The end of the Edo period, the Bakumatsu (between 1853 and 1867), was an era of uncertainty and chaos, a time when the line between right and wrong was indistinguishable. During this era, Hijikata Toushizou, determined to live by his own rules, led his reformed Shinsengumi--formerly a ragtag group of mercenaries that became the elite Samurai fighting force of the shogunate--to glory. This is the story of his life.

In 1982, 30 years ago, I failed my high school entrance exam at the peak of my youth, and was a so-called "chuurou." I lived as a chuurou when I was 15, the most impressionable time of my life. For most ordinary people, that year would be considered a negative. And yet, that one year made me who I am now. Speaking of which, am I happy now? The 2013 me will meet the 1982 me once more. (Source: Shogakukan, translated)

Shiina Atsushi, a Japanese-American boy, lives in Japan during WWII. He comes across a Chinese girl, collapsed among the debris of a collapsed building, with a strange glowing symbol on her back. She claims she’s from another world that has been destroyed. As she attempts to leave, the military arrive and demand she go with them. Who is this mysterious girl? What will young Atsushi do?