Kokoro no Kanashimi

Synopsis

Kokoro ga Kowareta With just a hiss, a man's heart was broken. However, he continues to live a normal, mundane life, seemingly unaffected by it. Despite his general apathy, the man still feels compelled to try and mend his heart back together. Boku no Kodomo-tachi ni After a long, exhausting day at work, a man returns to his home to rest, only to find five children sleeping peacefully in his bed. As the man absolutely loathes children, he begins to fall into an existential dread over their identity. Kokoro no Kanashimi Unsure of what to do, a man consults a priest about the sadness in his heart. Intrigued, the priest tells the man to show his heart and asks him if he can take care of it instead. Though the man obliges, he soon understands that a life without sadness is not all it is cracked out to be. Kekkonshiki A man decides that he should get married and settles for an unremarkable woman he has known for a long time, despite the fact that he can never recall a single feature about her. As the commotion surrounding the union grows alongside his annoyance, the man wonders why he felt compelled to get married in the first place. Sora wo Tobu Bored of sitting around and playing cards with his coworkers, a man decides to go out for a walk. While admiring the scenery, he suddenly finds himself floating. Hebi Onna A woman's unwillingness to open her mouth has her partner frustrated to no end. Wanting to figure out the reason she refuses to speak or eat with him, the man devises a plan to sneak up on her. However, he quickly discovers that the reality is far more terrifying than he initially thought. Shinigami A child asks his mother what happens when someone dies, only to be told that nothing awaits him afterward. Ever since that day, a strange, cloaked creature has started to interfere with his life, continually warning the child about his imminent death. Watashi no Yuurei A girl wakes up as a ghost, having no memories of how she became one in the first place. Out of curiosity, she begins to explore the world around her, determined to unravel the mystery behind her supposed death and why everyone is seemingly unfazed by her absence in their lives. Me no Aru Ikimono A rabbit-like creature with the tail of a rat suddenly appears in a man's room, and he has no recollection of how it got there. The one unique—albeit deeply unsettling—feature of the creature are the eyes that cover its entire body, making the man feel like he is constantly being watched. While he spares no effort to take care of the creature, his apprehension of the eyes causes him to slowly descend into insanity. Tsurishi no Nayami After missing both morning boats due to a vague and delayed weather report, an angler tries his best to salvage the day before it goes to waste. Unfortunately, it seems like fate has something else in store for him. Kanashii Koi no Hanashi A man is out with his girlfriend for dinner on the night of a looming typhoon. As the two converse, the man realizes that he is completely enamored by her. However, when they decide to meet up next morning, his girlfriend acts distant toward him, making the man question the reason behind her sudden change. Jinsei Iroiro A collection of surreal drawings depicting the ups and downs of life. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Background

The one-shot Kokoro ga Kowareta was published in English as A Broken Soul by Top Shelf in their manga anthology AX: A Collection of Alternative Manga on October 18, 2010.

Characters

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