A Hello Kitty claymation series. The Stump Village itself is a group of tree stump houses located in a secluded area of a forest. The village residents are a tight-knit bunch: Badtz Maru, Cinnamoroll, My Melody, Pom Pom Purin, and Hello Kitty. The remaining Sanrio characters (of which there are literally hundreds) do not appear very much in this particular series. (Source: AniDB)

Keiichi Maebara has just moved to the quiet little village of Hinamizawa in the summer of 1983, and quickly becomes inseparable friends with schoolmates Rena Ryuuguu, Mion Sonozaki, Satoko Houjou, and Rika Furude. However, darkness lurks underneath the seemingly idyllic life they lead. As the village prepares for its annual festival, Keiichi learns about the local legends surrounding it. To his horror, he discovers that there have been several murders and disappearances in the village in the recent years, and that they all seem to be connected to the festival and the village's patron god, Oyashiro. Keiichi tries to ask his new friends about these incidents, but they are suspiciously silent and refuse to give him the answers he needs. As more and more bizarre events occur, he wonders just what else his friends might be keeping from him, and if he can even trust them at all. When madness and paranoia begin taking root in Keiichi's heart, he will stumble straight into the mysteries at work in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, a story that is told across multiple arcs.

In the future, water has covered much of the Earth due to the effects of global warming. The orphaned Maia Mizuki, 15, just graduated from middle school and has already applied for employment in the elite paramilitary Ocean Agency, part of the futuristic world government. Only the best, most intelligent, and physically fit students are eligible for admission. Maia, the series' protagonist, is set to become one of the few. But her ideal life quickly falls apart. To her disappointment, Maia unexpectedly fails her entrance exams. Making matters worse, she promptly gets evicted from her house, pick pocketed, taken hostage, then shot. She is saved by two women (Rena and Shizuka) that are part of an unorthodox help-for-hire organization called Nereids (inspired by the Greek mythological Nereids ). With nowhere to go, Maia joins up with Nereids, taking jobs from capturing wanted criminals to chasing stray cats, often with unexpected results. Gloria and Yu later join up with Nereids. Daphne in the title refers to a subplot that starts midway into the series and eventually become important to Maia. Brilliant Blue refers to the fact that this is a world covered by water with almost no land. The world consists of vast oceans, a few islands, and floating cities. (Source: Wikipedia)

Families, husbands and wives, lovers and ordinary people. Dramas that emerge from life's human crossroads... Ordinary people muddling through life and intersect with one another in random ways. Like people walking along road crossings in different directions with no apparent destination in sight. Human Crossing is a realistic portrayal of everyday people in modern Japan with all its beauty and ugliness. Human Crossing examines the lives of a boxer whose dark past is rekindled by his estranged mother in The Wound, an idealistic lawyer who fights for an underprivileged young mother in The 25th Hour, a workaholic businessman who rediscovers what's most important in life in A Promise, and an independent woman who reunites with her deadbeat father in Direction. Human Crossing is a collection of vignettes about hope, a reminder of the small victories one can achieve amid the vicissitudes of life. (Source: Geneon, edited)