Tow Ubukata

Neither a utopia nor a dystopia, it's still a world of nations at strife, as dominated by corporations as ever. Technology hasn't made humans nearly obsolete, but rather bettered us, if you will, attaching to our bodies and even brains as enhancements--for those who can afford it. Comics artist Shirow Masamune's vision of our coming society, animated to global acclaim and finally the basis of a major Hollywood production, branches out in five original stories by some of the most beloved SF novelists working in Japan today. A standalone collection, it requires no familiarity with the franchise to be enjoyed but is indispensable for fans for its thoughtful exploration of the series' implications. While reality may never become virtual, it will be increasingly networked and augmented. Navigate herein age-old questions about man that will return, not so ironically, in full force: What is the self? Is there such a thing as the soul?

Rune Balot is a prostitute who is nearly murdered by Ciel, an enigmatic casino manager who suffers from a disease that that forces him to remove and store his memories. A victim for most of her life, Rune faces a choice - while on the brink of death, she is given the opportunity to live again. It is not a simple choice for a victim, but Rune takes it and she is brought back to life as a cyborg with the ability to control electronics. She is partnered up to a self-aware universal bot named Oeufcocque. Together they begin to unravel the mystery behind Ciel.

Rune Balot is a prostitute who is nearly murdered by Ciel, an enigmatic casino manager who suffers from a disease that that forces him to remove and store his memories. A victim for most of her life, Rune faces a choice - while on the brink of death, she is given the opportunity to live again. It is not a simple choice for a victim, but Rune takes it and she is brought back to life as a cyborg with the ability to control electronics. She is partnered up to a self-aware universal bot named Oeufcocque. Together they begin to unravel the mystery behind Ciel.

Rune Balot is a prostitute who is nearly murdered by Ciel, an enigmatic casino manager who suffers from a disease that that forces him to remove and store his memories. A victim for most of her life, Rune faces a choice - while on the brink of death, she is given the opportunity to live again. It is not a simple choice for a victim, but Rune takes it and she is brought back to life as a cyborg with the ability to control electronics. Atmospheric and thought-provoking, this series is evocative of Shirow's iconic Ghost in the Shell series (Kodansha).

Rune Balot is a prostitute who is nearly murdered by Ciel, an enigmatic casino manager who suffers from a disease that that forces him to remove and store his memories. A victim for most of her life, Rune faces a choice - while on the brink of death, she is given the opportunity to live again. It is not a simple choice for a victim, but Rune takes it and she is brought back to life as a cyborg with the ability to control electronics. She is partnered up to a self-aware universal bot named Oeufcocque. Together they begin to unravel the mystery behind Ciel.

Rune Balot is a prostitute who is nearly murdered by Ciel, an enigmatic casino manager, who suffers from a disease that forces him to remove and store his memories. A professor brings Rune back to life as a cyborg with the ability to control electronics and partners her up with a selfaware universal tool named Oeufcocque. Together they begin to unravel the mystery behind Ciel and Rune sheds the role of the victim, but must struggle between seeking justice and vengeance.

Rune Balot is a prostitute who is nearly murdered by Ciel, an enigmatic casino manager, who suffers from a disease that forces him to remove and store his memories. While on the brink of death, Rune is given the opportunity to live. It is not a simple choice for a victim, but Rune takes it. A professor brings Rune back to life as a cyborg with the ability to control electronics and partners her up with a self-aware universal tool named Oeufcocque. Together they begin to unravel the mystery behind Ciel.

Rune Balot is a prostitute who is nearly murdered by Ciel, an enigmatic casino manager, who suffers from a disease that forces him to remove and store his memories. A victim for most of her life, Rune faces a choice. While on the brink of death, she is given the opportunity to live. It is not a simple choice for a victim, but Rune takes it. A professor brings her back to life as a cyborg with the ability to control electronics and partners her up with a self-aware universal tool named Ouefcocque. Together they begin to unravel the mystery...

The Future Is to Die For! Why me? It was to be the last thought a young prostitute, Rune-Balot, would ever have...as a human anyway. Taken in by a devious gambler named Shell, she became a slave to his cruel desires and would have been killed by his hand if not for the self-aware Universal Tool (and little yellow mouse) known as Oeufcoque. Now a cyborg, Balot is not only nigh-invulnerable, but has the ability to disrupt electrical systems of all sorts. But even these powers may not be enough for Balot to deal with Shell, who offloads his memories to remain above the law, the immense assassin Dimsdale-Boiled, or the neon-noir streets of Mardock City itself. Why me? It was to be the last thought a young prostitute, Rune-Balot, would ever have...as a human anyway. Taken in by a devious gambler named Shell, she became a slave to his cruel desires and would have been killed by his hand if not for the self-aware All-Purpose Tool (and little yellow mouse) known as Oeufcoque. Now a cyborg, Balot is not only nigh-invulnerable but has the ability to disrupt electrical systems of all sorts. But even these powers may not be enough for Balot to deal with Shell, who offloads his memories to remain above the law, the immense assassin Dimsdale-Boiled, or the neon-noir streets of Mardock City itself.

The youth of Tatsumiya Island lived ordinary lives, but their peaceful existence was all a lie. The invasion of the Festum transforms their peaceful island into a high-tech military fortress!Toh Ubukata, series organizer and script writer, novelizes the hit anime series! Introducing the beginning of a whole new Fafner, this novel details the thoughts of Soshi, Maya, Shoko, and others that didn't appear in the anime series, along with battles of the Fafner and Festum in Ubukata's exciting style.