Interest Stacks

Even as butterflies ominously proliferate in town, the rumour of a mysterious creature lurking in the tunnel behind the school spreads among the children. When the body of Arie Kimura's mother is found by this tunnel's entrance, next to apparently human traces, the legend seems to be confirmed. Is the end of the world coming? In order to appease the wrath of the beast, the children decide to offer it a sacrifice: The unfortunate Arie, whom they believe to be the cause of the curse, is shoved into a well that leads to the Nijigahara tunnel—an act that in turns pushes Komatsuzaki, the budding thug who has carried a torch for Arie for a while already, entirely over the edge. But this is only the beginning of the complex, challenging, obliquely told Nijigahara Holograph, which takes place in two separate timeliness and involves the suicidal Suzuki; Higure, his stalker-ish would-be girlfriend; their teacher Miss Sakaki, whose heavily bandaged face remains a mystery; and many more―brothers, sisters, parents, co-workers, teachers, aggressors and victims who are all inextricably linked to one another and all will eventually―ten years later―have to live with what they've done or suffered through. (Source: Fantagraphics)

The city of light is a town above a hill, called that because it's surrounded by the sun, but it hides an obscure side. There, lives Tasuku, a young kid who works as a 'messenger' for a mysterious group who organizes suicides on the phone. At the same time other youngsters like him are trying to survive the everyday's life: Satoshi changes one occasional job after another, Momoko is the daughter of a prostitute who abandoned her. Finally there's Hoichi who is always involved in dirty business, among which is the suicidal group, but at least he has a dream: earning enough money to buy the whole place and turning it back into the country village he was born in.

Punpun Onodera is a normal 11-year-old boy living in Japan. Hopelessly idealistic and romantic, Punpun begins to see his life take a subtle—though nonetheless startling—turn to the adult when he meets the new girl in his class, Aiko Tanaka. It is then that the quiet boy learns just how fickle maintaining a relationship can be, and the surmounting difficulties of transitioning from a naive boyhood to a convoluted adulthood. When his father assaults his mother one night, Punpun realizes another thing: those whom he looked up to were not as impressive as he once thought. As his problems increase, Punpun's once shy demeanor turns into voluntary reclusiveness. Rather than curing him of his problems and conflicting emotions, this merely intensifies them, sending him down the dark path of maturity in this grim coming-of-age saga. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Twenty-three-year-old Yuriko Togawa dropped out of college six months ago. In the past, her classmates envisioned her as a reliable and independent person even though she saw herself as the opposite. Yuriko wants someone to provide for her needs, not the other way around. Thus, when she meets her former colleague Horita Tomotsugu, she hopes that romance will spark between them. Horita had a great ambition of debuting his band together with Yuriko. However, as time progressed, he slowly succumbed to reality and became an office worker instead. Encountering Yuriko reminds him of what was once his dream, and he aspires to reignite it with her. Despite the two having different motives, Yuriko decides to lend him a helping hand after going through a myriad of events. Yuriko and Horita's story is just one of the compelling narratives in Subarashii Sekai. Entwined with their tale are several other short stories, each depicting the arduous, painful, and realistic hardships of mundane life. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

When you look up at the sky, what do you see? A blue sky? Freedom? A hopeful future? The people of Tokyo see none of these. Instead, an ominous alien mothership looms overhead, engulfing the city skyscape. Three years ago, they came. The arrival of the "Invaders" sparked the greatest war humanity had ever faced—one that threatened to end the world. The Japanese government scrambled to fight the Invaders. Weapons were mass-produced, sparking controversy and pacifist movements. That day, everything changed. And yet, nothing has changed. Kadode Koyama and Ouran Nakagawa live their final days like they always have: going to school, playing with friends, and doing what any carefree high school girl would do. As they grow up, they come to learn what it truly means to be an adult in a world where adults seem to be demons who only deceive and destroy. They come to learn the real threat to humanity is not the Invaders, but humanity itself. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ever since graduating college, 23-year-old Meiko Inoue has believed in one thing: there is a demon lurking in Tokyo. This evil's presence has made her bored, aimless, and missing the excitement of her youth, leading her to contemplate what she truly seeks from life. Surprisingly enough, when Meiko proposes the idea of quitting her job to her boyfriend, Naruo Taneda, he groggily agrees. Deeply inspired by his half-asleep words of encouragement, Meiko hastily leaves her old life behind, looking to begin anew, with Taneda soon following suit. Together, they look toward their dreams from their college days and decide to revive Rotti, Taneda's old band. As the two stand confidently alongside their old friends with instruments in hand, life throws the most unexpected curveball their way, leaving Meiko and her friends to pick up the pieces of what was shattered. Solanin tells an intimate story about the trials and tribulations of love, loss, and grief centered around people in their twenties who often slip between the cracks of society. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

The band of heroes banishes the darkness and brings peace to the world, but... (Source: MU)

Selling copies is the only thing that matters. So what if your first series just ended and you have no idea how to start the next one, your marriage is breaking up, your pure love of manga has been destroyed by the cruel reality of the industry and nothing seems to fill the sucking void inside you... (Source: VIZ Media)

In a seaside town where very little happens, middle school students Keisuke Isobe and Koume Satou live a rather dull life. But when Koume's crush breaks her heart, their situation becomes quite unordinary. She starts a "no-strings-attached" relationship with Keisuke, whom she had previously rejected, both finding solace in the other in order to fill the emotional voids in their lives. However, being "friends with benefits" becomes complicated when real feelings begin to develop, as the consequences of their relationship start to take their toll on those around them and themselves. Umibe no Onnanoko takes a harsh look at love, relationships, and the emotional price that will be paid as the result of a decision made between two teenagers. [Written by MAL Rewrite]