Manga Like Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty

After losing her parents, Tooru Honda finds herself living in a tent in the woods, until the Souma family offers her a place to stay. But the Soumas are far from ordinary—they carry a heavy secret: whenever someone of the opposite sex embraces them, they transform into animals from the Chinese zodiac. Tooru takes on the task of helping Kyou and Yuki Souma keep their curse hidden from their classmates, as well as from her friends Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima. As she becomes more involved in the mysterious lives of the Soumas, she encounters more members of the family and forms bonds with them. Yet this curse has brought immense pain, breaking many Soumas over time. Even so, Tooru may be the one who can mend their wounded hearts and bring peace to their spirits.

At Suzaku High, Ryuu Yamada is well-known as a troublemaker and a delinquent. After getting scolded for his bad grades and attitude, he spots Urara Shiraishi, the top student in their grade. As Shiraishi climbs the stairs, Yamada tries to rile her up but trips and falls, pulling her down with him. When he wakes up in the infirmary, he realizes he's in someone else's body—he has swapped places with Shiraishi. Confronting her, he learns that the accidental kiss during the fall caused the swap. Armed with this newfound power, Yamada's chaotic high school life is only beginning.

Kou Yamori looks like an ordinary middle school student. He does well enough in his studies and gets along with his classmates, working hard to keep up that image. But one day, he decides to stop pretending and drops out of school, which leaves him with insomnia because he no longer has a way to burn off his energy during the day. When he goes for walks alone at night, he feels a little better, though he knows his inability to sleep is a real problem. On one of these walks, Kou encounters a strange girl named Nazuna Nanakusa. She identifies the reason for his sleeplessness: even though he changed his life, he is still holding back from truly being free. She explains that he won't be able to sleep unless he is content with how he spends his waking hours. After seeming to resolve his immediate worries, Nazuna invites him back to her apartment to share her futon. Later, unaware that he is only pretending to be asleep, she leans over him—and bites his neck!

Keima Katsuragi, a high school student, is known online as the "God of Conquest" for his ability to win over any heroine in dating sims. To him, real life is a terrible game; three-dimensional girls are annoying and fail to measure up to his idealized virtual counterparts. One afternoon, while on a break from cleaning duty, he notices a strange message challenging him to conquer a girl. On a whim, he accepts, and his agreement summons Elucia "Elsie" de Lute Ima, a demon from hell tasked with capturing runaway spirits that have taken root in girls' hearts. Keima is shocked and tries to flee, but Elsie warns him that failing to fulfill their newly formed contract will cost him his life. Forced to capture these runaway spirits, Keima applies his expertise and knowledge of dating sims to win the hearts of real-life girls.

Kazuki Hoshino treasures his mundane routine above anything else. He spends his school days carefree with his friends, until that uneventful bliss is shattered when the aloof beauty Aya Otonashi transfers into his class and immediately delivers a cold, dramatic statement to him: "I've come to break you. This is my 13,118th transfer. After so many times, it's starting to grate on me, so this time I'm spicing things up with a proper declaration of war." With those puzzling words, the ordinary days Kazuki loved so much become a cycle of turmoil and fear—Aya's sudden appearance signals the unraveling of unseen mysteries surrounding his seemingly normal friends, including the discovery of strange devices known as "boxes."

Lucy is a unique human known as a Diclonius, characterized by a small pair of horns and invisible telekinetic hands, which makes her a subject of cruel government scientific experiments. When an opportunity to flee arises, Lucy, hardened by her imprisonment and suffering, unleashes a violent wave of killing as she breaks free from her captors. During her escape, she suffers a severe head injury that causes a split personality: one side is a harmless child with limited speech ability. In this unstable condition, she encounters two college students, Kouta and his cousin Yuka, who unknowingly take in an injured fugitive, unaware of her lethal nature. This act of kindness will alter their lives, as they become entangled in the hidden world of government secrets and conspiracy. Included one-shots: Volume 1: MOL Volume 2: Digitopolis Volume 3: Memoria Volume 5: Elfen Lied

Ageha Yoshina is a self-assured high school student who takes on paid tasks to help people. While heading home from a job, he spots a strange calling card left behind in a phone booth, bearing the word "Psyren" printed on it. He picks it up, unaware of its true purpose. The following day, Ageha notices that his classmate Sakurako Amamiya has the exact same calling card. When he confronts her about it, she pleads with him to rescue her, marking the beginning of his ordeal. Confused by the situation, Ageha senses trouble when Sakurako vanishes. Trying to make sense of events, he calls the number on the card and is interrogated by an enigmatic voice, which ends with a final, ominous question: "Would you like to go to Psyren?" Thus starts a life-or-death game for the two teenagers in a strange world inhabited by monsters known as Taboo. Given the power to wield psychic abilities called PSI, the pair fights to return to their own world.

High school student Nanami Momozono is burdened with numerous problems. Her father fled town to escape his massive gambling debts, leaving his daughter to be thrown out by the debt collectors. While pondering her uncertain future, Nanami encounters a man clinging to a tree to avoid a dog. She helps him down and shares her predicament, leading the man to offer her his residence. He insists that Nanami is better suited than he is to be the "Master" of the house, so she accepts his proposal. When she arrives, however, Nanami finds that the home is actually a rundown shrine. She is about to turn back when a fox familiar and two shrine spirits stop her, mistakenly believing she is their former master Mikage, the shrine's land god. Once they realize the error, Tomoe—the fox familiar—departs the shrine, unwilling to serve Nanami. Following a chain of events that puts Nanami in serious peril, she calls upon Tomoe and binds him with a contract, forcing his obedience. Now a human land god, Nanami must confront challenging new duties, dangerous enemies, and her attractive yet short-tempered familiar.

Chihiro Furuya has an unusual fascination with the dead, specifically a romantic attraction to female zombies. After his pet cat Baabu dies in an accident, his obsession intensifies, and he attempts to brew an elixir that can reanimate the deceased. Unable to find the right combination of ingredients, Chihiro gives up and plans to bury Baabu. Before he can, he meets the beautiful but troubled Rea Sanka, who encourages him to keep trying. Mixing poisonous hydrangea flowers into his formula, Chihiro finally succeeds in creating the elixir. Unaware of his success, Rea drinks the mixture, believing it will poison her and end her miserable, restricted life. After she dies in a fatal accident, the elixir takes effect, and she is revived as a zombie. Now free from her oppressive existence, Rea moves in with Chihiro, who must use his knowledge of the undead to take care of the teenage female zombie.

Negi Springfield, a ten-year-old wizard who has just graduated from Merdiana Magic Academy in Wales, has two goals: locating his missing father, the legendary Thousand Master, and becoming a Magister Magi—a wizard who aids the ordinary world with magic. To achieve this second objective, he receives one final task: teaching English at a Japanese middle school. To his shock and dismay, he discovers that his homeroom class consists of thirty-one girls, and he accidentally reveals his magical identity to one of them, Asuna Kagurazaka. Now forced to come to terms with her knowledge, Negi must work to keep his secret safe while dealing with magical threats emerging both inside and outside Mahora Academy, all while continuing his search for his lost father.

The story picks up a few months after the end of the first season. Youkai Gakuen has been rebuilt, and the new semester is underway. Tsukune and his group return, now more powerful than ever. The true identity of Anti-Thesis is revealed. New enemies appear on the horizon, along with something far more sinister than anything the gang has faced before. Tsukune struggles with the monster growing inside him. With help from Moka, Mizore, Kurumu, Ruby, and Yukari, he trains to control his vampire blood and gain the strength to protect what he cares about. This season focuses more on the girls, their pasts, and their families. New confrontations lie ahead. New friends and allies will join them. Together, they will uncover the secrets of Moka's rosary and her lineage.

A young traveling merchant named Kraft Lawrence has grown used to days of wandering and trading with few companions. That changes one unusual day when he finds a naked, wolf-like girl sleeping in his wagon. The beautiful girl, who calls herself Holo, claims to be a local wolf deity worshiped by the villagers as the God of Good Harvest. Year after year, she ensured bountiful harvests, but she has grown tired of fulfilling the wishes of the ungrateful locals. Holo strikes a deal with Lawrence: if he helps her escape the villagers, she will gladly assist him in his merchant ventures. Together, they travel from town to town seeking business, and Lawrence comes to learn both the benefits and hardships of traveling with a proud and cunning wolf goddess.

A tale—a "ghostory" of sorts—revolving around scars that forge connections, monsters that linger, and fakes that trick. Koyomi Araragi's story begins with a chance meeting with an immensely powerful, blonde-haired vampire described as "hot-blooded, iron-blooded, and cold-blooded," later revealed as Shinobu Oshino. This tragic encounter ends Araragi's human life and brings about his rebirth as a vampire—a monster. Yet that meeting is merely the start of his entanglements with the supernatural. His noble disposition draws him deeper into the lives of others afflicted by paranormal phenomena. This is his desperate struggle to reclaim a normal human existence within an abnormal world filled solely with tragedy, suffering, and inhumanity. This entry covers the first season of the Monogatari Series.

Asahi Kuromine is known as the man who cannot tell a lie. One day on his way home, he discovers a shocking secret: the girl he has a crush on, Youko Shiragami, is actually a vampire! Can Asahi manage to keep her secret safe? This is a delightful, awkward, and utterly unique vampire romantic comedy.

Rito Yuuki remains unable to make progress or commit to his feelings for his crush Haruna Sairenji and the alien princess Lala Satalin Deviluke. Meanwhile, Lala's younger sister Momo also develops feelings for Rito and sets out to build a harem for him, hoping to carve out a place for herself in his romantic life. To achieve this, she transfers into his school and secretly supports all of Rito's potential love interests, even seeking out new ones—including the recently enrolled alien assassin Konjiki no Yami, known as "Yami," who postpones her next bounty because of him. However, Yami's little sister Kurosaki Mea aims to force Yami back into her role as an assassin. To LOVE-Ru Darkness picks up after the events of To LOVE-Ru, introducing new girls, new adversaries, and even more risqué situations.

A mysterious incident left a young woman dead alone in the old building of Seikyou Academy. For some reason, only freshman Teiichi Niiya can perceive her ghost. Together, they set out to uncover the truth behind her death and the circumstances that caused it.

Fuuta Okeya is a 14-year-old boy who can see ghosts and conceals a noticeable birthmark on his left cheek with a bandage. One day, a new student named Kouko Ishigami, who has a scar on her forehead and is accompanied by the ghost of a tall, friendly man, transfers into his class. Fuuta quickly develops a fondness for Kouko, thinking it might be love at first sight. After waking up in tears from a strange dream involving her, he feels a sense of nostalgia and becomes determined to become her friend. However, a series of events forces Fuuta to show his birthmark to Kouko, upon which she declares him her lifelong enemy. An enraged Kouko explains that the two are connected through reincarnation, and that Fuuta's birthmark is a curse she placed on him in one of their past lives so she could recognize and ultimately defeat him. Kouko summons a circular, flame-based object called the "spirit circle" and attacks Fuuta, shoving him down a staircase. As he falls, Fuuta is hurled into the memory of one of his previous lives. Spirit Circle follows Fuuta as he travels back and forth through his various past lives, slowly uncovering the truth behind his apparent feud with Kouko.

Jin Kanzaki appears to be a common homeless child, but he harbors superhuman strength that he puts to use for the benefit of others—at least, that is what his grandfather hopes. To his grandfather's annoyance, Jin demands 10,000 yen for each good deed he performs. Yet Jin's quiet existence is abruptly upended when he comes across a player, a lethal being likely connected to a string of unexplained killings. As Jin tries to deal with the situation by forcing his way through every challenge, a band of enigmatic men desperately search for someone bearing a ring-shaped mark on their hand. While they pursue their inquiry, hidden truths about the world begin to surface—and it appears that Jin himself may hold the key to the mystery.

Shiki Toono wakes up in a hospital and sees black lines covering the walls and the people around him. Having lost his memories, he learns that he survived a serious car crash that left a fragment embedded in his chest. Drawn to the lines, he follows one on an object and discovers he can destroy it. Once he realizes that he is the only one who can perceive these lines, he receives a pair of glasses to block them out and begins living with his relatives. Eight years later, his father's death brings Shiki back to the Toono mansion where he grew up. One day, while leaving school because of anxiety, he encounters a mysterious woman. Overcome by a sudden impulse, he traces the lines covering her with his ability. Afterward, he regains consciousness in the mansion, uncertain whether what happened was real or just a dream. Shingetsutan Tsukihime is a story woven with adventure, romance, and mystery. As Shiki starts to uncover his past, the shadows of the unknown soon begin to haunt him.

Koyomi Araragi is well acquainted with the unnatural. Over spring break of his third year in high school, he becomes a vampire after a fateful run-in with the vampire Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade. Plunged into a world of aberrations, Araragi one day catches classmate Hitomi Senjougahara as she tumbles down the school stairs—but something feels off. When Senjougahara confronts him, he discovers her weight was taken by a mythical crab. Despite her blunt threats, Araragi persuades her to let him assist. Seeking a remedy for this abnormal issue, the pair visit the enigmatic Meme Oshino, the wanderer who once freed Araragi from his own vampirism. Bakemonogatari is a story about the monsters lurking inside everyone, but just how deep do they hide within the people Araragi encounters?

Miroku is a slit-mouthed woman whose ear-to-ear grin terrifies the superstitious, but she actually has a fiancé. Once a notorious urban legend and self-proclaimed "Queen of Folklore," she now faces a crisis as public belief in her wanes, threatening her existence. She is also forced into a contracted marriage with 17-year-old Kouichi Sano, a member of a family tasked with preserving supernatural beings. Unhappy with the arrangement, Miroku wants to reclaim her fame on her own terms. So Sano offers her a deal: if she can scare him even once before his 18th birthday, he will call off the engagement. Miroku agrees to these terms but is disturbed by Sano's added condition—that he must make her fall in love with him.

Most people are said to be born with a special ability called an "Iris," which manifests as visual cues—ranging from detecting lies to predicting danger. High school student Tooru Mizushima, however, is one of the rare individuals without an Iris. Labeled an "Iris Zero," he faces constant bullying and thus tries to keep a low profile. But when the popular schoolgirl Koyuki Sasamori bursts into his life, his policy of minimal exposure is completely upended. Koyuki's Iris allows her to see the most suitable person for any given task—and she identifies Tooru as the best candidate to help her find the next student council president. Tooru wants nothing to do with such a public endeavor, yet Koyuki's cheerful persistence eventually wins him over. As he becomes involved with more people and applies his exceptional deductive reasoning to solve various mysteries, Tooru's lonely existence as an Iris Zero slowly begins to change.

Children wonder what kind of person they will become and what they can accomplish on their own. From these musings, the "Heart's Egg" is created. Invisible to most people, this egg lies dormant inside everyone, representing their ideal self. Amu Hinamori is starting at a new school and has unintentionally earned a reputation as "cool and spicy." Unhappy with this outer image, she often wishes she could act more like her true self. This desire for change becomes real when one morning she wakes up to find three eggs beneath her. They hatch into Ran, Miki, and Suu—three "Guardian Characters," each one reflecting a part of Amu's ideal self. Shugo Chara! follows Amu as she learns from these three how much potential she really has, encountering other Guardian Characters and facing a few troublesome experiences along the way.

At the age of twelve, Mitsuki Kouyama is diagnosed with sarcoma in her throat. While removing her vocal cords could treat this uncommon cancer, she declines because she wants to become a pop singer and uphold a childhood vow to Eichi Sakurai, her first love who departed for America. Unable to both recover and keep her voice, she lets her health worsen, resigning herself to her tragic fate. One day, while fleeing the home of her music-hating grandmother to go to an audition, Mitsuki meets two shinigami, Takuto Kira and Meroko Yui. When they notice she can perceive them, Takuto and Meroko inform her that she will die within a year. Touched by her situation, Takuto gives Mitsuki the chance to chase her dream by enabling her to transform into a healthy sixteen-year-old girl. After being accepted for a contract with Seed Records, she debuts under the stage name Full Moon and decides to follow her music career before her life ends. Included one-shot: Volume 2: Full Moon wo Sagashite