the bank, helps around the house, and is the perfect father to their son, Kota. On his days off, he even volunteers at their son's daycare. Little does she know that he is having an affair with none other than one of Kota's daycare workers. Devastated, how will Meiko handle this affair?
Ayano is a newbie BL comic artist. She has been dating her boyfriend, Kazuki, for a year, and has been living with him for 3 weeks. But one day, Kazuki is finally fed up with Ayano's lifestyle, so he breaks up with her and leaves. Upset, Ayano goes out for a night of drinks. On her way back home, an old geezer tries to feel her up, but she's saved by her ex, Asahi. This and that happened, and now Asahi has moved in, and the two start living together. Is Ayano just pretending to not realize what Asahi is up to...? Or maybe they moved in together too soon?!
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...
Inside this too-cute rabbit is a painfully stubborn man?! Tatsuto Uzaki (age 46), harshly strict with both himself and others, lives with his daughter Honoka as a family of two. Uzaki holds only contempt for the helpless and weak-willed animals known as housepets, while Honoka has always wanted a pet of her own, and one day this conflict of opinion explodes into a huge fight. Hoping to make up, Uzaki visits a pet shop, but the moment he picks up a rabbit to bring home, he gets struck by lightning...!!
Koyomi Inagawa, wedding planner. Despite working freelance, she is highly sought-after and admired for her skill even among her peers in the wedding industry. She tends to embrace every whim of the bride and groom with a sunny warmth, and it is in her nature to be fired up by an impossible challenge. While continuing to build a delicate rapport with Shinoyama - an old colleague and rival from her time working at a big-name hotel back in the day - as she goes, Koyomi spends her time rushing to and fro to make each new day "the best day of your life" for someone out there!!
Ibara Nayuki is a figure skater who performs around the globe, but audiences grow fed up with his passionless performances, and his coach doesn't know what to do with him. Just then, who should appear before him but Vasily, a ballet dancer once hailed as a child prodigy. "Not knowing why you're there in the rink is as good as not knowing who you really are!"
"Humans in this country don't take sleep seriously enough." This is a story about work -- that is, an office worker in her late twenties and her sleep demon, whose job it is to get her to sleep! Yoko is a hard worker, that's for sure. She's missed her last train home yet again and feels herself losing the battle to sleep in the bathroom. That's when she senses a shadow over her shoulder. She turns around only to find -- a sleep demon?! "Oh. You can see me." says Nero, a regular old office worker at Sleep Demons Incorporated in the Underworld. His monthly salary comes from getting humans go to sleep, and from today, he's in charge of Yoko. Thus begins Yoko and Nero's daily quest to improve her quality of sleep -- for both of their sakes!
Our bias got married! What's the next big thing for these former groupies? Perhaps it's time for them to chase down... the perfect marriage partner?! When the actor they had dedicated their lives to announces his marriage, four young women (and former groupies) call an emergency meeting. A panicked Chikako, 34-years-old and the eldest of the group, announces to everyone that she absolutely will find a partner and be married within one year. Her secret weapon? Online dating! These women are giving up on the race to snag concert tickets and stepping onto the battlefield of love and dating. (sentence).
Achieve your dreams and find love...through bouldering!Miyo, a first-year in high school, has been bouldering since she was little with her friends, Keita and Tetsu at their local gym in Utsunomiya. But recently, Keita's found a girlfriend. Miyo thought the three of them would always stay climbing buddies, but their relationship slowly begins to change. An empowering story following three high school students and the obstacles they must face and overcome in the world of bouldering, and in love.
Love is nothing to be afraid of. All you need is to act on instinct, just as animals do. For they... can sense matters of the human heart. A collection of stories depicting relationships between people and the animals around them. An office worker who can't seem to be honest with her feelings, and a stray kitty she picks up. A hairstylist-in-training who's in love and the salon's mascots, a pair of parrots. A young woman who tends to overthink and the tropical fish at a bar, fluttering ever gracefully in their tank. As humans, we have so much on our plate, having to constantly find a balance between relationships, work and self-improvement. That is why some envy the freedom that animals possess. Delve into these short stories. Let the curious critters quell your worries, soothe your soul, and perhaps do much more. I beseech you, human! It is time to discover your own freedom!
At a particular shopping district located in an old Tokyo neighborhood, humans and cats seem to live together in peace. But these cats aren't your ordinary felines! They are spirits, whose human forms allow them to go about their days undetected amongst the other locals. And the truth is, this neighborhood attracts some rather unique problems because of its residents. Chisato, a shop owner and the only human aware of the cat spirits' presence, and Kotora, a young cat spirit band together in attempt to solve the various predicaments they encounter. But will luck be on their side?
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.
"I'm sure I'll have to pay for this one day." When Mitsu was a junior high school student, a fortuneteller told her, "You should marry the person you love the second most." Now all grown up, she works at a clinic. One fateful night she runs into her first love, Arishima, and they start having an intimate relationship. But Mitsu is already married to a man who is a wonderful and kind husband?! Mitsu and her husband, Arishima and his wife. Four point of views, two married lives, only one way this can end... right?
"My life has totally fallen apart..." Haruko was 29, with both her 30s and a blissful marriage right on the horizon, when her fiance dropped a bomb that tore that happiness to shreds. Her friends and family do their best to cheer her up afterward, but she just can't shake the suffocating feeling that plagues her days. If only, she wishes, there were someplace where it would be easier to breathe... And that's when her old classmate Asano invites her to come join him in bustling big-city Tokyo! She went from the top of the world to rock bottom so fast, she didn't even see the precipice she'd been standing on, but now Haruko is taking the reins and starting over from square one!!
"Give me back my daughter!" Haruko's newborn daughter is taken from her after a decision made at a family meeting she wasn't included in. On top of that, she must deal with an emotionally abusive mother-in-law, a sister-in-law with a horrid personality, and a passive husband. Unsurprisingly, her lonely struggle and sorrowful marriage life begin to take a toll on her... Grab your handkerchief! This new tale spun by Minami Q-ta is sure to bring on the waterworks!
Miki Donoue has lived an unlucky life, the embodiment of woefulness since he was a child. He's lived in such a way to never involve others in his misfortune. One night, Miki is asked by a mysterious man, "Can I have your woes?" The man turns out to be a creature called "Akashibito," a type of monster that feeds on the woes of humans to extend their lifespan. He asserts that he lacks sustenance, and will die without Miki's woes. Miki, being a good natured boy, gives the akashibito the name "Shiro", and offers to be his host. Now the two of them will live together. Though Shiro can continue to live with a new host, as Miki grows to feel happiness, Shiro loses his sustenance. With the loss, there is a change in Shiro...? Could this mean the end of his life as he knows it...?A BL story between a lonely, woeful human boy and a creature that feeds off their new partner.
After taking some time away from relationships and love, it's been 10 years... "How can I find a girlfriend?" Mukai is a man in his 30's living at home with his family. He realized it's been 10 years since he's had a girlfriend. He told his last girlfriend, Miwako, that he wanted to "protect her". He was then told "what does that even mean?" and their relationship eventually fell apart. Ever since then, Mukai has felt things like "love" and "marriage" were distant concepts. However, he starts to find interest in the new person in the office, Nakatani...? Now begins Mukai's new search for love, stuck between new encounters and memories of his past!
"Is it wrong for a mother to seek fulfillment as a woman, as well?" Miki Nagase (39) lives in relative happiness with her husband Toru (41) and daughter Michiru (13). And yet, she carries a deep sense of emptiness within her heart; her relationship with her husband has devolved into that of a roommate, leaving her feeling undesired as a woman and as if she is only defined by her role as a "mom." Unable to hold it in any longer, she confides in her drinking buddy, Sae Ikejiri (45). Her friend understands the struggle of being unable to share her feelings out loud and suggests she try using an escort service. Miki is thunderstruck by the suggestion but is in for an even bigger surprise after a handsome escort suddenly appears...?!
Koyo Ito works at a law firm while studying to pass his examinations to become a judicial scrivener. One day while out drinking with his friend, Morio, he meets a mysterious and alluring girl in college who goes by the name "Nana." Koyo, who for some reason or another had already given up on dating, is met with a suggestion by Nana that the two "go on a date." Right as a spark is ignited between the two, Koyo's co-worker, Minegishi, begins showing interest in Koyo, which leads to the breaking down of Koyo's everyday life.
Ryota, a fearless sex escort, and Hajime, a seemingly promiscuous yet pure-hearted college student, are now lovers. Ryota, who's increased his displays of affection, and Hajime, who's completely at the mercy of said displays, are living their best lives together. Or so it seemed until a certain issue. Though he's perfect in every way, Hajime wants to see more of Ryota's "cute sides"... Finally, after several agonizing days, Hajime discovers Ryota's unexpected weak spot..?
Love is a piece of cake, or is it? Shino's life takes a hard reset after she quits her job, and her boyfriend breaks up with her! She decides to move to a new city and start over. Shino quickly develops a crush on her next-door neighbor who also happens to be her new manager, Kyoshiro! Unfortunately for her, he is already living with his girlfriend, Akari! Find out how this love triangle unfolds in George Asakura's whirlwind love story!