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Once upon a time, there existed a deity of radiance and a deity of obscurity. The worshippers of the deity of radiance were blessed with contentment and prosperity, whereas the deity of obscurity would engage in deceptive acts and deprive people of their happiness. Legend has it that the deity of radiance eventually decided to penalize the deity of obscurity by transforming him into a monstrous creature. Outraged by this punishment, the deity of obscurity employed it as a curse to afflict others with suffering. As punishment for his misdeeds, he was banished to the Outside realm, where he and his monstrous progeny were condemned to remain forevermore. The denizens of the Inside were prohibited from making contact with anyone from the Outside on the risk of being cursed with ghastly appearances. A young Insider girl named Shiva was discovered by an Outsider whom she later addressed as Sensei. Despite the prohibition on physical contact, Sensei did what he could to take care of Shiva, and they were able to lead a fairly content existence together. Regrettably, Shiva found herself in jeopardy not just from the Outsiders, but from her own people as well.
This work is set in the Showa era during the mid-1960s and early '70s. Yukinojo, the protagonist, was abandoned on the grounds of a Tokyo temple soon after his birth. He meets and marries Asahi, the daughter of an Aomori apple farmer, and after being adopted into her family, moves to the deep, snow-covered apple country of northern Japan. Far from the social turmoil of the period, Yukinojo lives a quiet family life that warms his heart and fills the void of never having known his parents. But one winter everything changes when he brings his wife, who has fallen ill, a forbidden apple. Reviving a rite that should have died out some 60 years earlier, Asahi becomes the consort of a local deity known as Obosuna-sama. Delicately yet boldly, with richly expressive touches, this continuing series depicts villagers who hold fast to the traditional customs they have inherited, and the natural environment of a bygone Japan.
Born a faerie, Jack Flash runs a detective agency in New York with her brother, Larry, who is human. Specializing in solving crimes on the borderline between the human and faerie worlds, they are taken aback when they receive an unforeseen missive from Echos, a skilled mage who safeguards dragons. Echos entrusts them with a particular task, catching them unawares.
Gekkoukan High School's SEES club appears ordinary on the surface, but their true purpose is to investigate the emergence of Shadows during the enigmatic Dark Hour, which only those with the potential to recall can experience. Those who are unable to recall the Dark Hour are afflicted with Apathy Syndrome. Unbeknownst to himself, transfer student Minato Arisato has the ability to remember. On his arrival, a stranger asks him to sign a contract, and SEES begins to monitor him, believing his potential surpasses that of any current member. During an attack, Minato's "Persona" is awakened, and he joins SEES in their mission to uncover the truth behind the Dark Hour.
Satou Matsuzaka has a reputation for being approachable and friendly, earning her the nickname "New Guy Every Three Days" Satou, thanks to her good looks. However, her carefree ways come to a sudden end when she falls deeply in love with Shio Koube, an eight-year-old child. Despite the purity of their feelings, society is quick to condemn their relationship, putting their happiness at risk. Determined to preserve their idyllic existence, Satou abandons her cheerful facade and fights tooth and nail to keep their love alive. Included in the volume is the one-shot titled "White Sugar Garden, Black Salt Cage" which serves as a pilot.
The Suzunari detective club, comprised of three high school students - Suzaku Tachibana, Kouhei Hiba, and Soutaro Tsubaki - and their feline companion, Boo-chan, is an all-male group due to Boo-chan's stringent female membership criteria. However, Suzaku's intuition found their perfect female member in the form of Aoi Kaidou. Although Aoi appeared serious and unsmiling, she passed Boo-chan's tests and joined the team. Together, they solve mysteries on their school campus. Volume five features "Itsumademo Issho ni" and volume nine presents "Anata wo Shiritakute" as additional stories.
The Communication Player (COMP) is a portable gaming system that can send and receive emails and surf the web. Kazuya Minegishi and his friends are each given a COMP by Kazuya's ominous hacker cousin, Naoya, who tells them they will need the devices to survive. Confused, the three think nothing of Naoya's warning and proceed to open up a strange "Laplace Email" in their inboxes. The email claims that someone will be brutally murdered, followed by a large explosion and a blackout that will take the entirety of Tokyo offline. They believe it to be a joke until the terrifying events unfold in front of their eyes. Shaken, the three soon learn that Naoya has loaded a demon summoning program onto their COMPs, which causes powerful demons to crawl out of their devices and attack them. When defeated, the same demons forge contracts with them and become their partners. Armed with the ability to summon demons and predict the future via email, the three friends fight to survive in their new, demon-infested reality. Along the way, they must uncover the truth behind the summoning program and what happens when they change their fates.
Middle schooler Seigi, skilled in martial arts, has an instinctual need to protect the vulnerable. One day, he comes to the defense of a homeless man against a group of troublemakers, and in gratitude, the man marks his palm with an enigmatic tattoo. This tattoo is a classified weapon developed during the arms race between the Serinistan Kingdom and America. Seigi's life takes a perilous turn when an influential girl, who also bears the same tattoo, viciously pursues him to obtain his. Despite his martial arts proficiency, Seigi is in danger. Can he unlock the full potential of his tattoo in time before it's too late?
In his youth, Kurosu Keisuke starred in a televised program called "Esper Shounen," which featured children with extraordinary abilities. After the show's seven-year run came to an end, a murderer begins to target the former Esper participants, whom he views as monstrous. Can Keisuke and his former co-stars uncover the killer's identity and evade becoming their next prey?
An Eldritch being disguises itself as a convenience store worker to understand the meaning of life.
Susumu Nakoshi is a middle-aged man who spends his days between a lavish first-class hotel and a park full of homeless people. One day, an eccentric young man approaches Nakoshi in search of subjects willing to partake in trepanation—the procedure of drilling a hole in the skull. This mysterious person claims that Nakoshi is the perfect man for the experiment. Initially rejecting the offer, he doubles back on his decision after his car gets towed off. Nakoshi agrees to let Manabu Ito, a 22-year-old medical student, drill a hole in his skull in exchange for 700,000 yen. The procedure bears no results at first, with Nakoshi showing no abnormalities. This normalcy comes to an abrupt end, however, when Nakoshi begins seeing the homunculus in every person. With his perception distorted, how will Nakoshi face these homunculi?
After losing their mother to an illness at a young age, two young and talented alchemists, brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, attempt the forbidden act of human transmutation to bring her back. But little did they know there was a heavy price to pay for breaking the ultimate taboo in alchemy. Edward loses his left leg after the transmutation fails, and his only remaining family, Alphonse, is taken from him. Desperate to bring his precious brother back, Edward sacrifices his right arm in exchange for Alphonse’s soul and successfully binds him into a suit of armor. The brothers must now embark on a journey to regain everything they have lost. ⓒHiromu Arakawa/SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD.
