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Yen Press Reveals 16 New Licenses, 5 New Audiobooks, 4 Webcomics
posted on by Alex Mateo
ANN's coverage of Anime Expo 2023 sponsored by Yen Press!
Yen Press announced during its panel at Anime Expo on Saturday that it has licensed eight manga, seven light novels, and three webcomics. The company also revealed five audiobooks and the print publication of Kumo Kagyu and so-bin's Blade & Bastard novel.
Yen Press will release the following titles in December 2023-January 2024.
Author: Shikaku Yamamoto
Summary: Welcome to the city of Juso! The hero who once saved the city serves as mayor—now he and his two secretaries are hard at work running Juso. Elsewhere, a young elf and her wolfman butler live out a rom-com plot, and a dragon and a bard form an unlikely musical duo. Everyday life in this diverse and harmonious city is already full of adventure and surprise. But when disaster threatens to strike, will these citizens become part of an all-new legend?
Author: Nio Nakatani
Summary: Middle schooler Kon lives in a world with periodic exceptional phenomena—more commonly known as bugs. As the unofficial assistant of his landlady, Kasane Himesaki, a leading researcher in the field, he helps study the effects and impact of these mysterious abnormalities. Some bring fun, others bring intrigue, and still others cause inconveniences to their daily lives, but one thing's for sure—in a world like theirs, every morning may bring a new surprise!
Yen Press began releasing the manga as a simulpub in October 2021.
Authors: Kafka Asagiri (story), Shiwasu Hoshikawa (art), Sango Harukawa (character design)
Summary: From Shiwasu Hoshikawa, the artist behind the manga adaptation of Bungo Stray Dogs: Beast, comes a prequel featuring two of the series' most popular characters!
Not long after Ougai Mori takes the reins of the Port Mafia, he orders a young Osamu Dazai to investigate an ominous rumor of something called “Arahabaki.” Whoever or whatever it is seems to have some connection to Mori's deceased predecessor—and the new boss would very much like for the dead to stay buried. Along the way, Dazai runs into a gravity manipulator named Chuuya Nakahara, leader of the Sheep gang of youths. Together, the two will one day achieve infamy as the fearsome duo known as Twin Dark, but for now, they'll have to learn to put aside their differences if they want to get to the bottom of this mystery…
Author: Akitaka
Summary: Maj and Lilica are novice C-rank witches living together in a cramped, single-room apartment. The jobs they can get don't pay much—barely enough for a sad dinner of plain cabbage. They want a better life where they can have pets, buy lots of grimoires, and even eat meat for dinner! It may seem like a long shot, but if they work a little bit harder, their dream life might just be within their grasp!
Authors: Kureha (story), Odayaka (art), Bodax (character design)
Summary: Eighteen-year-old Hana, born to a branch family of a clan of guardians, has always been stuck in the shadow of her more capable, beautiful, and popular twin sister. When a strong power awakens within Hana, she chooses to hide it so she can continue living a quiet life out of the spotlight. But that ideal lifestyle begins to slip out of reach when Saku Ichinomiya takes over as the new head of the Ichinomiya clan and sets out to find a bride strong enough to stand by his side!
Authors: Ryukishi07 (story), Tomato Akase (art)
Summary: June 1983...has passed. At long last, through many trials and tribulations, Rika and her friends have finally escaped the tragedy! The gameboard has been cleared, the pieces scattered, and all that remains is the rest of her life. Or so Rika believes, until she gets pulled into yet another fragment...
Will the sequel to the Higurashi Gou manga unravel its mysteries...? Or leave even more questions behind...?!
Authors: Anmitsu Okada
Summary: La+ Darknesss. Takane Lui. Hakui Koyori. Kazama Iroha. And Sakamata Chloe. Collectively known as Secret Society holoX, their goal is nothing less than world domination! …But how exactly did they end up as Virtual YouTubers? Discover the origins of the self-proclaimed “rightful rulers of Eden's planet” in this story based on the megapopular stars of hololive. “YES MY DARK!”
Authors: Liu Cixin (story), Jun Yokoyama (manga adaptation), Golo (art)
Summary: One strange day, roughly 20,000 otherworldly spaceships flew into stable orbit around the Earth. After six months with no contact from the mysterious crafts, in a certain Asian village, a young girl named Zihan discovers an old man who fell from the sky. Soon, many more elderly drifters in similar clothing begin popping up all over the world—their numbers surpassing two billion in total. What is the goal of these mysterious visitors? Find out in this adaptation of a story by popular Chinese sci-fi author Liu Cixin!
Authors: Ryohgo Narita (story), Suzuhito Yasuda (art)
Summary: This collection of short stories and vignettes provides nine tales of not-so-ordinary life in Ikebukuro, including some reminiscing at Celty and Shinra's big hot-pot party, the coming-of-age ceremony of the older Raira gang, and another supernatural visitor to Tokyo!
Authors: Tappei Nagatsuki (story), Shinichirou Otsuka (art)
Summary: The world of Re:Zero continues to grow with every new tale and this collection of short stories is the perfect place to learn more about everyone's favorite characters! What will Rem and Ram have to deal with today? Where will Emilia's new adventures take her? And how will Subaru land himself in yet another scrape?
Author: Michiru Sawarano
Summary: Masamichi Adachi has been having the worst luck. He failed his college entrance exams, locking him into a second year of spinning his wheels; he lost his part-time job; and then he nearly died in a hit-and-run. But while he's bracing for the end, a frighteningly handsome man appears and invites Masamichi to be his servant in exchange for his life. When Masamichi agrees to the terms, he finds himself bound to an antique-shop owner who only appears to be human…
Author: Kuji Furumiya
Summary: The sequel series to Unnamed Memory! One day, college student Shizuku Minase stumbles from modern-day Japan into a fantasy world. While wandering through a backwater region of this world of sword and sorcery, she meets Eric, an eccentric young man studying a magical script. The pair strike a deal: He'll help Shizuku return home if she teaches him Japanese. Thus the pair set off across the magical continent of Farsas in search of a way back to Earth.
Authors: Yuji Ukai (story), Nekometal (art)
Summary: Yuuki wakes up to find herself wearing a maid's uniform in a strange manor. After wandering into the dining room, she comes across five other girls, each in the exact same outfit. Soon, the girls learn that the manor is brimming with lethal weapons and an array of deadly traps…and that they can only escape by playing the most gruesome of games. As the terrifying truth sets in, each girl's face goes pale—except Yuuki's. Why? Because this isn't her first go-round. That's right—Yuuki is a professional death game player who lives off the prize money she collects from winning brutal killing competitions, and she's not about to let this chance pass her by.
Authors: Fujino Omori (story), Kakage (art)
Summary: Seven years before a certain boy will arrive in the Labyrinth City, an era of chaos and strife reigns supreme. Ryu Leon spends her days serving the goddess Astrea while searching for a brand of justice she can believe in. She's not alone, for the rest of Astrea Familia are a rare source of light in these dark times. In the shadows, however, something evil is stirring—a threat that will shake Orario to its very foundations…!
Author: Toru Shirogane
Summary: Matthew is just another parasite in the chaotic dungeon city of Gray Neighbor. People say he's a lazy weakling who gambles and drinks away all the money he gets from his keeper, princess knight Arwin. But the truth is, no one in this town knows what he's really like—a ruthless protector who works in the shadows and will do whatever it takes for the sake of his mistress.
Yen Press will release the following audiobooks between November-December:
Title: Yami-hara
Author: Mizuki Tsujimura
Release: November 2023
Summary: The strange kid at school, the odd woman in the apartment building, the troublesome man at work. Such people exist everywhere, in everyone's lives. All it takes is a word for it to start. An unsettling question, a bizarre remark, or even a kind apology. Once their hooks sink in, the cracks form. Darkness floods into the recesses until nothing else remains, and then…Sirens, screaming, dull thuds on the pavement. They have always existed. They just are. And when they show up, people die.
Title: Goblin Slayer
Authors: Kumo Kagyu (story), Noboru Kannatsuki (art)
Release: November 2023
Summary: A young Priestess joins her first adventuring party, but blind to the dangers, they almost immediately find themselves in trouble. It's Goblin Slayer who comes to their rescue—a man who has dedicated his life to the extermination of all goblins by any means necessary. A dangerous, dirty, and thankless job, but he does it better than anyone. And when rumors of his feats begin to circulate, there's no telling who might come calling next…
Title: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
Authors: Fujino Ōmori (story), Suzuhito Yasuda (art)
Release: November 2023
Summary: In Orario, fearless adventurers band together in search of fame and fortune within the monstrous underground labyrinth known as Dungeon. But while riches and renown are incentive enough for most, Bell Cranel, would-be hero extraordinaire, has bigger plans. He wants to pick up girls. Is it wrong to face the perils of Dungeon alone, in a single-member guild blessed by a failed goddess? Maybe. Is it wrong to dream of playing hero to hapless maidens in Dungeon? Maybe not. After one misguided adventure, Bell quickly discovers that anything can happen in the labyrinth—even chance encounters with beautiful women. The only problem? He's the one who winds up the damsel in distress!
Title: I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level
Authors: Kisetsu Morita (story), Benio (art)
Release: December 2023
Summary: After living a painful life as an office worker, Azusa ended her short life by dying from overworking. So when she found herself reincarnated as an undying, unaging witch in a new world, she vows to spend her days stress free and as pleasantly as possible. She ekes out a living by hunting down the easiest targets—the slimes! But after centuries of doing this simple job, she has ended up with insane powers... How will she maintain her low-key life now?!
Title: The Executioner and Her Way of Life
Authors: Mato Satō (story), Nilitsu (art)
Release: December 2023
Summary: The "lost ones" are wanderers who stumble onto this planet from "Japan," a country in some distant world, seemingly bringing disaster and calamity in their wake. The role of exterminating Otherworlders falls to Menou, a young Executioner always on the prowl for these forbidden interlopers. When she meets Akari, it seems like just another job...until she discovers the girl is impossible to kill. Menou schemes to lure her target out of the city, and Akari is more than happy to tag along! So beings a journey that will change Menou's life forever...
Yen Press' Ize Press label will release Sleepy-C, UMI, and singNsong's Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint manwha webcomic and novel in print. It will also release Kwang jin's Itaewon Class, Jang E's The Uncanny Counter, and Grrr and Irinbi's The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine manwha webcomics.
Source: Email correspondence
Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. Yen Press, BookWalker Global, and J-Novel Club are subsidiaries of KWE.
