Ax is the premier Japanese magazine for alternative comics, heir to the legendary Garo. Published bi-monthly since 1998, the pages of Ax contain the most innovative, experimental, and personal works in contemporary manga - the flourishing underground of the world’s largest comics industry. Ax has always published manga outside of the more commercial market and not followed manga conventions, thus the titles appearing in this magazine do NOT fall under any of the basic demographics (shoujo/shounen/seinen/josei). This landmark English publication volume includes work by 33 artists: The Watcher by Osamu Kanno Love's Bride by Yoshihiro Tatsumi Conch of the Sky by Imiri SAKABASHIRA Rooftop Elegy by Takao Kawasaki Inside the Gourd by Ayuko Akiyama Me by Shigehiro Okada Push Pin Woman by Katsuo Kawai A Broken Soul by Nishioka Kyodai Into Darkness by Takato Yamamoto Enrique Kobayashi's El Dorado by Toranosuke Shimada The Neighbor by Yuka Goto 300 Years by Mimiyo Tomozawa Black Sushi Party Piece by Takashi Nemoto Puppy Love by Yusaku Hanakuma The Brilliant Ones by Namie Fujieda The Hare and the Tortoise by Mitsuhiko Yoshida The Twin Adults (Two Stories) by Kotobuki Shiriagari Haiku Manga (Two Stories) by Shinbo Minami Mushroom Garden by Shinya Komatsu Home Drama: The Sugawara Family by Einosuke A Well-Dressed Corpse by Yuichi Kiriyama Arizona Sizzler by Yunosuke Saito The Rainy Day Blouse & The First Umbrella by Akino Kondo Stand by Me by Tomohiro Koizumi My Old Man & Me by Shin'ichi Abe Up and Over by Seiko Erisawa The Song of Mr. H. by Shigeyuki Fukumitsu Kataoka Toyo Pathos Theater (2 Stories) by TOUYOU Kataoka Kosuke Okada and His 50 Sons by Hideyasu Moto Les Raskolnikov by Keizo Miyanishi Alraune Fatale by Hiroji Tani Sacred Light by Otoya Mitsuhashi Six Paths of Wealth by Kazuichi Hanawa

The life of daimyo Uesugi Kenshin commanded authority and fear during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. In this retelling, the powerful lord is reimagined as a woman.

Sonin was sent to Tenzan to become a priestess at an early age. But one day, at the age of 12, she was judged to have no talent as a priestess and was sent home! One day, after returning to her village and making friends, she finds a lost item belonging to a prince and is asked to deliver it to him, but she is unexpectedly recruited by the royal court! A failed priestess saves the prince and her country in this Asian fantasy!

Long time ago, there was a place called swamp of slumber, used by the people to throw animal corpses. Near the swamp lived a farmer called Zoroku; he wasn´t very smart. One day he got a rare disease. There are at least three collections of Hino's stories that were published under the title "Zoroku's Strange Disease" over the years, all of them containing a different mix of stories to accompany the title story. This translation is based on the 1976 edition by Hibari Comics and includes the stories "Underwater", "The Newborn Rat" and "The 1000 Pound Demon" in addition to "Zoroku's Strange Disease", obviously. "Zoroku's Strange Disease" has been previously published in English in a collection called "Lullabies from Hell" (Dark Horse Comics, 2006) but I am fairly sure the other stories haven't been translated before.

Includes web series Kago Shintarou no Tsuukai! Rekishi Nyuumon

Known not only as the young lady of the distinguished family of Chou that safeguards the northern regions of the Empire, but also as accomplished in the literary and military arts, as a woman of unparalleled beauty and intelligence, Hakurei is a young, beautiful girl adored by the people. “It has been---10 years since I saved you, and we started living together. I want to be the one to have your back.” “...Man, what a troublesome Young Lady you are!” The one to save me, Sekiei, the undefeated hero from 1xxx years ago who was reincarnated, from the brink of death was her. Ever after that, we have continued to live and train together in the Chou Family as siblings. However, time has brought the maelstrom of war. The war against the foreign race begins--- “Did you see the swordmanship of the young master?!” “And his arrows never miss the target either?!” I shall make use of my past life as a master martial artist and together with Hakurei, we shall be peerless as we accomplish great things!! The reincarnated hero and the beautiful young women’s warring, sword fantasy begins!!

In the year 30 B.C. Cleopatra fell into eternal darkness–or so it should have been. Yet the gods of Ancient Egypt drew her from the underworld, giving her eternal youth. She lurked underground in North Africa until she resurfaced in 1942, during World War II: along with the Italian lieutenant Antonio, whom she fatefully encountered, she heads for the base of the general of the German army. However...

A story about the life of Okita Souji and the Shinsengumi (Newly Selected Corps).

"Dilya, let's become family." Dilya, a mercenary who does not know anything about family or love, spends a night with the King of the Golden Wolf Clan, the enemy kingdom. Supposed to assassinate the king, he instead receives so much love that he finds it hard to leave his side. 6 years later, as he's living and raising the king's child in secret, the envoy of the king's younger brother, Yudha, suddenly comes. "I have never been loved, so I don't know how to love." This is when Dilya's lonely life begins to change!

Tenth grader Yugi spent most of his time alone playing games…until he solved the Millennium Puzzle, a mysterious Egyptian artifact! Possessed by the puzzle, Yugi becomes Yu-Gi-Oh, the King of Games, and challenges evildoers to the Shadow Games…weird games with high stakes and high risks!

How well does a mourning dress not for a death, but for the days gone by and never to return, pair with an unforgettable red…? Four-page oneshot by Ameishi.

Eva Schul was once a famous actress. Now she spends her days drinking and all manners of debauchery. One day, her daughter, Julie, comes to inform her that she is getting married, and she will not become a mother like her. Not long after, Eva is partying when some men approach her, and drag her into a car. As it turns out, film director Arthur Burn wishes for her to star in a film about the birth of Christ that will be filmed in Spain as none other than the Virgin Mary. Eva's demeanor begins to shift upon taking this role - both as her character, and the role she plays with the family of a young lady who reminds her of Julie... In addition to the title story, also includes the following oneshots: - **Sound of Bamboo** (竹の音, Take no Oto) - A girl finds herself caring for a samurai, the son of the enemy family who killed her father and brother. She wavers whether or not to avenge her fallen family... - **Ballerina** (バレリーナ, exclusive to the digital edition/original release) - **Edelweiss** (エーデルワイス, excluded from digital edition but available in other releases)

Set in the Edo Period, during a rainstorm, a temple receives a strange "visitor": Kurebayashi Aki, a high school student magically transported from the 21th century. Due to her uniform, which seems different from the clothing of that time, the people of the temple believe her to be an angel that has descended to help them with their problems, though Aki is really just a normal girl. Still, she figures she might as well help whoever she can while trying to find out how to go back home.

Invited to Nazi Germany during World War II, Dr. Asagumo is asked by Hitler to collaborate with him on the research of the new weapon "Big X". Concerned about the possible effects of the completion of Big X, Dr. Asagumo intentionally delays the progress of the research, conspiring with his co-researcher, the devious Dr. Engel. Immediately before Germany is defeated by the Allies, Dr. Asagumo implants a card inscribed with the secret of Big X in his son, Shigeru, and is then shot to death by the German army. Twenty years later, the card is discovered in the body of Shigeru, who is then living in Tokyo. Soon, an organization claiming alliance with the Nazis appears, steals the card, and completes the Big X project. Dr. Engel's grandson has joined the Nazi Alliance. The completed Big X is then revealed to be a drug that can expand the human body without limitation. Recovering Big X from the enemy, Shigeru's son Akira fearlessly challenges the Nazi Alliance and Hans Engel, who are plotting to conquer the world. --- **Volumes 243-246 of the Osamu Tezuka Complete Works**

It's the hedonistic New York of the roaring '20s. One night at a dazzling party Elliot meets Robert, a suspiciously suave man who reminds him of his first love. The two handsome gentlemen hit it off right away and soon their relationship takes a romantic turn... However, the paths of history are often cruel. Can they withstand the challenges thrown at them? Let Ooshima Kamome's newest work captivate you with its sweet and dark atmosphere...

Vowing never to separate from his childhood friend Hisame, Itsuki travels on the Tokaido with him in search of new adventures. Exterminating youkai along the way, they depend on each other to finish the job. What adventures lie in wait for our two protagonists?

A series of 4koma manga with short stories featuring heroines from Eiyu*Senki series.

A collection of one-shots. - Cosmos no Saku Niwa - Together With Master (Goshujin-sama to Isshou) A "PET" is a love animal, created for the express purpose of pleasing their master. This is a short story of how one PET became endeared to her master, and vice versa. - Kuchinashi - The Cherry Tree Correspondence A sweet story set in the Taisho period. - Snowflakes Fluttering Down Through the Clear Sky A love story about a princess and a knight. - Wishing on a Star Two friends deal with grief. - The Cherry Tree Correspondence: Another Story Another pair of girls begins exchanging letters.

This manga tells the stories of an antique store that is run by an elderly man and his grandson. The grandson watches the store while his grandfather is out, and it seems like the most interesting customers come by during these times. The grandson has the ability to perceive the supernatural, and his customers often end up being entwined with the stories of different antiques in the store.

Bookish and naive, Angelo da Canossa is unprepared for life as a student in a university that hums with tension and intrigue in Renaissance Italy. Will his innocence remain intact when a chance encounter with the charismatic Cesare draws him ever deeper into the darker side of the Renaissance? Official Release: - Indonesian release by Level Comics

(From NU) The daughter of the Earl, Rosa, was known for her beauty and compassion. But in reality, she was a rotten lady who pursued her ‘moe’ by making delusions of ‘rose love’, the romance between men. Her dream was to become a nun and write down a ‘bible’, spreading the rose love throughout the continent. As the preparation of entering the priesthood, she donated to the monastery (as a bribe), strived to improve literacy (to prepare for her missionary work), and made humus for her territory (as the symbol of rottenness). One day, she met her half-brother, Bernard, a fourteen years old boy. Concluding that Bernard was the ideal ‘uke’, a talented person that only appeared once every a thousand years, Rose devoted herself to ‘Bell-tan’s Harem Plan’. However, her rotten behavior was mistaken for noble deeds. The princes, princesses, and even the foreign princes started to get involved, and she began to spread her influence all over the country…? This was the story of Rosa von Langheim, nicknamed the “Rose Angel” as the symbol of her nobility and charity, who was the most rotten lady of all.

A Chinese-styled fantasy BL about a beautiful half demon x virgin emperor who is very curious about sexual matters! Tong Bai Hu, a suspicious man, appears before Gao liu, the imperial prince of a certain country in the far east. Seeing the man wield his missing brother-in-law's sword, Gao liu is intent on taking vengeance, but the man reveals that he is his brother-in-law's former lover! Possessing a sexual curiosity higher than others, Gao liu, had full understanding of what state his entire body was. Indicating to him a point on his abdomen, he seduces Tong Bai hu with honeyed words...