Nagisa is a singer who has an unusual characteristic - her appearance changes drastically when she gets hungry. Although usually a rather plain and frumpy-looking woman, when she fasts she turns into a beautiful young woman. Because of this unique "talent", she gets swept up in the seedy "star-making" side of the entertainment business.
The younger brother of Toppei, Chippei is a young and precocious boy whose penchant for exploring gets the two of them in trouble. Of course, as a werewolf who transforms at the mere sight of anything round (including a full-moon), the trouble that Chippei is able to get in can be significant.
Professor "Y" is the original environmentalist. A firm believer in the natural world, he sees the beauty in nature and animals, and he's not above a little criminal activity to see them preserved.
Ongoing Serial: a series of episodes, published over a span of weeks/months/years where the story plot is connected from chapter to chapter and must be read in chronological order for it to be understood properly.
Chapter Serial: a series of episodes, published over a span of weeks/months/years where the story plot is self-contained to a single chapter. There may be an overarching plot, but the stories can generally be read in any order and be understood
Book: an all-in-one self contained story published as a one-off.
Supplement: an an all-in-one self contained story published as a stand-alone supplement to a regular weekly/monthly periodical.
Short Story: an all-in-one, self contained story that was published in a regular weekly/monthly periodical
Anthology: a collection of all-in-one, self contained stories that were published in a regular weekly/monthly periodical but are generally grouped together.