Yen Press had fans hyped when they teased an upcoming slate of announcements and deliver they did. On Friday, February 7, they unveiled more than 20 new print licenses.
Amongst these 21 title acquisitions, six novels were announced, fourteen manga, and one manhwa. Neighborhood Craftsmen: Stories from Kanda’s Gokura-chou has been lauded for its art and storytelling about Japanese craftsmanship, Suzuki-kun’s Mindful Life, a heartwarming shojo manga, and Delicious in Dungeon World Guide: The Adventurer’s Bible have all received considerable excitement from fans.
Without further ado, let’s jump right into the titles:
Almark (manga)
Original Story by Noboru Yamada, written by Hiyoto Yunoki
In the northern lands where war continues without end, young Almark hopes to be a mercenary like his father one day. Thinking the timid boy ill-suited for such a life, however, his worried father envisions a different future for him—all the way at the Nork Magical Academy in the peaceful South, once he’s old enough to attend. And so, despite Almark’s efforts on and off the battlefield, he eventually sets out for the academy to respect his father’s wishes. But what lies ahead on his journey to becoming a magician?
Bocchi the Rock! Comic Anthology
Hitori “Bocchi” Gotoh might find it hard to make friends, but that doesn’t mean she’s lacking in admirers! This rockin’ anthology features a lineup of all-star guest authors ready to take the stage for the ultimate Bocchi the Rock! tribute concert! With a set list featuring hits such as “What If Bocchi Was Totally Ripped?,” “Kessoku Band Tours in Another World,” and “Hitori Gotoh vs the Police,” you’ll discover new sides to your favorite characters you never even dreamed of!
Dead Mount Death Play Side Story: Phantom Solitaire’s Art of Disguising Oneself as a Supernatural Being
Written by Ryohgo Narita, illustrated by Yata Sugami
Catch the manga edition of the novel following a certain delightfully devious criminal!! “This astonishing autobiography written by me, Sorimura Tena, follows my rise to the top as well as how I became known as Phantom Solitaire. You’ll find some familiar names, including our friends at the Shinjuku police department! It’s phenomenal, extravagant— you’ve never read anything like it before! That’s right—get a front-row seat to this DEATH PLAY!”
Delicious in Dungeon World Guide: The Adventurer’s Bible, Complete Edition
Created by Ryoko Kui
Back for seconds? With more than seventy pages of brand-new comics, character info, and secrets on the menu, this updated edition of the Delicious in Dungeon World Guide, covering the complete series, is packed with all you need to know to explore even the deepest of labyrinths!
Double the Trouble, Twice as Nice
Created by Ryo Ichino
This was a mistake. A very big mistake. Well, it’s not like Yuri Hayama could just abandon an unconscious child in the middle of the street… And since her phone was dead, she ended up bringing him back to her place, which leads to her current dilemma—there’s a ridiculously hot guy in her bed! Plus, because he has a mysterious ability to transform from angelically cherubic to sinfully sexy and zero qualms about using that to get whatever he wants, he’s already got her twisted around his little finger…
Guillotine Bride
Written by Daigo Murasaki, illustrated by Kayahara and Shibakame
Rinne Irako, a girl with the potential to bring the world to ruin, has been sentenced to execution. But on the way to the guillotine, a sudden incident sends her crashing down to earth—right in the path of Ryuunosuke Dazai, a boy who’s eager help save Rinne and the world. All he has to do…is marry her?!
Konosuba: Even More Explosions on This Wonderful World!
Original Story by Natsume Akatsuki, written by Kasumi Morino, illustrated by Kasumi Morino
Yearning to follow in the footsteps of the silver-haired girl she met at the Eris Festival, Megumin decides to form her own band of thieves! She soon attracts several like-minded allies, but considering her nature, perhaps that’s not such a good thing…
Lycoris Recoil Official Comic Anthology: React
Created by Spider Lily
Welcome to Café LycoReco! Join Chisato, Takina, and their Lycoris co-workers inside for a taste of their lives off-the-clock from Lycoris duty, whether it’s devising new menu items or balancing the books!
How to Eat Life (novel)
Original Story by Eve, written by Ao Juumonji, and art by lack
Tobi Otogiri, a second-year student in middle school, doesn’t spend much time with his peers. Instead, he mostly chats in secret with his pal Baku, a mysterious backpack he received the day he last saw his older brother. Or at least, Tobi thought his chats were secret until a girl in his class named Ryuuko suddenly mentions Baku. Soon, strange things start happening at school, and the two of them realize the cause might be a creature only they can see… Thus begins an adventure blending reality and fantasy, human and nonhuman—a story about life eating life.
Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Collector’s Edition
Written by Fujino Omori, and illustrated by Suzuhito Yasuda
In Orario, fearless adventurers search for fame and fortune within the monstrous underground labyrinth known as the Dungeon. But Bell Cranell has bigger plans. He wants to pick up girls! Blessed by the clumsy but caring goddess Hestia, Bell forges friendships, makes alliances, and continues to venture deeper into the Dungeon. There are big decisions to make, trouble is constantly afoot, and—most importantly—there’s always beautiful women to encounter! This collector’s edition of the first 10 volumes features a cover printed on silver foil with embossed border areas and silver-printed edges, with a custom blue ribbon. The spine is designed to ensure the book lies flat so fans can enjoy the dazzling interior art as if it’s a full spread. Fans can look forward to future, color-coded editions, ensuring a dazzling collection of this beloved series.
Level Up with the Gods
Written by Ohyeon, illustrated by B. Ain
After the world as he knew it came crumbling down, ordinary college-student-turnedwarrior Yuwon Kim, made his way to the Tower in the company of the Inner Gods. But even with his hard-earned skills and mighty companions, taking on the Outer Gods was an impossible feat—at least this time. Given a second chance, Yuwon returns to the beginning, before it all began, with a promise to return and fight again. Armed with the knowledge of a returnee, can he level up once more and find his place among the Gods?
Li’l Miss Vampire Can’t Suck Right
Created by Kyosuke Nishiki
Luna Ishikawa is a dark and mysterious vampire—or so she’d like her new classmates to believe. The truth is, while she may be one of the not-so-mythical bloodsuckers, she doesn’t really live up to the hype. She’s short and clumsy, and she can’t even suck blood properly! So when her classmate Tatsuta Ootori discovers her little “drinking problem,” he can’t help but lend a hand. Can he nurse Luna from the small, timid animal she is into a fearsome creature of the night?!
A Misanthrope Teaches a Class for Demi-Humans
Original Story by Kurusu Natsume, written by Atsu Benino
Rei Hitoma is a former schoolteacher and a self-professed misanthrope due to past trauma. Hoping to live a slow, relaxing life, he takes a new teaching job in the mountains. But it turns out that this place is actually an all-girls school for demi-humans who want to become full-fledged human beings!
MONSTER TRIBE
Created by Jyuu Masui
Ten is a high school boy who wants nothing more than an average, uneventful life. Unfortunately, that’s not going to be easy for a half-human, half-monster child whose entire family is made up of monsters! What’s more, Ten and his brother are assigned an extraordinary mission—to hunt down the monsters threatening the human world! With the fate of humanity on his shoulders, will Ten ever be able to achieve the normal life he dreams of?!
Neighborhood Craftsmen: Stories from Kanda’s Gokura-chou
Created by Akihito Sakaue
It’s not about the money. It’s about heart. Here in this masterpiece historical anthology, that heart will be laid bare to you: the spirit of craftsmanship, flowing from fingertip to final product, be it a barrel, indigo cloth, razor-sharp sword, soft tatami mat, or even complete plastered building…
Oshi no Ko
Original story by Aka Akasaka, written by Hajime Tanaka, and illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari
Sometime after joining B Komachi, Ai Hoshino tells Ichigo Saitou, the president of her talent agency, that she has decided to quit the idol business. Though her group appears to be thriving on the surface, there is serious discord among its members. That’s when Ichigo offers her a different proposition… A companion to the hit manga, this volume also includes the story of how Gorou and Sarina meet and part ways before becoming Aqua and Ruby, and a special bonus episode entitled “POV B”!
To Sir, Without Love: I’m Divorcing You (Part 1)
Written by Kori Hisakawa
At sixteen years old, Byletta was married off to Arnald, a nobleman’s son with a reputation for being both ruthless and handsome—although she hasn’t seen him once in eight years. Thankfully, Byletta is a strong, independent woman, who don’t need no man! When the empire’s war finally comes to an end, he returns home as a distinguished army commander…so Byletta takes the opportunity to request a divorce. But in response, he proposes a wager that’ll keep them together for one more month. A clumsy love story unfolds between a young woman with the reputation of a villainess, and a young man who has never known love!
Super String: Marco Polo’s Travel to the Multiverse
Written by IN-wan YOUN, illustated by BOICHI
When Marco Polo’s parents are wrapped up in a royal conspiracy and executed, he takes on a job as a deckhand in order to provide for his younger siblings. But one day, a monster attack causes a shipwreck, leaving Marco stranded in a mysterious town in Asia. As it turns out, this is just the beginning of a cross-dimensional journey spanning time and space, in which the fate of the world—including Marco’s family—hangs in the balance!
Suzuki-kun’s Mindful Life
Created by Yuki Fujimoto
Kaoru Suzuki is the kind of guy who towers over his classmates and exudes an intimidating presence, but beneath his tough exterior, he’s just a student who loves sweets, crafts, and flowers. When a handsome and unexpectedly tough classmate steps in to save him from a drunk on the first day of school, this unlikely duo becomes fast friends.
Sword of Stallion (novel)
Written by Gakuto Mikumo, illustrated by Manyako
Rass Tarlion has fallen far. A mercenary who once single-handedly slayed a Greater Dragon, he now indulges in a hedonistic lifestyle, visiting brothels night after night, earning him the derisive nickname The Stallion by people all across the empire. Yet one day, the Imperial Princess Fiarca—his ex-fiancée who was thought to be dead—appears before him. To save the country from impending doom, the princess takes Rass back to the Imperial Palace…and tells him he has to seduce the crown prince’s fiancée, Princess Tishna from the neighboring kingdom!
The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya
Written by Nagaru Tanigawa, illustrated by Noizi Ito
SOMETIMES EVEN HARUHI DOESN’T KNOW WHAT SHE WANTS! While the SOS Brigade visits a shrine to ring in the New Year, Kyon can’t help but notice a distinct lack of supernatural or reality-bending phenomena. Despite this, he’s as wary as ever. After all, Haruhi has a tendency to turn even the most mundane events into impossible uproars! That danger could not be more pressing when their club activities lead them into a world of school wonders and whodunit mysteries. Even peaceful moments are remarkably bizarre when Haruhi is around…
Source: Yen Press