Tag Archives: hajime kamoshida

Sakura Con 2025: Yen Press Gears Up with Twelve New License

At the annual Seattle, WA, convention Sakura-Con, Yen Press announced twelve new titles, which includes its first manga coloring book, a dangerously delicious Boys Love, and the supernatural.

Slated for future release, titles include three novels (Lila and the Winds of WarDivine Incursion, and Bone Ash) and nine manga ([Oshi no Ko] “Coloring x Idol” Color Activity BookCorpse Knight GuntherYankee & CarameliserGals Can’t Be Kind to Otaku?!Magical MidliferD.N.Angel New Edition, Monster-Colored IslandThe Maid Is a Vampire, and Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Home Alone).

Lila and the Winds of War

By Sayuri Ueda

Lila, a Polish girl who lost her parents during the Great War, now lives in a mansion with an immortal being known only as the Count. After witnessing the tragedies occurring across Europe along with Joerg, a German soldier who serves as her guard, she resolves to use the Count’s powers in a desperate bid to protect her homeland. Meanwhile, Joerg must make a choice of his own, with the fate of mankind hanging in the balance. Conflict after conflict, humanity’s history and deeds are filled with an endearing foolishness. 

Lila and the Winds of War

Divine Incursion, Vol. 1

By Oumi Kifuru
Illustrated by syo5

In this world, there exist divine beings beyond mortal comprehension. They scoff at the binary of good and evil.  Some cast their own flesh down to the earth, others encroach upon the sanctity of dreams, and yet others warp the very fabric of reality. These beings threaten peace across Japan, and humans are completely at their mercy. Agent Katakishi and his junior partner Miyagi belong to a secret government organization tasked with investigating these incidents. But even as they work to oppose these deities and the dangerous humans who worship them, Katakishi has a personal mission to pursue: He wants to track down the whereabouts of his missing wife, even if it forces him to confront a terrible truth… 

Divine Incursion, Vol. 1

Bone Ash

By Tow Ubukata

Mitsuhiro Matsunaga is an investor relations manager at a large development firm that’s currently in the process of constructing a new high-rise building. After claims surface online of fires breaking out, illness spreading, and human bones unearthed at the site, he ventures there himself to find out whether there’s any truth to the rumors. During his search, he detects an eerie dryness and the distinct smell of a person burned completely to ash, bones and all. Eventually, Mitsuhiro stumbles across a mysterious ritual space with a huge hole not on any blueprints—and inside it, a man in chains. Mitsuhiro flees aboveground in a panic, only to quickly learn it is but a taste of the terror that has begun to plague him and his family! 

Bone Ash

[Oshi no Ko] “Coloring x Idol” Color Activity Book

By Aka Akasaka
Art by Mengo Yokoyari

It’s the first official coloring book for Oshi no Ko! Containing carefully selected illustrations by the series artist, Mengo Yokoyari, this is a fun-filled experience for fans young and old! 

[Oshi no Ko] “Coloring x Idol” Color Activity Book

Corpse Knight Gunther, Vol. 1

By MAYO-NUGURI

Unsurprisingly, humanity stood no chance in their war against the vampires. As the vampires hunt down the last fragments of mankind to extinction, refugees in the Holy Land “Bahal” turn to one last Hail Mary.  Using their limited resources and technology, they are able to revive a legendary hero in hopes of doing what no warrior was able to do: defeat the vampires. However, their revived corpse, a gladiator named Gunther, is the furthest thing from heroic. He’s disgusting, selfish, and cruel—but also humankind’s final hope.

Corpse Knight Gunther, Vol. 1

Yankee & Carameliser

By Chiuko Umeshibu

Take one influencer and one bad boy extraordinaire, whisk in a sprinkling of sweets, a scoop of social media, and you get…? Maki and Akito’s love story, hot out of the oven! After all, even though Maki might have a bit of a bad rep, the guy must be just as gooey on the inside as the glorious goodies he posts all over social media. So when Akito gets a taste of how dangerously delicious his desserts are, he can’t help wanting a taste of the man himself… 

Yankee & Carameliser

Gals Can’t Be Kind to Otaku?!, Vol. 1

By Norishirochan
Art by Sakana Uozumi

Meet Takuya Seo, an otaku who sits behind the popular gals in class, Ijichi and Amane. Since they’re people from different “castes,” you wouldn’t expect them to have much in common. But when their worlds collide over a borrowed eraser, Takuya slips up about his favorite anime, and Amane…is rather quick to correct him. She says she’s not a fan, but her familiarity with the series suggests otherwise. Could she be…a fellow geek?! 

Magical Midlifer, Vol. 1

By Maki
Art by Nemumi Haiba

Magical girls—guardians of the people, vanquishers of witches, and defenders of the innocent, all while putting smiles on the faces of children in a flashy spectacle of mass-marketable entertainment. However, things aren’t always so family friendly behind the scenes! When the villains get too gruesome for Saturday morning cartoons, these youthful protectors are, in turn, protected by…grizzled middle-aged men? They may be a bunch of old farts, but these geezers have one job: to use their wealth of experience (and some kick-ass magic) to support the mystical maidens from the shadows! 

Magical Midlifer, Vol. 1

D.N.Angel New Edition, Vol. 1

By Yukiru Sugisaki

He was an ordinary boy. Seriously, Daisuke Niwa cannot stress it enough—he was just a regular guy with a normal crush on one of the pretty girls at his middle school, end of story. If only that were the case… Instead, he’s stuck body-swapping with a daring phantom thief every time he sees the object of his affections, and his totally average life has been turned upside down by the people chasing after him in some crazy game of cat-and-mouse! 

D.N.Angel New Edition, Vol. 1

Monster-Colored Island, Vol. 1

By Mitsuru Hattori

Middle school student Kon Chigawa has never left the small island she was born on, nor does she expect to. Shunned by her classmates, Kon’s always alone, and she hasn’t ever been in love, either. That is, until she encounters the city girl Furuka on a cliff—and ends up resuscitating her after they fall into the ocean! Upon waking, the two mysteriously find themselves in front of a cave said to house monsters, a place Kon often spends time by. And with that, strange occurrences begin to happen on the island… 

Monster-Colored Island, Vol. 1

The Maid Is a Vampire

By Yasushige

Fifteen-year-old Alfred Sainoji, the heir to the prestigious Sainoji family, spends his days becoming the perfect gentleman. His only solace from the strict lifestyle his family expects of him is his maid, Magly. However, this cool and collected maid has a secret—not only is she a vampire, she’s a naughty vampire. 

The Maid Is a Vampire

Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Home Alone

By Hajime Kamoshida
Art by Tsukako Akina
Original Character Design by Keji Mizoguchi

The manga adaptation of the ever-popular Rascal series is back with another installment! Sakuta’s shut-in sister, Kaede, has been content always being at home after the bullying incident that put her there. Plus, that’s where her favorite onii-chan is! Yet, slowly but surely, Kaede’s feelings are beginning to change as she looks to the world beyond the four walls of her home.  

Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Home Alone

Yen Audio Announces Narrators for Upcoming Yen Audiobook Titles

J. Michael Tatum

Following the November 2021 announcement of upcoming releases from Yen Audio at Anime NYC, Yen Press has announced the narrators for these new audiobook adaptations of beloved light novel series.

Spice and Wolf Vol. 1 will be narrated by J. Michael Tatum. J. Michael Tatum is an actor, writer, ADR director, and adaptive scriptwriter. Nurtured by anime classics, Tatum has lent his voice to several popular anime franchises over the years. After being cast as Rikichi in 2005’s Samurai 7, Tatum was able to attain a slew of dream roles, most notably Kyoya Ootori in Ouran High School Host Club, suave, demonic Sebastian Michaelis in Black Butler, France in the Hetalia franchise, Tomoe in Kamisama Kiss, and the equal parts maniacal and vulnerable Rintarou Okabe from Steins;Gate. Recently, he can be heard in the epic My Hero Academia as Tenya Iida. Most relevantly, he also played Kraft Lawrence in the 2009 anime adaptation of Spice and Wolf. The Spice and Wolf Vol. 1 audiobook is scheduled to release on March 15, 2022.

Fans of the iconic light novel series are sure to be thrilled with this casting, especially on the heels of the recent announcement by creator Isuna Hasekura of a new Spice and Wolf anime after nearly thirteen years since the airing of Spice and Wolf Season 2.

Caitlin Kelly

So I’m a Spider, So What! Vol. 1 will be narrated by Caitlin Kelly. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Caitlin Kelly got started in voice acting in Tokyo, Japan. She fell in love with narrating audiobooks in New York. She has recorded over 250 titles and won Earphone Awards, SOVAS, and Audie nominations for her work. Kelly loves working in all genres but usually finds herself in fantasy worlds, notably narrating Holly Black’s Folk of the Air series. Caitlin currently lives in Tokyo with her husband and daughter. The So I’m a Spider, So What! Vol.1 audiobook is scheduled to release on April 12, 2022.

Andrew Grace

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai Vol. 1 will be narrated by Andrew Grace. Andrew Grace is a Los Angeles–based, multi-racial, SAG-AFTRA actor. He recently completed work on an upcoming series for Showtime and another for the CW. He has lent his voice to The Summit of the Gods and The Journalist on Netflix, as well as other exciting projects premiering mid-2022. On stage he played the lead role in Cupid and the End of Love,his original stage play, which ran for over six months including at the Hollywood Fringe Festival (2019). Grace can also be seen in numerous commercials for brands such as Apple, Verizon, and Intel. In his free time, Grace enjoys writing stage plays and indie folk records, and shooting abstract photography. Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai Vol. 1 is scheduled to release on June 14, 2022.

Spice and Wolf

Story by Isuna Hasekura

The life of a traveling merchant is a lonely one, a fact with which Kraft Lawrence is well acquainted. Wandering from town to town with just his horse, cart, and whatever wares have come his way, the peddler has pretty well settled into his routine—that is, until the night Lawrence finds a wolf goddess asleep in his cart. Taking the form of a fetching girl with wolf ears and a tail, Holo has wearied of tending to harvests in the countryside and strikes up a bargain with the merchant to lend him the cunning of “Holo the Wisewolf” to increase his profits in exchange for taking her along on his travels. What kind of businessman could turn down such an offer? Lawrence soon learns, though, that having an ancient goddess as a traveling companion can be a bit of a mixed blessing. Will this wolf girl turn out to be too wild to tame?

Spice and Wolf

So I’m a Spider, So What!

Story by Okina Baba and Tsukasa Kiryu

I used to be a normal high school girl but in the blink of an eye, I woke up in a place I’ve never seen before and—and I was reborn as a spider?! How could something that’s nothing more than a tiny spider (that’s me) possibly survive in literally the worst dungeon ever? Are there no rules? There should be some rules! Who the hell is responsible for this? SHOW YOUR FACE!

So I’m a Spider, So What!

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

Story by Hajime Kamoshida

Bunny girls do not live in libraries. This is simply common sense. And yet, that’s exactly where Sakuta finds one in the wild. More bewildering is who the bunny girl is: Mai Sakurajima, a girl one year older than Sakuta, famous at their school for her acting career even though she’s currently on break. To top it all off, it seems like no one else in the library can see Mai at all, no matter what she does or…wears. Wanting to find out more about this mystery and maybe get a little closer to this beautiful upperclassman in the process, Sakuta launches an investigation to discover why an unforgettable bunny girl keeps becoming totally invisible.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

Yen Audio Announces Three Future Audiobook Series

For the first time since the news of the Yen Audio imprint was shared with the world, Yen Press has announced new audiobook series at the Yen Audio Panel at Anime NYC. Three fan-favorite Yen On series will have full audiobook adaptations in 2022—Spice & Wolf (March 2022), So I’m a Spider, So What? (April 2022), and Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai (June 2022). Voice actors for the three upcoming audiobook series will be announced at a later date.

Spice and Wolf

Story by Isuna Hasekura

The life of a traveling merchant is a lonely one, a fact with which Kraft Lawrence is well acquainted. Wandering from town to town with just his horse, cart, and whatever wares have come his way, the peddler has pretty well settled into his routine—that is, until the night Lawrence finds a wolf goddess asleep in his cart. Taking the form of a fetching girl with wolf ears and a tail, Holo has wearied of tending to harvests in the countryside and strikes up a bargain with the merchant to lend him the cunning of “Holo the Wisewolf” to increase his profits in exchange for taking her along on his travels. What kind of businessman could turn down such an offer? Lawrence soon learns, though, that having an ancient goddess as a traveling companion can be a bit of a mixed blessing. Will this wolf girl turn out to be too wild to tame?

Spice and Wolf stands out as one of the most iconic light novel series to make its way to the Western world—a Yen Press classic that is remembered as one of the first light novels released by the prolific publisher. The audiobook adaptation of Spice and Wolf is scheduled to debut on March 15, 2022.

Spice and Wolf

So I’m a Spider, So What?

Story by Okina Baba

I used to be a normal high school girl but in the blink of an eye, I woke up in a place I’ve never seen before and—and I was reborn as a spider?! How could something that’s nothing more than a tiny spider (that’s me) possibly survive in literally the worst dungeon ever? Are there no rules? There should be some rules! Who the hell is responsible for this? SHOW YOUR FACE!

So I’m a Spider, So What? has been the breakout Yen On hit of 2021, a light novel series that has become immensely popular following the success of the hit anime adaptation. This fan-favorite isekai filled with comedy, action, and a whole lot of surprises is one of the brightest stars in the current generation of light novels, and it’s on track to be a future Yen On classic. The audiobook adaptation of So I’m a Spider, So What? is scheduled to debut on April 12, 2022.

So I’m a Spider, So What?

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

Story by Hajime Kamoshida

Bunny girls do not live in libraries. This is simply common sense. And yet, that’s exactly where Sakuta finds one in the wild. More bewildering is who the bunny girl is: Mai Sakurajima, a girl one year older than Sakuta, famous at their school for her acting career even though she’s currently on break. To top it all off, it seems like no one else in the library can see Mai at all, no matter what she does or…wears. Wanting to find out more about this mystery and maybe get a little closer to this beautiful upperclassman in the process, Sakuta launches an investigation to discover why an unforgettable bunny girl keeps becoming totally invisible.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai stands out as one of this generation’s most beloved romance stories in the world of anime and light novels. This tale of attraction and magical realism took the anime world by storm when the show debuted in 2018, with the original light novel becoming equally popular in the English-speaking world following its Yen On release in 2020. The audiobook adaptation of Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai is scheduled to debut on June 14, 2022.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

Yen Press Announces New Manga and Light Novels for August

Fiancé of the Wizard, Vol. 1

By Syuri Nakamura, Artwork by Masaki Kazuka · Available August 25, 2020

Went looking for magic but found love instead…

Filimena via Adina, daughter of nobility, awakens one day with the realization that she had been reborn into a world of sorcery and given a second chance at life. In her new country full of heroes, she expects this means she’s a chosen one, yet her lot is not as she dreamed-instead, her path crosses with the improbably powerful stepson of a wizard, and as a young noble lady, her place is at his side…as his fiancée! But perhaps a quest for love is exactly the adventure she was looking for…

Fiancé of the Wizard, Vol. 1

Final Fantasy I * II * III: Memory of Heroes (Light Novel)

By Takashi Umemura · Available August 18, 2020

When darkness veils the world…

Light and darkness hold the world in balance-and should that equilibrium ever break, only the four warriors chosen by the Crystals can prevent inevitable ruin. This is the story of three times the balance shifted-and the three bands of friends who came together to save the world.

See where it all began with the novel adaptation of the first three stories from the classic FINAL FANTASY series, penned in celebration of its 25th anniversary!

Final Fantasy I * II * III: Memory of Heroes (Light Novel)

I Don’t Know How to Give Birth! 

Story & Artwork by Ayami Kazama · Available August 18, 2020

A humorous and heartfelt autobiographical comic essay of a manga artist new to the challenges of motherhood! Follow her journey as she learns the ins and outs of pregnancy and childbirth-and the impossibility of finding comfy maternity underwear!

I Don't Know How to Give Birth!

I Love You So Much, I Hate You

Story & Artwork by Yuni · Available August 18, 2020

What do work and love have in common? They can both take over your life…

Saori Fujimura and her boss, Ayako Asano, are an unbeatable duo at work, but after hours their relationship is more than just professional. As tensions mount between Ayako and her husband and Saori’s feelings grow stronger, they’ll have to decide-is it love they seek, or merely pleasure?

I Love You So Much, I Hate You

Interspecies Reviewers, Vol. 1: Ecstasy Days (Light Novel)

By Tetsu Habara, Artwork by Amahara, W18 and Masha · Available August 18, 2020

An all-out fantasy extravaganza!

In a world where an endless variety of humanoid species coexist, there’s an equally endless variety of sexy shops sure to satisfy your every carnal desire! But say you’re spoiled for choice or you have a place in mind but you’re not sure if it’ll live up to the hype. That’s where the Interspecies Reviewers come in! These brave souls will dive crotch-first into the unknown and write a review that tells it true. From time-traveling temptresses to poison-breathed basilisk babes, join Stunk, Zel, and Crim on their erotic adventures as they sample the many deviant delights the world of succubus joints has to offer! Based on the hit manga series by Amahara!

Interspecies Reviewers, Vol. 1: Ecstasy Days (Light Novel)

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Complete Omnibus Edition

Story by Magica Quartet, Artwork by Hanokage · Available August 18, 2020

Experience the complete story of Puella Magi Madoka Magica in this oversize omnibus!

When a new girl joins her class, Madoka Kaname thinks she recognizes the mysterious, dark-haired transfer student…from a dream where Madoka is approached by a diminutive critter with an offer to change destiny. Madoka had always thought magic was the stuff of fantasy…until she sees the transfer student fighting with that very animal! And just like in Madoka’s dream, the creature gives her a choice. Will Madoka become a magical girl in exchange for fulfilling her dearest desire? What will be the cost of having her wish come true?

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Complete Omnibus Edition

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai (Manga)

By Hajime Kamoshida, Artwork by Tsugumi Nanamiya and Keji Mizoguchi · Available August 18, 2020

“Forget what you saw today.”

There’s something odd about Sakuta Azusagawa, an acerbic, standoffish high schooler who doesn’t even own a cell phone in this day and age. And perhaps strange things happen to strange people, which is why on the last day of the Golden Week holiday, in a tranquil library, he meets a wild bunny girl. With that unforgettable encounter, their bizarre and mysterious love story begins.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai (Manga)

Rascal Does Not Dream of Petite Devil Kohai (Light Novel)

By Hajime Kamoshida, Artwork by Keji Mizoguchi · Available August 18, 2020

How far can a fake relationship go?

Mai is no longer invisible – she’s acting again, and she finally said yes when Sakuta asked her out for the millionth time. Life couldn’t be better for Sakuta…until he wakes up and finds himself reliving the morning before she agreed to date him!

Assuming this weird time slip to be another case of Adolescence Syndrome, Sakuta begins searching for clues and stumbles upon the first-year Tomoe. Though the last time they saw each other involved getting kicked in the butt, now she’s desperately trying to avoid getting asked out by the boy her friend is crushing on so she won’t be ostracized. One ruse leads to another, and soon news spreads that Sakuta is Tomoe’s boyfriend. Now how is he going to explain this to Mai…?

Rascal Does Not Dream of Petite Devil Kohai (Light Novel)

The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy, Vol. 1 (Light Novel)

By Yu Shimizu, Artwork by Asagi Tosaka · Available August 18, 2020

Battles for ancient kingdoms are nothing compared to the battles of a classroom!

Awakening from magical stasis after a thousand years, the Dark Lord Leonis suddenly finds himself in the body of a ten-year-old boy! He quickly meets Riselia, a girl confronting the Voids, creatures that have nearly exterminated humanity. Determined to uncover the mysteries of this strange new era, Leonis enrolls in Excalibur Academy, a school that trains students to fight back against these enigmatic monsters. Could the Voids hold some connection to Leonis’s past?

The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy, Vol. 1 (Light Novel)

The Garden of Words (Novel)

By Makoto Shinkai · Available August 25, 2020

From director Makoto Shinkai comes a deeper look at his award-winning 2013 film, The Garden of Words, full of additional scenes and perspectives to show a whole new side of the many characters who brought the film to life.

On rainy mornings, Takao can never bring him-self to go to school-instead, he spends that time at the beautiful Shinjuku Gyoen gardens and finds a brief reprieve from everything else in his life among the trees and flowers. And on one of those mornings, he discovers a mysterious woman named Yukino in his haven, skipping work, and an unlikely friendship blooms between them. But though these two are the center of this story, they are far from the only ones trying to find their way in life.

The Garden of Words (Novel)

Yen Press Debuts Light Novel – Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

Yen Press also announced the launch of the novel Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai. 

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai notably inspired a hit anime adaptation, which currently streams on Hulu and Funimation.com, as well as a bestselling manga series and a live-action feature film that was released in Japan last year.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai is written by Hajime Kamoshida and illustrated by Keji Mizoguch.

Out of sight, out of mind!

Bunny girls do not live in libraries. This is simply common sense. And yet, that’s exactly where Sakuta finds one in the wild. More bewildering is who the bunny girl is: Mai Sakurajima, a girl one year older than Sakuta, famous at their school for her acting career even though she’s currently on break. To top it all off, it seems like no one else in the library can see Mai at all, no matter what she does or…wears. Wanting to find out more about this mystery and maybe get a little closer to this beautiful upperclassman in the process, Sakuta launches an investigation to discover why an unforgettable bunny girl keeps becoming totally invisible.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai