Takahiko Kondo

Enlightenment

Like many people when they are young, the protagonist, Satoshi, has been exposed to various media in order to connect with his friends and the world around him, and has created his own living environment through these mediums.In order to gain an advantage in the relationships he has established, he has mastered these tools, and as he becomes immersed in his world, he finds himself at the mercy of the media. As they experience the hardships of the real world through employment and marriage, their exhaustion and frustration builds up, and what was supposed to be just a brief respite at home between career changes.

Amiko

Amiko isn't like other children. Her endless energy makes her an outcast at school and gets her in trouble at home. When a painful family loss disrupts her seemingly idyllic seaside life, her sense of isolation intensifies, yet it doesn't stop Amiko from inviting people into her world.

Child of the Stars

When Chihiro was a baby, she suffered from eczema. Her parents tried to find a cure, but nothing worked. Her father's co-worker then gave him some water from a strange religious group. Chihiro was miraculously cured by the water. Her parents began to follow the strange religion and became fervent followers. Chihiro is now in the 3rd grade of middle school and she faces changes in her life.

Lying to Mom

Suzuki Koichi, a 30-something hikikomori shut-in, allows his mother to dotingly tend to his needs. When she discovers that Koichi has killed himself, the shock is so great she loses consciousness and her memory of that day.

Seto and Utsumi

Utsumi and Seto's daily routine is to spend their afterschool hours just jabbering with one another along a riverbed. Getting excited over trivial word play, agonizing over the content of an email to be sent to a girl, and, at times, talking about a serious problem, the two endlessly engage in meaningless idle talk as if it were meaningful.