ReadZone

1947

11

21

2

Alchemists are knowledgeable and naturally talented individuals who can manipulate and modify matter due to their art. Yet despite the wide range of possibilities, alchemy is not as all-powerful as most would believe. Human transmutation is strictly forbidden, and whoever attempts it risks severe consequences. Even so, siblings Edward and Alphonse Elric decide to ignore this great taboo and bring their mother back to life. Unfortunately, not only do they fail in resurrecting her, they also pay an extremely high price for their arrogance: Edward loses his left leg and Alphonse his entire body. Furthermore, Edward also gives up his right arm in order to seal his brother's soul into a suit of armor. Years later, the young alchemists travel across the country looking for the Philosopher's Stone, in the hopes of recovering their old bodies with its power. However, their quest for the fated stone also leads them to unravel far darker secrets than they could ever imagine. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

2014

11

20

5

In the American Old West, the world's greatest race is about to begin. Thousands line up in San Diego to travel over six thousand kilometers for a chance to win the grand prize of fifty million dollars. With the era of the horse reaching its end, contestants are allowed to use any kind of vehicle they wish. Competitors will have to endure grueling conditions, traveling up to a hundred kilometers a day through uncharted wastelands. The Steel Ball Run is truly a one-of-a-kind event. The youthful Johnny Joestar, a crippled former horse racer, has come to San Diego to watch the start of the race. There he encounters Gyro Zeppeli, a racer with two steel balls at his waist instead of a gun. Johnny witnesses Gyro using one of his steel balls to unleash a fantastical power, compelling a man to fire his gun at himself during a duel. In the midst of the action, Johnny happens to touch the steel ball and feels a power surging through his legs, allowing him to stand up for the first time in two years. Vowing to find the secret of the steel balls, Johnny decides to compete in the race, and so begins his bizarre adventure across America on the Steel Ball Run. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

1971

4

26

11

Punpun Onodera is a normal 11-year-old boy living in Japan. Hopelessly idealistic and romantic, Punpun begins to see his life take a subtle—though nonetheless startling—turn to the adult when he meets the new girl in his class, Aiko Tanaka. It is then that the quiet boy learns just how fickle maintaining a relationship can be, and the surmounting difficulties of transitioning from a naïve boyhood to a convoluted adulthood. When his father assaults his mother one night, Punpun realizes another thing: those whom he looked up to were not as impressive as he once thought. As his problems increase, Punpun's once shy demeanor turns into voluntary reclusiveness. Rather than curing him of his problems and conflicting emotions, this merely intensifies them, sending him down the dark path of maturity in this grim coming-of-age saga. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

1978

5

17

9

Shouya Ishida, a mischievous elementary school student, finds himself troubled by deaf transfer student Shouko Nishimiya. Despite her genuine attempts to befriend her new classmates, Shouko only proves herself to be an annoyance for Shouya and his friends, provoking them to ridicule her at any possible chance. Soon enough, their taunts turn into constant assault—yet the teachers heartlessly remain apathetic to the situation. Shouya's misdeeds are finally stopped when Shouko transfers to another school. Denying their involvement, the entire class puts the blame on Shouya. As the new victim of bullying, Shouya gradually becomes meek and reclusive, being treated with contempt and disregard for years to come. Now a high school student, Shouya meets Shouko again for the first time in five years. Still tormented by his past actions, Shouya is determined to make amends for his mistakes and confront his trauma—even if he must face arduous obstacles along the way. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

1994

6

12

8

After rigorously training for three years, the ordinary Saitama has gained immense strength which allows him to take out anyone and anything with just one punch. He decides to put his new skill to good use by becoming a hero. However, he quickly becomes bored with easily defeating monsters, and wants someone to give him a challenge to bring back the spark of being a hero. Upon bearing witness to Saitama's amazing power, Genos, a cyborg, is determined to become Saitama's apprentice. During this time, Saitama realizes he is neither getting the recognition that he deserves nor known by the people due to him not being a part of the Hero Association. Wanting to boost his reputation, Saitama decides to have Genos register with him, in exchange for taking him in as a pupil. Together, the two begin working their way up toward becoming true heroes, hoping to find strong enemies and earn respect in the process. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

1965

9

8

10

Hanamichi Sakuragi, a tall, boisterous teenager with flame-red hair and physical strength beyond his years, is eager to put an end to his rejection streak of 50 and finally score a girlfriend as he begins his first year of Shohoku High. However, his reputation for delinquency and destructiveness precedes him, and most of his fellow students subsequently avoid him like the plague. As his first day of school ends, he is left with two strong thoughts: "I hate basketball" and "I need a girlfriend." Haruko Akagi, ignorant of Hanamichi's history of misbehavior, notices his immense height and unwittingly approaches him, asking whether or not he likes basketball. Overcome by the fact that a girl is speaking to him, the red-haired giant blurts out a yes despite his true feelings. At the gym, Haruko asks if he can do a slam dunk. Though a complete novice, Hanamachi palms the ball and makes the leap...but overshoots, slamming his head into the backboard. Amazed by his near-inhuman physical abilities, Haruko quickly notifies the school's basketball captain of his feat. With this, Hanamichi is unexpectedly thrust into a world of competition for a girl he barely knows, but he soon discovers that there is perhaps more to basketball than he once thought. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

1906

8

16

8

Helpless and struggling for cash, 20-year-old Kusunoki sells the last of his possessions to buy food. Noticing his poverty, an old shop owner directs him to a store that supposedly purchases lifespan, time, and health. While not completely believing the man's words, Kusunoki nevertheless finds himself at the address out of desperation and curiosity. Kusunoki is crushed when he finds out the true monetary value of his lifespan—totaling a meager three hundred thousand yen. Deciding to sell the next 30 years of his life for ten thousand yen per year, Kusunoki is left with only three months to live. After heading home with the money, he is greeted by an unexpected visitor: the same store clerk he sold his lifespan to. She introduces herself as Miyagi, the one tasked with the job of observing him until the last three days of his life. Jumyou wo Kaitotte Moratta. Ichinen ni Tsuki, Ichimanen de. follows the remaining three months of Kusunoki's life as he confronts lingering regrets from the past and discovers what truly gives life value. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

2000

7

20

6

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]

1967

6

5

3

Suffering from a terminal illness, Yuuta's mother asks him to film her last moments, which he does. From her radiant smile when she is with her family to the times when sickness ravages her body in the hospital, he records hours upon hours of footage. After her passing, Yuuta compiles her life into a movie to screen at his school, deciding to add a bit of fantasy to the ending of his film, Dead Explosion Mother, with a literal explosion! Following the backlash caused by his supposedly tone-deaf portrayal of his mother's death, Yuuta trudges to the hospital roof to take his own life—but there, he meets a girl named Eri. Captivated by his film, Eri requests Yuuta to make a new one that will blow the previous out of the water and prove his critics wrong. The movie they set out to make will stand apart by blurring the line between fact and fiction. And of course, it wouldn't be a Yuuta film if it didn't have his personal flavor—just a dash of fantasy. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

2008

6

3

Tucked away in the English countryside lies the ominous manor of the Phantomhives, a family which has established itself as the cold and ruthless "Queen's Watchdog" as well as the head of London's criminal underground. After a tragedy leaves the Earl and his wife dead, many are shocked when their son, a young boy named Ciel, claims his place as the new Earl of the Phantomhive house. At first, many perceive him only as a child surrounded by a few eccentric servants. But they soon begin to realize that it is foolish to meddle with Ciel and his demonic butler Sebastian. Taking place at the end of the 19th century, Kuroshitsuji follows these two as they face countless mysteries and dangers that plague England and threaten the Queen, uncovering the truth about what really happened to Ciel's parents in the process. [Written by MAL Rewrite]