Far in the future, humankind has evacuated the Earth in order to preserve it. Humans now reside in a gigantic structure that forms a ring around the Earth, thirty-five kilometers up in the sky. The society of the ring is highly stratified: the higher the floor, the greater the status. Mitsu, the lowly son of a window washer, has just graduated junior high. When his father disappears and is assumed dead, Mitsu must take on his father's occupation. As he struggles with the transition to working life, Mitsu's job treats him to an outsider's view into the various living-room dioramas of the Saturn Apartments.... more>>

Won the 15th Japan Media Arts Festival Grand Prize for Manga. <<less

Omnibus of short stories from the famous science-fiction author Hoshi Shin'ichi:... more>>

Volume 1: Afternoon Dinosaur

- Perfect Girl (JUN)

- Golden Pin (KAWAGUCHI Madoka)

- A Study of Angels (KIKI)

- I am an Assassin (KAZUHASHI Tomo)

- Come Out (SABA Tamayumi)

- Afternoon Dinosaur (SHIRAI Hiroko)

- Modern Life (ARITA Kei)

- Living Maintenance (SHIMURA Takako)

- Incident of the Night (ODA Hideji)

- Box (ODA Hideji)

Volume 2: The Gate to Space

- The Gate to Space (KITOH Mohiro)

- The Mirror (HANEO)

- The Patient (TOYAMA Mutsuki)

- The Butterfly of Winter (ABE Jun)

- Execution (ABE Jun)

- The Problem of Level (HITOMI Akane)

- Fate (KAWAGUCHI Madoka)

- Wonderful Life (SUZUKI Shiho)

Volume 3: Short Short Shoutaiseki

A compilation of selected stories from the first two volumes.

Volume 4: The Friendly Demon

- A Device (SHIRAI Yumiko)

ISHIGURO Masakazu

NANAMAKI Kanako

TAKESHIMA Nami

KUJIRA

WATANABE Peco

- Doubt (DOUMAN Seiman)

AOKI Toshinao

NISHIMURA Tsuchika

SUZUKI Shiho

TESHIROGI Shiori

HIKOCHI Sakuya

TSURIMAKI Nodoka

OSHIMI Shuzo

AOKI Tomo

IWAOKA Hisae

IMAMURA Yoko

ASADA Nikki

SUDOU Masumi <<less

N/A

There stands a house in the forest where the wind blows and 'monsters' frighten children. A man lives in this house, as well as a... more>> number of spirits. <<less

A girl falls into a coma and finds herself at an unusual "convenience store" managed by a talking dog. In the land where dreams are... more>> made, suspended somewhere between life and death, she watches and learns from the various souls she encounters. <<less

Includes the following short stories:... more>>

1. Once Upon a Time

A lost little girl wants to find her way home...

2. See You Next Time

A girl calmly reminisces about her dead friend.

3. Imp in the Night

A little imp wonders why he's afraid of the night.

4. Sakura Antique Store

The story of an old watch sitting in the window display of the Sakura Antique Store.

5. Shiroi Kumo (White Clouds)

A beautiful and touching story about life, death, and the heartening belief that we will all arrive at the same place when our time has come.

6. Molehill

The story of a young mole who decides to become human so that he can see his girlfriend's face...

7. The Lands of Dreams

A girl is trapped in an endless dream...

8. Grape Picking

Two teachers discuss the godliness of children.

9. Let's Go Home

An elderly couple's reminiscences as they pay a visit to the village from their shared childhood.

10. The Story of a Flower

They don't have a mother, but...

11. The Road Where Flowers Bloom

A careworn man whose life stuck in a rut, a book with Sakura blossoms stuck in the pages, a mysterious woman who claims to have been killed by him, a childhood best friend's mysterious reappearance...

12. Egg Water

The taste of the water bubbling up from a well in the backyard of a little old lady's house...

13. Hoppie's Bear

The unlikely friendship between a lovelorn office worker and a strange -- and strangely mature -- girl.

14. To A Certain Place...

Returning home. <<less

A collection of sweet, realistic tales about the everyday lives of various cats and the people who come to associate them.

A collection of warm-hearted short stories about life and its little wonders, interconnected via a certain school and the students and teachers that pass through... more>> its halls. Sweet and delicate, they're like "flower cookies" for the stressful mind. <<less

The cafe owner Mikumo and general store shopkeeper Yano have their shops directly above and below each other in the same building. The two seem... more>> so close, but aren't a couple -- and their oh-so-frustrating "romance" is being silently witnessed by the most unlikely of beings. <<less