Rights sold: Italian (IF), French (Kana)

English and Japanese Sample Available

A young engineer's affection for an outdated game character embarks on a hazardous journey that blurs the lines between the virtual gaming world and reality.

In 2088, engineer J stumbles upon a Dream Reality (DR) device, banned after its invention in 2073, at a flea market. Intrigued, J activates an old game, and is thrust into a world where electronic creatures abduct humans, compelling them to read books for brain monitoring.

DR makes everything seem hyper-real. J realizes that he stubbornly insists on using DR to enter the game for nothing else but meeting Saya, a character he once rescued in that world. Saya appears to develop consciousness over time and becomes J's constant companion. It’s all a game, but J isn't sure whether it's a dream or reality. How genuine are the emotions? Have J's actions bugged Saya? Or is Saya a glitch in the game? A new unsettling subplot emerges as the boundaries between game and reality blur. Trapped in the game world, J and Saya find love, prompting Saya to  restart the game repeatedly to keep their connection. Guided by a ram-headed character who seems to know the entire truth, J's subconscious awakens and determines to destroy the DR device, but which means Saya shall unavoidable being vanished.

Ding Pao-Yen is a contemporary artist and cartoonist. His love of online games and science fiction come together in a dream world like an active volcano that transforms into a bizarre, lava-like worldview in his work. The book was inspired by the author's love of role-playing in online games.  He once grew fond of a minor female character in one of the games, but her story ended after she’d accomplished her mission. Still, the author returns to the game to visit her from time to time. The idea of “nothing happened” makes him appeared to be lonely, which eventually be the theme of the story.

1 Volume (end)

12.8 x 18.8 mm

Black & White + 4 pages in 4 colors