Terrarium in a Drawer

Terrarium in a Drawer
Cover of the manga
ひきだしにテラリウム
(Hikidashi ni Terrarium)
GenreComedy, Fantasy
Manga
Written byRyoko Kui
Published byEast Press
English publisher
MagazineMatogrosso
Original runAugust 2011 – December 2012
Volumes1

Terrarium in a Drawer (ひきだしにテラリウム, Hikidashi ni Terrarium) is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Ryoko Kui. The manga is Kui's third comic anthology series with its original publicationrunning from August 2011 to December 2012 in East Press' Matogrosso magazine. On March 14, 2013, the series would be collected into a single tankōbon volume. The manga is licensed in English by Yen Press, who will release the sole volume on November 24, 2026.

Description

Terrarium in a Drawer is a collection of 33 short stories detailing the lives of multiple unrelated characters, creating unique isolated worlds and protagonists not connected by a linear overarching narrative. The stories in the anthology are short with the longest running eleven pages and the shortest being two pages. Kui's art style for this manga is kept minimalistic, apart from stories where she is parodying another genre or style. The manga's tone ranges from fantastical ("Wrath of the Dragon"), to conceptual ("Eating Symbols"), to everyday ("Sense of Scale"). Terrarium in a Drawer explores varied genres including fantasy, romance, cyberpunk, mechs, and depictions of everyday life. The manga examines each of its highly fictional situations with a realistic lens, giving it a sense of authenticity that is seen in Kui's other work, Delicious in Dungeon.

Reception

It won an Excellence Award for manga at the 17th Japan Media Arts Festival Awards. It was number seven on the 2014 Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Top 20 Manga for Male Readers survey. It was nominated for the 7th Manga Taishō, receiving 54 points and placing 5th among the ten nominees.

References

  1. 1 2 "Hikidashi ni Terrarium （TERRARIUM IN DRAWER）". JAPAN MEDIA ARTS FESTIVAL (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  2. ↑ "書籍詳細 - ひきだしにテラリウム | イースト・プレス". イースト・プレス (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  3. ↑ Mateo, Alex (15 May 2026). "Yen Press Licenses Moscow 2160, Love at the City's Edge on a Moonlit Night, Terrarium in a Drawer, 14 More Manga/Novels". Anime News Network. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  4. ↑ "Terrarium in a Drawer". Yen Press. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
  5. ↑ Thiébaut, Louis. "Manga : 'Le terrarium dans mon tiroir', un monde de créativité aux éditions Casterman - RTBF Actus". RTBF (in French). Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  6. 1 2 Benoit, Par Benjamin (17 September 2025). ""Le Terrarium dans mon Tiroir", aux racines nostalgiques de Ryoko Kui". IGN France (in French). Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  7. ↑ "Le Terrarium dans mon tiroir". www.pagedeslibraires.fr. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  8. ↑ "Jojolion Manga Wins Media Arts Award". Anime News Network. 5 December 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  9. ↑ "Top Manga Ranked by Kono Manga ga Sugoi 2014 Voters". Anime News Network. 9 December 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "Kaoru Mori's A Bride's Story Wins 7th Annual Manga Taisho Award". Anime News Network. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014.