Manga Like Rascal Does Not Dream

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.

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

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

Karin Maaka is a vampire, but unlike the rest of her family, she goes outside during the day and sleeps at night. No one in her town knows what she truly is—and she intends to keep it that way, because exposure would ruin her chance at a normal life. When Kenta Usui transfers into her class as a new student, he witnesses Karin biting someone. Believing something inappropriate is happening, he tries to talk to her, but a series of misunderstandings results. After Karin starts avoiding him, Kenta becomes determined to clear the air between them. Yet the moment he gets close, she has a massive nosebleed. That is Karin’s real secret: instead of draining blood from humans, she periodically produces an excess of blood inside herself, which leads to nosebleeds if she does not release it. Unfortunately, her blood seems to react in a strange way to Kenta. Now that he knows the truth about Karin, will he be able to keep her secret safe?

Aspiring young sorceress Ran Uruma feels frustrated as she desperately hunts for her favorite pair of shoes. Though she is still an elementary school child, those particular shoes allow her to transform into an adult body. Ran possesses immense magical potential but has not yet learned to control it. Aware of this, her beast sorcerer brother, Jin, hides the shoes until she finishes cleaning their house. Ran's mother, Shizuka, is one of the most powerful sorceresses in existence and must live far from home to protect the city. Zen, the head of their family and all sorcerers, is also frequently away on business and has to leave Jin in charge of the household. Ran can be quite hard to manage, and a single pair of eyes is not enough to keep up with all her mischief. With the freedom she gains when nobody is watching her, Ran explores her magical abilities, which lead her into many fascinating adventures.

It is the Roaring Twenties in America. On the surface, the era is peaceful and optimistic after the horrors of the Great War. But a dark element lurks in the shadows, ready to shatter that peace. Sister Rosette Christopher, an exorcist serving the Magdala Order, is charged with fighting the demons that appear and wreak havoc. Yet alongside her companion Chrno, she often ends up causing more destruction than the demons themselves. On one particular mission, they meet a young girl with a beautiful voice named Azmaria, who is being targeted by her own stepfather. As Rosette and Chrno work to save her, more is revealed about the relationship between them. There is more to these two than meets the eye.

Mikado Ryuugamine is a boy who longs for the strange and otherworldly, but his uneventful rural life offers no chance for excitement. Encouraged by a childhood friend, he moves to Ikebukuro, a bustling district in Tokyo. But the naive boy may be in for far more than anticipated. Ikebukuro is filled with peculiar people: a hulking man in a bartender's outfit, a sadist who deals in information for amusement, and an underground doctor with a strange obsession. The most extraordinary, however, is the fabled "Black Rider"—a headless figure who silently roams the night on a jet-black motorcycle. When Mikado witnesses this urban legend on his first night, his initial thrill sets off a dangerous and thrilling chain of events that touches many others across the city.

Yuri, an ordinary modern-day teenager, is abruptly transported to the Hittite empire in ancient Anatolia, where a ruthless queen plans to use the girl as a blood sacrifice to kill off all heirs except her own son and seize the throne. Fortunately, Prince Kail intervenes just in time to save Yuri from the queen's clutches. Kail promises to send Yuri back home, but the queen's relentless schemes to murder them both, along with their growing feelings for each other, keep delaying those plans. Included one-shot: Volume 28: Orontes Renka.

Beni is an energetic and strong-willed young woman who doesn't care whether she lives or dies, as long as her death embarrasses her arrogant father. One day, she suddenly encounters Kagetora, a ninja who falls from the sky and swears complete loyalty to her as her bodyguard. Kagetora has time traveled from a distant past and has devoted his life to protecting Princess Beni. What Kagetora doesn't realize is that this Beni is not the real princess. Can true love and honor persist through a centuries-long time warp in a crazy modern world?

From ancient times through the age of space colonization, a single legend appears unchanged in every history book—the story of the immortal bird Phoenix. Its blood is said to grant eternal life or wisdom, and this radiant being oversees human civilizations and their growth, ensuring the continuation of sentient life across the universe. Yet humanity remains bound by its own patterns; happiness and sorrow, anger and love—a wide range of emotions still play an essential role in human existence. Meanwhile, certain beliefs and ambitions persist through the centuries, repeatedly disturbing the fragile balance of the world's inherent order and principles. Fate, with its shifting variables, can take many forms—and often displays a strange sense of humor.

Seiji Sawamura, a seventeen-year-old feared throughout town for his combat abilities and his notorious "Devil's Right Hand," is actually a kind-hearted person at his core. All he desires is to end his seventeen-year streak of being a lonely bachelor. However, his intimidating reputation only drives girls away. That changes when he awakens one morning to find a girl named Midori in place of his right hand, who confesses she has harbored a crush on him since middle school.

As the century draws to a close, a phantom thief known as Kaitou Jeanne, believed to be sent by God, has been making headlines by stealing paintings across the city. Her true identity is Maron Kusakabe, a 16-year-old student at Momokuri Academy who excels in rhythmic gymnastics—a secret kept even from her closest friend Miyako Toudaiji, who leads the police pursuit of Jeanne. Concealed within the paintings Maron steals are demons dispatched by the demon lord, who aims to weaken God's power by having his minions take over human hearts. With the help of the minor angel Finn Fish, Maron, as the reincarnation of Jeanne d'Arc, must take on her alter ego, track down the cursed artworks, and seal away the evil demons. Balancing this mission with her lonely high school life proves difficult enough, but it becomes even harder when a mysterious new phantom thief named Kaitou Sinbad appears.

Mashiro Ichijou is a popular and attractive high school student who has always lived as a boy. But beneath the surface, no one knows that he resents the fact that his body is half female. He has hidden his femininity from everyone around him, all while struggling with his own insecurity about who he truly is. One day, a nurse he has never seen before asks Mashiro to follow her to the school infirmary located in the basement—a room that never existed before that moment. What he does not realize is that the instant he steps into that mysterious office, he will never be able to return to the person he once was. As Mashiro searches for his true identity, he must confront the turmoil inside his own heart while shielding himself from the watchful eyes of his classmates. Gradually, the ugly truth of the world is revealed: a world filled with lies and deception, engulfed in nightmares that unfold in broad daylight.

At Mai Taniyama's school, there is an old, abandoned building that is supposedly cursed. Every time an attempt is made to demolish it, a string of mysterious deaths occurs, halting the project. Seeking to prove the building is haunted, Mai and her classmates try to summon a ghost by sharing spooky stories. No spirit appears, but they encounter Kazuya Shibuya, a 17-year-old transfer student. While her friends are taken by his good looks and polite demeanor, Mai remains suspicious of him. After an accident, Mai learns that Kazuya is actually the head of Shibuya Psychic Research, a group hired by the school principal to investigate the building's rumored paranormal activity. Because of her involvement, Mai must temporarily assist Kazuya to avoid paying for damages. Joined by other supernatural experts—former Buddhist monk Houshou Takigawa, self-proclaimed Shinto priestess Ayako Matsusaki, famous medium Masako Hara, and Catholic priest John Brown—Mai and Kazuya must solve the building's mystery before more innocent lives are lost.

Chiyuki Matsuoka's name literally translates to "thousand snow," reflecting her parents' hope that she would forever witness the year's first snowfall. That wish is remarkably optimistic given Chiyuki's heart condition, which makes seizures more likely and shortens her lifespan. The doctor who delivered her predicted she would be fortunate to reach 15. Now 17, Chiyuki encounters Touya Kanou, an unusual vampire who claims to despise blood and refuses to seek a human partner to share his eternal existence. At 18, Touya could live for a millennium if he continuously drank blood from a partner—and that partner would share his extended life. Chiyuki eagerly offers herself as Touya's partner, but he pushes her away in revulsion, accidentally triggering a seizure that reveals her fragile health. After that, Touya treats her more gently yet still refuses to drink her blood. Chiyuki begins to sense there is another reason behind his repeated rejections, but will she survive long enough to uncover it? Included one-shot: Volume 1: Isshunkan no Romance (A Romance of One Moment)

Youta Moteuchi is a high school student whose classmates have dubbed him "Dateless" due to his total lack of romantic success. When the girl he adores, Moemi, turns out to be in love with his best friend, Takashi, Youta seeks solace at a video rental store. He has no idea this shop is enchanted, and the cute girl on the tape he rents steps right out of the television to help straighten out his disastrous love life. Included one-shot: Volume 15: Video Girl (pilot)

Schoolteacher Han Hana is cursed by a family affliction that has caused all her previous relationships to fail. Specifically, whenever she kisses someone, she transforms into a dog every night. The only way to break the curse is to kiss that same person again while in dog form. To prevent this, Hana has never kissed anyone her entire life. But a single drunken incident with her colleague Jin Seon—who appears to despise her—completely upends her life. In her drunken stupor, Hana kisses him, triggering the curse. As a small, adorable white dog, breaking the curse should be as easy as one more kiss... except Seon is absolutely terrified of dogs!

This grim and realistic version of classic fairy tales follows Prince Ludwig, who collects the corpses of women. His father commands him to find a wife who is more appropriate than the women he frequently brings to the castle. Together with his servant Wilhelm, Ludwig journeys across the kingdom searching for virtuous maidens from famous stories, hoping to secure a bride.