IKUHARA KUNIHIKO

Every night, 16-year-old Kureha Tsubaki has strange dreams involving lilies, storms, and…being rescued by her classmate Ginko as an alien bear princess! At school, Kureha’s unassuming personality and looks render her practically invisible. Sometimes, it feels like no one notices her at all, until cute and outgoing transfer student Ginko asks Kureha to be her friend. With Ginko’s encouragement and protection, Kureha starts to come out of her shell and realizes that, whether her new classmate really is a bear, her feelings toward Ginko might be stronger than friendship after all.

This series, a joint project between the rising star Nakamura Asumiko, and renowned director of Shoujo Kakumei Utena Ikuhara Kunihiko, weaves a strange, surreal, and often dark comedy respendent with ruffles and lace. It is on the surface a farce about a young girl traveling with her lover, some sort of bear-type creature, but as to be expected of Ikuhara, it's multi-layered.The series is being endorsed by Baby the Stars Shine Bright, the leading name in Japanese lolita fashion, and the characters often wear clothes based off of those from the company.

Twins Kanba and Shoma live with their terminally ill little sister, Himari. One day, they visit the aquarium, a place full of warm memories for Himari, but she suddenly falls ill—and dies! At that very moment, a voice cries out, “Survival Tactic!” and Himari, wearing a penguin hat, comes back to life…?!

The stage is Asakusa, Tokyo. Middle schooler Kazuki has quit the football club, without telling his childhood friend (or maybe more?) Enta, and is now doing everything he can - no the consequences - to connect with 'that person'. When the delinquent Toi transfers into his class, he and Kazuki end up destroying the local Kappa statue - angering the prince of the Kappa, Keppi, who turns the 3 boys into Kappa by stealing their Shirikodama, the soul-containing organ located in the anus. Now, in order to return to being human, the boys must steal the Shirikodama of the 'Kappa zombies' that have appeared and are feeding on the desires of Asakusa denizens. Can the boys succesfully connect together and defeat the zombies? And if so, what dark secrets will be revealed through the 'Sarazanmai' process? Meanwhile, local cop duo Niiboshi Reo and Akutsu Mabu are the ones behind the "Desire exploitation" process creating the Kappa Zombies. Who are they taking orders from? What secrets do they have in their past, and can their relationship survive the fallout? This complete manga adaptation of anime Sarazanmai by director Kunihiko Ikuhara (Sailor Moon, Utena Penguindrum) explores themes from queer love and sexuality, to the strains of sibling relationships and the struggles of connecting in today's world of smartphones and SNS, and is uniquely illustrated by original character designer Migi. [Note 1: For those wondering about the other Sarazanmai manga, Reo and Mabu ~Together they're Sarazanmai~ - that series is a canon spinoff manga following the cops Reo and Mabu. This manga is a complete adaptation of the anime set in its' own continuity] [Note 2: For those coming here from the anime, it's been stated that the manga will have some story differences from the anime, so it's worth checking this out too!]