Umiko, a grandma, realizes that she has the same desire to make movies as university student Kai—and soon she enrolls in Kai's film school! *"It's not the movies you like…you like watching the people watching the movies."* Just what are you going to do with the rest of your life? It's the question you'll always have to answer, no matter your age. Umiko Chino is a 65-year-old retired woman in mourning for her late husband. Remembering how they used to watch films together, Umiko goes to the movie theater for the first time in years, where she meets Kai, an attractive, ambiguous young man who studies filmmaking at a nearby art school. They would seem to have nothing in common, except for this—both of them sometimes like to look more at the way the audience reacts to a movie than the movie itself. Kai believes Umiko has the same deep desire he possesses to experience how people respond to something they made… and challenges her to stake the rest of her life discovering that thrill. Soon Umiko surprises herself by enrolling in the same film school as Kai. But sailing into this new sea, she's suddenly inside the currents of her fellow students' lives, a much younger generation that she struggles to understand, driven by their own passions and their own relationships. Who's really experienced at life, and is it old age or observation that brings wisdom? And does what you're looking for change when you look with your eyes instead of through a camera lens…? (Source: Dark Horse)

Gaku is the son of former Japanese national volleyball star Kei Shishiya. Through middle school, he’s played as his team’s ace hitter, though part of him wonders if that’s a title he earned, or one he was simply given. One day, Kei meets Noboru, a generational volleyball talent with a monstrous spiking arm, and vows to turn him into the next national standout. In the wake of that choice, Gaku realizes he can’t play the style his father demands, but swears he’ll defeat both Kei and Noboru with a game that’s entirely his own. *Source: K Manga*

In the depths of a murky mansion lives a group of enigmatic nobles known as…the Shadow family. With no visible features to speak of, these mysterious aristocrats employ living dolls to act as their “faces.” Kate and Emilico are one such pair of mistress and servant, dwelling in their own little world and learning from each other bit by bit with every new day. But in a house of locked doors, living according to rules from no apparent source—how long can their blissfully peaceful existence truly last…? Source: Yen Press, Vol. 1

Chloe and her baby brother Locke were born in a prison the size of a city: a walled-off collection of ramshackle buildings full of dangerous criminals who live bleak and isolated lives. Their parents are gone, leaving Chloe to care for her brother. When a trio of soldiers manage to break out of the prison, Chloe goes with them but loses Locke during the escape. After years of training, Chloe returns to the prison city with one goal: to find her now 11-year-old brother and get him out of that hellhole, no matter what it takes. (Source: Seven Seas Entertainment)

Excellent student Iwakura Mitsumi has always dreamt about leaving her small town, going to a prestigious university, and making positive change in the world. But she’s so focused on reaching her goals that she’s not prepared for the very different (and overwhelming) city life that awaits her in a Tokyo high school. Luckily, she makes fast friends with Shima Sousuke, a handsome classmate who’s as laid-back as she is over-prepared. Can this naive country girl make it big in Tokyo with Sousuke by her side? (Source: Seven Seas Entertainment) *Notes: \- Nominated for the 2020 Manga Taisho Award. \- Winner of the Best General Manga category at the 47th Kodansha Manga Award in 2023.*

Rakugo--the ultimate form of storytelling, where everything in a story is expressed with just your body and words. Shinta and his daughter Akane have been seduced by this wonderful form of classical entertainment. Having observed her father strive to pass the shin'uchi rakugo test, Akane will take her own steps into this unique world! (Source: MANGA Plus) *Notes: \- Ranked 3rd in the 8th Next Manga Awards print manga category in 2022. \- Ranked 4th in the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2023 guidebook for male readers. \- Ranked 3rd in the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2023. \- Ranked 2nd in the 16th Manga Taisho in 2023. \- Nominated for the 47th Kodansha Manga Award in the shounen category in 2023. \- Included in the New York Public Library's 2023 Best Books for Teens. \- Included in YALSA's 2024 Great Graphic Novels for Teens.*

**Blood, death, and duty—the title bequeathed to the heir of the royal executioner becomes a burden too heavy to bear.** Born into a family of executioners, Charles-Henri Sanson must take up his father’s mantle as the Royal Executioner of Paris. Conflicted between his desire to honor the family name and rebelling against the longstanding practice, he chooses to follow tradition, but vows to be the last executioner—the last Sanson to spill blood in the name of justice. *Source: Dark Horse, Omnibus 1*

This multi-generational epic dives deep into rakugo, a rich form of Japanese storytelling theater. Small-time crook Yotaro has never forgotten the rakugo tale "The God of Death," which the master Yurakutei Yakumo performed for Yotaro during his time in prison. After his release, he goes to Yakumo's theater and pleads to be made his apprentice. Yakumo reluctantly accepts, but Yotaro quickly finds the world of rakugo is complex and grapples with a growing bond with Yakumo's ward, Konatsu. Meanwhile, the two young people bring reminders of Yakumo’s own inescapable past. (Source: Kodansha USA) *Note: Won the 38th Kodansha Manga Awards for Best General Manga and the New Creator Prize of the 21st Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2017.*

Kosei Arima was a piano prodigy until his cruel taskmaster of a mother died suddenly, changing his life forever. Driven by his pain to abandon piano, Kosei now lives in a monotonous, colorless world. Having resigned himself to a bland life, he is surprised when he meets Kaori Miyazono, a violinist with an unorthodox style. Can she bring Kosei back to music, and back to life? (Source: Kodansha Comics) *Note: Nominated for the 2012 Manga Taisho Awards.*

When Kazusa enters high school, she joins the Literature Club, where she leaps from reading innocent fiction to diving into the literary classics. But these novels are a bit more…adult than she was prepared for. Between euphemisms like fresh dewy grass and pork stew, crushing on the boy next door, and knowing you want to do that one thing before you die–discovering your budding sexuality is no easy feat! As if puberty wasn’t awkward enough, the club consists of a brooding writer, the prettiest girl in school, an agreeable comrade, and an outspoken prude. Fumbling over their own discomforts, these five teens get thrown into chaos over three little letters: S…E…X…! *Note: Includes four extra chapters.*

The studious Yatora leaves a dry life of study and good manners behind for a new passion: painting. But untethering yourself from all your past expectations is dangerous as well as thrilling… (Source: Kodansha USA) *Note: Nominated for Manga Taisho Awards in 2019, Kodansha Manga Awards in 2019 and the 24th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2020. Winner of the 13th Manga Taisho Awards. Winner of the General Manga category of the 44th annual Kodansha Manga Awards.*