NISIO, ISIN

VOFAN

This is a story, a "ghostory" of sorts, about scars that bond, monsters that haunt, and fakes that deceive.

The story of Koyomi Araragi begins through a fateful encounter with the all-powerful, blonde-haired, "hot-blooded, iron-blooded, and cold-blooded" vampire, later introduced as Shinobu Oshino. Their tragic rendezvous results in the end of Araragi's life as a human and his subsequent rebirth as a vampire—a monster. However, this encounter is only the start of his meddlings with the supernatural. Koyomi's noble personality ultimately sees him getting further involved in the lives of others with supernatural afflictions. This is his desperate attempt at returning to a normal human life, in a paranormal world filled with nothing but tragedy, suffering, and inhumanity.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

This entry includes the first season of the Monogatari Series.

Monogatari Series: First Season

Akasaka, Aka

Considered a genius due to having the highest grades in the country, Miyuki Shirogane leads the prestigious Shuchiin Academy's student council as its president, working alongside the beautiful and wealthy vice president Kaguya Shinomiya. The two are often regarded as the perfect couple by students despite them not being in any sort of romantic relationship.

However, the truth is that after spending so much time together, the two have developed feelings for one another; unfortunately, neither is willing to confess, as doing so would be a sign of weakness. With their pride as elite students on the line, Miyuki and Kaguya embark on a quest to do whatever is necessary to get a confession out of the other. Through their daily antics, the battle of love begins!

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen

Kusanagi, Mizuho

Once upon a time, the kingdom of Kouka was ruled by a red dragon in human form. By his side, four warriors imbued with dragon blood helped him lead the kingdom to prosperity. Time passed, and this tale became a legend to tell children.

As the sole princess of Kouka, Yona lives a life of lavish ease. In love with her cousin, Su-won, and protected by her bodyguard, Son Hak, she wants for nothing and remains sheltered from the harrowing reality outside the castle walls. Contrary to this peaceful illusion, Kouka is about to undergo a political upheaval. After her beloved Su-won stages a bloody coup and murders her father, Yona is forced to flee with only Hak by her side.

Though surrounded by enemies on all sides, the banished princess still yearns to save her kingdom. Her solution comes from an exiled priest, who tells her that her only hope is to find the four legendary dragon warriors. Guided by this seemingly fictitious myth, Yona sets out to find these warriors, determined to restore her kingdom.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Akatsuki no Yona

Hasekura, Isuna

Ayakura, Juu

A young traveling merchant, Kraft Lawrence, has become accustomed to days of roaming and trading with few companions. Or so it was until one peculiar day when the trader finds a young, naked, wolf-like girl asleep in his wagon.

The beautiful girl, calling herself Holo, claims to be a local wolf deity worshipped by locals as the God of Good Harvest. Year after year, she ensured they would reap a good harvest, but she has since grown tired of fulfilling the wishes of the ungrateful locals.

Holo ends up striking a deal with Lawrence: if he helps her escape the villagers, she will gladly help him in his merchant endeavors. Together, they roam from town to town in search of business, and Lawrence realizes both the ups and downs of traveling with a haughty and shrewd wolf goddess.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ookami to Koushinryou

Yazawa, Ai

Nana Komatsu is a naive, unmotivated girl who spends her high school days chasing one crush after the other. Despite continually facing failure in her quest for love, her spirits have never dampened. At the age of 20, she finds herself on a train to Tokyo with hopes of reuniting with her current boyfriend.

Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is feisty and prideful. After joining a local band during her high school days, she falls in love with music and one of the band members. However, when faced with the choice between her relationship and her musical career, she chooses the latter and separates from her boyfriend. On her 20th birthday, she boards the same train to Tokyo, like her namesake, where she aims to become a top vocalist.

The two girls with the same name but very different aspirations find themselves sitting together on their journey to the city, and, as fate would have it, eventually share the same apartment. A deep and unique bond is then forged, where they will support each other in this saga of love, music, friendship, and heartbreak.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Nana

Mikami, Saka

Despite being adjacent to one another, Chidori Public High School and the all-girls Kikyo Private Academy seem to exist in two different worlds. While the latter boasts an immaculate reputation and favors students from wealthy backgrounds, the former is a nest for dim-witted delinquents. Everyone at Kikyo harbors a deep hatred for their Chidori neighbors.

Sixteen-year-old Rintarou Tsumugi is a student at Chidori whose intimidating face leads people to avoid him. Rintarou pays no mind to this, as he is content with his group of friends. However, there is something he has not told them yet: sometimes, he helps out at his family's cake shop.

One day at work, Rintarou sees a customer at a table, but she runs off before he can talk to her. The next day, he receives an apology from the girl, Kaoruko Waguri, who explains that she did not run away because of his appearance and that she believes Rintarou is a kind-hearted person. Although he is not used to Kaoruko's bright personality, Rintarou looks forward to forming a friendship with her. There is just one obstacle that stands in his way: Kaoruko is a Kikyo student!

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku

Fukuda, Ikumi

On a cold and silent day, a man and a woman meet. He is Aleksander, a police officer, and she is Emma, a young, blind woman who has fled her home in search of independence. As it happens, Aleksander's station needs someone to take calls. They make an unlikely pair—a small, stylish woman and a tall, intimidating man—but something tentative and intimate blossoms between them, resembling neither friendship nor love, as if a thin, transparent veil is raised between them.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Veil

Watari, Wataru

Ponkan⑧

Hachiman Hikigaya, a student in Soubu High School, is a cynical loner due to his traumatic past experiences in his social life. This eventually led to him developing a set of "dead fish eyes" and a twisted personality similar to that of a petty criminal. Believing that the concept of youth is a lie made up by youngsters who face their failures in denial, he turns in an essay that criticizes this exact mentality of youths. Irritated by the submission, his homeroom teacher, Shizuka Hiratsuka, forces him to join the Volunteer Service Club—a club that assists students to solve their problems in life, hoping that helping other people would change his personality.

However, Yukino Yukinoshita, the most beautiful girl in school, is surprisingly the sole member of the club and a loner, albeit colder and smarter than Hikigaya. Their club soon expands when Yui Yuigahama joins them after being helped with her plight, and they begin to accept more requests.

With his status quo as a recluse, Hikigaya attempts to solve problems in his own way, but his methods may prove to be a double-edged sword.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru.

Sumino, Yoru

A high school boy finds the diary of his classmate—only to discover that she's dying. Sakura Yamauchi has been silently suffering from a pancreatic disease, and now exactly one person outside her family knows. He swears to her that he won't tell anyone what he learned, and the shared secret brings them closer together in this deeply moving, first-person story that traces their developing relationship in Sakura's final months of life.

(Source: Seven Seas Entertainment)

Kimi no Suizou wo Tabetai

Sakuishi, Harold

Yukio "Koyuki" Tanaka wasted away his middle school days listening to Japanese pop music and apathetically trudging through life—until a casual run-in with the enigmatic guitarist Ryuusuke "Ray" Minami. Through this encounter, Koyuki realizes what he has been missing all this time as Ray introduces him to western rock music and jumpstarts his desire to play guitar.

Although various struggles plague his path to rock fame, Koyuki refuses to abandon the passion that gave his life purpose, balancing it together with school, work, and friends. Beck tells the story of the love and trial that accompanies pursuing a professional career in music as Koyuki and Ray work toward realizing the guitarist's dream of the ultimate band.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Beck

Jixksee

Every night, Yeo-un takes the last train home—same route, same time, same routine. But one thing keeps catching his eye: a girl with a guitar and a presence that lingers in his mind. When a shared love for the indie band Long Afternoon sparks a conversation, their late-night encounters begin to turn into something more. But Hae-in isn't just another fan—she's the voice behind the band, a secret she can't afford to reveal. As music draws them closer, the truth may threaten to pull them apart. When the final note plays, will their story end in harmony... or heartbreak?

(Source: Webtoon Entertainment)

My Bias Gets on the Last Train

Mikage, Eiji

Tetsuo

Kazuki Hoshino values his everyday life above all else. He spends the days carefree with his friends at school, until the uneventful bliss suddenly comes to a halt with the transfer of the aloof beauty Aya Otonashi into his class and her cold, dramatic statement to him immediately upon arrival:

"I'm here to break you. This is the 13,118th time I've transferred. After so many occasions, I have to say that this is all starting to grate on me, which is why this time I'm spicing things up with a proper declaration of war."

And with those puzzling words, the ordinary days that Kazuki loved so dearly become a cycle of turmoil and fear—Aya's sudden appearance signals the unraveling of unseen mysteries surrounding Kazuki's seemingly normal friends, including the discovery of mysterious devices known as "boxes."

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria

Kamoshida, Hajime

Mizoguchi, Keiji

One day, in the library where Sakuta Azusagawa studies, he runs into an unexpected sight: a beautiful high school girl in a bunny outfit. She turns out to be Mai Sakurajima, a famous former actress and fellow student at Minegahara High. His surprise at seeing Mai wear such risqué attire in the library, however, is nothing compared to the shocking realization that he is the only one who can see her!

Reminded of an event from his past, Sakuta offers to help Mai discover the reason behind her invisibility. Despite their initially contentious relationship, the two quickly become close: Mai and Sakuta learn to appreciate each other, and their friendship turns into a budding romance. This further fuels their determination to solve Mai's dilemma.

While the investigation progresses, Sakuta attributes Mai's situation to an urban legend known as Adolescence Syndrome: strange phenomena occurring in youth, unexplained by science and often dismissed as delusion. With few promising results, Mai's predicament worsens to the point where being unseen is the least of her worries. Can Sakuta and Mai solve the mystery of her Adolescence Syndrome before she disappears completely?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Seishun Buta Yarou Series

Yayoi, Sou

When the responsibilities of being an adult and the ugly side of corporate bullying betrays one's childhood dreams, many would wish to return to their innocent childhood to relive their life and make the right decisions. Dumbfounded by the offer presented to him, 27-year-old Arata Kaizaki hopes to turn his life around through a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Returning home from his part-time job, Arata is persuaded by Ryou Yoake, an employee of ReLife Research Institute, into participating in an experiment which will help him overcome his difficulties and re-enter corporate life. As part of the ReLife experiment, Arata's physique is reverted to that of a 17-year-old, and all he must do is relive his high school life for one year. Waiting for him at the end of the experiment is a job offer that he has been struggling to get ever since he left his first company.

With few other options, he decides to go along with this plan. However, with adult-like tendencies and many years since his last formal education, Arata steps into an unexpectedly challenging territory—a normal day of high school.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

ReLIFE

Tezuka, Osamu

From time immemorial to the age of space colonization, there is one legend that has stayed unchanged in every history book—the tale of the immortal bird Phoenix. A being whose blood is said to grant eternal life or wisdom, the radiant figure ensures the continuation of sentient life in the universe as it oversees human civilizations and their development.

Yet, mankind remains a slave to its habits; from happiness and sorrow, to wrath and love, a myriad of emotions continue to play an integral part of human life. Simultaneously, time and time again, certain beliefs and agendas persist over the centuries to disturb the fragile equilibrium of the world's preordained nature and principles. It appears that fate, with its dynamic variables, can manifest itself in many ways—and oftentimes exhibits a bizarre sense of humor.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Note: This is an incomplete series due to Tezuka's death.

Hi no Tori

Morinaga, Miku

Toranosuke Ibuki and his wife Kaoru née Okouchi have been devotedly in love for what has seemed like their entire lives. Now, twenty years later, Toranosuke is bedridden in a hospital, but still, their love perseveres. Together, the infatuated couple reminisce about days gone by—when he proposed, when they first met, their relationships with those around them, and their blissful married life. 

Though Toranosuke has always been a bit hard-headed and Kaoru a bit short-tempered, their immense love is shown in the wrinkles on their aged skin and in the unbridled devotion in their eyes. It is so strong that they know they will love each other with the same devotion... even in their next life.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Umarekawattemo Mata, Watashi to Kekkon shitekuremasu ka

Arakawa, Naoshi

At a very young age, Kousei Arima was strictly taught how to play the piano and meticulously follow the score by his mother, to the point where he dominated every competition he entered with ease. He earned the title of "Human Metronome" for performing almost perfectly. Every musician of his age looked up to him. However, after his mother suddenly dies, he became tone-deaf due to the shock and then disappeared, never to be seen onstage since.

Two years later, Kousei lives a monotonous life with his childhood friends Tsubaki Sawabe and Ryouta Watari supporting him. He continues to cling to music, although performing is still an impossibility for him. This is until his unexpected encounter with Kaori Miyazono, a violinist who performs freely without the dictations of a score. A story of friendship, love, music, and a single lie, Kousei's life begins to change and gain color as Kaori helps him to take up music again.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

Suetsugu, Yuki

Always deemed inferior to her elder sister, the strong-willed yet aimless Chihaya Ayase has no dream of her own. In contrast to her, Taichi Mashima, the son of a surgeon, is gifted yet insecure as he is burdened by the heavy expectations of his strict mother, who wants him to be perfect in everything. However, the lives of Chihaya and Taichi soon change as they encounter Arata Wataya, the new transfer student in their class.

Inspired by Arata's dream to become the best at competitive karuta—a card game based on the classic anthology of one hundred Japanese poets—Chihaya quickly falls in love with the game. Refusing to lose to the talented Arata, the prideful Taichi joins along and immerses himself in the game, aiming to one day surpass his fated rival. The three friends spend their childhood practicing karuta everyday, until certain circumstances force them to part with each other.

A few years later, now in high school, the trio finds themselves reunited through the world of competitive karuta. Alongside their newfound comrades and rivals, they embark on a journey of self-discovery, friendship, and romance.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Romance Manga