Depression || Struggles || Psychological
Tomomi Nomiya, former captain of his high school's basketball team turned delinquent, decides to drop out of school after he is crushed by the guilt of ruining a young girl's life in a traffic accident. As he dedicates his free time to helping her, he stumbles upon Kiyoharu Togawa, a former sprinter who has lost the use of his right leg and now plays wheelchair basketball as an alternate outlet. After challenging Kiyoharu to a one-on-one game, Tomomi is completely defeated. Inspired by this encounter, he realizes that he can't let his love for basketball die so easily and decides that he will do what he can to help others while striving to become a professional player. Meanwhile, Hisanobu Takahashi, Tomomi's replacement as the high school's team captain, gets into an accident and finds himself permanently paralyzed below the waist. Real tells the touching tale of these three young men as they struggle to overcome their disabilities and inner conflicts in order to achieve their dreams while igniting a passion that will bring them together. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Through pain and arduous effort, one can reach the top of the world. Standing where no man has ever set foot before, there is an exhilarating feeling of success. This is what Mori Buntarou trains, works, and lives for. His climb to the top starts when he transfers to a new high school. Despite his lonesome and solitary nature, Mori's classmates persuade him to climb the school building. Without a harness or hesitation, he begins his scale to reach the top. Edging past the point of no return, he halts when he is faced with a final intimidating obstacle—a horizontal overhang. Adrenaline courses through him, and Mori jumps for the final hold at the summit. From there, he casts his eyes upon something that he normally would not have seen—another peak, another goal. With an awakened passion and newfound purpose in life, Mori explores the breathtaking sport of rock climbing. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
A tormented soul, Yuu Kamishiro has no place in society. His peers constantly abuse him at school and finds that he does not fit anywhere. Out of desperation, Yuu stops going to school and ventures into the night in search of a safe haven where he will be accepted. As Yuu roams the streets, he starts to believe he has found his place in society and a way to gain acceptance: in a world of violence and lenient law. Yuu takes up his fists in order to gain strength to protect himself, training and refining a single boxing punch. After honing his fists, Yuu wanders the streets once again, defending himself from street thugs. Building a reputation as the "Thug Hunter," Yuu finds that his name has been attracting all sorts people seeking him out for a brawl. Fight after fight, Yuu exchanges fists to find his place in the twisted and dark society of the streets, all while battling the darkness welling up within him. The stronger he becomes, the closer he is to reach his "holyland." [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Helpless and struggling for cash, 20-year-old Kusunoki sells the last of his possessions to buy food. Noticing his poverty, an old shop owner directs him to a store that supposedly purchases lifespan, time, and health. While not completely believing the man's words, Kusunoki nevertheless finds himself at the address out of desperation and curiosity. Kusunoki is crushed when he finds out the true monetary value of his lifespan—totaling a meager three hundred thousand yen. Deciding to sell the next 30 years of his life for ten thousand yen per year, Kusunoki is left with only three months to live. After heading home with the money, he is greeted by an unexpected visitor: the same store clerk he sold his lifespan to. She introduces herself as Miyagi, the one tasked with the job of observing him until the last three days of his life. Jumyou wo Kaitotte Moratta. Ichinen ni Tsuki, Ichimanen de. follows the remaining three months of Kusunoki's life as he confronts lingering regrets from the past and discovers what truly gives life value. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Yoon Bum is a broken, beaten, and scarred human being, whose mental instability and loneliness have led him to unhealthy outlets for his pent up emotions. With his weakened mind, Bum has found solace in watching his handsome classmate Oh Sangwoo; Bum's love runs so deep, in fact, that he has begun stalking him. While creeping in Sangwoo's house one day, Bum makes a horrifying discovery—a torture chamber and a naked young woman tied up, gagged, and pleading for help. The life of this woman is doomed, and Bum cannot escape either, as he is soon discovered. His eyes sickening and crazed, Sangwoo takes Bum as his newest pet and victim. What awaits the mentally tortured Bum is a world of physical mutilation, toxic dependence, and abuse masquerading as so-called love. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
The novel's story is told from the point of view of an unnamed protagonist who happens to find a diary in a hospital one day. The diary belongs to his classmate, a girl named Sakura Yamauchi, who is revealed to be suffering from a terminal illness in her pancreas, and who only has a few months left to live. Sakura explains that the protagonist is the only person apart from her family that knows about her condition. The protagonist promises to keep Sakura's secret. Despite their completely opposite personalities, the protagonist decides to be together with Sakura during her last few months. (Source: ANN)
Thirty-year-old Satoko Tawada lives a rather monotonous life: she is single, her office job is dull, her boss is her ex-boyfriend who constantly bothers her, and she has nothing to look forward to in her off-hours. Fed up with another lousy day at work, Satoko stops by a park at night to have a drink and unwind when a stray soccer ball lands by her feet. Chasing after the ball is a 12-year-old boy named Mashuu Hayami, whom Satoko scolds for being out so late. But soon enough, she learns that evenings are the only time Mashuu is allowed to practice and refine his soccer skills. Due to her past tenure on her university's futsal team and a general concern for his safety at night, Satoko begins to teach Mashuu the basics of soccer. However, the more time Satoko spends with Mashuu, the more she finds herself becoming a maternal figure for the neglected boy. Mashuu himself begins to find solace in their outings, but not everyone may be able to support or understand their odd relationship. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Shouya Ishida, a mischievous elementary school student, finds himself troubled by deaf transfer student Shouko Nishimiya. Despite her genuine attempts to befriend her new classmates, Shouko only proves herself to be an annoyance for Shouya and his friends, provoking them to ridicule her at any possible chance. Soon enough, their taunts turn into constant assault—yet the teachers heartlessly remain apathetic to the situation. Shouya's misdeeds are finally stopped when Shouko transfers to another school. Denying their involvement, the entire class puts the blame on Shouya. As the new victim of bullying, Shouya gradually becomes meek and reclusive, being treated with contempt and disregard for years to come. Now a high school student, Shouya meets Shouko again for the first time in five years. Still tormented by his past actions, Shouya is determined to make amends for his mistakes and confront his trauma—even if he must face arduous obstacles along the way. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Ooba Youzou is a troubled soul incapable of revealing his true self to others. A weak constitution and the lingering trauma from some abuse administered by a relative forces him to uphold a facade of hollow jocularity since high school. (Source: MU)
At a very young age, Kousei Arima was strictly taught how to play the piano and meticulously follow the score by his mother, to the point where he dominated every competition he entered with ease. He earned the title of "Human Metronome" for performing almost perfectly. Every musician of his age looked up to him. However, after his mother suddenly dies, he became tone-deaf due to the shock and then disappeared, never to be seen onstage since. Two years later, Kousei lives a monotonous life with his childhood friends Tsubaki Sawabe and Ryouta Watari supporting him. He continues to cling to music, although performing is still an impossibility for him. This is until his unexpected encounter with Kaori Miyazono, a violinist who performs freely without the dictations of a score. A story of friendship, love, music, and a single lie, Kousei's life begins to change and gain color as Kaori helps him to take up music again. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Framed and convicted of murder, Yoshiaki Maeda has just arrived at Shouran Academy Juvenile Detention Center. He is placed in Cell 4 and is soon greeted by his fellow inmates Gou Iwakura, Masafumi Yoshioka, and Mitsuru Yamanoi, all of whom have been detained on varying charges and sentences. Already believing life to be laden with misfortunes, Yoshiaki finds, to his dismay, that the prison is in the midst of a violent power struggle. However, things are about to get even worse—little do the inmates and employees know that the outside world has been thrown into chaos by a sudden zombie apocalypse, and a van carrying infected humans has just crashed into the prison, abruptly introducing them to the undead threat. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Hundreds of years ago, horrifying creatures which resembled humans appeared. These mindless, towering giants, called Titans, proved to be an existential threat, as they preyed on whatever humans they could find in order to satisfy a seemingly unending appetite. Unable to effectively combat the Titans, mankind was forced to barricade themselves within large walls surrounding what may very well be humanity's last safe haven in the world. In the present day, life within the walls has finally found peace, since the residents have not dealt with Titans for many years. Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlert are three young children who dream of experiencing all that the world has to offer, having grown up hearing stories of the wonders beyond the walls. But when the state of tranquility is suddenly shattered by the attack of a massive 60-meter Titan, they quickly learn just how cruel the world can be. On that day, Eren makes a promise to himself that he will do whatever it takes to eradicate every single Titan off the face of the Earth, with the hope that one day, humanity will once again be able to live outside the walls without fear. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
There is nowhere that Seon Jin can find solace. At school, he is ruthlessly bullied due to his unsettlingly quiet nature and weak appearance. However, this is not the source of Jin's insurmountable terror: the thing that he fears more than anything else is his own father. To most, Jin's father is a successful businessman, good samaritan, and doting parent. But that is merely a facade; in truth, he is a deranged serial killer—and Jin is his unwilling accomplice. For years, they have been carrying out this ruse with the police being none the wiser. However, when his father takes an interest in the pretty transfer student Yoon Kyun, Jin must make a decision—be the coward who sends her to the gallows like all the rest, or be the bastard of a son who defies his wicked parent. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Takaki Toono and Akari Shinohara are close childhood friends that harbor feelings for one another. However, due to certain circumstances, the distance between them begins to widen. Having promised to keep in touch with one another, they are challenged by distance and time, but their unfaltering love remains. Even so, the strong emotions they feel may not last forever. Byousoku 5 Centimeter is a drama that revolves around the difficulties of being in a long-distance relationship. Despite the time they spent together being nothing but a distant memory, Toono and Shinohara refuse to give up on seeing each other again, thus unknowingly hurting those around them. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Once upon a time, the kingdom of Kouka was ruled by a red dragon in human form. By his side, four warriors imbued with dragon blood helped him lead the kingdom to prosperity. Time passed, and this tale became a legend to tell children. As the sole princess of Kouka, Yona lives a life of lavish ease. In love with her cousin, Su-won, and protected by her bodyguard, Son Hak, she wants for nothing and remains sheltered from the harrowing reality outside the castle walls. Contrary to this peaceful illusion, Kouka is about to undergo a political upheaval. After her beloved Su-won stages a bloody coup and murders her father, Yona is forced to flee with only Hak by her side. Though surrounded by enemies on all sides, the banished princess still yearns to save her kingdom. Her solution comes from an exiled priest, who tells her that her only hope is to find the four legendary dragon warriors. Guided by this seemingly fictitious myth, Yona sets out to find these warriors, determined to restore her kingdom. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
They wanted to die for their own reasons. Juri Mutou is the daughter of a once-famous pianist whose career came to an end after giving birth to her. After a traumatic event she experienced as a teenager, Juri has attempted suicide three times and has come to hate her mother. With her life clouded due to a dark past, her aunt Monica, a member of the clergy, invites her to visit a convict sentenced to death. Yuu is a death row inmate charged with murdering three people, leading to many attempts at ending his own life within his jail cell. He frequently receives letters from Monica, who hopes to help him, but sees this as an act of pity. But when Yuu decides to meet Monica to say that he wants her to stop sending letters, he encounters Juri, a meeting that would change both of their lives. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
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]
Sundome is the story of an apathetic young man whose dull existence is forever changed when an assertive young woman wants to join the same after-school club in which he is a member. If only all after-school clubs were as hands on as this! (Source: ANN)
Okazaki Tomoya is a delinquent who finds life dull and believes he'll never amount to anything. Along with his friend Sunohara, he skips school and plans to waste his high school days away. One day while walking to school, Tomoya passes a young girl muttering quietly to herself. Without warning she exclaims "Anpan!" (a popular Japanese food) which catches Tomoya's attention. He soon discovers the girl's name is Furukawa Nagisa and that she exclaims things she likes in order to motivate herself. Nagisa claims they are now friends, but Tomoya walks away passing the encounter off as nothing. However, Tomoya finds he is noticing Nagisa more and more around school. Eventually he concedes and befriends her. Tomoya learns Nagisa has been held back a year due to a severe illness and that her dream is to revive the school's drama club. Claiming he has nothing better to do, he decides to help her achieve this goal along with the help of four other girls. As Tomoya spends more time with the girls, he learns more about them and their problems. As he attempts to help each girl overcome her respective obstacle, he begins to realise life isn't as dull as he once thought. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Daisuke Suwa is a reserved high school student who lives with his widowed mother in a faraway rural town. At school, he behaves like a womanizer who is interested in all girls except the shy Hinako Aikawa, whom he claims is pretending to be a "sweet virgin." One day, Daisuke gets caught up in an argument between two of his admirers and seeks shelter in a church. He hides inside a confessional, only for Hinako to enter the church and mistake his voice as that of a priest. She asks for him to listen to her confession, to which he has no choice but to comply. Hinako divulges that she was sexually abused by her step-father while she was still in junior high school, which led to her giving up a baby boy for adoption. Now aware of her secrets, Daisuke can't help but empathize with her. However, as the pair become closer, can his compassion turn into something more? [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Six minors (16 or 17 years) answering to the nicknames of Joe, Mario, Suppon, Baremoto, Heitai and Kyabetsu are put into a reformatory for offences such as aggravated assault, swindle, flight, etc. Their stay in hell begins immediately. Accommodated by a doctor paedophile, they are placed under the monitoring of a despotic and brutal crew. Companions of cell of certain Sakuragi (called Anchan), the tension flares up between the band of buddies and their new "friend." A brawl breaks out and our six prisoners are done rossés by mysterious young man thanks to his boxing talent. The story will not only follow the lives of these seven characters surviving in their hellish environment, but also their disillusions due to the rejection by the outside world and by their close relations. This is about the extraodinary and invincible friendships between these young men.
All 15-year-old Nanami "Nana" Takahashi wants in high school is to make as many friends as possible. However, her inability to follow along with the general gossip of the school, coupled with her failing to remember people's names, gets in the way of her ambitious goals. One day, Nana has the displeasure of meeting the popular Motoharu Yano—whom allegedly two-thirds of the girls at school have fallen head-over-heels for. Irritated by Yano's mischievous antics and carefree attitude, Nana declares her hatred for him. But unbeknownst to her, Yano hides a somber burden under his charismatic demeanor: his ex-girlfriend died in a tragic car accident the past summer, and he has since not come to terms with his new reality. To make matters worse, the accident has distorted not only Yano's perception of the world but also his ability to trust those around him. As Nana gets closer to the boy, she only finds herself pushed further away. But with her feelings toward Yano beginning to shift, Nana is determined to reach out and help him—or is the problem simply impossible for both of them to handle? [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Alchemists are knowledgeable and naturally talented individuals who can manipulate and modify matter due to their art. Yet despite the wide range of possibilities, alchemy is not as all-powerful as most would believe. Human transmutation is strictly forbidden, and whoever attempts it risks severe consequences. Even so, siblings Edward and Alphonse Elric decide to ignore this great taboo and bring their mother back to life. Unfortunately, not only do they fail in resurrecting her, they also pay an extremely high price for their arrogance: Edward loses his left leg and Alphonse his entire body. Furthermore, Edward also gives up his right arm in order to seal his brother's soul into a suit of armor. Years later, the young alchemists travel across the country looking for the Philosopher's Stone, in the hopes of recovering their old bodies with its power. However, their quest for the fated stone also leads them to unravel far darker secrets than they could ever imagine. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
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)
Fourty-eight-year-old salaryman Hiroshi Nakahara accidentally takes the wrong train to Tokyo after a business trip in Kyoto. He decides to accept his situation and sit back when he learns that the train is headed toward his hometown in Kurayoshi. As he walks the streets of his childhood neighborhood, Hiroshi realizes how significantly the place has changed in the 20 years since his mother died. While visiting her grave in the Genzen Temple, he is transported back into the body of his 14-year-old self. Retaining the memories and wisdom of his middle-aged mind, he is now an eighth grader in junior high school. Hiroshi's regained youth enables him to escape the reality of being an adult man with a wife and two daughters. Unaware how to return to his original time, he begins to relive his adolescence. During his time travel, Hiroshi attempts to uncover the reasons for his father's abandonment of the family in hopes of understanding him and his actions. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Fourteen-year-old Kakeru Kurosawa is an antisocial junior high school student who looks down on his classmates—but beneath his superiority complex is a hopeless young teenager who uses masturbation as a pastime. Using erotic thoughts of his female classmates as stimulus, he locks himself daily in a seldom-used girl's bathroom at school to do his dirty deed. One day during class, Kurosawa witnesses the popular girls bullying the timid Aya Kitahara. Although not one to be riled over such matters, he decides to deliver retribution with his own hands. In a daring move, he steals the uniforms of the bullies and dispenses his "white justice" over them. Although satisfied with his exploits, Kurosawa's troubles are only just beginning. While going about his daily routine, he is suddenly confronted by Kitahara, who identifies him as the culprit behind the uniform incident, and blackmails him into terrorizing the other girls in the class the same way he dealt with her bullies. Left with little choice, Kurosawa agrees, and thus begins a coming-of-age story that deals with consequences, bullying, and people's ability to change. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
44 years old, single, working in a construction company for his entire life. All Kurosawa wants is a little respect from his co-workers. And a little popularity won't hurt. Unfortunately Kurosawa's plans fail miserably from time to time and one day, he finds himself right in the middle of a fight against...delinquent middle schoolers?
Taku Yokoi has trouble getting along with people, so he moved to Tokyo as soon as he graduated from high school. He now lives alone, making a living by delivering newspapers and drawing doujinshi, though people totally ignore his non-erotic works. One day, a girl named Megumi Saitou suddenly shows up at his door, claiming that she came all the way from Tottori to meet him because she's a big fan of one of his doujinshi. It ends up that she has faced many hardships herself, and with no intention of leaving, she ends up living with him. [Written by Denji]
Rei Kiriyama is an extraordinary shogi player. Among the few elites to have gone professional as a middle school student, he is considered a genius. But what lies behind his prodigious facade is a teenage boy who suffers immense pressure from both his family and from the high expectations from the shogi community. Rei moves out to live a more independent life away from his family, but his unorganized lifestyle and unsociable personality show no signs of improvement. However, in a twist of fate that will prove to be a turning point in his life, Rei encounters the Kawamoto sisters—the motherly Akari, the passionate Hinata, and the energetic Momo—who take great care of him. 3-gatsu no Lion tells the story of Rei as he reshapes his melancholic life and picks up the courage to begin facing the problems he evaded during his past. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Kanae Sekiguchi's bathhouse Tsuki no Yu has now reopened. However, Kanae's husband Satoru has been missing for four months after departing for his business trip. Having left without a trace, she considers two possible reasons: a secret affair or an accident, although she is more inclined to believe he is out committing adultery. Satoru's company The Public Baths Union aids Kanae in managing the bathhouse by sending Mr. Hori as an assistant. While handling bathhouse duties, Kanae is bombarded with appointments that may help her uncover the truth about the unexplained disappearance of Satoru. [Written by MAL Rewrite]