ZENO -Hideaki Nishikawa short story collection-

ZENO is a curated anthology collecting various short stories produced by manga artist Hideaki Nishikawa. Published during the late 1990s, the volume represents a significant point in Nishikawa's career, compiling experimental works and standalone narratives that demonstrate his distinct approach to character design and atmospheric storytelling. These stories emerged from a period of high productivity for the artist, capturing his development of the gritty, visceral style that would later inform his more widely recognized contributions to action and seinen manga genres.

The collection is noted for its exploration of themes often found in Nishikawa's broader bibliography, characterized by stark line work and an intense, somewhat melancholic tone. By bringing these disparate pieces together under the ZENO title, the publisher provided fans with insight into the mangaka’s creative evolution during a transitional phase in the industry. The reception was focused primarily on its appeal to dedicated followers of Nishikawa’s craft, serving as both a retrospective of his early short-form projects and a showcase for his evolving technical proficiency.