Halloween Oneshot: "Inoribana" ("Prayer Flower") by Mikase Hayase

Here's another excellent oneshot from Mikase Hayase. It not as weep-yourself-into-a-pool-of-tears as "Souai Metaphysica," but it's impactful (I still get teary-eyed when I think of that oneshot), nonetheless I think what got me was the all too honest ending. It was amazing once I finally understood the full gravity of what was being said.  The ending is truly lovely. Because of the two oneshots we've translated so far, I'm very curious about Hayashi-sensei's other works, and I'm sure in 2013 we'll do a month featuring some of her more recent works.

Anyhow, without saying much further about this oneshot, because it must really be read to be enjoyed, let's get on with the release!

One-shot: "The Hands the Demon Adored"

We were planning this one-shot to kick off our fall spooky tales, but I suppose this isn't all that spooky even though the main male character is a demon.  In hindsight, this is more of a late winter/early spring kinda one-shot given the theme of rebirth.  Anyhow...we're doing it now...so yay!

Oh, in case you were wondering, the title's direct translation is "Affectionate Hands for a Demon".  I thought that was kind of wonky sounding, so I went with something more direct that expressed an adjacent idea.　I offer my humble apology to translation purists.

I think (perhaps someone can confirm this) that Takagi-sensei is just coming off a break.  I was very surprised to see a work from her in Aria because her series and one-shots have always been in Lala and Lala DX.  It would be nice if she switched publishers and will now appear in Aria and Itan.  I think both of these publications would allow her to have more flexibility and maturity in her story telling.

Anyhow...on to the links: