Over the last couple of days, North American publisher of English localised manga and light novels Seven Seas Entertainment have announced a wealth of new acquisitions for release in 2020 and beyond. The new acquisitions include, but are by no means limited to, the Penguindrum novel series and the novel/manga I Had That Same Dream Again which is a coming of age story by the team behind I Want to Eat Your Pancreas.
Curious if there is a new work that captures your attention? Take a look at the full list of latest acquisitions below. Please note that the dates listed below are for the release of the first volume, with subsequent volumes to be available at a later date:
Love on the Other Side – A Nagabe Short Story Collection
by Nagabe
Manga Acquisition
16 June 2020
Love comes in many forms. A magnificent bird comforts a struggling girl; a vampire waltzes with a young lady at night; a blind girl lives with a “monster” when there is more than meets the eye. This six-story manga collection by masterful manga creator Nagabe explores fascinating relationships that refuse to be confined–perfect for fans of Nagabe’s bestselling works The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún and The Wize Wize Beasts of the Wizarding Wizdoms.
The Invincible Shovel
by Tsuchise Yasohachi and Yuuki Hagure
Light Novel Acquisition
19 May 2020
Alan is the strongest miner in the world, able to reduce mountains to rubble with simply a swing of his trusty shovel. But when Princess Letitia begs him to escort her on a quest to save her kingdom from an invading demon force, he agrees to leave his solitary mountain abode and venture forth, on one condition: she must help him find a successor to train. In this hilarious fantasy tale for fans of RPGs, evil doesn’t stand a chance against the mighty power of the shovel!
Sazan & Comet Girl
by Yuriko Akase
Full-Colour Manga Acquisition
26 May 2020
Sazan, a young man from Earth, works on other planets and has seen his share of galactic oddities. But when he meets Mina, a red-headed girl who zooms into his life on a space scooter, he knows he’s run into someone special. Mina contains shocking power within her body–a power coveted by space pirates who hope to steal it from her. Mina zooms out of Sazan’s life almost as quickly as she arrived, but Sazan is determined to find her again…no matter how far he has to chase her across the galaxy.
My Senpai is Annoying
by Shiro Manta
Manga Acquisition
5 May 2020
Igarashi is a hardworking young office lady. Takeda, the senpai above her at work, annoys her constantly–and yet she finds herself growing closer to him. Every day is filled with comic mishaps and romantic moments as Igarashi tries to balance work, life, and love. This full-color manga–which started its life as a webcomic–is sure to charm audiences of workplace comedies like Aggretsuko and The Office!
The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru
by Satoshi Shiki
Manga Acquisition
9 June 2020
During Japan’s tumultuous Sengoku period, one man sells his son to a pack of devils in exchange for the power to rule. Forty-eight devils take forty-eight pieces of young Hyakkimaru, and the boy is left for dead. But through the assistance of a sage and a series of inventive prosthetics, Hyakkimaru survives. Together with the young thief Dororo, the now-grown Hyakkimaru embarks upon a quest to slay all the demons and retrieve the stolen pieces of his body. Recently adapted into a stunning 2019 anime, this classic story from Osamu Tezuka–the father of modern manga–is now reimagined in this gorgeous new adaptation by Satoshi Shiki, the artist of the manga Attack on Titan: Before the Fall.
Makeup is Not (Just) Magic: A Manga Guide to Cosmetics and Skin Care
by Rotta Ikumi
Manga Acquisition
26 May 2020
A young woman feels intimidated by the world of makeup, but she’s in luck–a glam friend is willing to walk her through it. Join these two women as they explore the fundamentals of makeup, which will help you develop your own signature style! The perfect how-to book for fans of makeup tutorials online.
Love Me for What I Am
by Kata Konayama
Manga Acquisition
2 June 2020
Mogumo is a cute but lonely high school student who just wants a few loving friends. Fellow student Iwaoka Tetsu invites Mogumo to work at his family’s café for “cross-dressing boys,” but he makes an incorrect assumption: Mogumo is non-binary and doesn’t identify as a boy or a girl. However, Mogumo soon finds out that the café is run by LGBT+ folks of all stripes, all with their own reasons for congregating there. This touching manga explores gender, gender presentation, and sexuality from many different angles, including the ways people are pushed to conform in a world that doesn’t understand them…until the world begins to learn, one person at a time.
Penguindrum
by Kunihiko Ikuhara and Kei Takahashi
Light Novel Acquisition
19 May 2020
Twins Kanba and Shoma live with their terminally ill little sister, Himari. One day, they visit the aquarium, a place full of warm memories for Himari, but she suddenly falls ill—and dies! At that very moment, a voice cries out, “Survival Tactic!” and Himari, wearing a penguin hat, comes back to life…?! After licensing the PENGUINDRUM manga series earlier this year, Seven Seas is excited to bring the fans another iteration of this intriguing series.
Sarazanmai: Reo and Mabu
by Kunihiko Ikuhara and Misaki Saitoh
Manga Acquisition
12 May 2020
Reo and Mabu, supernatural cops and agents of a certain empire, are surprised to find a baby lying on a plate in the street! They take her in as they search for her parents, but their bizarre lives keep leading them in wild directions. Strangely, this baby–whom they name Sara–seems to have supernatural powers as well…and these two men are starting to love her as if she were their own.
I Had That Same Dream Again
by Yoru Sumino
Manga and Light Novel Acquisition
7 July 2020 (Manga) and 26 May 2020 (Light Novel)
An unhappy girl who engages in self-harm, a high schooler ostracized by her classmates, and an old woman looking to live out her twilight years in peace–what could three such different people have in common? That’s what grade schooler Nanoka Koyanagi is trying to find out. Assigned by her teacher to define what “happiness” means to her, Nanoka tries to find her place in the world by exploring her relationships with these three strangers, and through them, comes to know herself.
Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear
by Kumanano, 029 and Sergei
Manga and Light Novel Acquisition
12 May 2020 (Manga) and 9 June 2020 (Light Novel)
Fifteen-year-old Yuna prefers staying home and obsessively playing her favorite VRMMO game to doing anything else, including going to school. When a strange new update gives her a one-of-a-kind bear outfit that comes with overpowered abilities, Yuna is torn: the outfit is unbearably cute, but too embarrassing to wear in-game. But then she suddenly finds herself transported into the world of the game, facing down monsters and magic for real, and the bear suit becomes the best weapon she has!
