Planet Martine is suddenly attacked! The alien invaders are known as the Abh. They are of human origin, but have been genetically modified so that... more>> each Abh has superior talent, skill, beauty, and longevity. Martine's president surrenders completely in the face of the Abh's awesome military power. Through a bizarre twist of fate, his son Jinto becomes a nobleman in the Abh's vast, intergalactic empire. <<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

The series takes place in an indeterminate time in the future, 500 years after an apocalyptic war between all of Earth’s nations destroyed civilization, when humanity has reestablished itself. ... more>>

In this future world, the Roman Catholic Church has become a major military power, whose goals include the protection of humanity against the vampiric Methuselahs, who war upon humankind (or “Terrans,” as they call humans). Their seat of power is the Vatican, an attractive place with traditional European architecture; it is likely the same Vatican city in the real world (albeit perhaps rebuilt following the previous war).

The Methuselahs are themselves another major political and military force. Their capital of Byzantium (presumably built on the site of the real world’s Byzantium, now Istanbul) appears as an elegant metropolis, surrounded by a field of particles which filters out UV radiation, thus protecting the Methuselah population. <<less

Minoru Utsugi, a teenager who was living a peaceful (if boring) life with his sister-in-law, finds his life changed when extraterrestrial contact grants his dearest... more>> wish, leaving him with the power of "The Solitude." But the ability to realize absolute isolation only plunges Minoru into a battle he never wanted to fight. As his old life comes to an end, he steps into a new role—as the "Isolator!" <<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

All Yukari Morita wanted to do was find her father on the little island where he disappeared to - an island where they frequently test... more>> rockets. Suddenly, though, on a path in the forest, a strange man in strange vehicle picks her up, saying it's dangerous there. One thing leads to another and Yukari finds herself forced to become an astronaut for the Solomon Space Agency. <<less

Taking place in a futuristic city called Mardock City, Rune Ballot is a young prostitute who was taken in by the notorious gambler Shell Septinous.... more>> One night, Shell abandons Rune and attempts to mu*der her in an explosion. However, she is rescued and transformed into a cyborg by Dr. Easter. An Artificial intelligence in the form of a Mouse accompanies her to adapt to her new life. Rune is trained to use the advanced technology fitted on her to defend herself against Shell's attempts to have her killed to stop her from testifying against him. <<less

.hack//CELL is a novel series written by Ryo Suzukaze, serialized in the magazine .hack//G.U.: The World, and published in paperback format.... more>>

It follows the experiences of a female Edge Punisher, Midori, as she hires herself out to players who want to fight her without resistance <<less

“The World” is a massively multiplayer online game played by more than twelve million people across the globe. Within this virtual world Haseo, a PKK... more>> (Player Killer Killer), continues an endless fight. Everything he does is for the sake of the girl Shino, who back in the real world, is hospitalized by an unexplained coma. However, on finally meeting with his sole lead, a PK called ?Tri-Edge,? Haseo is dropped back to Level 1 by a mysterious power! Can Haseo save Shino now that he has lost all of his abilities? <<less

A mysterious terrorist organization is hell-bent on orchestrating a war between the New Human Empire and the Vatican. Special Ops AX Agent Abel Nightroad teams... more>> up with a spunky young novice named Esther to try and stop Gyula, the bloodthirsty Marquis of Hungary, from unleashing the legendary Star of Sorrow.Set against a neo-gothic backdrop, this second Trinity Blood series--connected to the Rage Against the Moons series--promises plenty of action and intrigue as Esther and Abel struggle to save the lives of humans and vampires alike! <<less

In the year 1989, the Japanese government passed the Media Betterment Act, allowing a group of soldiers known as the Media Betterment Committee (MBC) to destroy and censor any "problematic" media under the guise of protecting public morals. As a response, regional governments established the Library Defense Force (LDF), whose members take up arms and put their lives on the line to protect freedom of expression. At the top of the Kanto branch of the LDF stands the Library Task Force (LTF): an elite squad consisting of only the most exceptional fighters.... more>>

As a high schooler, Iku Kasahara experienced the terror of censorship first-hand when she refused to surrender the newest volume of her favorite series to MBC agents. She only came out unscathed thanks to a lone member of the LDF, who protected her and her beloved book. Now in her 20s and still unable to forget the man who saved her, Kasahara joins the LDF in the hope of becoming just like her prince.

But LDF training turns out to be far more rigorous than she could have imagined, and her instructor, LTF member Atsushi Doujou, seems fixated on making her life a living hell. Given her struggles, Kasahara is shocked when she is selected as one of the two new LTF recruits as a result of Doujou's recommendation. As Kasahara does all she can to become worthy of the LTF and unravel her enigmatic superior's motivations, she wages war—both on the battlefield and in her personal life.

Vol 1 – Toshokan Sensou (図書館戦争) (Library War)
Vol 2 – Toshokan Nairan (図書館内乱) (Library Infighting)
Vol 3 – Toshokan Kiki (図書館危機) (Library Crisis)
Vol 4 – Toshokan Kakumei (図書館革命) (Library Revolution) <<less

In an alternate history of the aftermath of World War II, Japan has been cleaved in half, with the south—Honshu and the other islands—allied with... more>> the United States and the northern island Hokkaido annexed by the enigmatic Union. It was on Hokkaido that a mysterious tower had been built, a strand of metal reaching up out of the atmosphere, visible from the northern tip of Honshu. In 1996, three teenagers, Hiroki, Takuya and Sayuri, make a pact—they will build an experimental aircraft, almost invisible to surveillance, cross over to Hokkaido and unlock the secrets of the tower. Their dream was never realized, because Sayuri was sent to Tokyo for treatment after she fell into a coma. It is now three years later. The rosy illusions of youth have fallen away, but not the unbreakable strength of the trio’s promise. The truth of the tower will be uncovered, and with it, the link between it and Sayuri’s mysterious, carefully tended condition. <<less

A series of light novel stories written by Makoto Inoue (the 6 novels and the first video game novel) and Jun Eishima (the second and third video game novels). ... more>>

The Novels are (in the order by when they came out):

– The Land of Sand (2003)
– The Abducted Alchemist (2003)
– The Valley of White Petals (2004)
– Under the Faraway Sky (2004)
– The Ties That Bind (2005)
– A New Beginning (2007)

The Video Game Novels:

– Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel (2004)
– Curse of the Crimson Elixir (2004)
– The Girl Who Surpasses God (2005) <<less

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

The Third is set many years after a devastating war, which killed 80% of the earth's population. Earth is being watched by a group of... more>> beings known as The Third, named after the red eye on their forehead (Space Eye) that can access many types of computer systems. <<less

The series begins in U.C. 0001, at the very beginning of human space colonization, when a space colony called Laplace is destroyed. The main story takes place in UC 0096, three years after the events of Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack and 27 years before Gundam F91.... more>>

The story revolves around Banagher Links, a seemingly normal boy living and going to school in the space colonies. His life changes one day when he meets a girl named Audrey Burne, as the encounter brings him into contact with a new Gundam and its connections to an item called "Laplace's Box." <<less

Plato, Buddha, Christ--what brings these men to the far future to witness the end of the world?... more>>

Ten billion days—that is how long it will take the philosopher Plato to determine the true systems of the world. One hundred billion nights—that is how far into the future Jesus of Nazareth, Siddhartha, and the demigod Asura will travel to witness the end of all worlds. Named the greatest Japanese science fiction novel of all time, Ten Billion Days and One Hundred Billion Nights is an epic eons in the making. Originally published in 1967, the novel was revised by the author in later years and republished in 1973. <<less

More action and giant robots await in the Rahxephon novel. Relive events from the anime plus untold stories from a 1st person perspective, seen through... more>> the eyes of the various characters in the Raxephon mythos. <<less

Amidst a disaster, an orphan contracts a sickness.... more>>

In his waking hours, he is tormented by his ailment, but when he slumbers, there is infinite darkness.

One day, when he was five years old, a strange Fate Trickster appeared in his dreams. Ten years later, he dreams of becoming a lord. To do so, he takes a chance to trade his fate!

That day, Wang Zhong once again stood at the gates of the Tianjing Heroic Soul Academy. He was about to start a brand new life. <<less

A normal high school boy Ryūji Kisaragi's peaceful life is turned into an adventure by the return of his second cousin, Eriko. Ryūji and Eriko... more>> seize a relic box from a black market broker named FANG. In the box, they find a red dragon girl whom Ryūji names Rose because of her rose like pattern on her left hand. In order to protect Rose from the black organization, Ryūji decides to fight using his power as a breaker. <<less

This is the story of a crazy lich who possesses an internal game system and brings catastrophe to the entire world.... more>>

“Let’s look at the daily quests today… it’s the damned choose one-of-two-options-type again. Destroy a town with a population of 30,000 people or above; reward: 10,000 evil points. Steal lollipops from 3 children; reward: 1 evil point. If neither of the quests is completed, then 2 points will be deducted.”

“Tsk! You think I’m s*upid? If I really destroyed a town, a crusade of Epic-ranked Holy Knights would definitely come hunting me down. Even if I earned the points, there wouldn’t be any life left in me to spend them. I better just go be a kindly lollipop bandit.”

I’ve already had enough of being a notorious lich. Who says that a lich can’t be a good person? I’m definitely going to beat this damned system and be an upright and dignified good man. <<less

Luke has transmigrated to the United States, but eventually realizes that this United States is different from the United States of his previous life. Here, the superpowers and characters from the movies in his previous life actually exist. How will Luke fare in a world where such terrifying superpowers exist?... more>>

Fortunately, he has a cheat – the Super Detective System.

Join Luke on his new journey toward becoming a detective. <<less