W21: Two One is a Japanese murder mystery visual novel developed by BasiL, it was first released as an adult PC game for Microsoft Windows on May 25, 2001. 21: Two One was later released for the Dreamcast by PrincessSoft on December 27, 2001. The game is the second installment by BasiL, and after the completion of 21: Two One, BasiL went on to create their third and final eroge, Cherry Petals Fall Like Teardrops, before forming a new company called Navel. The story follows a young man called Takuya Kirishima, who is a talented surgeon and works in a hospital with his childhood friend Seri Sakaki, however, one day a murder is committed at the hospital, and Takuya tries to solve the mystery. Gameplay in 21: Two One offers branching plot lines, and a multi-choice navigation, where the player can attain multiple endings.
WAllison is a Japanese light novel series written by Keiichi Sigsawa, with illustrations by Kouhaku Kuroboshi. There are three Allison novels, with the third split into two volumes, published by MediaWorks under their Dengeki Bunko label. The first novel was released on March 10, 2002, and the last novel was published on May 10, 2004. There is a follow-up series of light novels called Lillia and Treize which were released between March 2005 and April 2007. There is also an Allison sound novel for the Nintendo DS which was released on December 7, 2006. A manga adaptation by Hiroki Haruse started serialization in the shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Comic Gao! on July 27, 2007, also published by MediaWorks. The manga ended serialization in Dengeki Comic Gao! on January 27, 2008, but continued serialization in MediaWorks' seinen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh from March 21 to December 27, 2008. It was compiled in two volumes. An anime adaptation based on both the Allison and Lillia and Treize novels, known as Allison & Lillia, aired between April and October 2008.
WFigure 17 - Tsubasa & Hikaru is a Japanese anime television series animated at OLM, Inc. and directed by Naohito Takahashi. The series featured character designs by Yuriko Chiba and music by Toshihiko Takamizawa. The series is unusual due to it having a monthly one hour time slot per episode rather than the standard weekly half hour time slot.
WGakuen Heaven is a media franchise originating from the Windows game Gakuen Heaven: Boy's Love Scramble, originally released by the company SPRAY. The franchise gradually expanded to include more games, drama CDs, manga, and anime.
WThe Irresponsible Captain Tylor is an anime series based on The Most Irresponsible Man in Space light novel series by Hitoshi Yoshioka. It was produced by some of Japan's larger studios, including Big West, Tatsunoko Productions, King Records and VAP.
WKafka on the Shore is a 2002 novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Its 2005 English translation was among "The 10 Best Books of 2005" from The New York Times and received the World Fantasy Award for 2006. The book tells the stories of the young Kafka Tamura, a bookish 15-year-old boy who runs away from his Oedipal curse, and Satoru Nakata, an old, disabled man with the uncanny ability to talk to cats. The book incorporates themes of music as a communicative conduit, metaphysics, dreams, fate, the subconscious.
WKaitō Queen is a Japanese novel series, written by Kaoru Hayamine and illustrated by K2 Shōkai. Kodansha have published fifteen volumes since March 2002 under their Aoitori Bunko children's imprint. A theatrical original video animation (OVA) adaptation of the first novel, Kaitō Queen wa Circus ga Osuki, is scheduled to premiere in Japan in early Q3 2022.
WKamikaze Girls, originally released in Japan as Shimotsuma Monogatari: Yankī-chan to Rorīta-chan , is a 2002 Japanese light novel written by Novala Takemoto. The story centers on the friendship between two students, Momoko Ryugasaki and Ichigo "Ichiko" Shirayuri, who are from completely different backgrounds: one is a Lolita-fashioned girl and the other, her antithesis, is a yankī. Viz Media licensed the novel for an English-language release in North America in 2006.
WKiddy Grade (キディ・グレイド) is a Japanese 24-episode anime series produced in 2002 and created by gímik and Gonzo Digimation and directed by Keiji Gotoh. The series is licensed and distributed in North America by FUNimation Entertainment.
WThe Legend of the Legendary Heroes is a Japanese light novel series by Takaya Kagami, with illustrations by Saori Toyota, which was published by Fujimi Shobo in Dragon Magazine from February 20, 2002 to October 20, 2006, and has 11 volumes. Its sequel, The Legend of the Great Legendary Heroes began publishing on October 20, 2007, and has been collected into 18 volumes. The series also has 2 spin-off series, The Legend of Legendary Heroes Anyway , a collection of short stories which ran from December 20, 2002 to June 20, 2007 and was compiled into 11 volumes, and The Legend of the Black Fallen Hero , which ran from December 20, 2007 to August 20, 2013 and was published in 8 volumes. The series has also spun off into other media including a Drama CD, a manga adaptation which is collected into 9 bound volumes and a PSP video game which was released on February 18, 2010. A 24 episode anime adaptation was produced by Zexcs which premiered on July 1, 2010 and is licensed by Kadokawa in Japan and Funimation Entertainment in North America.
WMonster is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa. It was published by Shogakukan in their Big Comic Original magazine between 1994 and 2001, with the chapters collected and reprinted into 18 tankōbon volumes. The story revolves around Kenzo Tenma, a Japanese surgeon living in Düsseldorf, Germany whose life enters turmoil after getting himself involved with Johan Liebert, one of his former patients, who is revealed to be a dangerous serial killer.
WOnly the Ring Finger Knows is the title of a yaoi light novel series written by Satoru Kannagi. It was made into a manga illustrated by Hotaru Odagiri, which has been licensed in the United States by Digital Manga Publishing.
WPita-Ten is a Japanese manga by Koge-Donbo. It was serialized in the shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Comic Gao! between the October 1999 and August 2003 issues and was later collected into eight tankōbon volumes. The eight volumes were localized for North America by Tokyopop; Madman Entertainment used Tokyopop's translations for distribution in Australasia. The plot follows Kotarou Higuchi who becomes acquainted with the angel Misha, and the demon Shia.
WPopotan is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Petit Ferret with character designs by Akio Watanabe under the alias Poyoyon Rock. It was originally released as a PC game for CD-ROM on December 13, 2002, and subsequently re-released on DVD-ROM and for the PlayStation 2 with certain scenes removed. The title Popotan is a nonsensical word meant to reflect the prominence of dandelions, spelled tanpopo (たんぽぽ) in Japanese; Petite Ferret also produced a fan disc shortly before the DVD-ROM re-release. Popotan has been adapted to other media, including a novel series by Sassami Yachiruda; a manga series by Yūjiro Izumi; a twelve episode anime television series directed by Shinichiro Kimura, animated by Shaft, and licensed in North America by Geneon USA and later, Sentai Filmworks; a radio drama (Poporaji); and several art and reference books.
WRahXephon is a 26-episode anime television series created and directed by Yutaka Izubuchi. The series follows 17-year-old Ayato Kamina, his ability to control a mecha known as the RahXephon, and his inner journey to find a place in the world. His life as a student and artist in Tokyo is suddenly interrupted by a mysterious stalker, strange planes invading the city and strange machines fighting back.
Ws-CRY-ed , also known as s.CRY.ed or Scryed, is a 26 episode Japanese anime television series which first aired in Japan on TV Tokyo. The series is written by Yōsuke Kuroda, produced by Sunrise, and directed by Gorō Taniguchi, with music composed by Kōtarō Nakagawa. It is set in an alternative time in Kanagawa Prefecture where a phenomenon gave 1% of its people supernatural powers; they are known as Alters. The plot follows a young Alter mercenary known as Kazuma, as well as Ryuho, a man working for the Alter special forces known as HOLY, who become rivals as their areas clash.
WSaint Seiya , also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. It was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1990, with its chapters collected in twenty-eight tankōbon volumes. The story follows five mystical warriors called the Saints who fight wearing sacred sets of armor named "Cloths", the designs of which derive from the various constellations the characters have adopted as their destined guardian symbols, and empowered by a mystical energy called "Cosmo". The Saints have sworn to defend the reincarnation of the Greek goddess Athena in her battle against other Olympian gods who want to dominate Earth.
WShakugan no Shana , also known simply as Shana (シャナ), is a Japanese light novel series written by Yashichiro Takahashi with illustrations by Noizi Ito. ASCII Media Works published 26 novels from November 2002 to November 2012 under their Dengeki Bunko imprint. The story focuses on Yuji Sakai, a high school boy who inadvertently becomes involved in an age-old conflict between forces of balance and imbalance in existence. In the process, he befriends a fighter for the balancing force and names her "Shana". The series incorporates fantasy and slice of life elements into its tale.
WStar of Guidance is a Japanese science fiction novel series written by Issui Ogawa and illustrated by Range Murata. Four novels were published under Kadokawa's Kadokawa Haruki imprint between January 2002 and November 2003. An anime adaptation has been announced for fall 2018.
WSuicide Circle: The Complete Edition is a novel written by Japanese poet and filmmaker Sion Sono, based on his Suicide Club trilogy. It was published by Kawade Shobō Shinsha in 2002.
WVoices of a Distant Star is a Japanese science fiction original video animation (OVA) short film created and animated by Makoto Shinkai. It follows the lives of two close childhood friends, a boy and a girl, who get separated once the girl is sent into space to fight in a war against aliens. As the 15-year-old girl goes deeper and deeper into space, the texts she sends take longer to reach the Earth; the film simultaneously follows her battles and the boy's life as he receives her texts over the years.
WWelcome to the N.H.K. is a Japanese novel written by Tatsuhiko Takimoto. It was published by Kadokawa Shoten in Japan in January 2002, and in English by Tokyopop in October 2007. The story revolves around a 22-year-old hikikomori, an asocial recluse, who gets aid from a strange girl who seems to know a lot about him, despite never having met him before. Common themes throughout the story deal with depression, anxiety, isolation, existential dread, the hardships of life and how people must deal with them in their own way. The novel analyzes profusely the hikikomori phenomenon, which is relatively widespread in Japan.
WZaregoto is a Japanese light novel series written by Nisio Isin and illustrated by Take. The series was published in Japan between February 2002 and November 2005 by Kodansha Books in nine volumes. It was followed by a seven-volume spin-off series also published by Kodansha Books, the Ningen series, focusing on the Zerozaki clan. A second spin-off series focused on Jun Aikawa titled Saikyō series was serialized in the Mephisto magazine, and was collected by Kodansha in five volumes. First two volumes of Zaregoto were initially released in North America by Del Rey Manga, but have since been republished by Vertical, who also released the third volume. An eight-episode original video animation series adaptation of the first volume by Shaft was released between October 2016 and September 2017.