Genres

Thorfinn, son of one of the Vikings' greatest warriors, is among the finest fighters in the merry band of mercenaries run by the cunning Askeladd, an impressive feat for a person his age. However, Thorfinn is not part of the group for the plunder it entails—instead, for having caused his family great tragedy, the boy has vowed to kill Askeladd in a fair duel. Not yet skilled enough to defeat him, but unable to abandon his vengeance, Thorfinn spends his boyhood with the mercenary crew, honing his skills on the battlefield among the war-loving Danes, where killing is just another pleasure of life.

One day, when Askeladd receives word that Danish prince Canute has been taken hostage, he hatches an ambitious plot—one that will decide the next King of England and drastically alter the lives of Thorfinn, Canute, and himself. Set in 11th century Europe, Vinland Saga tells a bloody epic in an era where violence, madness, and injustice are inescapable, providing a paradise for the battle-crazed and utter hell for the rest who live in it.

Takao Kasuga is an unsociable middle school student who bears a love for books; in particular, Charles Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal. He also has a crush on his class' idol, the sweet Nanako Saeki. In stark contrast to her, Sawa Nakamura is an insolent and unpleasant girl who lacks any concern for school.

One day, Takao forgets to bring his book home with him. He returns to school to retrieve it, but is stopped in his tracks when he finds Nanako's freshly worn gym clothes lying on the floor. A strange desire consumes Takao, and like a wicked pervert, he steals them.

Aku no Hana is a compelling coming-of-age story centered around Takao's thoughts, feelings, and relationships as he tries to live a normal life with the guilt of his crime weighing on him. Sawa, however, who witnessed Takao's thievery, has other plans in store for him...

Tsubaki is a girl who loves making her younger sister's hair pretty every morning, but she doesn't think that kind of style suits herself! On the day of her High School Opening Ceremony, after she failed to be the top student (who usually makes the ceremony speech), she finds herself sitting next to the actual top student of the 1st years, the worst rude guy ever, Kyouta. Because of his saying bad things to her she purposely cuts his hair. Kyota requests that Tsubaki pay him back "with her body" but Tsubaki pays him back by fixing his hair and making it even shorter! Afterwards, Kyota unexpectedly kisses Tsubaki and swears he'll make her his woman.

(Source: Shoujo Manga Maniac)

Second-year high school student Seiji Utsumi is hopelessly in love with Shou Iketani, the energetic and scatter-brained tennis club captain in the year above him, but he cannot bring himself to even talk with her. Unable to make any progress, he is perfectly content with just watching from afar—perhaps a bit too literally.

While spying on the tennis club's morning practice on the first day of a new semester, Seiji is spotted and accused of peeping by Yuki Kurokawa, a club member who ends up in his class. However, when she sees that Seiji has no bad intentions and is serious about Shou, Yuki decides to help him confess his feelings.

As Seiji gets closer to Shou with Yuki's guidance, he realizes that his simplistic view of love and relationships prevents him from seeing the complexity and darkness under the surface—for both Shou and Yuki. Can he navigate through all the heartbreak and misunderstandings to reach his good ending?

In 16th century Japan, Shinmen Takezou is a wild, rough young man, in both his appearance and his actions. His aggressive nature has won him the collective reproach and fear of his village, leading him and his best friend, Matahachi Honiden, to run away in search of something grander than provincial life. The pair enlist in the Toyotomi army, yearning for glory—but when the Toyotomi suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of the Tokugawa Clan at the Battle of Sekigahara, the friends barely make it out alive.

After the two are separated, Shinmen returns home on a self-appointed mission to notify the Hon'iden family of Matahachi's survival. He instead finds himself a wanted criminal, framed for his friend's supposed murder based on his history of violence. Upon being captured, he is strung up on a tree and left to die. An itinerant monk, the distinguished Takuan Soho, takes pity on the "devil child," secretly freeing Shinmen and christening him with a new name to avoid pursuit by the authorities: Musashi Miyamoto.

Vagabond is the fictitious retelling of the life of one of Japan's most renowned swordsmen, the "Sword Saint" Musashi Miyamoto—his rise from a swordsman with no desire other than to become "Invincible Under the Heavens" to an enlightened warrior who slowly learns of the importance of close friends, self-reflection, and life itself.

The story follows the life of Yuu Haruna, who recently moved into Tokyo with his sisters after their father is forced to transfer overseas on work.

On his way to buy dinner while looking at his Twitter account, a high school girl suddenly crashes into him. Thinking he was taking upskirt pictures of her, the girl takes Yuu's phone, breaks it, and slaps him before leaving Yuu lying on the ground. As it turns out, this girl—Fuuka Akitsuki—also goes to the school Yuu is transferring to.

Unlike most people, Fuuka doesn't own a cellphone; she even listens to music using a CD player. Eventually these two become closer, and decide to form a band with their friends and enter the professional world of music. With Fuuka around, what will now become of Yuu's new life in Tokyo?

Insecure 35-year-old Hideo Suzuki is forced to work as a mangaka's assistant when his own series fails due to low sales. As he struggles through a mundane life plagued by hallucinations, he comes to realize that his relationship with his girlfriend isn't that great, suspecting that she may be cheating on him with her ex-boyfriend. After confronting her about the possible affair, however, Hideo feels bad about his inquisition and decides to visit her house to apologize.

But the world as he knows is about to be overturned. At first, not much seems to have changed, but he soon realizes that society has become a living nightmare, as the horrifying reality of what is taking place around him finally begins to sink in.

The story revolves around Ken, a man from an upper-class family that was orphaned young due to his family's involvement with the Yakuza; he became a high school delinquent known for fighting. The only thing that motivates him to take action is through his romantic affections for a classmate, Yumi. After learning she decided to move to Korea to become a police officer, Ken leaves his life in Japan behind and tries to follow in Yumi's footsteps; due to unforeseen circumstances, he incidentally becomes the head of a local gang and tries to hide it from Yumi. As the leader, the gang is renamed the Sun-Ken Rock Group.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Included one-shot:
Volume 12: Trigun: The Lost Plant

Kenzou Tenma, a renowned Japanese neurosurgeon working in post-war Germany, faces a difficult choice: to operate on Johan Liebert, an orphan boy on the verge of death, or on the mayor of Düsseldorf. In the end, Tenma decides to gamble his reputation by saving Johan, effectively leaving the mayor for dead.

As a consequence of his actions, hospital director Heinemann strips Tenma of his position, and Heinemann's daughter Eva breaks off their engagement. Disgraced and shunned by his colleagues, Tenma loses all hope of a successful career—that is, until the mysterious killing of Heinemann gives him another chance.

Nine years later, Tenma is the head of the surgical department and close to becoming the director himself. Although all seems well for him at first, he soon becomes entangled in a chain of gruesome murders that have taken place throughout Germany. The culprit is a monster—the same one that Tenma saved on that fateful day nine years ago.

Lucy is a special breed of human referred to as "Diclonius," born with a short pair of horns and invisible telekinetic hands that lands her as a victim of inhumane scientific experimentation by the government. However, once circumstances present her an opportunity to escape, Lucy, corrupted by the confinement and torture, unleashes a torrent of bloodshed as she escapes her captors.

During her breakout, she receives a crippling head injury that leaves her with a split personality: someone with the mentality of a harmless child possessing limited speech capacity. In this state of instability, she stumbles upon two college students, Kouta and his cousin Yuka, who unknowingly take an injured fugitive into their care, unaware of her murderous tendencies. This act of kindness will change their lives, as they soon find themselves dragged into the shadowy world of government secrecy and conspiracy.



Included one-shots:
Volume 1: MOL
Volume 2: Digitopolis
Volume 3: Memoria
Volume 5: Elfen Lied

Hanamichi Sakuragi, a tall, boisterous teenager with flame-red hair and physical strength beyond his years, is eager to put an end to his rejection streak of 50 and finally score a girlfriend as he begins his first year of Shohoku High. However, his reputation for delinquency and destructiveness precedes him, and most of his fellow students subsequently avoid him like the plague. As his first day of school ends, he is left with two strong thoughts: "I hate basketball" and "I need a girlfriend."

Haruko Akagi, ignorant of Hanamichi's history of misbehavior, notices his immense height and unwittingly approaches him, asking whether or not he likes basketball. Overcome by the fact that a girl is speaking to him, the red-haired giant blurts out a yes despite his true feelings. At the gym, Haruko asks if he can do a slam dunk. Though a complete novice, Hanamachi palms the ball and makes the leap...but overshoots, slamming his head into the backboard. Amazed by his near-inhuman physical abilities, Haruko quickly notifies the school's basketball captain of his feat. With this, Hanamichi is unexpectedly thrust into a world of competition for a girl he barely knows, but he soon discovers that there is perhaps more to basketball than he once thought.

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.

When 30-year-old Daikichi returns home for his grandfather's funeral he meets an unfamiliar child in the garden. His mother explains that Rin is his grandfather's illegitimate daughter by an unknown mother. The girl is an embarrassment to all his relatives and nobody wants to take her in because of the scandal. Annoyed by their attitude, Daikichi decides to take care of Rin himself, even though he is single and has no experience raising a child.

During the Warring States period in China, Li Xin and Piao are two brother-like youngsters who dream of becoming Great Generals, despite their low status as orphaned slaves. One day, they encounter a man of nobility, who gives Piao an opportunity to undertake an important duty within the state of Qin's royal palace. Parting ways, Xin and Piao promise each other to one day become the greatest generals in the world. However, after a fierce coup d'état occurs in the palace, Xin meets with a dying Piao, whose last words spur him into action and lead him to encounter the young and soon-to-be king of Qin, Ying Zheng.

Although initially on bad terms, Xin and Zheng become comrades and start on a path filled with trials and bloodshed. Zheng's objective is to bring all the warring states under Qin, and Xin seeks to climb to the very top of the army ranks. Against a backdrop of constant tactical battle between states and great political unrest, both outside and within the palace, the two endeavor towards their monumental ambitions that will change history forever.

A seemingly ordinary modern day teenager, Yuri, is suddenly whisked away to the Hittite empire in ancient Anatolia, where an ambitious queen wants the girl for a blood sacrifice in order to murder all heirs but her son, thus seizing control of the throne. Luckily, the timely intervention of Prince Kail saves Yuri from the queen's grasp. Kail promises to send Yuri back to her home, but the queen's persistent schemes to kill them both, plus their growing feelings for each other, keep those plans delayed.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Included one-shot:
Volume 28: Orontes Renka

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)

Every year, a class is randomly chosen to be placed in a deserted area where they are forced to kill each other in order to survive. Initially believing to be on a graduation trip, Shuuya Nanahara and the rest of Shiroiwa Junior High's Class B find that they have been chosen to participate in this game of life and death known as "The Program."

Waking up to the realization that they have been quarantined on an island, the 42 students discover they have been fitted with metal collars which will detonate if certain conditions are not met. In order to obtain freedom, they must slaughter everyone else by whatever means necessary, and the last one standing is deemed the winner. As each member of the class heads down their own path, Shuuya makes it his goal to get off the island without playing the game in order to put an end to this madness once and for all.

Kira, a shy high school student, lives only for her art. Rei, An arrogant, rebellious and violent playboy, wears his delinquency like a badge of honor. They are exact opposites in every way, but when Kira sees Rei kissing a statue of Mars, she overcomes her fears and asks him to model for her. And, to everyone's surprise, Rei agrees.

(Source: Tokyopop)

In a post-apocalyptic world where an environmental disaster led to the eruption of Mt. Fuji and the inundation of Yokohama, the age of humans is in its twilight. Alpha Hatsuseno is an android and the namesake of a small cafe outside Yokohama. As her owner is away on a trip indefinitely, she has been left responsible for running the cafe. Although she rarely gets any customers, Alpha remains outgoing and cheerful.

While Alpha awaits her owner's homecoming, she explores the vicinity with her scooter and camera. Throughout her journeys, she meets new people and other androids, making memories along the way.

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is a beautiful, laid-back story centered around Alpha's daily activities, emphasizing the passing of time in everyday life.

After winning the lottery and landing a job in a prestigious firm, Shin Nitta returns home to celebrate the happiest moment of his life. However, the next morning, his elation turns to panic when his loan agent suddenly informs him of his massive debt. With no hope of paying off his creditors, the devastated Shin is given an alternative: befriend a beautiful girl named Kanoko Kikuchiya, whom he had encountered earlier in a business meeting. Thinking it would be a simple job, Shin accepts the offer, but little did he know of Kanoko's true nature as a spoiled, lustful girl who demands his company at every moment.

In Velvet Kiss, a hapless salaryman must climb his way out of debt by appeasing a wealthy temptress who thirsts for sexual intimacy. As the bond between the two transcends from a mere partnership, they begin to learn each other's secrets and the truth behind their fateful meeting.