"Kokoro", meaning 'heart', is a tantalizing novel about the friendship between a young man and an enigmatic elder whom he calls Sensei. Set in the early twentieth century, when the death of the emperor Meiji gave way to a new era in Japanese politicial and cultural life, the novel enacts the transit[...]

When shy Ako finds her family brutally slain, she can't help but freeze in fear at the sight of blood-thirsty vampire Kou! But when Kou's bite yields a surprising rush of pleasure, he decides to take the timid girl back to his lair and make her his servant. Now Ako wanders the city streets in a daze[...]