Honoo no Mirage (Mirage of Blaze) is a complexly-plotted novel which incorporates a large number of elements, including romantic melodrama, historical politics and supernatural fantasy. Japanese history predominates the heavily structured story-line, which mainly involves the continued aggression between power-wielding guardians ('possessors'), and the denizens of a 'feudal underworld'- a group of restless souls belonging to long-dead samurai from the warring states period who are attempting to re-ignite those age-old wars in present-day Japan.... more>>

Volume Titles:

1: Honoo no Shinkirou (炎の蜃気楼)
2: Aka no Zanei (緋の残影)
3: Garasu no Komoriuta (硝子の子守歌)
4: Kohaku no Ryūseigun (琥珀の流星群)
5: Mahoroba no Ryūjin (まほろばの龍神)
6: Hasha no Ma Kagami 1 (覇者の魔鏡(前編))
7: Hasha no Ma Kagami 2 (覇者の魔鏡(中編))
8: Hasha no Ma Kagami 3 (覇者の魔鏡(後編))
9: Minagiwa no Hangyakusha (みなぎわの反逆者)
10: Wadatsumi no Yōkihi 1 (わだつみの楊貴妃(前編))
11: Wadatsumi no Yōkihi 2 (わだつみの楊貴妃(中編))
12: Wadatsumi no Yōkihi 3 (わだつみの楊貴妃(後編))
13: Yomi e no Kazaana 1 (黄泉への風穴(前編))
14: Yomi e no Kazaana 2 (黄泉への風穴(後編))
15: Hiwa no Ōkoku 1 (火輪の王国(前編))
16: Hiwa no Ōkoku 2 (火輪の王国(中編))
17: Hiwa no Ōkoku 3 (火輪の王国(後編))
18: Hiwa no Ōkoku Reppū-hen (火輪の王国 烈風編)
19: Hiwa no Ōkoku Retsu Tō-hen (火輪の王国 烈濤編)
20: Jūjika o Daite Nemure (十字架を抱いて眠れ)
21: Retsumyō no Hoshi (裂命の星)
22: Sakigake no Maji (魁の蠱)
23: Onshū no Mon Oumi-hen (怨讐の門 青海編)
24: Onshū no Mon Shakkū-hen (怨讐の門 赤空編)
25: Onshū no Mon Hakurai-hen (怨讐の門 白雷編)
26: Onshū no Mon Kurohi-hen (怨讐の門 黒陽編)
27: Onshū no Mon Kōjō-hen (怨讐の門 黄壌編)
28: Onshū no Mon Hakai-hen (怨讐の門 破壊編)
29: Mugen Jōdo (無間浄土)
30: Akaru hen Mokushiroku I Nachi no Shō (変黙示録 I 那知の章)
31: Akaru hen Mokushiroku II Nuno-to no Shō (耀変黙示録 II 布都の章)
32: Akaru hen Mokushiroku III Yata no Shō (耀変黙示録 III 八咫の章)
33: Akaru hen Mokushiroku IV Jinmu no Shō (耀変黙示録 IV 神武の章)
34: Akaru hen Mokushiroku V Tenma no Shō (耀変黙示録 V 天魔の章)
35: Akaru hen Mokushiroku VI Ranka no Shō (耀変黙示録 VI 乱火の章)
36: Akaru hen Mokushiroku VII Nigoyabu no Shō (耀変黙示録 VII 濁破の章)
37: Kakumei no Kane wa Naru (革命の鐘は鳴る)
38: Ashura no Maegami (阿修羅の前髪)
39: Kaminari no Ikusaba (神鳴りの戦場)
40: Senoku no Yoruwokoete (千億の夜をこえて) <<less

She is stubborn and tough. He is cold and indifferent. In difficult times, she and he went through life and death. In his arms, he embraced another woman. In this life, she is his most hated woman; In this lifetime, he toppled her feelings of this whole life. Because of this desperate love, tears are all over the place, enough to unite seven summers and autumns. Old clothes are weak, red lotus has fallen. In the end who for whom covered each other’s younger years? Suddenly realizing in a dream that they are separated by the other end of the world. So it turned out that some love has long ago entered the bones……
... more>> 40px;"> Su Qing Qian’s gentle yet tenacious courage went in a battle of wits with a loved one through the autumn’s wind and the monthly flowers. Plotting and calculating to help the loved one reign the world. Cold emperor became an affectionate husband. Unable to distinguish if the enemy’s country hostage prince is a friend or a foe, is it exploitation or protection? Even with an oppressive heart and deep feeling is not enough to describe this story.

He is standing with his sword, his eyes are full of cold mu*derous aura. In the moment between life and death, a few words from the woman beside him saved her. This woman is his favorite fei and also the only one in his heart over these past years.

It turned out that she is someone who keeps hanging on her brother in law without any sense of shame and is a woman being disgusted by the world.

She has the appearance enough to cause the fall of a land and has been identified by the people as a demoness.

He is cold to the absolute, a lone person with fierce ambitions. Because of one catastrophe, feelings have been planted in her heart for him. Touching love, went through life and death together, but she was still unable to break the ice in his heart.

She is his most obscure secret; she is also the woman he hates the most. All his love he gave to another woman, except he was reluctant to let her leave…….

Inside the dragon curtain, he is embracing the woman he loves the most while she is silently waiting outside the chamber.

Desire or temptation? Addiction or monopolizing? Meeting by chance or consigned to eternal damnation?

In this life, she accompanied two men. One took her life with one strike. The other pushed her in the abyss of deception…… <<less

On the outskirts of the Pleasure City of Midas lies the Ceres special autonomous area, commonly known as the slums. Gang leader Riki, looking for an easy pocket to pick in the nightlife districts, gets caught red-handed…by none other than one of the highest-ranking, golden-haired android elites ruling from the capital Tanagura: the “Blondy” Iason Mink!
By all rights, a Blondy standing at the pinnacle of aristocracy and a slummer should have never crossed paths—their chance encounter marks the beginning of a love twisted by obsession, soon spiraling into a karmic chain of events...... more>>

⬇️ //// About the Japanese novel and anime adaptations ////
⬇️ //// About the English translation ////
⬇️ //// Current translation status ////
⬇️ //// Drama CDs, prequel and side stories ////

//// About the Japanese novel and anime adaptations ////

Originally serialized in the bimonthly magazine Shosetsu June (小説ジュネ) spanning six chapters from December 1986 to October 1987, the novel was released with minor revisions into a hardcover edition in 1990.
This first version of the story received a two-episode/OVA anime adaptation in 1992 and 1994.

Between the years 2001 and 2007, the original story was greatly expanded upon and released in six paperback volumes. After a change of Japanese publisher, two more volumes were released between 2009 and 2010, completing the series (the six aforementioned volumes were released as volumes 1-4 in the newest Japanese edition).
This second version of the story was meant to be adapted into a twelve-episode OVA anime—initially planned to release in 2010—but was postponed to 2012, only to be discontinued after the fourth episode’s release.

//// About the English translation ////

The English paperback expanded edition is made up of eight volumes: the six first volumes (Seibido/Crystal edition) + the two later volumes (#7 and #8 in English, but #5 and #6 in the newest Tokuma/Chara edition).
The change in Japanese publisher led to a change in translator for the English edition between vol1 to 6 and vol7 to 8: it is highly recommended to read the fan translations of #7 and #8 as opposed to reading the licensed edition, due to the massive loss in translation (expect a 50% word count difference between the two).

//// Current translation status of the different editions of the novel (as of April 20th, 2024) ////

. Shosetsu June edition, unlicensed: 2/6 chapters, ongoing fan translation.
. 1990 hardcover edition, unlicensed: 2/6 chapters, ongoing fan translation. An older fan translation had 4/6 chapters translated but the project was dropped.
. 2000’s expanded edition, English licensed: fully translated, complete.

//// Drama CDs, prequel and side stories ////

– The Shosetsu June story was adapted into a drama cassette and a drama CD (Dark Erogenous).
– The expanded story was adapted into three drama CDs (Destiny, Nightmare, Resonance)
– A prequel called Midnight Illusion was serialized in Shosetsu June between December 1992 and April 1993, and released as a hardcover in 1996. 3/6 chapters have been fan-translated into English.
– The 5 side stories have all been fan-translated into English (Kizu/Wound, File-0, Cal’s Sighs, Musk, Illusion Night) and are based on the expanded version of the novel.

Look up online “Ai no Kusabi Master List LiveJournal” to find the links to all the material listed above and more.

[This page was updated as per an anon’s request, all credit goes to the AnK community where credit is due.] <<less

Suddenly a high school student Subaru Natsuki has been summoned to another world on the way back from the convenience store. With the biggest crisis of his life being summoned to another world and no sign of the one who summoned him things become worse when he is attacked.... more>>

But when he is saved by a mysterious silver-haired girl with a fairy cat, Subaru cooperates with the girl to return the favor. When they finally manage to get a clue Subaru and the girl are attacked and killed by someone.

Subaru then awakens in the place he was summoned and notices the ability he gained “Returns by Death” a helpless boy that only has the ability to rewind time by dying. And beyond the despair can he save the girl from the fate of death! <<less

A near future, where humans have been defeated by the viral parasites named Gastrea. They have been exiled into a small territory and live in despair, side by side with terror.... more>>

In this world trapped in darkness—

Rentaro, a boy living near Tokyo and member of the "Civil Security" – an organization specializing in fighting against the Gastrea – is used to accomplishing dangerous tasks. His partner is Enju, a precocious young girl. They fight thanks to their peculiar powers until one day, when they receive a special assignment from the government. This top secret mission is to prevent the destruction of Tokyo...

Set in a near future, this thrilling heroic-action story... starts now! <<less

In the darkness stands a girl draped in pure white. Don't let her innocent appearance fool you; her hands grip a glistening scythe. Momo is... more>> the dark messenger of death who, along with her wisecracking cat named Daniel, is tasked with releasing humans from their mortal bonds and delivering their souls to the great beyond. First encounters with Momo always end in farewells. <<less

Three Short Stories:... more>>

Calling You
A girl creates an imaginary cell phone...which one day rings. The boy on the other end claims to be calling from his own imaginary cell phone...

Kiz/Kids
Two damaged children bond over one's ability to heal wounds.

Singing Flower
A patient at a hospital finds a flower with the face of a girl, that hums a beautiful melody. <<less

Socrates in Love is a bittersweet journey of young love, enduring devotion, and heartbreaking loss. Affectionately known in Japan as Sekachu (short for Sekai no... more>> Chushin de Ai wo Sakebu), the incredible popularity of Katayama’s novel developed into a social phenomenon in Japan and drove it to become one of the classic love stories of all time. Socrates in Love took the Japanese publishing industry by storm, becoming the all-time best-selling novel in Japan! <<less

Tomoki Naruse has just started his freshman year in high school. And as with all healthy, young men at his age, he's been dreaming of... more>> s*x. But Tomoki isn’t having normal wet dreams like his classmates! In his nightmares, err… dreams his partner is a man and to make things worse, Tomoki is on the bottom! Aside from Tomoki’s unsettling dreams, high school life is fun – especially with his new, handsome, best friend Yugo Oda. But Yugo is no ordinary freshman; he is involved in mysterious activities that Tomoki can’t even begin to imagine… <<less

Takumi, Kouki, and Jin are three boys living a normal high school life, until the day when a traumatic car accident turns their lives upside... more>> down. Caught up in a phenomenon that twists the boundaries between the realms of the supernatural and the world of man, their fates seem to be sealed…and yet they survive. What does their mysterious survival mean, and how will it change their lives? <<less

Based on third live action Death Note movie. With only 23 days left to live, L must save the world from a horrible epidemic.

A collection of short stories by Otsuichi which resembles a Zoo with its many short stories covering different topics, settings, and genre.... more>>

Identical twins brought up in the same household where one is treated like dirt and the other a princess.

The last man on the planet builds a robot to bury him as he muses about his own impending doom.

A family tries to find their father’s spare blood as he bleeds to death after having been stabbed by a kitchen knife.

And many others. <<less

Suffering from extreme amnesia, high school student Saya Otonoshi can't remember anything from her life beyond the last year. Living with a foster family outside a military base in Okinawa, Japan, Saya's attempts to live a normal life are shattered when a Chiropteran, a horrific vampire-like monster, attacks her. Saved at the last minute by a mysterious man named Hagi, Saya is presented with a sword that awakens in her a warrior's skills and bloodlust, and sets her on a course that will lead her to the answers of her missing memories, and into battle against a race of creatures intent on destroying the world.... more>>

The epic adventure that began in the groundbreaking film Blood: the Last Vampire and has continued through the worldwide phenomenon TV series Blood+ is brought to life in this all-new series of novels adapting the hit show. Saya's journey of horror, magic, romance and mystery will stretch across time and around the world, expanding on the television series with new characters, new adventures and breathtaking action. <<less

Higuchi Kotarou was just a normal sixth-grader until a new next-door neighbor enters his life--an insanely perky angel named Misha that has made it her... more>> life's work to make Kotarou happy! And if that wasn't enough, Misha has an even stranger roommate--a kind-hearted demon named Shia and her mysterious black cat Nya! If Kotarou's life at home is this weird, what can it possibly be like at school? Find out in these fun-filled, brand-new adventures that reveal the origins of Koge-Donbo's beloved characters first introduced in the hit Pita-Ten manga series! <<less

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria, or The Empty Box and the Zeroth Maria, tells the sinister story of Kazuki Hoshino, who is almost madly attached to his everyday life, and his antagonist Aya Otonashi, who suddenly transfers into his class—for the 13,118th time. She majestically announces to “break” him, without paying heed to anyone else around them.... more>>

.

This is but the start of a dark roller coaster ride that turns the two against themselves, the people around them and the one who may be god. Read on as their relationship slowly changes as they go against their most basic values in their struggle against the world itself. <<less

Why are we doing this...? When Haruhiro came to, he was in the darkness. Not knowing why was he here, or where "here" even was.... more>> With him were others who also remembered little more than their own names. What they found when they came out of the underground was a world that was `just like a game." In order to survive, Haruhiro forms a party with others in the same situation as him, learns Skills, and takes his first steps forward into the world of Grimgar as a Trainee Volunteer Soldier. Not knowing what awaits him... This is a tale of adventure born from the ashes. <<less

At the age of seventeen, Xie Xiao Qiu met “him.”... more>>

Since then, “he” was engraved on her heart, an unforgettable existence.

Since then, she has been imprisoned by love to the point of madness.

“He” is called Wang Li Chuan. `

Six years ago, her boyfriend Li Chuan left without saying goodbye. Thereafter Xiao Qiu becomes the prisoner of love. She does not understand how such an intense and strong love could vanish overnight. The mystery of Li Chuan’s disappearance shatters Xiao Qiu’s heart. When they meet again Xiao Qiu wavers between advance and retreat. In the face of such a good and patient man, she suddenly understands happiness is never easy to grasp. Crippled or perfection is always accompanied by shadow. <<less

White Horse Neighing in the West Wind by Jin Yong was first serialized in the newspapers in 1961.... more>>

Li Wenxiu, a young Han Chinese maiden, loses her parents in the Gobi Desert while escaping from a group of bandits who are after a map of the Gaochang labyrinth. Placed on a white steed, she flees to Kazakh territory and is taken into the care of Old Man Ji, an elderly Han Chinese man. While growing up, she meets Supu, a Kazakh boy, and starts a romance with him. However, Supu's father disapproves of the relationship between his son and a Han Chinese girl, so they are forced to separate.

Several years later, Li Wenxiu meets Hua Hui, a hermit, in an oasis in the Gobi Desert, and helps him cure his wounds. Hua Hui feels grateful to her and accepts her as his apprentice and teaches her martial arts. She returns home in the midst of heavy snowfall and sees Supu, his father, and his new lover taking shelter in her house. Chen Dahai, the leader of the group of bandits who killed Li Wenxiu's parents, arrives at Li's home and suspects that the map he has been hunting for is inside the house. He ransacks the house for the map and eventually finds it. The secret of the map is revealed when blood is spilled onto the cloth. Chen wants to silence Supu and the others but is stopped and defeated by Li, who has disguised herself as an old man.

Chen Dahai flees with the map and finds his way to the labyrinth, while Li Wenxiu and Supu gather five others to join them in pursuing Chen and the bandits. The seven of them make their way to the labyrinth, where they are surprised to find ordinary items associated with Han Chinese culture instead of treasure and riches as they expected. To their horror, they encounter a "ghost" who haunts them by killing their companions without leaving any traces. Just as they are about to flee, Supu learns that his lover has been kidnapped by the "ghost" and he tracks the "ghost" to its lair in the labyrinth, where he discovers that the "ghost" is actually a martial arts expert in disguise.

The "ghost" tells his story and reveals that he was forced into exile because he was betrayed by his apprentice, who is actually Old Man Ji. The "ghost" is the hermit Hua Hui, whom Li Wenxiu saved earlier. To everyone's surprise, Old Man Ji is revealed to be actually a man in his 30s in disguise as an old man. Old Man Ji and Hua Hui start fighting with each other. Li is shocked to realise that the two, who are close to her, are actually enemies. Hua Hui eventually dies in his futile attempt to kill everyone in the labyrinth. After leaving the labyrinth, Li Wenxiu hears the true story behind the items hidden in the labyrinth and their origins. She decides to leave the land for central China as she feels miserable after the loss of two of her loved ones and the marriage of her lover to another woman. <<less

It details the life of a mid-rank soldier who died at the very end of the war against the Demon Race. Fortunately for him, he... more>> wakes up to find that he’s a baby again, in the embrace of his real mother, years in the past. Determined to avoid the chain of tragedies that took his beloved ones away from him, he takes advantage of the advancements in swordsmanship and magic that developed during the war (as we all know, wars are when many scientific breakthroughs tend to happen), and tries his best to prepare for the demon invasion as well as strengthen himself with maximum efficiency. <<less

A mysterious natural phenomenon caused the Earth to be plunged into darkness. The world turned into endless bloody chaos and mankind is on the brink of extinction…... more>>

Chu Yun Sheng, an ordinary white-collar worker, discovered his family heirloom, a book, shining a bizarre light by accident. Out of curiosity, he tried to study the book.

After long research, he still only understood a few symbols written in the ancient book. However, he was shocked when he figured out what messages the ancient book tried to tell him: the sun will disappear, and humanity is doomed…

He tried to spread the message, but no one believed him; his family and friends even tried to take him to see the psychiatrist. Eventually, he gave up telling anyone but prepared for the apocalypse in secret.

Until one day — the sun really disappeared… <<less

Several hundred thousand players are trapped in a gritty zombie apocalypse survival game just after game launch. There are hints that deaths in the game might be serving some other terrible purpose in the background of reality…... more>>

The main character, Liu Gan, is a quadruple amputee in real life. A quirk in the server code recognized his prosthetic limbs as ‘real limbs’ in game, giving him ‘normal’ arms and legs that nonetheless have the strength and power of steel limbs, and thus far more power than a normal player. With this minor cheat helping him survive the early stages of the game, Liu Gan sets out to find out what exactly is going on, and to endure as long as he can. <<less

A mysterious mu*der occurs one night in an appartement. Li , a reporter, sensed it. However her brother An, a horror novelist, objects to her getting involved in this due to their past.... more>>

The day after , Li senses another killing happening, and while trying to stop it, she meets Jin, someone with same ability like her.

Now the three of them, including An try to understand what exactly is going on… <<less

Reincarnation insurance is a system that, with the contract taker as recipient, makes use of the Insurance Quanatum to provide a new life after death.... more>>

The insurance premium was paid and all the conditions were settled, yet upon awakening in the new world the opening act was a horrible disaster, immediately losing an arm to a wild beast. On top of that, due to cause unknown, communication through words didn’t get through. That, together with taking along modern Japan’s technology, turned the second life into one full of grim prospects from the very beginning.

In a gloomy dungeon where survival without struggle was impossible, a man who lost his left arm was determined to survive, using present day Japan’s technology to its full extent. Namely, the peak of cybernetics, mechanical limbs and cyber karate. <<less

Born to a house where women were only seen as tools to birth children, I was already in my twenties. I was standing on the crossroads of life.... more>>

At my fingertips were close to fifty photos of different men. They were the marriage partner candidates my father had prepared.

Those who took the initiative and volunteered because they wanted his company, and those that were recommended to strengthen our ties with other companies. There were various reasons, but I was to marry one, and build up a child.

That was my reason for existence in this house.

I don’t think I can love another.

I wonder how everyone believes in something so shapeless as love. It was only a marvel to me.

That I couldn’t do something any standard person could must be because I was a person who was never properly loved.

I put a break on the countless unanswered questions I held since my birth, and stared down at the photos around me.

That I chose him was truly a coincidence. <<less