From Ponent Mon: Seventeen authors (nine from France or French-speaking countries, eight from Japan) brought together in the same book, a succession of freely created short stories about the same universe: Japan. The French, of course, journeyed to Japan for the occasion. Each cartoonist was sent for two weeks to a different city in the archipelago (Joann Sfar in Tôkyô, Emmanuel Guibert in Kyôto, Nicolas de Crécy in Nagoya, etc.) to bring back an original creation. The Japanese tell us about their district, the city where they live or where they originally come from (Kazuichi Hanawa's story being about the northern island of Hokkaido, Jiro Taniguchi's about the town of Tottori, etc.) The result is often inspired, always surprising: Japan through new eyes. "Japan" will appear simultaneously in French, Japanese, Spanish, Italian and English. Along with "A Patch Of Dreams" by Hideji Oda, it is the first step in a series of international creations with left-to-right reading direction, created for us by some of the best European and Japanese comic book artists. List of included short stories: At the Seaside - [TAKAHAMA Kan](https://www.mangaupdates.com/authors.html?id=4331) The Gateway - David Prudhomme Summer Sky - [TANIGUCHI Jiro](https://www.mangaupdates.com/authors.html?id=714) Now I Can Die! - Aurélia Aurita Osaka 2034 - François Schuiten & Benoît Peeters Shin.Ichi. - Emmanual Guibert The New Gods - Nicolas de Crécy *Kankichi* - [MATSUMOTO Taiyou](https://www.mangaupdates.com/authors.html?id=361) The Tokyo of Qualtérou - Joann Sfar The Sunflower - [Little Fish](https://www.mangaupdates.com/authors.html?id=19995) The Song of the Crickets - [ANNO Moyoco](https://www.mangaupdates.com/authors.html?id=152) In Love Alley - [Frédéric Boilet](https://www.mangaupdates.com/authors.html?id=6069) The City of Trees - Fabrice Neaud The Festival of the Bell-Horses - [IGARASHI Daisuke](https://www.mangaupdates.com/authors.html?id=2216) In the Deep Forest - [HANAWA Kazuichi](https://www.mangaupdates.com/authors.html?id=2080) Sapporo Fiction - Étienne Davodeau

The story centres on so-called "Humanized Animals" (HA), genetically engineered hybrids of man and animal who possess extraordinary physical abilities. They show their worth when they are sent to the scenes of massacres to enact the ambitions of other people. The purpose of their creation is tied to a grand plan for humanity's future.

When Ruka was younger, she saw a ghost in the water at the aquarium where her dad works. Now she feels drawn toward the aquarium and the two mysterious boys she meets there, Umi and Sora. They were raised by dugongs and hear the same strange calls from the sea as she does. Ruka's dad and the other adults who work at the aquarium are only distantly aware of what the children are experiencing as they get caught up in the mystery of the worldwide disappearance of the oceans' fish. (Source: VIZ Media)

On a visit to the capital of a small country in the far west of Asia, a British girl named Nicola falls in love. The object of her affections is Mimar, a young man who works at a bazaar–yet despite her attempts, he doesn’t notice her. Back at home in England, the ache of her unrequited love festers. After years spent obtaining wealth, fame, and “the secret of the world,” she returns to the bazaar to exact her deadly revenge upon Mimar and those he holds dearest. This story is just one of many in this dramatic collection, which features tales of witchcraft across the globe and even in the far reaches of outer space. (Source: Seven Seas Entertainment) *Note: Won the Excellence Prize in the Manga Division at Japan Media Arts Festival in 2004.*

The story of a girl called Ichiko, who lives alone in a forest. Each chapter features a dish or meal scavenged or harvested from Ichiko's surroundings in rural Komori ("little forest"). While there are no wild flights of fancy as in Witches or Hanashippanashi, the organic linework and majesty of nature featured within tap into that same source of magic. Little Forest is a very acquired taste on its own, but just another piece of the stunning tapestry Daisuke Igarashi continues to weave today.

A collection of short stories about supernatural occurrences that take place in our everyday… *Note: Chapter count includes 2 extra chapters.*

A young man and his calico cat move to the countryside. This is a chronicle of the day-to-day adventures of Kabocha and her owner, perfect for cat lovers.

1. **Ubusuna** (産土, Birthgrounds) The story of a mystical creature that makes pottery. 2. **Sora Tobi Tamashii** (そらトびタマシイ, Spirits Flying in the Sky) It's about a girl who is cursed by an owl, and begins to fuse with a chicken spirit she killed by accident. But then she meets a girl just like herself, who helps her become normal again. 3. **Kuma Koroshi Kami Nusumi Tarou no Namida** (熊殺し神盗み太郎の涙, The Tears of Bear-Slayer and God-Stealer Tarou) It's a story about a boy called the "Bear Killer", who meets a girl who has been chosen to become the guardian deity of her village. 4. **Suna-kake** (すなかけ, Covered in Sand) The story of a young girl who meets a girl with a mysterious disease while on a trip to the ocean. 5. **Le Pain et le Chat** (The bread and the cat) The story of a baker who decides to care for a girl whose parents have left her. 6. **Imada Fuyu** (未だ冬, Still Winter) It's about a man who climbs a mountain that belongs to the gods, and is not made for man to climb.

A collection of stories. Contains the original oneshot, Umwelt. 1. **Garuḍa** (ガルーダ) 2. **Wani** (鰐) 3. **Uo** (魚) 4. **Oni, Raishuu** (鬼、来襲) 5. **Tsuchinoko** (ツチノコ) 6. **Dankon Darasco** (ダンコンダラスコ) 7. **Yokkata ne Ameotoko** (よかったね雨男) 8. **Masayoshi to Baachan** (マサヨシとバアちゃん) 9. **Moon Child** (ムーン・チャイルド) 10. **Umwelt** (ウムヴェルト) A genetically engineered girl escapes from her home and the doctor that created her must pursue her with the help of military personnel. (Source: Batoto, edited)

There is said to be an ancient power that lies dormant deep within Earth. It took the shape of an ape but it was much more than that. Physically strong and psychologically powerful, nothing stood in its way. However, one day, this godlike being split into two: the physical part and the mental state. While the power of the physical part grew larger and larger, the mental part spread its energy throughout the planet into humans. Now, people using black magic are killing those with the spirit in them because as the mental part becomes weaker, the physical side becomes stronger, strong enough to destroy the planet. Elaine Beaulieu was one of those with the mental side inside her and when she was near death, the monkey spirit took over, trying to protect itself. Candid Amantini was sent from the Vatican as an exorcist specialist and learns the truth about the omnipotent ape monster. A Japanese girl named Nana and Nawan Namugyaru, a man who has lost his memory, gets involved in the movement to stop those using black magic from resurrecting the ancient power and destroying Earth.

The story revolves around the rumor of an old cafe in Kamakura. At the Bakeneko Club, customers can meet their lost cats. Maya and Gakuto are two workers at this cafe who encounter the pet owners led by this strange rumor. (Source: Anime News Network)

The manga centers on a story centered on humans, cats, and *bakeneko*, a kind of supernatural shapeshifting cat in Japanese folk myth. (Source: Anime News Network)