HISTORICAL

From the pages of history comes the legend of the Samurai Jubei and the book he was pledged to protect. Now that book has been stolen and Jubei must retrieve it before Japan descends into bloody civil war.

A poignant and intelligent collection of short stories linked to the progression of the seasons. 6 stories:1. Soft Shell2. Falling In Love With The Sky3. One Piece (The Dress)4. The Name Of Water5. Tough6. Wind Grass Child

In ancient times, the Heavenly Emperor opened the Gate of Firmament, connecting the Heavens and Earth. Even mortals could learn to ascend to the Gate to meet with the Emperor and to obtain divine powers in order to aid the mortal realm. Unscrupulous individuals took advantage of the Emperor's gesture, and plunged the human realm into chaos, filling the lives of the common folk with anxiety and weariness. At this time, the sibling gods Fuxi and Nwa took pity on the people and convinced the Queen of Huaxu to close the Gate forcibly with the help of Emperor Zhuanxu. From then on, no one could reach the Heavens with impunity, and no god could travel to the mortal realm freely. This incident came to be known as the Isolation of the Heavens and Earth. Spin-off of the game (The Gate of Firmament)

From Stage Storm:Miss Marilla Cuthbert and Mr. Matthew Cuthbert, middle-aged siblings who live together at Green Gables, a farm in Avonlea, on Prince Edward Island, decide to adopt an orphan boy from the asylum as a helper on their farm. Through a series of mishaps, what ends up under their roof is a precocious girl of eleven named Anne Shirley. Anne is bright and quick, eager to please but dissatisfied with her name, her pale countenance dotted with freckles, and with her long braids of red hair. Being a child of imagination, however, Anne takes much joy in life, and adapts quickly, thriving in the environment of Prince Edward Island.

The series follows the adventures of Sabu, a young Edo bakufu investigator traveling with the blind master swordsman Ichi. In their travels, they assist the common people in solving mysteries and righting wrongs (usually committed by bandits or corrupt officials). Sabu is engaged to Midori, the daughter of his boss, who works as a police officer for the Tokugawa shogunate.This series won the 1968 Shogakukan Manga Award.

[From Forever More]:Saku, an assassin, believes his life is meant to be lived by the sword. After a night of brutal killing however, he is left wounded and helpless in the hands of Shakou, a mysterious doctor, and the only witness to his crimes. Fate seems to have ordained this encounter as secrets are broken and emotions run wild...

Living in regret that his formula gave birth to the atomic bomb, Professor Einstein sends two boys whose eyes can see the future on a train that travels at the speed of light before embarking on his own final adventure: death. His hope is that they will find "HER" and tell her his wish, for it is only she who can grant it.Fifty years later, it is 2005 and the place is Tokyo. At last, "SHE" (Ruika) has been found... but Ruika has an unusual circumstance. For her mother's sake, she's been living as her dead brother since childhood. Does Ruika truly have the power to grant wishes? If she grants her mother's wish by becoming a boy, then no one can lead us into the GLOBAL GARDEN... Now it's a race against time and against each other, because everyone has a dark past and an ulterior motive for possessing the girl who can grant Einstein's wish.

Lena Ha is a beautiful and tough girl who is the captain of the kendo team. She meets Hye-Min Kang, the son of the president of a large company in Korea, and the two seem to feel love at first sight. But when Lena learns that she and Hye-Min are half-siblings, a string of unfortunate occurrences lead to terrible consequences. Lena tries to do everything she can to prevent them, but she ends up falling in a strange body of water in result. When Lena awakes, she finds herself in a strange kingdom...and learns that she may be its only hope. Left with few options, Lena is forced to disguise herself as a man. She must face many challenges and experience more than she ever would have expected. Adventure is on the forecast.

A brothel tale

Among the warrior class, those who mock the honor of others and stain their own are hated. The newly-wed Udagawa Gosuke and Shino are two people trying to live in this rigid society as husband and wife. Moved by Shino's honest and sincere personality, Gosuke becomes determined to live freely! His goal? To establish the world's best swordsmanship dojo!! Let's raise the curtain on this pure samurai story!!!

From Aestheticism:The story happens in a circus in Paris in the 1970's. (...) Much is made of the romance of the circus atmosphere, of flying through the air on a trapeze, etc etc. Think cirque here, not circus. We're doing Old World riffs on the romance and tawdriness of the ring. There are no elephants in tutus walking on their hind legs; it's slit-eyed jugglers and daring death-loving trapeze artists and sad Pierrot clowns, even if the Pierrot clown - our hero, Torinosu, 'Bird's Nest' - has a false red nose. The tawdriness comes from the circus master pimping out his performers to anyone willing to pay. (...) And there's tanbi decadence - ghosts who wander into the action looking like teenaged girls even if they're the hero's brother, and abandoned neurotic women with a thing for inflicting pain, and buracon and possible murder and unspoken pining and a hero who looks about to perish at any moment from terminal angst.

Knights is a shounen manga tale about squire Mistletien, called 'Mist' for short. Taking place in a medieval world in which the church and her representatives are burning people en masse on suspicion of witchcraft, Mist and his organization are taking a stand against the church and the 'Saints' who are perpetuating the witch hunts. Mist is feared and hated by the village-folk because of his appearence, wearing a mask to disguise himself and going by the moniker 'The Black Knight.' He travels with Euphemia, a young girl who is as expert with mixing potions and poisons as Mist is with a sword, and together they rescue those who are to be executed on suspicion of witchcraft.

England, the early 1900s. Alice, a young noblewoman, has a Japanese maid named Hanako working in her household. The two have a fairly typical relationshipuntil the day Alice begs Hanako to kill her. As Hanako tries to figure out why her mistress would make such a terrible request, she and Alice grow closer until an entirely new feeling begins to blossom between them.Buy here:

From IIChan Translation Group:Yet another maid-tastic manga from Kaoru Mori, "Shirley" is an evocative glimpse into the daily life of winsome, 13-year-old Shirley, a maid in turn-of-the-century England. It is often compared to Yokahama Kaidashi Kikou, as both mangas feature languid pacing, atmospheric backgrounds, and a female main character who works in a cafe.If you like YKK, have a weakness for "cute," and/or have a maid fetish, this is the manga for you. No hentai, no fanservice, zero, zip, nada. Just pure maid-tastic moemoe.

In the tradition of "My Antonia" and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn", from the pen of the renowned Korean manwhacreator Kim Dong Hwa, comes a trilogy about a girl coming of age, set in the vibrant, beautiful landscape of pastoral Korea.1. "The Color of Earth": First love is never easy. Ehwa grows up helping her widowed mother run the local tavern, watching as their customers both neighbors and strangers look down on her mother for her single lifestyle. Their social status isolates Ehwa and her mother from the rest of the people in their quiet country village. But as she gets older and sees her mother fall in love again, Ehwa slowly begins to open up to the possibility of love in her life.2. "The Color of Water": When Ehwa goes to the town festival, she meets a handsome young wrestler named Duksam who's eager to catch her eye. After he wins the festival wrestling championship, he and Ehwa begin to meet, sneaking spare moments to be together. But a shadow falls on their romance when Master Cho sends Duksam away and asks for Ehwa's hand in marriage himself. It is then that Ehwa discovers the pain of heartbreak and that love is always complicated.3. "The Color of Heaven": Love is budding, blooming, and bearing fruit in this triumphant conclusion. The third and final volume sees Ehwa rediscovering love and embarking upon marriage as her mother and the traveling pictographer decide to settle down together.

From Kotonoha:Based on the award-winning novel by Shinji Kajio, Memories of Emanon tells the story of a mysterious girl who holds a 3-billion-year old memory, dating back to the moment life first appeared on Earth.

From Viz: Poor Sumi Kitamura Her irresponsible older brother Eisuke keeps bringing home orphans for her to take care of even though they can barely afford their own basic needs! Just when Sumi's financial problems become dire, wealthy Soichiro Ashida enters her life with a bizarre proposition: he'll provide her with the money she so desperately needs if she agrees to marry him. But can Sumi fool high society into thinking she's a proper lady? Moreover, is it worth giving up everything for this sham of a marriage?

Sequel to Divine Melody. Caisheng, the half demon fox god who can change gender at will, wanders the Earth looking for her lost lover's reincarnation, Wei Tzequi. Wei Tzequi, a former divine being, was banished from the heavens for breaking the rules, but Caisheng refuses to give up hope she will meet him again.But finding Wei Tzequi is only the start of Caisheng's troubles. Other beings, both demons and gods alike, want her for their own reasons. Some see Caisheng as the salvation for their own race, while others want to kill her for their own nefarious purposes. Even a fox-god from the heavens, Yuer, finds himself intensely curious with Caisheng, and decides he will take her back to the heavens in order to marry her. In order to survive, Caisheng must muster what allies she can so she can continue to wander - and find the one person she has spent so many years seaching for.

[From Omanga]:A coming-of-age story from Jiro Matsumoto (the author of Freesia) about a young, aspiring photographer named Soma. He's going nowhere, stuck in a mire of sex and drugs, until a horrible end to a one night stand sets him on a path that changes his life forever.WARNING: Mature content. Do not be surprised if you come across disturbing imagery.

By the order of Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa, ten ninja from the Iga and the Kouga clans must fight to the death in order to determine who will be the next Tokugawa Shogun, with the surviving clan ruling for the next thousand years. But Oboro of the Iga clan and Gennosuke of the Kouga clan have fallen deeply in love. Now these star-crossed lovers have been pitted against each other. Can their romance conquer a centuries-old rivalry? Or is their love destined to end in death?

Collection of short stories:1) Anohito to Nitenai KuchibiruKaji was in love with his sempai for years but his sempai got married and had a child. Kaji takes care of the kid and watches him growing up...2) Kuchibiru Kara BiyakuSequel to Anohito to Nitenai Kuchibiru3) BloodWhen their father dies, the rival half brothers must sort through their feelings of anger, regret, pain and desire that their lives have been steeped in thus far...4) Kagari OniAn exorcist solves a mystery involving demons. Not really a romance, just a historical fantasy story.5) Datenshitachi no YoruS&M relationship between step siblings is taken to extremes.6) Double SnakeA former gangster has turned into a regular office worker, but he still sleeps with his gangster lover. But one of the newbies doesn't like the fact that his favorite 'boss' is having a relationship with an office worker.

An anthology of Touken Ranbu by various mangaka.

From Fantasyshrine:Since he first met Baron Kuroba, Seiji has been secretly in love with the master of the Kuroba Manor, where servants were rumored to be attacked by a vampire. However, Baron Kuroba only sees Seiji as a lap dog that needs to be disciplined for his carnal pleasures. How can Seiji convince the baron, who doesn't believe in love, to love him back?

Ichi is a lone goze (blind woman singer) who has become separated from her traveling entertainment troupe. Wondering how she will find her place in life, she carries only a shamisen (a traditional Japanese stringed instrument) and a walking stick with a hidden blade inside. When necessary, she uses her exceptional sword skills to fight off yakuza and other villains.

1) Mega You Freak2) Mega Love Melancholy3) Home4) Cor Leonis - Lion's Heart5) Destination - The bird and the plane6) Caf Hickory House7) [i][/i]

The period is Kamakura, the age of onmyoudo and monster parades. A child appeared in the shrine by Lake Biwa, Kumou Shrine, asking for help. And then, it's finally time for those two.This is Hirari and Botan's story, finally completed.A story following after Donten ni Warau Gaiden with connection to Rengoku ni Warau.+

From Yen Press: Monarchy ended long ago in Korea, but there are still other countries with Kings, Queens, princes and princesses. What if Korea had continued monarchism? What if all the beautiful palaces which are now only historical relics were actually filled with people? What if the glamorous royal family still maintained the palace customs? Welcome to a world where Korea still has the royal family living their lives! But for Chae-Kyung, a high-school girl, this is a tragedy, since she has to marry the prince who turns out to be a total jerk! Because of a promise between their grandfathers, Chae-Kyung must marry Shin, the crown prince of Korea. Though they each have their reasons for agreeing to marry, they find themselves falling deeply in love, even as others attempt to drive them apart.

From Aerandria Scans:The small country of Castoria was conquered by the Adarshan Empire. To tie the alliance between the two countries, the victorious shogun, Alexid Deke Adars, was forced into a political marriage with Castoria's sixth imperial princess, Justinia. But she's only 10 years old...!

From Infinity Studios: Everyone always says to set high goals for oneself. Sei-Ann, an orphaned young lady who was raised in the care of a noblewoman, does just that when she decides she'll become the prince's bride. With above average looks and ambitions that would rival that of a king, Sei-Ann is determined to leave her social status behind and become the wife of the next Crown Prince. Ever since she was a child, she knew that she was somehow special and was meant to go places. And even if it meant enduring a marriage with the most hideous looking prince, she feels it would be a small price to pay to claim her fate as the First Lady of the kingdom.

The "Emma, Further Tales" manga fills in details from the "Emma" manga, both before and after the events in that storyline, now concluded.Each chapter explores the motivations or simply shows a day in the life of a particular character from the story.Find out about the romance between Doug and Kelly in their early days, or follow the adventures of Eleanor as she overcomes her heartache and begins to live again, or visit with Tasha and her family on her day off.---from IIChanThis is supposedly like Volume 8 after the complete 7 Volume series of Emma...

From Mangascreener:The main character is Leonora, the daughter of an impoverished noble of Padua. She is a beautiful silver-haired, emerald-green-eyed girl and very good at fighting with the sword.One day, she is forced to marry an arrogant young noble, but she discovers on the day of their wedding that this man intends to use her to become king of Italy because she is involved in an ancient Italian legend: Leonara is the girl shown on "Kakan no Madonna" (Madonna of the Flower Crown), a famous painting drawn by Leonardo DaVinci. There exists a legend that tells whoever gets the legendary sword "Emerald Lion" will unite and rule over Italy. And the secret hiding-place of the sword can be found with "Kakan no Madonna"--that is, Leonara.In order to find out the truth of the portrait's secret related her and to hide her identity as Kakan no Madonna, Leonara disguises herself as a black-haired boy, Leo, and sets out to find DaVinci. On the way she meets Falco, the blond-haired handsome king of Naples, who is unaware that she is a girl, and becomes his servant.When she finally finds DaVinci, she hears with surprise that she - the girl portrayed in Kakan no Madonna - is destined to possess the legendary Emerald Lion and therefore to become queen of Italy.

The era is Edo (1603-1868). Tsubaki is a merchant's daughter who is sold to the red lights district after losing her family in a fire. Driven by desire to triumph over her first love, a servant, she aims to become the top courtesan! She polishes her beauty and artistic talents every day, but for some reason, her senior courtesan and current number one oiran Takao has an eye on her?!In volume 4 is included the oneshot Ginrou no Sakura.

From Konnichiwa:Many, many years ago, a ninja named Kagetora devoted his life to protecting Princess Beni ("Beni-Hime"). Unfortunately, they were attacked and Kagetora was flung into a lake, and sank to the bottom And is somehow warped to the future where he sees the princess Beni being kidnapped.Little does Kagetora know that Beni is not the real princess, but rather her descendant. Beni, on the other hand, thought that Kagetora was just a cosplayer. Beni, the daughter of a rich man has already been kidnapped a hundred times already... But fear not because Kagetora is here. Will Kagetora be able to go back to the past, or will he remain by Beni's side forever?

A collection of short stories. The title story:Shinobu grew up in a town so small that he didn't even have any classmates in elementary school. Without any friends his age, he spent his time learning about flowers with a local horticulture expert. Now that he's moved away to a city, he still sticks to himself, since he never really learned how to make friends. That is, with the exception of Yukihito, who came up to him one day and became his friend. The trouble is, now Yukihito means the world to Shinobu, and he doesn't know what to do about it.