Attempting to shake off a nightmare from her childhood, Itoko was supposed to be married in the village of Mizukago. There, she saw a doll that looked just like herself. Itoko wonders why this doll was made and what is the "mother of blue" the villagers speak of. Itoko feels herself being dragged into an abominable village tradition and another nightmare.
Yumiko Kawahara's disturbing short stories explore the strange and codependent world of dolls and the people who own them. These cautionary tales must come from some desire to teach people a lesson, for in each one there is a horrible outcome when the doll enters their homes. Volume 1 Milk at Mealtimes: A man spoils his Plant Doll, and it matures into a "woman". Potpourri Doll: A mentally unbalanced man buys his daughter a Plant Doll, and starts to obsess over the "nauseating scent" coming from it. Snow White, Part I: A jeweller tries to obtain Tears of Heaven from a Plant Doll named Snow White. Snow White, Part II: A poor man takes in a Plant Doll and dies from the exhaustion of taking care of it. In the end the doll cries. Rainy Moon: An artist with a supernatural reputation does a portrait of a Plant Doll named Rainy Moon. Lucky Doll: A man's Plant Doll, named Otohime, grants him good luck, yet his girlfriend is somewhat skeptical. The Distant Sound of Water: A man wanders the city trying to regain his memory. A Spell to Unbind Spring: A man returns to a secluded manor with a legend of a girl who drowned in a nearby lake. Volume 2 Blue Doll: A man working for a collection agency takes in a Plant Doll left behind by former clients. The Garden in the Sky: A maid gets entangled in a plot involving a fortune depending on the words spoken by a Plant Doll. The Missing Doll: A woman tries to find the Plant Doll once owned by her dead grandmother. Princess Jewel: When a boy's sister dies, his father buys a Plant Doll to help his mother deal with it. The Role of an Angel: After getting divorced, a young model buys a Plant Doll. Forbidden Fruit: Olympia is a special kind of Plant Doll, one who sings. But there is a sinister secret about this certain Plant Doll. A Voice in the Night: A woman wanders the city only to stumble upon her corpse. Volume 3 The Garden of Arcadia: A young man who is mysteriously transforming into a tree is taken to a research institute where he is comforted by many plant dolls. Circle: A group pools their money together to buy a plant doll, which they will all take care of. However, when most of the members begin to see the joy in breaking the rules of plant doll care, one member must take charge of her. Honeymoon: A young girl finds that her previously adoring father has bought a doll that is identical to her in her childhood. Dreams of Flying High in the Sky: A lonely novelist buys a plant doll to impress his editor. When she leaves to marry her sweetheart, he must raise the doll by himself. The problem is, the doll doesn't respond to him and he has never taken care of her! Emerald: A rich woman's young lover wishes to possess a plant doll. As he yearns after the doll his mistress begins to lose interest in him. The Storm: A young woman who is kept in a gilded cage attempts to escape to live life to its fullest. Volume 4 Quicksand: When a sick young boy dreams of a beautiful plant doll with aqua blue eyes, his parents are quick to purchase her when he sees it in the shop. As the boy spends more time with the doll his health begins to improve. A Gift: In the midst of refuse an angel waits to awaken. When she is woken before her time, will she ever bloom into a proper angel plant doll? Coral: A father brings home a mysterious ball of coral with a tiny plant doll inside. As the doll spends more time in the sun, the bigger she grows. The Tiara of Melancholy: A brother and sister team is hired to grow the fabled Tiara of Melancholy for a rich man. What they soon find out is that as the tiara grows it draws its energy from the doll itself.
Yumi is a shy and maybe a little awkward business woman who's unsatisfied with her work life. One day she finds a ragged stuffed doll on the side of the road. She names it Kurumi and decides to clean him up and finds herself forgetting about her problems and enjoying life again.
Yoo Se-rin, an actress has long had a crush on Sung Lee-Hyun, the head of the agency that found her.She couldn’t hide her feelings for him anymore, asking him to teach him about sex on the pretext of filming…“Then take it off. Don’t leave out a single thing.If I step back now, I’ll never have a chance.I want him to see me as a woman…"
The story is taken from the famous Nordic saga, but is based on the adaption of Richard Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen, a cycle of four epic music dramas. Central element of the story is of course the stunning Ring of the Nibelung, guarded in the depths of the sea by the nymphs of the water. According to the legend, the owner of the ring will get an enormous power that can challenge even the gods. The hero of the manga is Siegfried, who grew up in the woods with the blacksmith Mime (a dwarf), and is accustomed to harsh life and fighting. He embarks on his destined journey when Mime is killed by a soldier and he is out to get revenge. On his journey he will meet Woden, the god of thunder, and his daughter Brunilde, with whom he falls in love.
Attempting to shake off a nightmare from her childhood, Itoko was supposed to be married in the village of Migomori. There, she saw a doll that looked just like herself. Itoko wonders why this doll was made and what is the "mother of blue" the villagers speak of. Itoko feels herself being dragged into an abominable village tradition and another nightmare.
A young lady of the prime minister family, enduring for 8 years. Finally, at one day she was bestowed empress, Phoenix of the country! But life is unpredictable. Her husband loved her stepsister, deposed her as Empress and even forced her son into death. In that Cold Palace, she was forced to drink poisonous wine. So in the next lifetime, she made a promise to never do good deeds and help others, to never step into the palace and to never become the Empress!
An anthology of teacher-student romance:<br><br>1. You Are an Angel by Ichikawa Natsuo<br>2. Ever-Growing Love by Kawabe Ako<br>3. Gingerbread and Coffee by Ayumi Imo<br>4. A Teacher-Student Battle by Koda<br>5. You Can't Stay Scared Forever by Fujita Nagisa<br>6. Takane no Hana by Yumeno Tsubasa<br>7. Abandoned Love by D Kissan<br>8. On the Rooftop by Goumoto<br>9. Mischief~Shiota-sensei to Amai-chan~ by Nakatoka Kumiko
Baskerville, the family of tragedy. Sophia, the daughter of a wealthy family, is to marry Gwyn Baskerville, the young heir of the Baskerville family who succeeded the title at the mere age of thirteen. After the recent death of his family, Gwyn, the ‘tragedy boy’ was thrown into the public eye. Although Sofia manages to establish a good relationship with Gwyn, she holds a secret that, when uncovered, will keep everyone away. This is the tale of a boy seeking the truth of his family's death and a girl who can see the dead as their bond grows deeper and deeper.
Zoos are made of small and big dreams... but it takes more than a dream to feed the animals! And that, Haruko will realize quickly, as she takes her first steps as a caretaker at the Hidamari Zoo. Despite an overwhelming enthusiasm, her inattentiveness has earned her the dislike of the director of the park, who puts her to the test by entrusting her the care of withdrawn and uncooperative animals... It is now up to the curious talent of the young girl to decipher the secret emotions of the animals through their scent!
Two guys: cousins, both left-handed, both passionate about becoming their school team's best pitcher. One of them has already lost the spot once, back in elementary school; and his cousin moved away not long after, seemingly clueless to the fact that he was leaving the guy who introduced him to baseball dispirited and defeated. But now Yoshizawa Sora is back, still smiling innocently while encouraging Yoshizawa Shuuji to get back into the game. Shuuji accepts, determined to defeat the guy who, in his eyes, took away the only thing that mattered to him.
An anthology of teacher-student romance: You Are an Angel (きみは天使) by Ichikawa Natsuo Ever-Growing Love (背伸びの恋) by Kawabe Ako Gingerbread and Coffee (ジンジャーブレットとコーヒー) by Ayumi Imo A Teacher-Student Battle (先生と生徒の攻防戦) by Koda You Can't Stay Scared Forever (怖がってちゃ始まりませんよ) by Fujita Nagisa Takane no Hana (高嶺の華) by Yumeno Tsubasa Abandoned Love (みすてあい) by D Kissan On the Rooftop (屋上にて) by Goumoto Prank ~Shiota-sensei to Amai-chan~(イタズラ～塩田先生と雨井ちゃん～) by Nakatoka Kumiko
