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

Koushun Takami's notorious high-octane thriller envisions a nightmare scenario: a class of junior high school students is taken to a deserted island where, as part... more>> of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms and forced to kill until only one survivor is left standing. Criticized as violet exploitation when first published in Japan—where it became a runaway best seller—Battle Royale is a Lord of the Flies for the 21st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world. <<less

I was a failed experiment

The boy had no choice but to steal.... more>>

For his dreams, or perhaps just to survive.

To him, there wasn't much of a difference. <<less

A spaceship from the Kingdom of God had greatly contributed to the development of civilizations. Mechas, warships, and wormhole jumps, human beings are advancing rapidly on the road to conquering space.... more>>

Ancient martial arts, myths, genetic modification,
human beings are gradually drifting away in the
exploration of self-evolution. The smoke of wars birthed twisted individuals, human beings are approaching the border in the cycle of self-destruction.

Suddenly one day, people found the legendary
Holy Grail, only to realize that the world is so big,
but their horizons are so narrow.

It happened when Niu Ben was born and his
parents named him.

"The son of the Niu family must be a cow, four
cows, and a bull run!" <<less

I’ve been struggling for over a decade in this world where magic is equivalent to science. And now I’ve realized that my employer is the protagonist’s enemy.... more>>

...Boss, can I quit my job? <<less

Zhu Ning, who had been leading the charge against zombies in the apocalypse, found herself transported to a post-apocalyptic world. In this world, 80% of the land was polluted, and humanity was divided into five classes. She ended up as the lowest class, a fifth-class citizen—essentially an unlucky, defective product.... more>>

Completely broke, Zhu Ning had no choice but to become a cleaner, sweeping up garbage.

It was said that cleaning jobs in the wasteland paid well and were easy, practically a dream job.

But... why does this cleaning job seem so different from what she expected?

On the mysteriously disappeared Line 1, she encountered mermen in suits carrying briefcases, with fish heads.

At a famous hotpot restaurant, the hotpot itself tried to eat people!

In a haunted house, the furniture moved around at night and even tried to kill the owner.

Even the supposedly warm and healing aquarium was filled with aggressive mermen demanding to reproduce, bloodsucking mechanical jellyfish, and unknown transparent creatures.

She visited a dental clinic, and as soon as she reached out her hand, it started raining teeth.

...

And that wasn’t all. The cleaning company seemed to be hiding a big secret.

The AI might be the mastermind behind everything.

The pharmaceutical companies looked completely shady!

Zhu Ning found herself inexplicably drawn into conflicts, where one wrong move could lead to a short life.

In the wasteland, everyone had eight hundred schemes up their sleeve.

Zhu Ning: Is heaven messing with me? <<less

A seemingly delicate flower, actually a man-eating little carnivore, a white lotus with a dark heart & a beautiful, powerful, miserable male lead who is ostracized and scarred. This story is also known as Beauty and the Beast.... more>>

Shi Yi, the most powerful wood-type ability user in the apocalypse, died. She died on the vines of the mutated plants she had tamed.

But no one knew that she was resurrected. It was the mutated plants she considered family that gave her a second life.

Thinking of those who truly caused her death, the seeds of hatred grew in her heart.

Shi Yi struggled with all her might to break free from the darkness, finally succeeding five years after her death… by sprouting from the earth.

“Looking” at the delicate little flower dancing in the wind, the surrounding giant mutated plants were overjoyed.

They carefully planted her in a place with abundant sunlight, found her the sweetest clear water and the purest energy cores, and worked hard to help the delicate flower grow into one that could crawl all over the ground.

Just as Shi Yi was growing steadily under the care of the mutated plants, a sudden change occurred—

A heavy snow forced all the mutated plants in the wild into hibernation.

Shi Yi fell asleep peacefully, only to be awakened halfway, and when she woke up, she found that she had been stolen!

Seeing the person who stole her bring her into a human base in the apocalypse, with people bustling around, Shi Yi was filled with excitement: Just what she wanted!

She would get back everything those people owed her, everything they owed her plants, bit by bit.

But before that, before her mutated plants awakened, she needed to recruit a few underlings.

Shi Yi set her sights on these humans in front of her…

The man who nervously brought the delicate flower home looked at the little flower, then at his excited mutated plant, and said with disdain: Such a delicate little thing, it doesn’t fit the cool and badass style of mutated plants at all!

The mutated plant beside the man swayed its vines and gently snatched the delicate little flower from the human's hand: What does a human know! This is the greatest treasure in that field!

Shi Yi swayed her leaves: Hehe.

And soon, winter passed.

The snow on the mountaintop melted, and the mutated plants, half-awake, extended their vines, wanting to touch Shi Yi, but grasped at nothing.

Instantly, all the mutated plants on the mountaintop were enraged and swarmed out.

Who was it?! Who stole their King?!

When the mutated plants finally found Shi Yi, they discovered that in the short time they were apart, their King had already subdued many humans!

As expected of their King!

But there was a hateful guy trying to steal their King, he needed to be stopped! <<less

When the apocalypse broke out, Yu Qingxian chose to die.... more>>

But death failed, and she became a zombie.

With social anxiety and depression in life, she chose to go on a walking tour.

Since she was a zombie anyway, she seemed to have lost her fears. <<less

That day, mankind could finally see the sun. The sky that had always been covered in smog and had never been seen before, who would have thought that it was so pure and alluring?... more>>

Thus, they danced in admiration of the gods’ grace bestowed upon them. They drank and sung, rejoicing about the gods’ greatness.

Despite their sincere gratitude, the gods chastised the people. After the festival that lasted for three days and three nights, the sky started to collapse.

The gods descended from above, and they dyed the land blood-red. <<less

A daughter from a wealthy noble family,
She attempted to kill herself after she witnessed the affair of her fiancé and her sister.
It was fortunate that she didn’t die, however, she fell into depression.
Not until one day, a man came into her life.
She was swept away by the man’s fluttering charms.
But even that relationship, eventually turned into tragedy.... more>>

As tragedies of life have no limitations.

She had lost her family overnight, without knowing the cause, and her life from then on were driven to the brink.
And another man came to her and miraculously gave her a choice.

“Madeloena de Devon Jay. You have two options:
One, to simply die. And two, live a complicated life. Which would you choose?”

She had lost her family, her memories, and her name.

When she woke up in a blank state, a medical officer said to her,
“Your name is Harley.”

She was thrown into an unfamiliar situation, unaware of anything. <<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

What does it mean to live when it’s so painful?... more>>

A young boy thought about it for days and days, but he couldn’t think of an answer.

To him, every day was like a nightmare…

Until one day, when the answer came to him.

Bang–!

[ Level has risen. ]

This is a story of a villain who hid his true colors and vowed to become a hero. <<less

The year is 2013, and it's the city of No. 6: a stringently controlled, diligently maintained megalopolis that embodies the highest ideals of humankind. Sion has lived under close supervision as a "high-ranking elite and therefore one of the city's assets" since the age of two, and feels secure - if not particularly happy - in his carefully planned out, government-sponsored future. ... more>>

On the night of his twelfth birthday, his comfortable lifestyle is turned upside-down when he meets, tends the wounds of, and shelters, a strange boy with an icy demeanour who calls himself "Nezumi" (Rat).

Why did I open the window that night? If I had not, I'd never have been forced to know what it's like to fight, to starve, and to suffer in anguish... <<less

Every infant on planet Chrome has gemini prints on their palms. Those prints match another newborn from planet Exilon.... more>>

On their eighteenth birthday, they will be married to each other. However, those children without partners will be hunted, killed and offered as tributes to the idols.

***

Orion Tudor is a seventeen year old prince from planet Chrome whose gemini prints vanished. His mission is to find his lost soulmate so that he can escape from the retribution of the Gods. Unfortunately, he was caught by the Legions and thrown to the Pillar’s custody. To escape death, Orion led the uprising revolution of all demon children in the Sanctuary – an Outer Space Orbiting Station at Parthenon Galaxy. In his search for his soulmate, he found out there are four of them with the same gemini prints.

Who among them is his soulmate? What’s the reason behind the emergence of four people with the same gemini prints? <<less

This is the Lone Isle Prison.... more>>

Here, atrocities are tolerated, and normalized. The society works on a completely different set of rules.“You can decide the life and death of the prisoners. Only on this isle. Here, you can do whatever you want.”

Maybe, there is a devil on this isle, he can make a decent man lost in power and violence. <<less

Every drop of this family bloodline is stained with sin. They are the embodiment of contradiction; calm yet maniacal, with great memories yet often forgetful. They pledge themselves to their dreams yet often compromise, are angels that are also devils… It’s why I hate them. And also love them. ... more>>

The only hope of his family, a youth with the blood of elves and demons walks on a battleground of annihilation and rebirth. He wills his way through boiling lava and icy depths, killing on this field of despair to strike down the lofty figure in his sight. One day he’ll grasp his blade tightly and survey his surroundings, only to find no more enemies to kill. <<less

A data loving young man from Earth has an accident which transports him to a dark land filled with terrifying creatures and magical powers. ... more>>

Fortunately for him, he has a Biological Assistance Chip to ease his path.

However, things in this bizarre and strange world are not always as they seem, and, though it is a tremendous asset, the chip doesn’t always work as expected. With all of the crazy creatures and magical mayhem around him, one can only wonder what the future holds for this young man… <<less

A fighting genius.... more>>

In grade 6, Choi Hyuk killed someone. He then promised his mother that he would never fight again. He spent his school days being bullied and blankly staring out the window.

One day, a ring appeared in the middle of his classroom.

Choi Hyuk, now a high schooler who had spent his whole life atoning for his sins, was now faced with a decision, to kill or to be killed. <<less

The story takes place in a world where people continue their war against the “unknown”—the enemy of humanity. Children who have been evacuated to a... more>> cold sleep facility during the invasion by the “unknown” several decades ago wake up from their slumber and learn that their bodies developed some supernatural forces. In order to protect the country from the “unknown” emerging from the Tokyo bay gate, the boys and girls wage battles in the defense the cities of Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Chiba. <<less

Exile No. 239: thirty-something, male omega, first degree felon. One day, he comes home to find the alpha girl Yasha sleeping in his bed.... more>>

The unwholesome love story of a bashful tyrant girl and a listless young man. <<less

Deeply-closeted Xiaoming has downloaded a zipped file and opened one of the novels at random. He closed it immediately after two pages because he found it way too kinky for his tastes, and can only faintly recall the cannon fodder and the antagonist.... more>>

Waking up later, he became that cannon fodder on his way to tomorrow’s killing gauntlet reality show. Failing to return even after reciting the core values a hundred times, he could only pick up his sword. As long as the tragic fate could be rewritten, it’s fine to become tainted or whatever. <<less

Ethan, the former secretary working for the Energy Bureau of Earth Union, was detained in a place called ‘Forbidden City’ after being deprived of his moral value points for committing treason. Everyone in the city is tr*sh among humans. They have to continually go on specified hazardous and terrifying missions for the sake of atonement and to exchange moral values points. If their moral value points reach 100 one day, they would obtain a chance to be released from the Forbidden City and return to the world of the humans to restart their lives as a human. But it was said that once someone enters the Forbidden City, no one can come out alive.
... more>> 40px;"> Ethan just wanted to live, but from his first mission, he felt like he had descended into a whirlpool of terror. In front of these huge monsters that could devour the entire universe, he can only keep falling.

This novel is inspired by Lovecraftian horror. <<less

In the tides of time, humankind has lost their position as the wisest of all creatures. The Steel City that suddenly rose in the center... more>> of the eastern lands and a man-made god, ‘Father,’ have replaced them. Mechs have taken over the world of this petri dish, Astrolabe, that the ancient Creators have left behind. One day, a young human s*ave named A-Ka finds a black-haired male on a beach of Desolate Sea… The world of Astrolabe is about to reboot, so what will become of the future of the humans, androids, and mechs? <<less