Akatarou Kidan

The year is Showa 35. In a desolate District A (A地区) on the outskirts of Tokyo, dotted with rice paddies and fields, a series of random attacks targeting women returning home at night is taking place. All the victims claim that a bizarre toddler sucked their fresh blood... This is the story of Akatarou, a monstrous child who, burdened by past karma, possesses the mind of a toddler within the body of a 16-year-old and survives by feeding on human blood. Known as a legendary, controversial work, the number of extant original copies is extremely low, making it extremely difficult to read. Surprisingly, *that* character also makes an appearance. The market price for the original is the highest ever recorded in the Kaiki Kashihon Kidan series. Also included is the equally bizarre work *Jigoku no Eshi*, the story of a man obsessed with creating hellish paintings. (Source: Mandarake, translated)