In the city of Ergastulum, a shady ville filled with made men and petty thieves, whores on the make and cops on the take, there... more>> are some deeds too dirty for even its jaded inhabitants to touch. Enter the “Handymen,” Nic and Worick, who take care of the jobs no one else will handle. Until the day when a cop they know on the force requests their help in taking down a new gang muscling in on the territory of a top Mafia family. It seems like business (and mayhem) as usual, but the Handymen are about to find that this job is a lot more than they bargained for. <<less

Chu Qing is a sword expert cultivator, who 300 years ago accidentally entered the fairy world. During those 300 he began his cultivation journey. At... more>> the time of reaching the realm of eternity, it was not expected that he would instead open the hall of time and space and return to earth at the age of 17 years. But when he saw the situation, it turns out it was not the earth he once lived in, but the world was reversed between the roles of women and men. How was his journey to find a way to return to the original world, and defeat and conquer the strong women in the world... <<less

In the red-light district of Yoshiwara, during the Edo period, Akane is a young orphan from the military nobility. Following the mysterious murder of her parents, she decides to walk into the lion's den by going to a luxury brothel: the Akebonorô. Her meeting with Sôsuke, a young pawnbroker and a great seducer with a sharp intelligence, will literally shake up her destiny.... more>>

In this environment where lust reigns supreme, is this apprentice courtesan getting ready to taste heaven or hell? <<less

The "love, revenge, and feel-good" story centers on a young man who swears revenge against the yakuza. He studies the art of the "assassination fist"... more>> with all his might, and becomes an adult. But this man who is a genius at his martial art form realizes his techniques cannot actually be used to kill anyone. [ANN] <<less

This is a story about a piano, pitifully abandoned in the woods, and a young boy, Kai, who grew up playing it as his favorite toy. While Kai cannot even read sheet music, one day, he meets Shuhei Amamiya, an aspiring child pianist who transfers schools from Tokyo, and their music teacher, Sosuke Ajino. Ajino was also once a gifted pianist, until a tragic accident stole his promising future from him forever. Each from a different background, the trio's personalities gravitate to one another and rebound. All the while, the piano sits patiently, awaiting a hand to play it.... more>>

Note: Received the Grand Prize for best manga at the 12th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2008. <<less

Ayu, a 17-year-old high-school student, believes neither in a future nor the happiness it could bring her. By selling herself, she tries to justify her... more>> existence, which is as bleak as her heart - it’s devoid of joy, sorrow, love. Not until her encounter with a kind-hearted old lady does Ayu begin to realize the true meaning of happiness… <<less

Yoshiwara in the Edo era. It seems that there is a mysterious man in the corner of the Hanai area that can fulfill any "desire"... more>> ... <<less

Souta, a penniless, phoneless, destitute middle schooler, met a high school girl with a stray cat underneath a bridge. The girl laughed at his minuscule... more>> remaining change, and made a surprising proposal with "For this 24 yen of yours, I'll let you buy me," and then? <<less

As a child, Joon-young was always teased because his mother owned a bar that served Americans. When he meets Hae-in, a blind girl, they become... more>> childhood sweethearts and he vows to always protect her. However, Hae-in and her mom take off one night, leaving Joon-young and his promise behind. Hae-in later meets Gun-woo, the rich son of a CEO. Among these three, a tragic love triangle begins to form... <<less

Poppoya: Satou Otomatsu is a lonely station master of a small station in Hokkaido, situated at the end of the line in a small village with an aging population. The station is due to close in the coming spring, and he will retire with it. One night in his last winter manning the station, an encounter with a young girl marks the beginning of the events that will see him reflect on his working life - performing his duty as a railroad man, whilst enduring the pain of its cost to his personal life.... more>>

Love Letter: Goro just got out from jail, but a police officer wants to talk to him right away. He announces to him that Goro's wife is dead and that he has to go to Chiba and take her body. Goro has no recollection of having a wife, but then he remembers he married a Chinese woman a long time ago. He married her for her money, and she married him because she needed a Japanese visa to work. In fact, she's a prostitute who came to Japan hoping to find better life.

At first, Goro can't be bothered by this situation, but he goes to Chiba just because he can earn a lot of money. Later on, during his trip, Goro finds a letter she wrote him and through it he discovers the pure person that lies beneath this common prostitute. She is a woman of such kindness and love that Goro is moved to learn something about the woman he married. With those few words of love and tenderness, he understands her fears, her goals, and her hopes for the future -- a future that he knows will never come. <<less

Being abandoned by his owners, having his mother die of starvation, a puppy who suffered lifelong separation from his siblings wandered around the city. Meeting... more>> and parting with kind people, experiencing brutal treatment from unjust people. Pao, who learned to live within the harshness of reality, awaits even more ordeals... <<less

Rinzy's a famous hard rock musician. His ex-girlfriend, the model Katherine, commits suicide in front of him and he fails to help her. JP, a... more>> 16 year old homeless kid happens to be the only witness. In order to prevent exposure and scandal, Rinzy's manager, Stella, hires JP as Rinzy's assistant. <<less

"If nothing changes whether one laughs or cries, then in this lifetime, I refuse to cry."... more>>

This collection consists of six historical short stories which tragicomically depict people trying to do their best in the city of Edo throughout the seasons:

Chiruhi (Day of Scattering)

Orin is a prostitute who works on a boat near the seashore. She falls in love with a young hairdresser, who is one of her customers, even though she knows it is an impossible love.

Lotus Roots

Upon crossing a lotus pond, two men discover a beautifully dressed figure hanging from the bridge. They pull her up and that night, she teaches them the meaning behind the lotus roots.

One Night Princess

"They 'haunt' this place. The ghosts of prostitutes."

Tenkiku

A little girl meets a kid with weird features, and only she can see him.

Breaking Under the Weight of Snow

A husband wonders, when was the last time he saw her wife's smile?

Sakuhi (Day of Blooming)

"The truth is I... came here to murder someone." <<less

Serge Battour is the son of a French viscount and a Romani prostitute, and despite his kind nature and academic talent, is shunned by his family and his peers due to the color of his skin. He begins to attend Lacombrade Academy, his father's alma mater, in the hopes that there he will find a place to belong.... more>>

Gilbert Cocteau is, like Serge, the orphaned son of a wealthy family, and is infamous at Lacombrade for his beautiful and delicate appearance, lack of dedication to schoolwork, and habit of prostituting himself to other students. He has no intention to connect with any of his classmates, instead devoting himself to his uncle Auguste.

Due to a shortage of living space, Serge and Gilbert become roommates even though Gilbert's antisocial nature has in the past made it impossible for him to room with anybody. Serge, being sociable and idealistic, is determined to be friends with Gilbert; Gilbert is only interested in either being able to manipulate Serge or push him away entirely. To the surprise of both of the boys, however, the two eventually form a deep, albeit generally dismal, bond that leads to a romantic connection.

In 1979, this series was awarded the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award for shounen/shoujo manga.

For those who don't like yaoi - this manga is more of shounen-ai and the sex scenes are nothing like the ones you can see in modern yaoi mangas. A bit of warning: "Kaze..." includes scenes of rape and child abuse (but no shota). <<less

The story is about how and why a guy goes from a worker at a dead-end job to becoming a boxer.

"I am a human, but a doll...... more>>

Feelings are not needed. Physically alive, but not mentally.

I am a painting trapped inside a rusted frame.

The cold skin of a statue.

Like a stuffed bird--

Killed and set for display.

I wonder...

I wonder, on whose display I will be placed..."

Includes extra story, The Dancing Marionette (Vol 3). <<less

High risk comes with high reward, carrying gold by himself from the post-apocalyptic world, and become rich? No? Wang Bin has a smarter way to... more>> get even richer, find an ally to help him carry more gold from the post-apocalyptic world, after one trip he can become a billionaire! Even so, it is dangerous, the post-apocalyptic world is filled with zombies, and the survivors there can be scarier than the zombies because, for the sake of living, they can do anything, they are 100 times scarier than a zombie! <<less

Consists of three stories:... more>>

1) Boys Next Door

(Part 1-3) Lawrence is a young male prostitute whose actual aim was to look for his brother. However, his life was about to change when he witnessed one of the biggest serial killers - Dr. Wolfgang Adrian Clay - killing someone. Instead of running away, he searches for the murderer and falls in love with him. Lawrence's brother was not too happy about losing a possible money tree and sends out his gang in search of Lawrence.

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2) Devil Inside

Rick Randool has a dangerous condition which affects a few unfortunate members of his family.

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3) When a Heart Beats

All Ted wanted was a guitar. But the price he paid to get one was a young girl's life. Many years later he meets her again and...

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Confidential Confessions is a shocking new manga series that deals with many of the hard-hitting issues that teens face today. Using emotionally moving storylines and multi-dimensional characters, each groundbreaking volume tackles such topics as teen prostitution, rape, HIV, stalkers, suicide, and sexual harassment.... more>>

V.1 -

1-3. The Door

4. Mistakes

V. 2 -

Tears

V.3 -

1. Our Future

2-3. Dizziness

V.4 -

1. Pain

2. Distortion

3. Tomorrow

4. Forbidden Kiss

V.5 -

V. 6 -

Series order as published by Kodansha:

1: Itami (いたみ) (Pain)

2: Himitsu (ひみつ) (Secret)

3: Memai (めまい) (Vertigo)

4: Uwasa (うわさ) (Rumor)

5: Namida (なみだ) (Tears)

6: Tobira (とびら) (Door) <<less

Ten years ago, there was an explosion at Hisano's apartment building. She would have been there, but she'd been hit by a bike ridden by... more>> a boy in blood-stained clothes. He dropped a fake gem when it happened, and she's been hanging on to it as a good-luck charm ever since. Now Hisano's in high school. One of her teachers was murdered, and the police are investigating. A young man suddenly appears carrying the toy the gem belonged to. And perhaps... can he also see the hallucinations Hisano has always been plagued with? Everything is connected as the pattern slowly rises to the surface. <<less

Why me? It was to be the last thought a young prostitute, Rune Balot, would ever have…as a human anyway. Taken in by a devious... more>> gambler named Shell, she became a slave to his cruel desires and would have been killed by his hand if not for a private investigator and his self-aware Universal Tool, Œufcoque. Now a cyborg, Balot has not only physical powers, but the ability to disrupt social environments. She chases after Shell, his partner-in-crime Boiled, and faces down a variety of insane villains in this pulse-pounding cyberpunk noir adventure. <<less

Set in feudal-era Japan, Yorube Naki Mono centers around prostitutes, assassins, and the grimier sides of city life.... more>>

One night, a mysterious young man named Shikon is introduced as the newest member of Saiga's group of assassins for hire. Shikon is outgoing and flirtatious, but Saiga can sense there's more to Shikon than he lets on...

A chance encounter on a moonlit night leads to two destinies awakening. <<less

Moyoco Anno lifts the veil on life in the Edo period pleasure quarter, Yoshiwara. The story follows Kiyoha, sold into a brothel as a child... more>> and forced to work as a maid and her rise to prominence as one of the top-ranking courtesans in Yoshiwara. The allure of the "flower and willow world," as it was called by artists in the day, is underscored by the very real tragedy, heartbreak and difficult lives led by those seemingly glamourous courtesans. Will Kiyoha’s fox-like wiles give her a chance to break free of her gilded cage? Or will her fighting spirit ruin her chances of ever escaping the brothel? <<less

Rushuna is a blonde and very beautiful senshi (gun expert) that travels through the world with one purpose. This is to make the world a... more>> peaceful place by, instead of fighting with weapons, taking away people´s will to fight by giving them a smile. Although she doesn´t want to fight, she is forced to and shows amazing gun skills. In this journey she meets Yajiro, a mercenary swordsman, who joins her on her journey. <<less

In the dismal backdrop of New York City, Southern-belle-turned-prostitute Sunny meets the college-educated Lou, who makes a living by out-drinking people at bars. What first... more>> starts as a night of drunken passion quickly spirals into unexpected love, as together they begin to search for meaning in a world that has all but deserted them... <<less