Yen Press surprised their fans with an extra large batch of licensing announcements, including two audiobooks for fan-favorite series, as well as the long-awaited licensing announcements of Lycoris Recoil and The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All. Yen Press later clarified that The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All will be printed featuring its trademark green spot-coloring throughout the volumes. Now, let’s get on to the rest of the announcements!
Weathering With You (Audiobook)
Story by Makoto Shinkai
Longing to escape his island home, a boy named Hodaka runs away during his first summer of high school to find a new life in Tokyo. As rain falls for days on end and Hodaka struggles to adjust, he meets a girl named Hina who holds a mysterious power: With a single prayer, she can part the clouds and bring back the sun. But her power comes at a price, and as the weather spirals further and further out of control, they must choose what future they truly want for themselves.
Written concurrently with production of the 2019 film Weathering With You, this novel comes straight from director Makoto Shinkai, the mind behind 2016’s hit your name.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Audiobook)
Story by Fuse
Satoru Mikami, a lonely thirty-seven-year-old, is stuck in a dead-end job unhappy with his mundane life, but after dying at the hands of a robber, he awakens to a fresh start in a fantasy realm…as a slime! As he acclimates to his goopy new existence, his exploits with the other monsters set off a chain of events that will change his new world forever!
Toilet-bound Hanako-kun: Second Stall (Manga Box Set)
By AidaIro
“A new deluxe collection of Volumes 11 through 20 of Toilet-bound Hanako-kun wrapped in one frightful package! Pick up where the first box set left off and follow Hanako, Nene, Kou, and company on their adventures, all the way until the beginning of the school festival. Don’t “stall” any longer and make room on your shelf for this supernatural selection!”
Horimiya, Vol. 17: A Piece of Memories (Manga)
Story by HERO, Art by Daisuke Hagiwara
School may have finished, but there is no end to the stories of Hori, Miyamura, and the gang’s lives; a brand-new story by the original author, HERO; and the Hori edition of the final story revealed at the 2021 traveling Horimiya exhibition have all been collected into this volume celebrating the original series’ finale!
86—EIGHTY-SIX: Operation High School (Manga)
Art by Suzume Somemiya, Story by Asato Asato, Character Design by Shirabii, Mechanical Design by I-IV
“The Republic of San Magnolia is enjoying peaceful days, having not been invaded by the neighboring empire’s Legion weapons. This is the story of Shin, Lena, and their friends as normal students attending Eighty-Six Private High School, where they’ll partake in club activities, the culture festival, a fireworks festival, and more!”
A story of heartwarming romance and glorious youth that could never have happened in the original 86 unfolds!
Reign of the Seven Spellblades: Side of Fire (Light Novel)
Story by 0 Uno, Illustration by Ruria Miyuki
Alvin Godfrey is a failure of a mage and highly unsure of himself, but he still entered Kimberly Magic Academy. Almost immediately was mocked by his peers as he was unable to cast a single spell. Determined, he faced the darkness of Kimberly, made friends—and in time, became the student body president.
Set five years prior to Reign of the Seven Spellblades, this is a scorching account of how Godfrey earned his famous nickname, Purgatory.
Blade & Bastard (Manga)
Story by Kumo Kagyu, Art by Makoto Fugetsu, Character Design by so-bin
“Deep in the unexplored reaches of the dungeon, a corpse is discovered—one that shouldn’t exist. After Iarumas is resurrected, his memories of life before death are gone, and he spends his days delving into the dungeon to retrieve the bodies of dead adventurers. Can they be revived like him? Or will God reduce them to piles of ash on the altar? Either way, Iarumas collects his finder’s fee. And though his skills earn him some grudging respect, he’s also scorned for his cold, utilitarian attitude. The living keep their distance—while Iarumas consorts primarily with the dead. That is, until he meets Garbage, a feral young swordswoman who’s the sole survivor of a massacred party. With Garbage by his side, Iarumas ventures deeper, scouring the dungeon for clues to his past, avoiding monsters, traps, and the inevitability of a permanent ashen demise.”
Lycoris Recoil (Manga)
Story by Spider Lily, Art by Yasunori Bizen
Japan is now a nation where vicious crime and terror have been all but eliminated. But who keeps the peace? Cute schoolgirls, of course! Those uniformed youths you see on street corners and in stylish cafés may just be agents of Lycoris, with pistols in their purses and missions on their minds…
Is the Order a Rabbit? (Manga)
By Koi
Cocoa stops by Rabbit House Café for a drink, lured in by the promise of cute bunnies —only to find out it’s the very place she’ll be living? Inside, she meets the small-but-aloof Chino, militaristic Rize, calm and traditional Chiyo, and Sharo, a normal girl who overflows with elegance. Watch the girls’ friendship deepen as the café bursts with cuteness and laughter from all directions!
The Small Animal-like Lady Is Adored by the Ice Prince (Manga)
Story by Hisui, Art by Mugi Sawai
“I’m Liliana, the daughter of an earl, and I’m in a terrible bind. For some reason, when Prince William, the “Ice Prince”, hosted a party to find his bride and somehow I was the lucky guest he chose to wed! The only problem is living a life as royalty is just about the last thing I want. So now, my goal is to break off my engagement— and the sooner the better! But why is it that His Highness’ attitude only grows sweeter day by day…?”
I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History: It Seems Turning into a High- Born Baddie Makes the Prince All the More Lovestruck (Manga)
Story by Akari Hoshi, Art by Izumi Okido, Character Design by Jyun Hayase
“Me, the same girl who hates all those prim and proper heroines, somehow got reincarnated in the world of my favorite fantasy dating sim as the villainess! It’s my dream come true, so I’m going to leave my mark on history by becoming the world’s greatest villainess! But in order to do that, I’ll need to get a lot stronger and smarter. There is one problem though… the harder I try to be evil, the harder the prince falls for me! At this rate, will I ever get to earn my place in history?!”
Kusunoki’s Garden of Gods (Novel)
Story by Enju, Illustration by ox
Minato Kusunoki is left in charge of a terrifying house deep in the countryside that was overflowing with evil spirits—or at least, it was full until his extraordinary ability cleared them all out! Instead, a procession of unique and peculiar gods is drawn to the comfort of the purified Kusunoki residence, and Minato spends his days relaxing in the company of his spiritual neighbors. What else lies in store for Minato as he lives peacefully surrounded by gods?
Love Is Dark (Novel)
Story by Ao Juumonji (Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash), Illustration by BUNBUN (Sword Art Online)
Sosei Takarai just wanted to be a regular high schooler. He goes to school every day, hiding a job he doesn’t even enjoy, until the class idol, Asumi Shiramori, inexplicably asks him out. Sosei is over the moon, but with all his free time after school and on weekends taken up by his job, he barely gets to see Asumi, let alone go out on dates with her. Then one day, he spies his mysterious classmate Kuchina Hitsujimoto at his workplace. Why is she there? Sosei, after all, is as an assassin. His romantic entanglements are bittersweet and painful, and the closer Sosei gets to his dream of normality, the further away it seems. A dark rom-com about a boy who kills and a girl who takes lives with a touch.
The World Bows Down Before My Flames (Novel)
Story by Hiyoko Sumeragi, Illustration by Pikazo Mika, Background Painting by mocha
(The World Bows Down Before My Flames won the grand prize at the 27th Sneakers Taisho)
Homura wants to set something, anything, on fire. She may finally get her chance when she’s summoned to another world that’s desperate enough to ask her for help! Along with a group of similarly offbeat high school girls who all have their own powers, Homura incinerates evildoers and reins in the chaos caused by the Demon Lord’s resurrection. What’s going to happen when she inevitably gets a little carried away? Will her flames of justice burn down the whole world?
In My Seventh Life, I Met a Monster Princess (Novel)
Story by sammbon, Illustration by nama2e
Hugo is stuck in a time loop, forced to relive the same life up until the moment he is slain by one of his relatives. But after swearing revenge on his murderous family during his seventh reset, he meets a beautiful girl. According to rumor, this girl is a monster in human flesh, but he agrees to become her servant all the same. The birth of their partnership heralds an intertwining of fates, and Hugo’s life will never be the same again…
Lethal Dose of Love (Manga)
By Yosumi
College student Ryousuke was absolutely devastated when Yuu confessed his feelings and then promptly disappeared from his life without waiting for a reply. After desperately searching for years, Ryousuke is overjoyed when they suddenly meet by chance. His happiness is soon eclipsed by the fact that Yuu walks off into the arms of another man…
The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All (Manga)
By Sumiko Arai
Fashionable and upbeat high schooler Aya falls head over heels for an employee at a local CD shop. He’s got an air of mystery about him, great style, and an impeccable music taste. Little does she know—this supposedly male employee is actually her female classmate Mitsuki! Mitsuki generally keeps to herself, but since her seat is right next to Aya’s, she can’t help but be extremely aware of the other’s crush. Revealing the truth is out of the question for Mitsuki—but perhaps getting closer to Aya wouldn’t be so bad…
Well that is all for the coverage of Yen Press’ latest batch of promising licensing announcements. What are your thoughts on some of the titles? I, for one, am extremely excited to finally check out The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All, as well as Lycoris Recoil. Feel free to leave a comment below!
If you’d like to take a look at past publisher licensing announcements, manga & game reviews, as well as some coverage of manga-related news you can click here!
