Yoru no Taiko

This is a 5-volume manga series comprised of individual short stories that all have to do with coffee one way or other. Each of them is bittersweet with a philosophical bent.

You’ve never seen manga like this before! No annoying speed lines or sappy, neotenic eyeballs here — just pure Japanese counterculture. This anthology of contemporary underground comics from Japan features a wide variety of styles and topics ranging from the humorous to the profound. There’s a whole world of comics out there, and it’s not all Godzilla and schoolgirls! A great introduction to the other Japanese comics featuring Asia’s answers to Robert Crumb, Dan Clowes, and Chester Brown! List of included Oneshots: "Horse Horse Tiger Tiger" by Imiri Sakabashira "A Hooker's Room" by Naoto Yamakawa "Kisses" by Kiriko Nananan "Kitty Court Drama" by Nekojiru "What a Mixed Up World!" by Yasuji Tanioka "Million Dollars" by Yoshiharu Mitsumoto "The Abalone Cat" by Naoki and Shunichi Karasawa. *Source: Fantagraphics*

A one-volume compilation of three stories meditating on work, identity, and purpose. The first three chapters contain "Psychic Training," the story of a young girl who desperately wants to become a psychic. The fourth and fifth contain a retelling of "Bartleby the Scrivener." The sixth contains "Yoru no Taiko", the story of a young woman meets the man of her dreams.