Yoshimi Asari

The story involves a boy and his younger sister whose dog Papadoll is missing. They find out that he has been abducted by anthropomorphic cats to be brought to a world called Banapal Witt, which is built on top of a giant sleeping cat. There the sun turns poor Papadoll into a bizarre giant monster. He becomes the weapon and beloved pet of a spoiled Princess who turns everything she touches into balloons. She plans to use Papadoll and a giant inflatable mouse to control the sleeping cat and thus Banapal Witt itself.

Son of a viscount and a Roma prostitute (both deceased), Serge is intelligent, sweet, talented, and alienated by his family due to his heritage. Upon being sent to his new school, he rooms with Gilbert Cocteau, a gorgeous loner of a boy who sells his body for reasons unknown. Serge's attempts to reach out to Gilbert fail spectacularly, and yet there is something in both of them that attracts them to each other.

物語は、広島県広島市舟入本町（現在の広島市中区舟入本町）に住む国民学校2年生の主人公・中岡元（なかおか げん “以下、ゲン”）が、当時日本と交戦していたアメリカ軍により1945年8月6日に投下された原爆で、父・大吉（だいきち）、姉・英子（えいこ）、弟・進次（しんじ）の3人を亡くしながらも、たくましく生きる姿を描く。