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Mitsukazu Mihara: IC in a Sunflower
The Gothic Lolita queen delivers breathtakingly beautiful art in this collection of stories that range from the tragic and romantic to the bizarre and unforgettable...and everything in between. These seven short stories intertwine chilling themes involving sex, abuse, murder, and cloning, all with Mihara-sensei's unique perspective on the human condition.
- GenresMangaScience Fiction
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 9, 2007
2 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Mitsukazu Mihara
53 books74 followers三原 ミツカズ (MIHARA Mitsukazu) is credited with helping shape the GothLoli look through her work in the "Gothic & Lolita Bible"
In 1994, she won the first "Feel Young New Face Manga Awards" Judges’ Special Prize with her short work, "The Children Who Don’t Need Rubbers."
She resides in Osaka, Japan.
Sometimes credited as MIHARA Tsukazu.
[via Mangaupdates]
In 1994, she won the first "Feel Young New Face Manga Awards" Judges’ Special Prize with her short work, "The Children Who Don’t Need Rubbers."
She resides in Osaka, Japan.
Sometimes credited as MIHARA Tsukazu.
[via Mangaupdates]
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 1, 2025
Overall a 3 because I like Mitsukazu Mihara's art and a couple stories stood out above the rest. Also just happened to be the average of my separate ratings for each story!
On their own:
1. Keep those Condoms Away from Our Kids (2.5 stars): A promising premise, but the short length doesn't do it justice. Would've been nice to see this fleshed out more, at least as a longer standalone one-shot.
2. The Iron Maiden (3.5 stars): This story was well suited to its length, though a little rushed through at points because of that length, and I feel it handles its subject matter of a young woman dealing with the lasting effects of trauma well.
3. The Sunflower Quality of an Integrated Circuit (4 stars): This one also fit into its designated length well, with a little better pacing than the one before it. I liked the ending a lot too.
4. The Other Side of the Rose Wire (2 stars): Ending was too vague to be satisfying (or I just didn't get it), this one could've also been helped by being just a little bit longer.
5. Fish Out of Water (4 stars): The other strongest story in this collection. Everything fit perfectly together, and it had a good ending.
6. Mister Mineral (2.5 stars): Liked this one until whatever that ending was
7. Alive (2.5 stars): There's an attempt at world building here but it doesn't work with the black and white format and doesn't make any sense with the ending.
On their own:
1. Keep those Condoms Away from Our Kids (2.5 stars): A promising premise, but the short length doesn't do it justice. Would've been nice to see this fleshed out more, at least as a longer standalone one-shot.
2. The Iron Maiden (3.5 stars): This story was well suited to its length, though a little rushed through at points because of that length, and I feel it handles its subject matter of a young woman dealing with the lasting effects of trauma well.
3. The Sunflower Quality of an Integrated Circuit (4 stars): This one also fit into its designated length well, with a little better pacing than the one before it. I liked the ending a lot too.
4. The Other Side of the Rose Wire (2 stars): Ending was too vague to be satisfying (or I just didn't get it), this one could've also been helped by being just a little bit longer.
5. Fish Out of Water (4 stars): The other strongest story in this collection. Everything fit perfectly together, and it had a good ending.
6. Mister Mineral (2.5 stars): Liked this one until whatever that ending was
7. Alive (2.5 stars): There's an attempt at world building here but it doesn't work with the black and white format and doesn't make any sense with the ending.
December 20, 2022
I read this manga only because I enjoyed Haunted House by the same author. I’m not normally a fan of fantasy, but I picked it up for fairly cheap, and Haunted House got quite a few laughs out of me so I assumed I would be dealing with the same amount of charm.
I was wrong.
This was a quick read. Yes, a lot of the stories felt like partial ideas and I felt pretty unsatisfied when I finished it. And then, I thought about it. And I thought about it some more. And I thought about each story, and I started to feel… slimy. Something felt really uncomfortable with these stories, and I can’t really put my finger on it. It’s not fantasy, it’s… I don’t know. It’s something. But a lot of the themes explored are disturbing when you think about it too much, or have too much time on your hands, or tend to over think things. Luckily, I have all three, so I might be completely off base, but this is the complete opposite of the light hearted dark comedy that Haunted House is. It’s freaking weird, and it made me think waaaaay too much.
I was wrong.
This was a quick read. Yes, a lot of the stories felt like partial ideas and I felt pretty unsatisfied when I finished it. And then, I thought about it. And I thought about it some more. And I thought about each story, and I started to feel… slimy. Something felt really uncomfortable with these stories, and I can’t really put my finger on it. It’s not fantasy, it’s… I don’t know. It’s something. But a lot of the themes explored are disturbing when you think about it too much, or have too much time on your hands, or tend to over think things. Luckily, I have all three, so I might be completely off base, but this is the complete opposite of the light hearted dark comedy that Haunted House is. It’s freaking weird, and it made me think waaaaay too much.
January 16, 2022
This is probably closer to a 3.5 star book but there are no halves so I put it down as 3. I did really enjoy a couple of the stories. A few just felt like they weren’t quite finished or maybe like they didn’t exactly go anywhere.
February 24, 2024
2.5 stars, picked up used.
There's a couple good stories in here, and the rendering on the gothic lolita outfits are great to look at; but this short story collection ultimately falls flat for me. Doesn't help that the Tokyopop translators censored "God" but put the R-slur in it.
There's a couple good stories in here, and the rendering on the gothic lolita outfits are great to look at; but this short story collection ultimately falls flat for me. Doesn't help that the Tokyopop translators censored "God" but put the R-slur in it.
September 1, 2021
Most stories had either abrupt unsatisfactory endings. Only Three stories I actually liked. But overall amazing artwork and some good story ideas.
February 17, 2016
Wow I haven't been impressed with a new manga in ages! I got this one as part of a job lot and was pleasantly surprised as it was easily the best volume in the bunch.
Its seven, sting-in-the-tail type short stories at heart about the nature of the human condition. It reminded me a little of the wonderful 'Twisted Dark' graphic novels.
In keep those condoms away from our kids we are taken to a not too distant future, where infertility is a real problem. Sex is taught and practised by school kids and this story looks at the effect such a liberal attitude has on kids.
Next we have Iron Maiden a clear case of the abused (here neglected) becoming the abuser.
In the sunflower quality of the integrated circuit - we have an android maid stuck in a household with a very unhappily married couple.
The other side of the barbed wire is the most ponderous of the stories - definitely leaves you hanging. Just what did the girl have in her basket?
Fish out of water is my personal favourite and oddly uplifting. A doctor fishes a mermaid out of a lake and keeps her in his bathtub.
Mr. Mineral is another oddity - its about a schoolboy who calms down by caressing crystals.
Lastly we have alive - about a clone who gets sent into a commune as an experiment and then gets recalled when the owner needs spare parts... or is it...?
Every single story really makes you think and is beautifully crafted. Not my favourite style of artwork, but the stories and characters are really strong and easily carry this, making it one of the best manga anthologies I've come across.
Its seven, sting-in-the-tail type short stories at heart about the nature of the human condition. It reminded me a little of the wonderful 'Twisted Dark' graphic novels.
In keep those condoms away from our kids we are taken to a not too distant future, where infertility is a real problem. Sex is taught and practised by school kids and this story looks at the effect such a liberal attitude has on kids.
Next we have Iron Maiden a clear case of the abused (here neglected) becoming the abuser.
In the sunflower quality of the integrated circuit - we have an android maid stuck in a household with a very unhappily married couple.
The other side of the barbed wire is the most ponderous of the stories - definitely leaves you hanging. Just what did the girl have in her basket?
Fish out of water is my personal favourite and oddly uplifting. A doctor fishes a mermaid out of a lake and keeps her in his bathtub.
Mr. Mineral is another oddity - its about a schoolboy who calms down by caressing crystals.
Lastly we have alive - about a clone who gets sent into a commune as an experiment and then gets recalled when the owner needs spare parts... or is it...?
Every single story really makes you think and is beautifully crafted. Not my favourite style of artwork, but the stories and characters are really strong and easily carry this, making it one of the best manga anthologies I've come across.
July 2, 2008
Okay. So sue me. I actually liked this, despite it being so typical of Mihara, I think it's one of the goth-loli princess' best works. Lots of stuff typical for this genre of horror manga: sad androids, abused clones, pedophiles, frog innards... If you overlook some of the more campy stuff and lean back and enjoy the android fellatio, it makes for a good read. I particularly liked the last story with the clone boy. The plot twists are kind of cool. -_-;
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July 29, 2011I really like Doll and the Embalmer, but this is a bit much for me. Just a bit too dark, a bit too sexual and a bit too morbid.
January 21, 2013
Nice graphics, intriguing topics and ways of life.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews