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Yumiko Kawahara's disturbing short stories explore the strange and codependent world of dolls and the people who own them. These cautionary tales must come from some desire to teach people a lesson, for in each one there is a horrible outcome when the doll enters their homes. Volume 1 Milk at Mealtimes: A man spoils his Plant Doll, and it matures into a "woman". Potpourri Doll: A mentally unbalanced man buys his daughter a Plant Doll, and starts to obsess over the "nauseating scent" coming from it. Snow White, Part I: A jeweller tries to obtain Tears of Heaven from a Plant Doll named Snow White. Snow White, Part II: A poor man takes in a Plant Doll and dies from the exhaustion of taking care of it. In the end the doll cries. Rainy Moon: An artist with a supernatural reputation does a portrait of a Plant Doll named Rainy Moon. Lucky Doll: A man's Plant Doll, named Otohime, grants him good luck, yet his girlfriend is somewhat skeptical. The Distant Sound of Water: A man wanders the city trying to regain his memory. A Spell to Unbind Spring: A man returns to a secluded manor with a legend of a girl who drowned in a nearby lake. Volume 2 Blue Doll: A man working for a collection agency takes in a Plant Doll left behind by former clients. The Garden in the Sky: A maid gets entangled in a plot involving a fortune depending on the words spoken by a Plant Doll. The Missing Doll: A woman tries to find the Plant Doll once owned by her dead grandmother. Princess Jewel: When a boy's sister dies, his father buys a Plant Doll to help his mother deal with it. The Role of an Angel: After getting divorced, a young model buys a Plant Doll. Forbidden Fruit: Olympia is a special kind of Plant Doll, one who sings. But there is a sinister secret about this certain Plant Doll. A Voice in the Night: A woman wanders the city only to stumble upon her corpse. Volume 3 The Garden of Arcadia: A young man who is mysteriously transforming into a tree is taken to a research institute where he is comforted by many plant dolls. Circle: A group pools their money together to buy a plant doll, which they will all take care of. However, when most of the members begin to see the joy in breaking the rules of plant doll care, one member must take charge of her. Honeymoon: A young girl finds that her previously adoring father has bought a doll that is identical to her in her childhood. Dreams of Flying High in the Sky: A lonely novelist buys a plant doll to impress his editor. When she leaves to marry her sweetheart, he must raise the doll by himself. The problem is, the doll doesn't respond to him and he has never taken care of her! Emerald: A rich woman's young lover wishes to possess a plant doll. As he yearns after the doll his mistress begins to lose interest in him. The Storm: A young woman who is kept in a gilded cage attempts to escape to live life to its fullest. Volume 4 Quicksand: When a sick young boy dreams of a beautiful plant doll with aqua blue eyes, his parents are quick to purchase her when he sees it in the shop. As the boy spends more time with the doll his health begins to improve. A Gift: In the midst of refuse an angel waits to awaken. When she is woken before her time, will she ever bloom into a proper angel plant doll? Coral: A father brings home a mysterious ball of coral with a tiny plant doll inside. As the doll spends more time in the sun, the bigger she grows. The Tiara of Melancholy: A brother and sister team is hired to grow the fabled Tiara of Melancholy for a rich man. What they soon find out is that as the tiara grows it draws its energy from the doll itself.
Juuna's uncle gets her to enroll in the school where he's principal. The only problem is that it's an all boys school! With all those rabid guys around, Juuna needs someone to protect her. In comes Shibuki to be her bodyguard...but Juuna wants him to do more to her body than just guard it! The side story of volume 2 is called 'Sexy Guardian Returns'.
A golem discovers an abandoned child one day in the forest. Together the pair set out to find more humans while travelling across a strange fantasy world.
when he opened his eyes, he had a dagger in hand and there was a female corpse lying next to him. he couldn’t remember anything, who he was, why he was there, and why he had superpowers. In a panic, he could only try to avoid police pursuit and investigate the matter in private. But when he came face to face with the truth, he didn’t know what he should do anymore…
Yumi is a shy and maybe a little awkward business woman who's unsatisfied with her work life. One day she finds a ragged stuffed doll on the side of the road. She names it Kurumi and decides to clean him up and finds herself forgetting about her problems and enjoying life again.
Suddenly a high-school student Subaru Natsuki has been summoned to another world on the way back from the convenience store. With the biggest crisis of his life being summoned to another world and no sign of the one who summoned him things become worse when he is attacked. But when he is saved by a mysterious silver-haired girl with a fairy cat, Subaru co-operates with the girl to return the favor. When they finally manage to get a clue Subaru and the girl are attacked and killed by someone. Subaru then awakens in the place he was summoned and notices the ability he gained "Returns by Death" a helpless boy that only has the ability to rewind time by dying. And beyond the despair can he save the girl from the fate of death!
[Taken from ShoujoMagic] : A collection of Shinjo Mayu's earlier (and less smutty) short romance stories. 1) Bare the Heart (Kokoro wo Hadaka ni Shite). Mina is a high school freshman with a crush on her math teacher...who also happens to be her cousin Yukiya! Mina has always been very precious to Yukiya, and at times it seems like he can see straight through to her heart, but can he ever see her as a woman and not just his cute little cousin? How long can Mina's flirtations go unnoticed by Yukiya (or by the sadistic and lascivious chemistry teacher, for that matter)? 2) A Vampire at My Neck (Kubisuji ni Banpaia). Be careful when you go groping in the dark...you might just find a vampire! That's what happens to Hitomi. Now she's attracted to Kairi despite what he is. Or is it because of what he is? Kairi has a powerful charm...but is he too charming? Dangerously charming? 3) Hold Me, Melt Me (Dakishimete Tokashite) Ryou is a high school sprinter who's racing for a different kind of goal--his pretty track manager, Airi! He says he wants chocolate from her on Valentine's Day, but...is that a delicious metaphor for something sweeter? Whatever the case, it melts in the mouth! 4) Examine Me Gently (Yasashiku Mite ne). Sanae just had her appendix removed. But while she waits in post-op for her surgery wound to heal, she starts to develop another malady--love sickness! And her handsome new attending physician, Dr. Touya, is the cause! What can cure Sanae's ailment? ...A sponge bath, maybe? Omake: If you have ever wondered why Shinjo Mayu's female characters have such big breasts and why her heroines seem so young...then you must read this omake! It is a great insight into the mind of Shinjo Mayu!
The story is taken from the famous Nordic saga, but is based on the adaption of Richard Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen, a cycle of four epic music dramas. Central element of the story is of course the stunning Ring of the Nibelung, guarded in the depths of the sea by the nymphs of the water. According to the legend, the owner of the ring will get an enormous power that can challenge even the gods. The hero of the manga is Siegfried, who grew up in the woods with the blacksmith Mime (a dwarf), and is accustomed to harsh life and fighting. He embarks on his destined journey when Mime is killed by a soldier and he is out to get revenge. On his journey he will meet Woden, the god of thunder, and his daughter Brunilde, with whom he falls in love.
From DMP: Riya Narukawa is a high school freshman with a tremendous talent for the violin, and an equally large bag of mental issues. He seems to have a split personality. After injuring his own hand to compromise his playing ability, he winds up on the doorstep of college student Atsushi Ikeda. Atsushi's a nice guy, maybe too nice and generous. He takes Riya in for the night and helps him with his hand injury. Atsushi realizes there is much more Riya than is on the surface, and learns just how difficult Riya's life actually is. Not only does he have a personality disorder, but there's an aggressive senior at his school who has his eye on him. Atsushi becomes a sort of safe haven for Riya, an escape from the life of music he's been bound to.
In the whole world there lay a mythical creatures which have their own ecosystem and can’t be considered part of the food chain. They also have supernatural powers and live together with humans. Ferry is one of the professional investigator, who researches the connection between the creatures and humans and is called a Genjuu Chousain (Mythical Beast Investigator). The story starts when a flying reptilian dragon (Wyvern) is attacking a village, and a Girl dispatch on the quest to research and investigate Wyvern and other mythical creatures.
Lee Jae Won, an 18-year-old student, starts to feel awkward towards a classmate of his, Han Ka Ram. Every time they meet, he feels nervous. Is it love, or..?
Attempting to shake off a nightmare from her childhood, Itoko was supposed to be married in the village of Migomori. There, she saw a doll that looked just like herself. Itoko wonders why this doll was made and what is the "mother of blue" the villagers speak of. Itoko feels herself being dragged into an abominable village tradition and another nightmare.
