Black Ships

A compilation of noteable submissions to the Afternoon Four Seasons Awards from 1987 to 2000 from major artists from when they were still newcomers. **Note:** Do not confuse this for the [Afternoon Four Seasons Awards CHRONICLE 1987-2000 Selections](https://kc.kodansha.co.jp/title?code=1000000684) from 2013, which cut 23 of the 48 oneshots but still spread the remaining 25 across 4 seasonal volumes. **Chapters:** **Spring:** 1​. Tsuchida Seiki - Miseinen (1987 Four Seasons Prize) 2. Takahashi Tsutomu - GOTAVOICE (1987 Spring Semi-Winner) 3. Matsumoto Taiyou - STRAIGHT (1987 Autumn Semi-Winner) 4. Irie Noriko - Neko no Te Kashimasu (1987 Winter Four Seasons Grand Prize) 5. Ohtagaki Yasuo - Ronin Heartbreak! (1988 Summer Honorable Mention) 6. Sudou Masumi - Shounen-ou ni Shiroi Kumo (1988 Autumn Semi-Winner) 7. Akizuki Risu - Oku-sama Shinkaron (1988 Autumn Honorable Mention) 8. Nakayama Masaaki - Ridatsu (1988 Winter Semi-Winner) 9. Arai Hideki - 8-gatsu no Hikari (1989 Summer Four Seasons Grand Prize) 10. Hiromoto Sinichi - Western Carnival (1989 Summer Honorable Mention) 11. Enomoto Shunji - Golden Lucky (1989 Autumn Honorable Mention) 12. King Gonta - A Mess on a Weekend (1989 Winter Four Seasons Grand Prize) 13. Irie Kiwa - Haikibun! Sakanahime (1989 Winter Four Seasons Prize) 14. Hiramatsu Minoru - Ma, Ikka! (1989 Winter Honorable Mention) 15. Aoki Yuuji - Higan to Shigan no Ma De (1990 Semi-Winner) 16. Taguchi Masayuki - Shouteki Ningen (1990 Autumn Four Seasons Prize) 17. Sugawara Masayuki - Home Range (1991 Summer Semi-Winner) 18. Matoba Ken - Mei Tantei ni Hanarenai keredo (1991 Summer Semi-Winner) 19. Yasuda Hiroyuki - MOZOO (1991 Autumn Honorable Mention) 20. Oda Hideji - Sakana (1991 Winter Honorable Mention) **Summer:** 21. Matsunaga Toyokazu - Killing Paranoia (1992 Summer Four Seasons Grand Prize) 22. Ohara Shinji - Boku wa Otouto (1993 Spring Four Seasons Grand Prize) 23. Kuwahara Shinya - YOKO vs (1993 Spring Four Seasons Prize) 24. Samura Hiroaki - Mugen no Juunin (1993 Summer Four Seasons Grand Prize) 25. Kuroda Iou - Ka, Nanten, Kuma (1993 Autumn Four Seasons Grand Prize) 26. Toume Kei - KUROGANE (1993 Autumn Four Seasons Prize) 27. Igarashi Daisuke - Obayashi ga Hikoeru Hi & Imada Fuyu (1993 Winter Four Seasons Grand Prize) 28. Yoshikai Kanji - Kodoku no Oto (1993 Winter Semi-Winner) 29. Ashinano Hitoshi - Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (1994 Spring Four Seasons Prize) 30. Komai Yuu - Sonna Yatsua Inee!! (1994 Spring Honorable Mention) **Autumn:** 31. Aramaki Keiko - GENOMES (1994 Summer Four Seasons Grand Prize) 32. Kio Shimoku - Ten no Ryouiki (1994 Summer Four Seasons Prize) 33. Abe Yoshitoshi - Ame no Furu Basho (1994 Summer Semi-Winner) 34. Kiba Kouichi - JAGUA (1995 Summer Four Seasons Grand Prize) 35. Nihei Tsutomu - BLAME (1995 Summer Special Prize) 36. Endou Hiroki - Kitto Kawaii Onnanoko dakara (1995 Autumn Four Seasons Prize) 37. Kitoh Mohiro - Vendémiaire no Migite (1995 Autumn Semi-Winner) 38. Asada Torao - Spoonman 3.18 (1996 Autumn Four Seasons Grand Prize) 39. Wakana Shouhei - Kamen Tenshi (1996 Autumn Four Seasons Prize) 40. Shinemon - Lunch no B (1996 Summer Honorable Mention) **Winter:** 41. Hayashida Q - Sofa-chan (1997 Autumn Semi-Winner) 42. Kimura Kon - Koube Zaijuu (1997 Winter Four Seasons Prize) 43. Shinofusa Rokuro - Yasashii Kodomo no Tsukurikata (1997 Spring Honorable Mention) 44. Higuchi Asa - Yuku Tokoro (1998 Spring Four Seasons Prize) 45. Manabe Shohei - Yuuutsu Suberidai (1998 Summer Four Seasons Grand Prize) 46. Urushibara Yuki - Mushishi (1998 Winter Four Seasons Grand Prize) 47. Kumakura Takatoshi - Gurade (1999 Summer Semi-Winner) 48. Toyoda Minoru - Love Roma (2002 Spring Four Seasons Grand Prize) **Selected Descriptions:** Kio Shimoku - Ten no Ryouiki A brief insight into the life of a young graduate student looking for work who finds himself in bed with a mysterious girl he has never seen before. Abe Yoshitoshi - Ame no Furu Basho Eshikawa is a man who has lost sight of his life and stumbles through it, with no clear meaning or purpose. One day, he is informed that his ex-girlfriend committed suicide, which sets his brain on retrospect mode. He goes on a journey of self-revelation and contemplates upon the myriad of human emotions, the joys and sorrows of normalcy. Kiba Kouichi - JAGUAR As a woman is returning home one night, she runs into a man who was just in a car crash. As he's dying, he asks her to throw a certain package into the sea. Hayashida Q - Sofa-chan Hayashida Q's debut work about a female couch spirit. ___ **See Also:** - [MDList of Afternoon Four Seasons Award–winning oneshots](https://mangadex.org/list/d7b883be-732f-4d5b-8d92-818fa3c62555/afternoon-oneshot-four-seasons-award-winners) - [blog post covering this series](http://sportable.seesaa.net/article/246888518.html) - [Wikipedia article about this series](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A2%E3%83%95%E3%82%BF%E3%83%8C%E3%83%BC%E3%83%B3%E5%9B%9B%E5%AD%A3%E8%B3%9ECHRONICLE) - [Wikipedia article about the contest, including a list of winners](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A2%E3%83%95%E3%82%BF%E3%83%8C%E3%83%BC%E3%83%B3%E5%9B%9B%E5%AD%A3%E8%B3%9E)

A collection of short stories: 1. My Teacher and I (わたしのせんせい) A teenage girl learns lessons about life, love, political intrigue, and galactic trade. 1.5 Umi ni Iku (海に行く) Not included in the chapter count, as it's less than 5 pages. 2. Too Young (トゥー・ヤング) 3. Koutetsu Kraken (鋼鉄クラーケン) 4. Jitensha Franken (自転車フランケン) 5. Toshi no Hanareta Otoko (年の離れた男) 6. Night of the Living Dead (ナイト オブ ザ リヴィングデッド) 7. Extracurricular Lessons (課外授業) A dead girl’s ghost returns to her school to haunt a female teacher… 8. Nikujaga Yamero! (肉じゃがやめろ!) 9. Saikin Douyo? (肉じゃがやめろ!) 10. Zou no Matatabi (象の股旅) 11. Saraba Universe (さらばユニヴァース)

Reiko and her little brother find a weird creature that looks like a cat with wings, and they sneak it home with them. To their surprise, the creature explains that it's an alien salesman, here to trade advanced technology for something called “hahise”, which is abundant on Earth. Reiko and her brother are tempted by a device that can duplicate anything, even money. When they make that half-understood deal, the course of Reiko's life radically changes…