Sakura-Con 2012

Yen Press

Panelists: Kurt Hassler, JuYoun Lee

Yen Press immediately launched into several manga title acquisitions at their panel on Saturday, including Mari Yamazaki's Thermae Romae, a series about a Roman that time travels to present-day Japan and examines the bathhouse culture of both ancient Rome and modern Japan. The series was recently adapted into a TV anime, as well as a live-action film. Yen Press will be releasing Thermae Romae in hardcover omnibuses, each containing two volumes of the series.

They will also be releasing Kaoru Mori: Anything and Something, a collection of short stories and art by Kaoru Mori (Emma, A Bride's Story). The anthology will be published as an oversized hardcover, similar to their release of A Bride's Story.

Horror fans will be pleased by Yen Press' acquisition of Umineko When They Cry, a manga adaptation of the visual novel series by Ryukishi07 (Higurashi: When They Cry), with art by Kei Natsumi. This series will also be released in a 2-in-1 hardcover omnibus format.

Continuing their licensing announcements, Yen Press will also be releasing Blood Lad by Yūki Kodama, as well as Triage X by Shouji Sato (Highschool of the Dead). Both will be released in Fall 2012.

Also on their list is Alice in the Country of Hearts: My Fanatic Rabbit, with a story by QuinRose and art by Psyche Delico, a spin-off of the game series by QuinRose. The first volume will be released in June 2012. The title was previously held by Tokyopop, but the Yen Press translation will be new. For Haruhi fans, Yen Press will also be publishing The Misfortune of Kyon & Koizumi, a collection of shorts by various artists, featuring Kyon and Koizumi from the Haruhi Suzumiya series. This will be released in February 2013.

Outside of manga, they will also be adapting Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl's novel Beautiful Creatures into a graphic novel, with artwork by Cassandra Jean. The series will be serialized in Yen Plus, the company's online manga anthology. The first volume will be released in 2013.

Their announcements were followed by a Q&A with the audience.