Anime Works

It is the 19th century in a tribal town near the Caspian Sea, Central Asia. People lead simple lives along the Silk Road, believing in various customs and traditions as they have for many years. Amir Halgal is a beautiful 20-year-old woman skilled in archery, hunting, and horseback riding. She has come from a faraway village for an arranged marriage to a charming 12-year-old boy by the name of Karluk Eihon. Due to the large age difference, the relationship between Amir and Karluk is a little awkward initially. However, everyday interactions between the two allow them to develop feelings of love and respect for each other that eventually strengthen their bond. Otoyomegatari follows the daily lives and challenges of Amir and Karluk alongside various other couples across Central Asia, in a beautiful portrayal of the culture and traditions of the brides of the era. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

• Award Winning
• Romance

Hotaru Hinase is a first-year high school student who treasures her family and friends above all else. Unable to understand romance, she decides she will be content living without the experience of falling in love. While Hotaru is spending time at a cafe with her close friend, she witnesses the relentless breakup of a handsome honor student, Hananoi. Encountering him sitting alone in the snow on her way home, she extends her umbrella to him in a gesture of kindness. The very next day, Hananoi appears in Hotaru's classroom, asking her to be his girlfriend. Despite being rejected, Hananoi sticks closely by Hotaru's side, performing selfless acts in hopes of pleasing her. Hotaru begins to feel emotions she had never felt before. Believing that these emotions could blossom into love, Hotaru agrees to date Hananoi. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

• Award Winning
• Romance

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]

• Award Winning
• Drama
• Slice of Life

Over four decades ago, Yoshihiro Tatsumi expanded the horizons of comics storytelling by using the visual language of manga to tell gritty, literary stories about the private lives of everyday people. He has been called "the grandfather of Japanese alternative comics" and has influenced generations of cartoonists around the world. Now the visionary creator of "The Push Man and Other Stories" and "Good-bye" has turned his incisive, unflinching gaze upon himself. Over ten years in the making, "A Drifting Life" is Tatsumis' most ambitious, personal, and heart felt work: an autobiographical bildungsroman in comics form. Using his life long obsession with comics as a frame work, Tatsumi weaves a complex story that encompasses family dynamics, Japanese culture and history, first love, the intricacies of the manga industry, and most importantly, what it means to be an artist. Alternately humorous, enlightening, and haunting, this is the masterful summartion of a fascinating life and a historic career. (Source: Drawn & Quarterly)

• Award Winning
• Comedy
• Drama
• +2

Azumi focuses upon the life of the female assassin Azumi. The manga begins an indeterminate number of years after the Battle of Sekigahara, but as the Azumi begins her assassination missions, the manga introduces the characters into mainstream history. Many of the early assassination missions that Azumi undertakes are the assassinations of the prominent supporters and generals of the Toyotomi Clan, against whom the Toyotomi Clan expected to again go to war. (Source: Wikipedia)

• Action
• Award Winning
• Drama

After being dumped, followed closely by her grandmother's sudden death, the chubby Yuri is left broke and homeless. That is until she discovers that her grandmother had been lying to her for years. Her mother is not dead, but is in fact a famous movie star, and very much alive. Upon arriving at her mother's house, she meets her three new beautiful siblings, all from different fathers. Her newfound family is filled with hilarious oddities, ranging from laziness to drunkennes to gay incest. She is constantly antagonized by her brothers Sumire and Aoi. And her sister Fuyou does little to help. And thus Yuri becomes little more than a maid in the household, catering to her siblings needs while her mother travels the world. But as Yuri's warmth fills the house which before had been so cold...what will happen between her and her brothers? Can they come to see each other as siblings before it's too late? (Source: Aerie Scanlations)

• Award Winning
• Comedy
• Drama
• +1

The Kouga Manjidani and the Iga Tsubagakure ninja clans have been sworn enemies for centuries, with only the Hanzo Hattori truce maintaining a tenuous peace between the two families. But years later, when former shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa faces a dispute to determine which of his two grandsons shall succeed their father, he decides to settle the matter through a proxy war. Selected to represent the respective candidates, the Kouga and Iga send 10 of their best fighters into a deadly battle, with the winning party deciding the rightful successor. Thus, the truce is revoked and the ruthless bloodshed begins. But not all approve the truce's end. Gennosuke of Kouga and Oboro of Iga were to be married in hopes of ensuring lasting peace. However, unlike typical arranged marriages, they were already deeply in love. As preparations for the war ensue, Gennosuke questions his loyalties while Oboro refuses to fight. Fueled by their reawakened feud, will the two clans be consumed by hatred, or have their destinies changed by genuine love? [Written by MAL Rewrite]

• Action
• Award Winning
• Drama
• +1

Ryuu Ichijou, a boy who dreams of joining Japan's national soccer team. Ryuu is called a genius soccer player, and his aspirations seem within his reach, but when he is in elementary school he gets hit by a car while protecting his friend, and must face two years of grueling rehabilitation. Story focuses on Ryuu as he joins high school soccer club and works through the remnants of his injuries to achieve his goal.

• Award Winning
• Sports

Akiko Hayashi has soaring but strangely specific dreams: to make a successful manga debut while still in school, have her favorite actor star in its adaptation, and end up marrying him. However, she is far from having the motivation or skills to realize these hopes. When a friend introduces her to an unorthodox, backstreet art class taught by the strong-armed Kenzou Hidaka, called simply as "sensei," Akiko decides to enroll, expecting an easy ride and an automatic improvement in her art skills. To her chagrin, what she gets is something else entirely—a tough, demanding, and uncompromising teacher with absolutely no interest in manga. But when Akiko takes up Sensei's challenge of an intense schedule, she comes to recognize how much he cares about his students and forms a close bond with him. With Sensei's guidance, Akiko learns what is necessary to become a successful mangaka as well as what it means to be an adult. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

• Award Winning
• Slice of Life

Fifteen middle school students are happily attending a summer camp by the sea, until one of the children leads the group into a cave that will drastically alter the course of their lives forever. Inside are several computers, along with a man named Kokopelli who offers the students a chance to play a game: one where they use a gigantic robot to defeat enemies who attack the Earth. The children agree to sign a contract by touching a shield-like object, and Kokopelli transports them to the cockpit of the Zearth—the mecha they are to pilot. After an enemy mecha rises from the sea, Kokopelli shows them how to mentally control the Zearth, and defeats it. The children are excited by the prospect of defending the Earth, but not everything is as it seems. The Zearth is in fact powered by life energy, and at the end of every battle, the pilots die. After signing their lives away, the children must now use their time left on Earth to defend it. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

• Award Winning
• Drama
• Sci-Fi

Tsukushi Makino, a working-class girl, attends an elite elevator school called Eitoku Academy, populated by children from rich, high-society families. She is the "weed" of the school surrounded by all the rich kids including the "Flower" Four (F4). The F4 leader and son of the wealthiest, most powerful family in Japan, Tsukasa Domyoji, takes an interest in Tsukushi, because she is the only girl at Eitoku who doesn't fawn over him. However, his hot-headed nature and bullying ways are originally a major turn-off for Tsukushi, who has her sights set on someone else. (Source: Wikipedia) Included one-shot: Volume 1: End of the Century

• Award Winning
• Drama
• Romance

Aya and her twin brother Aki thought they were going to a celebration of their sixteenth birthday at their grandfather's home, but the funeral-like atmosphere tips them off that something's not right. Their "birthday present" turns out to be a mummified hand—the power of which forces an awakening within Aya, and painful wounds all over Aki's body! Grandfather Mikage announces that Aki will be heir to the Mikage fortune, and Aya must die! But Aya has allies in the athletic cook and martial artist Yuuhi, and the attractive, mysterious Touya. But can even two handsome and resourceful guys save Aya when it's her own power that's out of control? (Source: VIZ Media)

• Award Winning
• Drama
• Fantasy
• +4

A new interpretation of Yamamoto Shuguro's period novel Chiisakobee, transplanting the Edo era in the original with a modern setting. A young carpenter, Shigeji, who lost his parents and his father's building company called Daitome in a fire, swears to himself he will rebuild the company according to the words of his father, Tomezoh, "What is important for people throughout the ages is humanity and strength of will." He hires Ritsu, who has no place to go, as an assistant at Daitome. Some children from an orphanage, who lost their home, also show up at Daitome. The bearded young carpenter's decision to take over his family's business is a drama filled with the milk of human kindness. (Source: MU)

• Award Winning
• Drama

The "bittersweet, mysterious story" revolves around Chocolat Aikawa, a chocolatière who runs a shop called Chocolat Noir. She can grant wishes to the troubled people who visit her shop—if they give her something precious in exchange.

• Award Winning
• Drama
• Horror
• +1

Hideo Azuma was born 6th February 1950 in Hokkaido. He moved to Tokyo where he was assistant to Rentaro Itai and debuted in manga in 1969. Throughout the 70´s and 80´s he produced a large body of work in many genres including the comedies FUTARI TO GONIN (Two People and Five) and YAKEKUSO TENSHI (Desperate Angel), the Science Fiction Seiun (Japanese Hugo) Award winning FUJOURI NIKKI (Absurd Diary) and is also known as the father of Lolicon manga. But the pressures told and, in 1989, he ran away from his responsibilities and went homeless. After this experience and his eventual return to normal life, he then repeated the cycle in 1992, this time becoming a gas pipe layer in another town. Later, in 1998, his alcoholism was so bad that he was forced into rehab. This book is his expression of those three periods of his life told, not in a deep or depressed way but, as befits his nature, in a buoyant and cheerful cartoon art and is a welcome addition to the "personal manga" genre. In 2005, SHISSOU NIKKI (Disappearance Diary) was awarded the Grand Prize from the 9th Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Division and the Excellence Price at the 34th Japan Cartoonists Association Awards. (Source: ANN)

• Award Winning
• Comedy
• Drama
• +1

Average college student Totonou Kunou's usual morning making curry gets interrupted when police officers come knocking at his door, questioning him about his whereabouts on the night before. As it turns out, one of his classmates was found dead near his house—and the police take Totonou to the station as a prime suspect for murder. Having no close relations with the victim, Totonou claims he is innocent since he had no reason to harm him. But when a witness places him at the crime scene, he must remain under custody longer than he first anticipated. When he starts to interact more with the members of the police department, they realize Totonou is no ordinary suspect. Although a bit hard to deal with, Totonou is also highly observant—as he guesses each of the members' personal dilemmas with just a handful of clues. With evidence against him continuing to pile up, Totonou must use his deductive skills to solve the mystery behind his classmate's death to clear his name and find out who is framing him. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

• Award Winning
• Mystery

The world has yet to witness the true star power of 30-year-old Takara Takarada. He is a marvelous actor on stage, but behind the curtains, he is sloppy, scatterbrained, and incapable of learning his lines. That is where his longtime friend and fellow actor, Yuujin Kamoshima, steps in. Recognizing Takarada's immense talent to effortlessly command attention, Yuujin has decided to support his friend's road to stardom. He handles Takara's chores, helps him memorize his lines, and meticulously choreographs every movement to highlight his extraordinary showmanship. When a talent agency scouts Takara and offers him a guest role in a new television series, problems arise. He struggles to understand the character on his own and follow the inconsistent acting directions, realizing only Yuujin can save him. Thanks to Takara, Yuujin gains opportunities to further his own career—but it soon becomes clear that their co-dependent relationship cannot last forever. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

• Award Winning
• Drama

After making a serious mistake in his work in Tokyo, talented surgeon Goto Kensuke is invited to take charge of the only clinic on the small island of Yonaguni, Okinawa. It is difficult to get competent doctors to serve on this remote island, and the islanders are now used to traveling for hours via boat for proper medical care. Despite seeming weak and unreliable (he gets very seasick, and does not have a driving license), he wins over the skeptical islanders with his skill and dedication. Some children of the island make a flag for his clinic, but get his name wrong. Thereafter he is known by all as Koto.

• Award Winning
• Drama
• Romance
• +1

When goofy inventor Senbei Norimaki creates a precocious robot named Arale, his masterpiece turns out to be more than he bargained for! Basking in the glow of his scientific achievement, Senbei scrambles to get Arale in working order so the rest of Penguin Village won't have reason to suspect she's not really a girl. But first Senbei needs to find her a pair of glasses and some clothes... (Source: VIZ Media)

• Award Winning
• Comedy
• Sci-Fi
• +1

Fire, smoke, adrenaline, and fear—when everyone is running to escape from a fire, a few courageous people are running to jump right into the thick of it. Firefighters put their own lives on the line to protect others and Daigo Asahina has always dreamed of becoming one. He's fresh out of the training academy and has been newly assigned to Medaka-Ga-Hama fire station. Cocky and overconfident, Daigo responds to a few calls and is quickly humbled and put in his place—he's still got a lot to learn before he can call himself a true firefighter. (Source: VIZ Media)

• Action
• Award Winning
• Drama

Noriko Tachiki has dreamt of a beautiful fantasy land for some time, though her friends think it is only her imagination. One day, on her way home, Noriko stumbles upon a bomb disguised as a paper bag that explodes right in front of her. However, instead of dying, she is transported to a mysterious forest full of strange plants and creatures. As she begins navigating through the woods, Noriko is suddenly attacked by a giant, worm-like monster. Fortunately, she is saved by Izark Kia Tarj, a swordsman who does not speak her language. Lacking the strength to survive on her own, Noriko decides to follow her stoic savior, taking the opportunity to learn the foreign land's language and be more useful to Izark. Unbeknownst to her, Noriko is a crucial piece of an ancient prophecy. She is "The Awakening"—a being destined to unleash the greatest evil known as the "Sky Demon." With influential people plotting to capture Noriko for her supposed powers, both she and Izark must fend for themselves and overcome a future laced with chaos. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

• Adventure
• Award Winning
• Fantasy
• +1

Shimazaki Sanpo is a volunteer member of the mountain rescue team of Japanese Alps. Confronting a life-threatening situations he always seeks out the best solution to save the climbers. It's a human drama of the lives and deaths in the mountains.

• Award Winning
• Drama

Tetsurou Hoshino is a young street urchin who desperately wants to replace his human body with an android body, which would grant him immortality and the social freedom the androids have. Normally this is incredibly expensive but it has long been rumored that if you board the Galaxy Express headed for the Andromeda Galaxy, at the end of the line is a planet where they are given out for free. After seeing his mother murdered by an Android Count, he has no reason to remain on his home planet and nothing to hold him back. Now, not only seeking the android body of his dreams but also a way to avenge his loss, he begins to search for a way to board the train alone. Then he meets Maetel, a mysterious woman who offers him a ticket aboard the train if he will be her companion for the journey. Their journey will take them to planet after planet, each strange and new, and each stop along the way being an opportunity for Tetsurou to reflect on being human, human actions, and the prospect of immortality. During their travels Tetsurou and Maetel meet, amongst others, Emeraldas and Harlock.

• Adventure
• Award Winning
• Drama
• +2

Saitou Eijirou is a newly established intern doctor, who is forced to take on a second night job at another, much smaller hospital because of the extremely low pay he receives. As he bounces between the two different hospitals, he is forced to dig deeper and deeper into Japan's largely corrupted medical society and starts to question even his own initial beliefs, as he asks himself just what being a doctor means. (Source: ANN)

• Award Winning
• Drama