Songs of the Night

A collection of short stories by the author of Ushio and Tora.

1. The Puppet Princess (Karakuri no Kimi), 1994
Princess Rangiku lost her entire family to Lord Karimata, who invaded her home seeking her father's life work, puppets with unique capabilities. As her duty, Rangiku sets out with three of her father's greatest puppet warriors to seek revenge. She can manipulate these to battle the strongest of warriors, however manipulating the puppets leaves her own self vulnerable to direct attacks, so she seeks a ninja warrior named Manajiri to aid and protect her in her quest. (Source: ANN)

2. Song of the Open Palm (Tenohira no Uta), 1994
A legendary practitioner of the Xing Yi Quan style is jailed for the murder of another martial artist. From his cell, he tells his jailer of the incidents leading up to the fight, and hears disturbing news about the successor to the other man's doujo.

3. Strange Ferry Tale (Renrakusen Kitan), 1988
A teenage runaway meets a pair of siblings on a ferry. The brother carries an old sword and claims to be haunted by a demon that has cursed their clan for hundreds of years.

4. To the Merry-Go-Round! (Merry-Go-Round e!), 1988
A teenage karateka meets a little girl who asks him to take her to a merry-go-round. Her older brother and the police are in hot pursuit, but for some reason she insists on seeing it today.

5-6. Shall We Go Out Walking by Night? (Yoru ni Sanpo shinai ka ne), 1993
A detective with a mysterious past is called in to investigate a series of strange murders. When he visits the scene of the crime by night, he meets a young woman out walking alone, hoping to cure her fear of the darkness by "confronting the night."