Surely keeping their translation team busy, western publisher of manga and light novels Yen Press, have recently confirmed they hold the rights to fifteen new works – which will begin distribution in October 2024 – with subsequent volumes to be released in the following months and perhaps years. These acquisitions encompass nine manga, five novels and a box set collection. You can read about all of them below:
Manga
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.
Horimiya, Vol. 17: A Piece of Memories
Story by HERO, Art by Daisuke Hagiwara
School may have finished, but there is no end to the sweet “awww”-inspiring tale of Hori and Miyamura! Snapshots 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’s finale!
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
Story by Akari Hoshi, Art by Izumi Okido, Character Design by Jyun Hayase
“Screw all your lip service! I’ll go down in history as a villainess!”
Me, the same girl who hates all those prim and proper heroines, got reincarnated as the villainess in the world of my favorite fantasy dating sim! It’s my dream come true, so I’m going to leave my mark on history by becoming the world’s greatest villainess! But to do that, I’ll need to get a lot stronger and smarter. Just one problem—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?!
Is the Order a Rabbit?
By Koi
Lured in by the promise of cute bunnies, Cocoa stops by Rabbit House Café for a drink—only to find out it’s the very place she’ll be living…?! Inside, she meets 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!
Lethal Dose of Love
By Yosumi
He’ll never forget him—his ex-classmate Yuu, that is. 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…
Lycoris Recoil
Story by Spider Lily, Art by Yasunori Bizen
Japan—a nation where vicious crime and terror have been all but eliminated. And 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…
The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All
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…
The Small-Animallike Lady Is Adored by the Ice Prince
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 the “Ice Prince,” Prince William, hosted a party to find his bride, I was the lucky guest he chose to wed! Except…living a life as royalty is just about the last thing I want. So my goal is to break off my engagement—the sooner the better! But why is it that His Highness’s attitude only grows sweeter day by day…?
Novel
In My Seventh Life, I Met a Monster Princess
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…
Kusunoki’s Garden of Gods
Story by Enju, Illustration by ox
Deep in the countryside, Minato Kusunoki is left in charge of a terrifying house 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
Story by Ao Juumonji, Illustration by BUNBUN
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.
Reign of the Seven Spellblades: Side of Fire
Story by Bokuto Uno, Illustration by Ruria Miyuki
Alvin Godfrey, a failure of a mage, entered Kimberly Magic Academy unsure of himself. Unable to cast a single spell, he was mocked by his peers. Yet 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.
The World Bows Down Before My Flames
Story by Hiyoko Sumeragi, Illustration by Pikazo Mika, Background Painting by mocha
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?
Box Set
Toilet-bound Hanako-kun: Second Stall
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!
