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As the 20th century approaches its end, people all over the world are anxious that the world is changing. And probably not for the better. Kenji Endou is a normal convenience store manager who is just trying to get by. But when he learns that one of his old friends going by the name "Donkey" has suddenly committed suicide and that a new cult led by a figure known as "Friend" is becoming more notorious, Kenji starts to feel that something is not right. With a few key clues left behind by his deceased friend, Kenji realizes that this cult is much more than he ever thought it would be—not only is this mysterious organization directly targeting him and his childhood friends, but the whole world also faces a grave danger that only the friends have the key to stop. Kenji's simple life of barely making ends meet is flipped upside down when he reunites with his childhood friends, and together they must figure out the truth of how their past is connected to the cult, as the turn of the century could mean the possible end of the world. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

The Nightmare of Fabrication is a beautifully drawn full-color manga from Yoshitoshi Abe. The 18 page short story can be found in the "an omnipresence in wired 'lain'" artbook. It's a bonus story which apparently isn't related with either the anime nor the PS game. It shows characters who were included in the PS game but not in the TV series (like the psychiatrist), but also determinant characters from the anime who didn't appear in the video game (like Deus). (Source: MU)

Haunted by a space flight accident that claimed the life of his beloved wife, Yuri finds himself six years later as part of a team of debris cleaners on a vessel called the Toy Box charged with clearing space junk from space flight paths. The team consists of Hachimaki, a hot shot debris-man with a sailor's affinity for the orbital ocean; Fee, a chain-smoking tomboy beauty with an abrasive edge; and Pops, a veteran orbital mechanic whose avuncular presence soothes the stress of the job. (Source: TokyoPop)

Toua Tokuchi, a master of gambling and mind games, holds the remarkable record of 499 wins and zero losses in "One Outs," a simplified form of baseball that consists of only a batter and a pitcher. Visiting Okinawa, Tokuchi's hometown, is Hiromichi Kojima, the star batter of the Saikyou Saitama Lycaons, the weakest team in the Japanese baseball league. Dreaming of leading the Lycaons to winning the championship, and in dire need of a replacement for their injured pitcher during a training camp, Kojima involves himself in a game of One Outs, only to lose to a normal fastball from the seemingly invincible Tokuchi. Mesmerized by his prowess, Kojima recruits Tokuchi to the team after narrowly avoiding defeat in a rematch, believing he might just be their key to victory. However, the greedy owner of the Lycaons refuses to give him a decent salary, leading Tokuchi to suggest an unusual contract: every out he pitches will gain him five million yen, but every run he gives up will lose him fifty million yen. With his fate now tied to that of the team, Tokuchi's fight to bring the Lycaons to victory becomes yet another gamble—the very thing that he does best. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

A teenage girl, who possesses the "Mystic Eyes of Death Perception," a supernatural ability that allows the user to see the "death" of everything in existence and kill the object by destroying its "origin." She recently recovered from a two-year coma caused by a traffic accident. Prior to the traffic accident, she originally had two personalities, a male personality named Shiki (織), and the original female personality Shiki (式). Children born into the Ryougi family are generally male and are raised with two personalities, so the male personality is customarily called the "yang" personality, while the female is called the "yin" personality. It is easy to tell which Shiki is speaking at a given time because they both have a distinct style of speaking, most notably that the female Shiki refers to herself with the pronoun watashi (私), while male Shiki refers to himself as ore (俺). After waking from her coma, Shiki discovers that she can no longer feel the male Shiki's presence and assumes that he died because of the accident. She also feels a detachment from her memories before the accident, and while she knows she is Shiki, she does not feel that she is. In the hopes of regaining herself and the "dead" Shiki, she puts on a cold facade that somewhat resembles the male Shiki's and tries to act as the female Shiki did. Touko understands the sense of detachment Shiki feels, but considers the current Shiki a third, new personality. The series is regarded as being set in the same world as another TYPE-MOON series, Tsukihime, with Aoko Aozaki's sister Touko Aozaki being featured in this series and the protagonist of the series, Shiki Ryougi, possessing the same abilities as Tsukihime's protagonist, Shiki Tohno. (Source: Wikipedia)

"From a dying planet shall come the children of light..." While on vacation on a small island, young Shiina Tamai dives under the water near an old shrine and discovers an unearthly starfish-like creature. She nearly drowns but is rescued by the silent, wide-eyed little animal, who Shiina befriends and names Hoshimaru. To Shiina's surprise and delight, the creature changes shape, lets Shiina stand on him, and the two fly off into the clouds. But what looks to be a young girl's ultimate fantasy soon takes a darker turn as Shiina and Hoshimaru become entangled in a struggle between rival extraterrestrial factions who battle in the skies upon huge alien beasts called Shadow Dragons, with the fate of Earth hanging in the balance. (Source: Dark Horse)

Ichi may seem like a spineless weakling—but when the tears start flowing, a terrifying transformation takes place. Driven to his mental breaking point, Ichi becomes an unstoppable force of carnage, unleashing a torrent of violence on his next target. When his destructive path collides with Kakihara, a sadomasochistic yakuza boss with a penchant for pain, it ignites a bloody spiral of chaos, depravity, and unimaginable brutality. (Source: Seven Seas Entertainment)

There is an urban legend that children tell one another about a shinigami that can release people from the pain they may be suffering. This "Angel of Death" has a name—Boogiepop. And the legends are true. Boogiepop is real. (Source: Seven Seas Entertainment)

In the panic surrounding a worldwide pandemic which kills 15 percent of the population and cripples many more, a secret organization, the Propater, topples the UN and seizes control of much of the world. A boy and a girl, raised in an abandoned virology research center, immune to the virus, are attacked by the Propater and escape. Twenty years later, the boy is the most powerful drug lord in South America. He aids his son from behind the scenes as he evades and eventually with the help of mercenaries from Nomad (some of them former Propater operatives) fights the Propater. As the plot develops focus shifts away from the main character and develops many sub-plots dedicated to terrorism, Human-improvement, the struggle of the developing countries and the power battles between the drug cartels and Propater. Based strongly on Gnostic mythology, all major characters are named after gnostic deities, and have analogous roles. (Source: MU)

In an enormous steel labyrinth riddled with horrifying creatures, humanity is forced to isolate itself in small enclaves while living in constant fear of its annihilation. In this dystopia, only a strange young man known as Killy is brave enough to traverse its unforgiving territories. Possessing superhuman strength and a rare Graviton Beam Emitter, Killy fights off bloodthirsty beasts and other fiendish forces in his desperate search for a human with the Net Terminal Gene—genetic information that holds the potential to restore the corrupt world. The dark world of Blame! follows Killy as he meets new people, sheds more blood, and draws closer to finding the Net Terminal Gene. Through these exploits, the true nature of the world is slowly pieced together. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Timid 16-year-old Kira Asou prefers to be alone drawing than stand out. At a park, she is approached by her schoolmate Rei Kashino—notorious for being a womanizer—who asks for directions. Distrustful of Rei's intentions, Kira quickly chalks a map for him and runs away. Little does she know that Rei finds one of her sketches on the back of the map and becomes captivated by her artistic skills. Much to Kira's chagrin, Rei immediately recognizes her at school, but she ignores his attempts at striking up a conversation. However, Rei's sincere praise about her drawing leads Kira to see the violent rebel in a better light. After watching him kiss a statue of the god Mars, Kira feels so moved that she instantly requests him to model for her. As Kira and Rei's chance encounter begins to develop into a flourishing relationship, what is to become of these two polar personalities? [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Japanese supermodel and fashion icon Haruko "Liliko" Hirukoma leads a posh life, wearing and promoting the biggest brands in the country. She stands at the top of the modeling industry with the beauty she has attained through full-body plastic surgery. However, Liliko's body soon begins to break down due to the extensive surgery she has been through and the medication she has taken. Worse still, her fear of growing old and being rendered useless begins to drive her insane. Helter Skelter is the story of Liliko's struggles to remain in the limelight in a world where people are so easily replaced. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

In 1999, a meteorite crashed into Antarctica. The impact melted the continental ice mass and drastically raised sea levels, damaging the world's climate and causing the deaths of over half its population. Now in 2015, devastating creatures of unknown origin—referred to as Angels—ravage what remains of the planet. In the heavily fortified city of Tokyo-3, 14-year-old Shinji Ikari is destined to halt the Angels' onslaught. Recruited by his father's secret organization, NERV, Shinji is enlisted as a pilot of an Evangelion, a massive bioorganic android created solely to defeat the Angels. Suddenly with the weight of the world upon his shoulders, Shinji must find the courage and drive to stand up for the future—and himself. But as skirmishes between the Evangelions and Angels become recurrent, the horrifying truth of the world is slowly revealed. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kenzou Tenma, a renowned Japanese neurosurgeon working in post-war Germany, faces a difficult choice: to operate on Johan Liebert, an orphan boy on the verge of death, or on the mayor of Düsseldorf. In the end, Tenma decides to gamble his reputation by saving Johan, effectively leaving the mayor for dead. As a consequence of his actions, hospital director Heinemann strips Tenma of his position, and Heinemann's daughter Eva breaks off their engagement. Disgraced and shunned by his colleagues, Tenma loses all hope of a successful career—that is, until the mysterious killing of Heinemann gives him another chance. Nine years later, Tenma is the head of the surgical department and close to becoming the director himself. Although all seems well for him at first, he soon becomes entangled in a chain of gruesome murders that have taken place throughout Germany. The culprit is a monster—the same one that Tenma saved on that fateful day nine years ago. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

A depressing story about how a Japanese family's life goes wrong: an immoral protagonist, her sister who was gang raped before, her alcoholic mother who later devoted her life to a cult, and her father who lost favor with his company... full of sexual content and highly violent. (Source: Prisms)

While mahjong is a game that is often played with family and friends, it is also a game that is played in the darkest corners of society. Nangou is a compulsive gambler who has accumulated a debt of over three million yen. In a last-ditch attempt to clear his record, he decides to wager his life on a game of mahjong with the mafia. Unfortunately, as the game progresses, Nangou only moves further from the prize and closer to death. When all hope seems lost, the game parlor is suddenly intruded upon by Shigeru Akagi, a young boy on the run from the police. Desperate to turn the game around, Nangou hands the game over to Akagi after teaching him a few of the rules. The mafia can only smirk as Akagi sits down to play. However, they soon come to learn that Akagi is a natural-born gambler. An imposing figure who does not fear death. One who is destined to become a legend. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Guts, a former mercenary now known as the Black Swordsman, is out for revenge. After a tumultuous childhood, he finally finds someone he respects and believes he can trust, only to have everything fall apart when this person takes away everything important to Guts for the purpose of fulfilling his own desires. Now marked for death, Guts becomes condemned to a fate in which he is relentlessly pursued by demonic beings. Setting out on a dreadful quest riddled with misfortune, Guts, armed with a massive sword and monstrous strength, will let nothing stop him, not even death itself, until he is finally able to take the head of the one who stripped him—and his loved one—of their humanity. [Written by MAL Rewrite] Included one-shot: Volume 14: Berserk: The Prototype

"Parasites" are tennis ball sized creatures, whose numbers and origins are unknown. They invade and take over the human mind in order to survive. Shinichi Izumi is a 16-year-old high school student who lives with his parents in a quiet neighborhood. One night, a Parasite invades Shinichi's body in an attempt to take control of it. However, it fails to complete the takeover process and ultimately ends up inhabiting only his right arm. Thus, both Shinichi and the Parasite—who calls himself Migi—retain their individual minds. Now in a peculiar "human and alien" relationship, Migi proposes that they cooperate to survive. Shinichi has no choice but to agree, and he must now cling to his morality as he and Migi face off against other bloodthirsty Parasites. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

The year is 2029. The world has endured four world wars and ushered in a new age of technological advancement that has largely transformed society as humanity knows it. Cybernetic enhancements, robotic AIs, and cyborgs have now become the norm in a world where humans are more machine than man. However, with this modern change, crime started evolving as well: hackers, corrupt officials, and other opportunists have found ways to sneak into innovative systems for their own personal agendas. In Japan, where such crimes run rampant, the government establishes Section 9—a clandestine team of highly trained operatives—to counter these threats. Major Motoko Kusanagi, a woman of impenetrable caliber and bravado, leads Section 9 on its mission to tackle cyberterrorism and ensure that the nation's stability does not falter in the pace of the rapidly progressing future. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ash Lynx is a beauty, a genius—and a murderer. Since childhood, he had been in the care of Dino "Papa" Golzine, the mafia boss who turned him into the ruthless killer he is now. At first, Ash was just a pretty face for Golzine's pleasure, but now estranged from him, a 17-year-old Ash runs his own gang with an iron fist. Eiji Okumura is a young Japanese photographer. Traveling to New York as an assistant, Eiji is set to work on a report about kids living in the streets. There, he meets teenage gang leader Ash and is mesmerized by the boy—who in turn is curious about Eiji's different lifestyle. But this is the dark underground of New York, and recently a series of murders has surfaced in the city, connected only by the words "Banana Fish." With personal stakes in this mysterious battle, it is up to Ash, Eiji and their allies to discover what exactly "Banana Fish" is, where it came from and how to get rid of it—before the world as they know it descends into chaos. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Soft-hearted Akira Fudou has always been somewhat of a pushover. When he reunites with his childhood friend, Ryou Asuka, in a fateful encounter, Ryou reveals to him the terrifying reality of his father's research: demons exist and are planning to claim possession of the earth once again. Eager to help his friend save humanity, Akira agrees to attend Black Sabbath, a party filled with depravity and corruption, to attempt to merge with a demon. A near-death encounter causes him to unify with Amon, a demon feared amongst even his own kind. Together they form Devilman, a combination of Amon's strength and Akira's pure heart. After uniting with Amon, Akira begins to fight against the demons with his newfound power, desperate to stop the downfall of all human civilization. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

From time immemorial to the age of space colonization, there is one legend that has stayed unchanged in every history book—the tale of the immortal bird Phoenix. A being whose blood is said to grant eternal life or wisdom, the radiant figure ensures the continuation of sentient life in the universe as it oversees human civilizations and their development. Yet, mankind remains a slave to its habits; from happiness and sorrow, to wrath and love, a myriad of emotions continue to play an integral part of human life. Simultaneously, time and time again, certain beliefs and agendas persist over the centuries to disturb the fragile equilibrium of the world's preordained nature and principles. It appears that fate, with its dynamic variables, can manifest itself in many ways—and oftentimes exhibits a bizarre sense of humor. [Written by MAL Rewrite] Note: This is an incomplete series due to Tezuka's death.