Mainichi Shimbun

Hutch the Honey Bee and his companions embark on an adventure to locate his missing Queen Bee Mother, who was lost during a sudden assault by a swarm of Hornets. Along the way, Hutch forms friendships with many different animals. In the town of Sepiatown, he even becomes friends with Amy, a gentle human girl who possesses the ability to communicate with insects.

Goro makes a short return to Japan after a successful time in the United States. His trip takes him to Fukuoka, the city where he played baseball during his fifth-grade year. Because he had just relocated there, Fukuoka holds special meaning for Goro, as it was where a crucial moment in his life took place.

During a fierce storm, a goat named Mei takes refuge in an abandoned barn. Shortly after, a wolf known as Gabu also seeks shelter there. In the complete darkness, Mei and Gabu begin talking and quickly develop a strong friendship, talking for hours and promising to see each other again. The next day, when daylight exposes their true natures, Mei and Gabu face the harsh truth: they are natural enemies, one a prey animal and the other a predator. Still, they decide to uphold their bond and keep meeting secretly. As their connection deepens, their families eventually discover their hidden meetings, forcing Mei and Gabu to decide whether their friendship is worth the danger it brings.

After her father's sudden death, eleven-year-old Momo Miyaura moves with her mother to a remote island in the Seto Inland Sea, leaving behind their former home in Tokyo. The only thing left from her father is an unfinished letter that begins with "Dear Momo," which leaves her with a lingering feeling of unease. In this strange coastal town, Momo struggles to adjust to the old wooden houses, the calm countryside, and the mysterious shrines that dot the area. While exploring the attic of her new home, she finds an ancient picture book filled with illustrations of various youkai. Soon after, odd occurrences start happening around the village, and Momo meets three playful youkai spirits. A Letter to Momo follows a young girl as she copes with her unfamiliar environment and tries to decode the puzzling message left behind by her father.

In the isolated village of Mifuse, time has frozen. Following an explosion at the local steel mill, the residents become trapped in a bizarre state of suspension, cut off from the outside world. A prominent local leader quickly blames this event on divine punishment, prompting the community to adopt various superstitions meant to maintain their fragile situation until things return to normal. Masamune Kikuiri, a middle school student, along with other young people in Mifuse, has begun losing hope of ever returning to the real world. Their senses have dulled, and they show no visible signs of aging despite the passage of years. Masamune has grown accustomed to a life of quiet desperation and self-doubt. However, everything changes when his classmate, Mutsumi Sagami, takes him to the steel mill's fifth furnace, where they encounter a feral young girl who resembles a wolf. This meeting becomes the spark that ignites a shift, breaking through the stagnation that has long defined Mifuse's reality.