Yuri Kawakami

The dead body of Maki Tsujimoto, a popular stage actress, is discovered in a theater in Oji. After striking her in the back of the head with a bronze statue prop, the criminal laid the body on the floor and pointed a light at it, "directing" the crime scene as if it were a scene from a play.

Teruichi Tsuchiya, 42, is a perpetual assistant to a master manga artist. He feels uneasy about his junior colleague who has debuted as a manga artist, his estranged wife who is a popular voice actress, and for some reason, he is constantly at odds with his daughter, who lives with him and is preparing for her high school entrance exams. Just as a 17-year-old manga series comes to an end, a new manga project comes along. Joining him are Yuki Shioda, a 29-year-old editor who is aware of his lack of passion for his work, and Potato Yamada, a headstrong 40-year-old rookie assistant. What future awaits him after taking this step…?

Set in a small town drive-in, the story revolves around Akio, who harbors complex feelings for his sister Marié, who returns home after her husband’s suicide with her son. The narrative intertwines with the lives of Akio’s half-brother Keisuke, part-time worker Emiko, their father Shōzō, high school teacher Ōtsuji, Akio’s lover Maria, Wakamatsu’s wife Kuriko, and Kuriko’s affair partner Yamaguchi, creating a web of intricate relationships.

Comic creator Rohan Kishibe, along with his partner-cum-editor, Kyōka Izumi, challenge various incidents beyond human knowledge.

A college student's secret crush on a coworker at a small burger joint collides with chaos when a robbery erupts, unraveling hidden tensions and forcing a tight-knit group of eight to confront fractured loyalties and the blurred lines between love and betrayal.