Drama (1560)

Plot-driven stories focused on realistic characters experiencing human struggle. Because drama stories ask the question of what it means to be human, the conflict and emotions will be relatable, even if the settings or characters themselves are not. Here, you will see humanity at its worst, its best, and everything in between. Simply having a serious tone, dramatic moments, or evoking tears does not equal Drama. If the narrative focuses on eliciting emotional reactions rather than on characterization, then it is melodrama and not Drama. Slice of Life and Drama are incompatible by definition.

Lovers and SoulsLovers and Souls; Vanity

Miyamoto, Kano 2024
Contents:
1) Lovers and Souls
Tooru Shinomiya is a young college student who models for photography students. After sleeping with one of his clients for money, he becomes a gay prostitute because he doesn't care enough about his body. However, he's starting to fall for his sempai, the man with whom he first slept. Can this student, Satoshi Matsouka, save him? This tragic story also involves Hikaru Taira. Also, Tooru and Atori meet. Prequel to Rules 01. (Part of Rules series (loosely connected): see Rules for series timeline).

2) Vanity
After the events of Lovers and Souls, Tooru is still deeply heartbroken. Trying to find solace in Hikaru, Tooru challenges the terms of their friendship. But can he handle the consequences? (Source: M-U)
Originally a doujinshi, part of Rules series.

3) Sleeping Beauty - Matsuoka sees Tooru for the first time.

4) Eternal Moon - In their last year of high school, Akihiko Nozaki admits to his best friend Kai that he's gay. Kai is stunned but it doesn't change their friendship, but Kai's curiosity is aroused and he begins to see Noza (Nozaki) differently.

5) Tomorrow's Sky - Sequel to Eternal Moon, told more from Nozaki's point of view. Nozaki isn't sure whether to trust that his relationship with Kai will last, since he's even been dumped by gay men before. What's to keep a guy who wasn't even gay from breaking up with him?

(This synopsis refers to the Oozora Publishing Edition, 2007.)
2002 to ? | 5 chp | Publishing

Mekakushi no Kuni (Land of the Blindfolded)

Tsukuba, Sakura 2024
Land of the Blindfolded is the story of high school student Outsuka Kanade who can sometimes see a person's future with a touch, and transfer student Naitou Arou, whose ESP is limited to past events. When Kanade glimpses an unfortunate incident coming, can she change it? She soon befriends Arou, who's no novice—he can turn his ability on or off at will, even using it to see an object's "memories." Are these teenaged seers of the past and future made for each other? And who's right: Arou with his "hands off" policy about meddling in people's lives, or Kanade whose more proactive stance has already had unhappy consequences?

(Source: CMX)
Included one-shots:
Volume 1: Machigaeru Otoko (The Boy Who Makes Mistakes), Matsuri no Ato (After the Sports Festival)
Volume 2: Hyakka Jimusho no Akuma (The Devil in the Flowered Office)
Volume 3: Ame no Naka (Inside Rain)
Dec 10, 1998 to Jan 24, 2004 | 48 chp | Publishing

Gyo: Ugomeku BukimiGyo: The Death-Stench Creeps

Itou, Junji 2024
When diver Tadashi and his girlfriend Kaori Sawahara take a trip to the coast of Okinawa, they find that their strained relationship is the least of their worries when they unwittingly witness the start of the apocalypse. Attacked by a strange, four-legged fish in their cabin, they manage to kill it, but are left unsettled by the putrid stench it carried—the haunting smell of death.

This lone assault is only the herald of what's to come, as soon, many more such creatures emerge from the sea, attacking anything in their path. Though Tadashi and Kaori quickly return to Tokyo, they find there is no longer any safe haven; no matter where they run, the death stench creeps...
Amigara Dansou no Kai (The Enigma of Amigara Fault)
After a devastating earthquake near Amigara mountain, a several-kilometer-long fault emerged. But this discovery was made more eerie by the thousands of human-shaped holes scattered among the rock face, each of which seemingly continues for miles within the mountain. Oowaki, one of the many spectators attracted to the sight, witnesses in horror as onlookers start to experience a personal, visceral calling to enter these holes—formed as if to fit only them.
Daikokubashira Hiwa (The Sad Tale of the Principal Post)
Celebrating their recent move into their new house, a family's festivities are cut short upon hearing the cries of their father. Finding him in the crawl space below, they bear witness to the bizarre and unexplainable tragedy that has befallen him.

[Written by Animeranku Rewrite]
Nov 12, 2001 to Apr 15, 2002 | 21 chp | Publishing

Shion no Ou: The Flowers of Hard Blood.

Katori, MasaruAndo, Jiro 2024
Yasuoka Shion lost her parents, and her voice, when she was young...in a murder.

She was found amidst a blood-soaked room, and the only hint for the suspect was a Shougi board and one piece: the King. Now, Shion steps into the world of female professional Shougi players. As her popularity and fame slowly rises, so do the questions about her past, particularly the murder case that was never solved.
Mar 25, 2004 to Apr 25, 2008 | 50 chp | Publishing

Shoujo Kakumei Utena: Adolescence MokushirokuRevolutionary G...

Saitou, Chiho 2024
Utena Tenjou arrives at Ohtori Academy, only to be immediately swept up in a series of duels for the hand of her classmate Anthy Himemiya and the power she supposedly holds. At the same time, Utena reunites with Touga Kiryuu, a friend from her childhood who seems to know the secrets behind the duels.
1999 | 2 chp | Publishing

Koroshiya 1

Yamamoto, Hideo 2024
In Shinjuku Kabukichou, the biggest sin town in Japan, there are two crazy guys. Ichi is a coward and a wimp, but once he breaks into tears, he turns into a human weapon. With great martial arts skill and a blade hidden in his boots, he butchers a bunch of enemies into mincemeat in the blink of an eye. His arch enemy is Kakihara, a yakuza boss who's tired of everything, including himself. Only when he pierces, cuts, and burns his own and other people's bodies does he feel that he is alive.
Feb 19, 1998 to Apr 5, 2001 | 114 chp | Publishing

Tomie

Itou, Junji 2024
In a high school classroom, students mourn the loss of one of their own: Tomie Kawakami, who has been murdered and dismembered. Shocked by the announcement of her death, the class is puzzled by the cruel fate that has befallen someone so dear to them; such a radiant and beautiful girl did not deserve such a hideous demise. However, a strikingly familiar student suddenly appears at the classroom's entrance. Gorgeous, slender, and with a beauty mark under her left eye, Tomie smiles and apologizes for being late.

But this is just the beginning of the mysteries surrounding this seemingly inhuman woman. The men unlucky enough to catch her eye become smitten with her instantly, but also become driven by a dark impulse to dismember her, one they often succumb to. And each time, Tomie returns from the dead to continue her favorite pastime: toying with men.

[Written by Animeranku Rewrite]
1987 to 2000 | 20 chp | Publishing

Rookies

Morita, Masanori 2024
Professor Kawato is the new Japanese teacher in the ill-famed Futagotamaga high shool, whose baseball club is composed by thugs and bullies who have been suspended for a year from all school competitions for causing a brawl during an official match. Now that the suspension is over, the only club's members left are interested only in women, smoking and doing nothing until, under professor Kawato's guidance, they discover a new dream called Koushien. The road to Koushien is far from easy, as they have to get back in shape, to learn how to play baseball and to win everyone else mistrust, including the principal's and other professor's one, with only a few months available. Sweating and fighting, the baseball club will find his determination and strength, as they proceed towards their dreams, while Kawato's enthusiastic and non-conventional ways slowly change the attitude of everyone near them.

(Source: ANN)
Feb 3, 1998 to Aug 25, 2003 | 233 chp | Publishing

Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden (Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden)

Watase, Yuu 2024
Takiko Okuda is a strong-willed girl living in the Taisho Era. She needs to be strong -- Oosugi, the one man she's ever loved, is a married man; her mother is terminally ill; and her father, Einosuke, has not been home in over a year. When at last Einosuke returns, it's with a notebook full of Chinese scribblings that seem more important to him than the death of his wife. Furious, Takiko steals away his completed translation -- "The Universe of the Four Gods" -- with the intention of tearing it to shreds, but the instant she opens it, she's surrounded by light... And it is said that this is how the legend of the Priestess of Genbu began.

(Source: ShoujoMagic)
Included one-shot:
Volume 6: Ayashi no Ceres Gaiden
Mar 15, 2003 to Feb 14, 2013 | 40 chp | Publishing

Uta∽Kata

Koume, Keito 2024
Fourteen-year-old Ichika Tachibana is a staid-natured junior high student who is given cleaning duty in an unused school building on the last day of school. Inside one of the rooms is a large mirror with a small crack rumored to harbor a ghost. Despite the rumors, Ichika goes to clean it—only to see some other figure in place of her own reflection! When she returns to the room to search for her cell phone, Ichika finds the figure outside of the mirror—a girl, with ponytails and a flowy dress, named Manatsu Kuroki.

Upon getting her cell phone back, one of the stones on Ichika's cell phone charm begins to shine, changing her outfit and allowing her to fly toward a being known as a Djinn. Ichika is then tasked to do Manatsu's homework assignment for her—to use the cell phone charm throughout the summer and write down her experiences with the Djinn she summons. Unbeknownst to her, Ichika's encounter with Manatsu will be the start of a summer she will never forget.

[Written by Animeranku Rewrite]
Aug 21, 2004 to Feb 21, 2005 | 7 chp | Publishing

Elfen Lied

Okamoto, Lynn 2024
Lucy is a special breed of human referred to as "Diclonius," born with a short pair of horns and invisible telekinetic hands that lands her as a victim of inhumane scientific experimentation by the government. However, once circumstances present her an opportunity to escape, Lucy, corrupted by the confinement and torture, unleashes a torrent of bloodshed as she escapes her captors.

During her breakout, she receives a crippling head injury that leaves her with a split personality: someone with the mentality of a harmless child possessing limited speech capacity. In this state of instability, she stumbles upon two college students, Kouta and his cousin Yuka, who unknowingly take an injured fugitive into their care, unaware of her murderous tendencies. This act of kindness will change their lives, as they soon find themselves dragged into the shadowy world of government secrecy and conspiracy.

[Written by Animeranku Rewrite]
Included one-shots:
Volume 1: MOL
Volume 2: Digitopolis
Volume 3: Memoria
Volume 5: Elfen Lied
Jun 6, 2002 to Aug 25, 2005 | 113 chp | Publishing

Ikinari! Full Metal Panic!Full Metal Panic! Overload!

Gatou, Shouji 2024
Sousuke has finally lost his mind—and his memory! Rehashing his previous exploits will keep Kaname busy, but it doesn't take long for the military mind of this soldier to bounce back with a bang—literally! He's locked, loaded, and back to his old self by first period, as bombs and bullets grace the halls of high school!
(Source: ADV)
Jan 30, 2001 to Apr 1, 2003 | 29 chp | Publishing

Chaosic Rune

Yamamoto, Kenji 2024
After being the only survivor in a plane crash and losing his parents Ryouga, a young boy, is troubled by nightmares and taunted by other kids at his school. Fed up, he agrees to transfer to another school intrigued by a mysterious offer and the hope they may know why or how he was able to survive the crash. Arriving at the new school, he learns he must play a little card game with three others before being accepted...one card each, one vicious monster each, one gruesome death for all save one.

(Source: MU)
Jul 10, 2003 to Oct 21, 2004 | 71 chp | Publishing

Blood Alone

Takano, Masayuki 2024
Witness the touching relationship between young vampiress Misaki and her human companion, the former vampire hunter turned investigative author, Kurose Kuroe, whom she'd die to protect. For recently turned vampire Minato Misaki, vampirism and the beastly powers that come with it are something that she wouldn't wish upon her worst enemy, let alone her beloved Kuroe. But Kuroe's supernatural investigations make him a regular target of not only vampires but of all sorts of undead creatures of the night. The only way to save him from these deadly threats may be to do the one thing that Misaki fears the most: to turn Kuroe into a vampire for his own protection

(Source: Seven Seas)
Apr 21, 2004 to ? | chp | Publishing

Homunculus

Yamamoto, Hideo 2024
Susumu Nakoshi is a middle-aged man who spends his days between a lavish first-class hotel and a park full of homeless people. One day, an eccentric young man approaches Nakoshi in search of subjects willing to partake in trepanation—the procedure of drilling a hole in the skull.

This mysterious person claims that Nakoshi is the perfect man for the experiment. Initially rejecting the offer, he doubles back on his decision after his car gets towed off. Nakoshi agrees to let Manabu Ito, a 22-year-old medical student, drill a hole in his skull in exchange for 700,000 yen. The procedure bears no results at first, with Nakoshi showing no abnormalities. This normalcy comes to an abrupt end, however, when Nakoshi begins seeing the homunculus in every person. With his perception distorted, how will Nakoshi face these homunculi?

[Written by Animeranku Rewrite]
Mar 17, 2003 to Feb 21, 2011 | 166 chp | Publishing

Handsome na Kanojo

Yoshizumi, Wataru 2024
Hagiwara Mio is a young rising star in the celebrity world of Japan. She has always been in love with her neighbor, the handsome actor Morimoto Teruomi, who is the motivation for Mio to continue being an actress. However, Teruomi falls in love with Sawaki Aya instead, who's the best friend of Mio as well as a popular singer. At the verge of a break-down, Mio was comforted by the genius director, Kumagai Ichiya. A heart-broken Mio slowly finds herself attracted to Ichiya in spite of herself, but why is Ichiya always keeping a distance between Mio and himself?

(Source: Mangahere)
Included one-shots:
Volume 8: Tenshi to Bouken, Radical Romance
Volume 9: Green Age
Oct 3, 1988 to Dec 3, 1991 | 41 chp | Publishing

9-banme no MusashiMusashi #9

Takahashi, Miyuki 2024
Exotic, smart and lethal, Number Nine is a field operative for an organization committed to fighting injustice. Little is known about "Ultimate Blue" except that they're the last line of defense against battalions of terrorists and criminals. Even less is known about its field operatives—though it's whispered that they possess the ability to change the course of world history. And Number Nine is one of them.

(Source: CMX)
Apr 15, 1996 to Feb 6, 2007 | 108 chp | Publishing

Me~teru no Kimochi

Oku, Hiroya 2024
Koizumi, Shintarou is 30 years old, a virgin, and has isolated himself in his room for 15 years. He has become a burden on his father, Koizumi Yasujirou. One day, Shintarou makes a proposition that if Yasujirou gets a girlfriend, Shintarou will come out of his room. It turns out that Yasujirou has already made a girlfriend, a young beautiful woman, Yoshinaga Haruka, who is with Yasujirou for her own personal reasons. Yasujirou and Haruka decide to get married, but Yasujirou dies on their honeymoon. Now Haruka decides to take care of Shintarou, and so this weird "mother and son" are now living together.
Aug 31, 2006 to Jun 7, 2007 | 28 chp | Publishing

Kannazuki no MikoDestiny of Shrine Maiden

Kaishaku 2024
On the moon, there is an old shrine that has fallen into ruin. On the birthday of Himeko Kurusugawa and Chikane Himemiya, there is a sudden eclipse, and a voice calls the eight necks of Orochi to rise and destroy the Solar Priestess and the Lunar Priestess. The two girls soon find themselves under attack by the Orochi, but Himeko's close friend Souma has resisted the call of the Orochi and has sworn to protect her, no matter what.
Mar 26, 2004 to Apr 26, 2005 | 14 chp | Publishing

Basara

Tamura, Yumi 2024
Sarasa grew up knowing that her twin brother Tatara was prophesied to be the "boy of destiny," the one who would overthrow the oppressive government and unite the people. When Tatara dies in battle, however, Sarasa realizes that it's up to her to secretly take on her brother's identity. On the way, Sarasa meets and falls in love with the mysterious Shuri, who may also have something up his sleeve. Together, she and her group of ragtag fighters journey across the land, attacking the many rulers and hoping to someday reach the leader of them all, the Red King.
Aug 11, 1990 to May 13, 1998 | 112 chp | Publishing

Ludwig Kakumei

Yuki, Kaori 2024
In this grim and realistic take on classic fairy tales, Prince Ludwig, a female corpse collector, is ordered by his father to find himself a wife more suitable than the women he often brings into the castle. Along with his servant Wilhelm, they travel across the land in search of fair maidens from classic stories in hopes of finding Ludwig a wife.

(Source: Aerandria Scans)
Nov 1998 to Jul 26, 2007 | 16 chp | Publishing

Cantarella

Higuri, You 2024
From birth, Cesare Borgia is surrounded by hellish shadows that threaten to consume him. Damned by his own father, hated by his closest brother, separated from the sister who loves him, and driven by the demons of Hell itself, he sets out on a quest for power that threatens to set the world of Renaissance Italy ablaze. Will he find salvation in Michelotto, a mysterious assassin bent on saving Cesare's soul... even if it means slaying his demon-possessed body? Or will all Italy be seduced by the tragic eyes of the infamous murderer known as Cesare Borgia?

(Source: Go! Comi)
Jun 16, 2000 to Apr 16, 2010 | 49 chp | Publishing

Brother

Ougi, Yuzuha 2024
Asuka Momoki, an employee at a major advertising company, has a secret. He's 22 years old, impotent, and still a virgin. The existence of Asuka's younger step-brother Yui has a lot to do with it.

Asuka and Yui were the best of friends until an unfortunate incident one summer's day. Ever since then, Yui has avoided Asuka at all costs, even going so far as to leave Japan and study in America.

A successful tennis player, Yui no longer needs a big brother, so where does that leave poor Asuka? What happens when brotherly love transforms into something more?
Apr 10, 2004 to Feb 10, 2006 | 10 chp | Publishing

Gerard & Jacques

Yoshinaga, Fumi 2024
Just before the start of the French Revolution, a commoner named Gerard pays a visit to a high-class brothel, where he sleeps with, and then buys the freedom of Jacques, a young noble sold into prostitution. Jacques looks down on commoners and Gerard has his reasons for hating the nobility, but they're thrown together once again when Jacques ends up being hired as Gerard's new houseboy. Jacques' determination to make his own way in the world, and Gerard's surprising, quirky shows of kindness slowly bring the two together into a romance for the ages!

(Source: Blu Manga)
Feb 2002 to ? | 12 chp | Publishing