Kirita is a typical child of the Eighties, equally worried about homework and nuclear war. His precocious friend Takumi can’t figure out why the other kids won’t acknowledge him as their obvious superior. And silent Tsugumu just wants to rock out. Welcome to the secret world of the children nowadays.
These days... Tsugumu gets a dog. Takumi gets a secret admirer. Kirita gets more summer homework than he can handle. And the whole gang discovers holidays, hip-hop and minimalist theater.
These days… Komari loves Takumi. Takezo loves his big sister. Tsugumu loves heavy metal. All the kids love spending their New Year’s money. And Takumi loves…Komari?
These days… The gang has a sleepover, endures the pangs of young love, does some deeply inappropriate reading, and gets a new member with a flash of feeling.
These days… Takumi tries to become an award-winning novelist, a master of esoteric knowledge, and a pop music idol. Ippei tries to share his gift for poetry. All the kids try to make Halloween catch on in Japan. And Tsugumu is holding out for heavy metal stardom.
These days… The new kid in the neighborhood has a passion for snack foods and a dad with the sweetest job imaginable. But snacking spies and corporate kidnappers threaten to put a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.
These days… Tsugumu finds a kindred spirit who shares his passion for heavy metal. Takumi may have found a new love interest, if only he could remember her name. And all the kids—even Tsugumu’s royal doppelganger, Prince Chabel—run away from home and find they can live without parents as long as they have catering.
These days… The kids debate the existence of Santa, compete over who has the worst luck, and judge a sixth-grade beauty contest. Then everyone says goodbye with a special collection of comic strips in the farewell volume of The Children Nowadays!