Tag Archives: blade and bastard

Yen Audio Announces the Audiobook Adaptation of Four Yen Press Properties

Yen Press has announced the audiobook adaptation of four current licenses: Dark Souls: Masque of VindicationBlade & BastardThe Holy Grail of Eris, and Whoever Steals This Book. These fantasy and action-adventure titles offer something for everyone, ranging from high-stakes danger, mystery, and even romance. 

Yen Audio will debut the audiobooks in August 2026, with the voice casts to be announced at a later date.

Dark Souls: Masque of Vindication

By Michael A. Stackpole

A nameless undead awakens in an ancient crypt, and thus does the journey begin. Drawn mysteriously toward the horizon, he ventures into a land of perils beyond death. A once shining kingdom has been fractured, and mindless Hollows prowl the dark corners. To see it united and restored, the old king must be freed by his get—the youth Balarion. The undead and his companions, surviving champions of the halcyon era, accompany Balarion on this journey to release his father, battling foes both monstrous and clever. Yet it is not their enemies that give them doubt—it is their quest. Can a world so troubled truly be set right again, or is it fated to vanish into the dark?

Dark Souls: Masque of Vindication

Blade & Bastard

By Kumo Kagyu

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 as well? 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 this cold, utilitarian attitude. The living keep their distance—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.

Blade & Bastard

The Holy Grail of Eris

By Kujira Tokiwa

Never neglect to read the fine print

As a viscount’s daughter, Constance Grail is an ordinary girl whose only notable trait is sincerity, leaving her with no real options when someone steals her fiancé and falsely accuses her of petty theft at a ball. While Connie awaits her undeserved punishment, a ghost appears to offer a bargain. The spirit is none other than Scarlett Castiel, a noblewoman once praised for her beauty, lineage, and undeniable charisma—and executed some ten years earlier for her wicked deeds. When Connie accepts this proposal, she is possessed by the infamous spirit who instantly turns the tide on her tormenter, thus saving the hapless girl from her miserable fate. It’s never wise striking a deal without knowing exactly what you’ve committed to, though…or you might find yourself bound to a ghost dead set on revenge against her own enemies!

The Holy Grail of Eris

Whoever Steals This Book

By Nowaki Fukamidori

Mifuyu is a high school student living with a large collection of books left by her great-grandfather—the vast library known as Mikura Hall. Although her father is the current caretaker, Mifuyu herself doesn’t share her family’s passion for literature.  But when several books are stolen from the library, triggering an ancient curse, the town is transformed according to the various stories—and the only way to put things right is for Mifuyu to catch the thief. With the help of a mysterious girl named Mashiro, Mifuyu sets out on an adventure through the different story worlds!

Whoever Steals This Book

Blade & Bastard Vol. 1 has just enough of a unique spin to make it stand out

Deep in the depths of the dungeon, a man spends his days scouring the treacherous floors for bodies of dead adventurers. His name is Iarumas, and he has no memory of the life he lived before he was resurrected from a corpse. The living keep their distance from the cold, sullen man―Iarumas consorts primarily with the dead. That is, until he meets Garbage, a feral young swordswoman who is the sole survivor of a massacred party. With Garbage by his side, Iarumas ventures farther, searching the dungeon for clues to his past while avoiding the inevitability of a permanent ashen demise…

Story: Kumo Kagyu
Art: Makoto Fugetsu
Design: so-bin
Translator: Sean McCann
Letterer: Madeleine Jose

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Bookshop
Amazon
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Yen Press announces 15 new titles for October 2024

Yen Press has announced the release of fifteen new titles, including nine manga, five novels, and a box set. These fifteen titles are set to release in October 2024.

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!

Toilet-bound Hanako-kun: Second Stall

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!

Horimiya, Vol. 17: A Piece of Memories

86—EIGHTY-SIX: Operation High School

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!

86—EIGHTY-SIX: Operation High School

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.

Reign of the Seven Spellblades: Side of Fire

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.

Blade & Bastard (manga)

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…

Lycoris Recoil

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!

Is the Order a Rabbit?

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…?

The Small-Animallike Lady Is Adored by the Ice Prince

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?!

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

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?

Kusunoki’s Garden of 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.

Love Is Dark

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?

The World Bows Down Before My Flames

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…

In My Seventh Life, I Met a Monster Princess

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…

Lethal Dose of Love

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 Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All

Anime Expo 2023: Yen Press announces 16 New Titles

On the opening day of Anime Expo 2023, Yen Press, LLC announced the acquisition of sixteen new titles at its industry panel, including eight manga (Beastrings; God Bless the Mistaken; Bungo Stray Dogs: Dazai, Chuuya, Age Fifteen; A Witch’s Life in a Micro RoomBride of the Barrier Master; Higurashi When They Cry: MEGURI; holoX MEETing!; Taking Care of God)and seven novels (Durarara!! Side Stories?!; Re:ZERO Short Story Collection; The Contract of the Phantom and His Servant; Babel; Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table; Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Astrarea Record; The Kept Man of the Princess Knight).

Along with these fifteen titles, Yen Press announced the print publication of the Blade & Bastard novel under its JNC imprint.

Beastrings

By Shikaku Yamamoto

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? 

Beastrings

God Bless the Mistaken

By Nio Nakatani

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!

God Bless the Mistaken

Bungo Stray Dogs: Dazai, Chuuya, Age Fifteen

Story by Kafka Asagiri
Art by Shiwasu Hoshikawa
Character Design by Sango Harukawa

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…

Bungo Stray Dogs: Dazai, Chuuya, Age Fifteen

A Witch’s Life in a Micro Room

By Akitaka

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! 

A Witch’s Life in a Micro Room

Bride of the Barrier Master

Original Story by Kureha
Art by Odayaka
Character Design by Bodax

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!

Bride of the Barrier Master

Higurashi When They Cry: MEGURI

Story by Ryukishi07
Art by Tomato Akase

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…?!

Higurashi When They Cry: MEGURI

holoX MEETing!

By Okada Anmitsu 

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!”

holoX MEETing!

Taking Care of God

Original Story by Liu Cixin
Adapted by Jun Yokoyama
Art by Golo

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!

Taking Care of God

Durarara!! Side Stories?!

Story by Ryohgo Narita
Illustration by Suzuhito Yasuda

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!

Durarara!! Side Stories?!

Re:ZERO Short Story Collection

Story by Tappei Nagatsuki
Illustration by Shinichirou Otsuka

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?

Re:ZERO Short Story Collection

The Contract of the Phantom and His Servant

By Michiru Sawarano

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…

The Contract of the Phantom and His Servant

Blade & Bastard

Story by Kumo Kagyu
Illustration 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 as well? 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—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 to scour the dungeon for clues to his past, all while avoiding monsters, traps, and the inevitability of a permanent ashen demise.

Blade & Bastard

Babel

By Kuji Furumiya

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.  

Babel

Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table

Story by Yuji Ukai
Illustration by Nekometal

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. 

Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Astrarea Record

Story by Fujino Omori
Illustration by Kakage

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…!

The Kept Man of the Princess Knight

By Toru Shirogane

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.

The Kept Man of the Princess Knight

These titles are set to release in December 2023 and January 2024.