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One day, penguins are spotted in the suburban town that fourth-grader Aoyama calls home. The penguins make their sudden appearance in a residential district—nowhere near the ocean—and disappear just as mysteriously. Where could they have come from, and where did they go? Aoyama is determined to get to the bottom of it! This is the slightly curious, unforgettable tale of that summer. (Source: Yen Press)
In Kyoto, there are three kinds of residents: humans, tanuki, and tengu. Shimogamo Yasaburou is the third son of the Shimogamo tanuki family. His father, Souichirou, had been the head of Kyoto tanuki community until he was eaten by the human members of "Friday Club." While taking care of an old tengu, fighting with other tanuki, and playing with a psychic human girl, Yasaburou approaches the truth of his father's death.
The protagonist falls in love with “Otome,” his junior in a college club, and struggles daily to be noticed by her. However, “Kurokami no Otome” is naïve and unsophisticated and is completely indifferent to him. This comical love fantasy depicts funny and interesting daily happenings in the city of Kyoto. (Source: Jmanga) **Note:** Yoru wa Mijikashi Arukeyo Otome is based on Morimi Tomihiko's 2006 novel of the same title.
From Yen Press: A college student spends an evening out, unwittingly attracting the attention of various men whose paths she crosses. One in particular, an upperclassman who has been nursing a crush on her for some time, has chosen this night to make his true feelings known. Will the two come together, or will this girl just keep on walking?
From Yen On: I may only be in fourth grade, but I know more than most adults. I take notes every day and read all kinds of books, so I have a solid grasp on the world around me. But suddenly, there are penguins in my town! I know it has something to do with the lady at the dentist and her weird powers, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it.
From Harpercollins: Our protagonist, an unnamed junior at a prestigious university in Kyoto, is on the verge of dropping out. After rebelling against the dictatorial jock president of the film club, he and his worst and only friend, the diabolical creep Ozu, are personas non grata on campus. For two years, our protagonist has made all the wrong decisions, and now he's about to make another mistake. He and Ozu are preparing for revenge, a fireworks attack at the film club's welcoming party for new members. Then, a chance encounter with a self-proclaimed god sets the confused and distraught young man on a new course. Destiny will bring him together with Akashi, the blunt but charming sophomore he has a crush on, if he’s brave enough to make a move. Yet our protagonist cannot get beyond his profound disillusionment and the moment is lost. But what if there's a universe where he did join the club of his dreams, ditched Ozu for good, and was confident enough to get the girl? A realm of possibility opens up for our protagonist as time rewinds, and from the four-and-a-half-mat tatami floor of his dorm room, he is plunged into a series of adventures that will take him to four parallel universes. In each universe, he is given the opportunity to start over as a freshman, in search of a rose-colored campus life.
From Harpercollins: During a scorching August in Kyoto, our protagonist and his worst friend, Ozu, are locked in a glaring contest in a four-and-a-half-tatami-mat room. Ozu has spilled Coke on the air conditioner’s remote control, the only AC in Shimogamo Yusuisuiso, their famously shabby sweatbox of an apartment building. Vengeful and despairing, our protagonist discusses countermeasures with his secret crush, the reliably blunt Akashi, when Tamura, a strange young man with a bad haircut, appears. Tamura claims to be a time traveler from 25 years in the future, and shows off the time machine he uses to travel. Our protagonist has a brilliant idea: the sweetest revenge would be to go back one day in time and retrieve the functioning remote control. His simple fix is complicated by Ozu and several others who are also eager to take a ride back in time. But in attempting to alter the past, our protagonist foresees the world's extinction. Even more troublingly, Akashi mentions she’s bringing someone to the upcoming bonfire and it's not him. Only one thing remains certain: it's going to be a very long month. Obliteration? Salvation? Coca-Cola? Castella cake? What does the time machine hold for our (not quite) heroes? It all depends on which one gets there first.
From Yen Press: One young man's boring college life changes forever when he shares a budding romance with a girl named Mizuo. And it all comes tumbling down when she, of all people, has the gall to dump him! Now with only his enormous (some might say delusional) imagination to his name, he starts tearing through the streets of Kyoto! A Japanese fantasy novel for every man who's been let down by love, and everyone planning on doing so.
*Manga adaption of Morimi Tomihiko's 2003 debut novel.* Set at Kyoto University, it narrates the story of a young man dealing with rejection, getting to the point of creepily stalking his affection.
