Tag Archives: makoto shinkai

Yen Audio Announces the Audiobook Adaptations of Two Iconic Yen On Properties

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Yen Audio has announced the upcoming audiobook adaptations of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime and Weathering With You. These iconic Yen On properties are a welcome addition to the Yen Audio catalog, one which has been known to feature hit anime tie-in properties, such as Solo Leveling, as well as celebrated works of Japanese fiction, such as The Miracles of the Namiya General Store.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Story by Fuse

Lonely thirty-seven-year-old Satoru Mikami 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 monster! 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!

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is one of the most beloved isekai stories of our generation, known for raising slimes from a simple RPG staple to the heights of mainstream popularity and trailblazing the way for other kingdom-building fantasies. Readers will now be able to listen along as Rimuru builds his nation of monsters thanks to this new audiobook release. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime has also started its third anime season in Spring 2024, increasing the fans’ attention toward the series even further.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Weathering With You

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.!

Weathering With You is an award-winning romance fantasy novel from the renowned Makoto Shinkai, Japan’s most celebrated creator of animated films since Hayao Miyazaki. The 2019 anime film of the same name has since exceeded $190 million USD in box office revenue, ranking #1 in its opening weekend, and is arguably Shinkai’s second most popular property next to your name.

Weathering With You

Yen Audio will be debuting these audiobooks in October 2024, and the voice cast will be announced at a later date.

Movie Review: Suzume is a visually stunning tale of disaster and healing

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Suzume

To contemplate death in the face of natural disasters requires an eagerness to reckon with the uncomfortable, something director Makoto Shinkai has shown he’s more than willing to do in his films. His latest, Suzume, does this in as approachable a way as possible with a story that mixes magical-realism with deep loss to produce a visual marvel that impresses on multiple fronts. In the process, Shinkai presents audiences with the possibility of healing despite the cruel suddenness of death during events that hit with the full force of nature.

Suzume follows the titular character, a seventeen-year-old teen (voiced by Nanoka Hara), as mysterious doors start appearing in moderately populated and highly populated areas to release a giant supernatural worm that can bring about massive earthquakes if allowed to touch ground. She’s aided by a Closer called Souta (voiced by Hokuto Matsumura), a man that travels the country hunting and closing these doors to prevent disasters.

A mysterious talking cat with magical powers turns Souta into a small wooden chair that can run and speak, a development that pushes Suzume to help the man-chair close the new doors that start popping up throughout Japan. As disasters start getting averted, we learn of Suzume’s own history with destructive natural events and the things it can take from people. In her case, it’s her mother’s death that’s reshaped her reality and her dedication to the Closer’s mission.

Despite what the subject matter might suggest, Suzume is a movie that favors a vision of hope and healing in the face of trauma and the grieving process. It’s not difficult to view the doors and the giant worm as representative of the things people wish they could control but ultimately can’t. An inability to accept that preventing every single disaster is impossible, that death can come in many different forms at any given time. The task becomes progressively difficult and riskier the more you attempt to contain the uncontainable.

Suzume

The story portrays the prevention of natural catastrophes as a kind of fool’s journey that essentially negates life by requiring such an exhaustive dedication to vigilance and readiness. There’s a sense of inevitability to it, of relentless force, that makes the character of Suzume come off as both noble and stubborn at the same time.

The visuals do an excellent job of showing the worm as an unstoppable force without an unmovable object in sight. It can be delayed, but never fully stopped. To an extent, the movie invites a reading that frames the phenomenon as a thing we have to accept, be it as a metaphor for the guarantee of death or as one for the unpredictable certainty of mass traumatic events that we simply can’t always prepare for (or survive regardless of preparedness).

What keeps the story from falling off the deep end into despair is the magical-realist element of the world the movie creates. Only Suzume, Souta, and the cat can see the doors and the worm, but everyone can see the living chair and the talking cat. People react to them with wonder rather than fear or panic and it makes for a very light and colorful experience with several sequences that garner attention just on spectacle alone.

Rounding out the experience are the characters Suzume meets along the way towards each door. They each offer different avenues towards the idea of hope and acceptance and they turn the movie into a living journey with a variety of locations and color palettes to boot. They feel like short stories in their own right and they carry their own arcs.

Suzume

There are too many metaphors and ideas inhabiting Suzume to account for here, but discovering them on your own is quite rewarding. I latched on to those regarding Japan’s history with natural disasters and crises, especially in recent times with the earthquakes that rocked the country’s nuclear sites. The doors that the worm uses, for instance, are all found in abandoned places such as schools and amusement parks, as if they belong to past traumas people would rather forget than process collectively. There are just so many ways into the story and its characters that repeat viewings are essentially a requirement.

Thankfully, going back into the world of Suzume is an easy sell. It’s a movie that welcomes complexity without overcomplicating the conversations it wants to have on grief, the memory of disasters, and the magic of hope. It truly is a remarkable story that impresses by being as inventive as it is emotionally grounded, and it will become a highlight in anyone’s film education upon watching.

Kodansha announces New Print Releases Coming Fall 2023

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Following-up with the initial Fall 2023 New Print Licenses first revealed at Anime NYC 2022, Kodansha USA has announced even more new manga, premium editions, book reissues and even a special box set, all debuting Fall 2023. Take a look below for the full list of the amazing Kodansha titles coming later this year.

NEW MANGA:

nichijou 11

By Keiichi Arawi
Rated: 13+

The unexpected return of nichijou!


Seven years from the last release, the quirky gang is back! For the die-hard nichjou fans or even those picking it up for the first time, this cute and outrageous gag comedy series is definitely going to have you bust a gut!

nichijou 11

NEW PREMIUM EDITIONS & BOX SET:

5 Centimeters Per Second Collector’s Edition

Story By Makoto Shinkai
Art by Yukiko Seike
Rated: 13+

Based on the award winning film by Makoto Shinkai, this new edition of 5 Centimeters per Second is now compiled into a beautiful hardcover release with new cover art from illustrator Yukiko Seike.

Love can move at the speed of terminal velocity, but as awardwinning director Makoto Shinkai reveals in his latest comic, it can only be shared and embraced by those who refuse to see it stop. Takaki Tohno quickly befriends Akari Shinohara when she transfers to his school. They grow closer to each other due to similar interests and attitudes; for instance, they both prefer to stay inside during recess due to their constitutions. As a result, they form a strong bond. Upon ending their school year, Akari moves to Tochigi, due to her parents’ jobs. The two keep in contact by writing letters, but eventually begin to drift apart.

5 Centimeters Per Second Collector’s Edition

A Girl on the Shore (Hardcover)

By Inio Asano
Rated: 18+

Eisner-nominated author, Inio Asano’s A Girl on the Shore, now re-released as a hardcover, collector’s package with a newly drawn exquisite cover art!

Longing for Something Bigger From the Eisner Award-nominated Inio Asano, creator of Solanin and Nijigahara Holograph, comes one of his most challenging works yet; an intense teen romance set in what may at first glance be one of the sleepiest places in Japan. When Koume and Keisuke＊s relationship begins to take shape, it is apparent that they are both searching for something. Maybe Keisuke wants something more than a kiss from the fair Koume. Maybe Koume is looking for someone better than Misaki, the local playboy. But what they find in each other over the course of a summer might be far greater than anything they were expecting. Their lives are going to change. And this will all transpire before high school exams!

A Girl on the Shore (Hardcover)

Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro Box Set 2

By Nanashi
Rated: 16+

Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro 2nd box set is here! Includes volumes 7-12 of the manga, box with Nagatoro artwork, plus a bonus item!

Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro Box Set 2

NEW BOOK REISSUES:

Compound Cinematics: Akira Kurosawa and I (Paperback)

By Shinobu Hashimoto
Rated: 16+

New paperback edition of the hardcover published in 2015.

Any list of Japan’s greatest screenplay writers would feature Shinobu Hashimoto at or near the top. This memoir, focusing on his collaborations with Akira Kurosawa, a gifted scenarist in his own right, offers indispensable insider account for fans and students of the director’s oeuvre and invaluable insights into the unique process that is writing for the screen.

The vast majority of Kurosawa works were filmed from screenplays that the director co-wrote with a stable of stellar writers, many of whom he discovered himself with his sharp eye for all things cinematic. Among these was Hashimoto, who caught the filmmaker’s attention with a script that eventually turned into Rashomon. Thus joining Team Kurosawa the debutant immediately went on to play an integral part in developing and writing two of the grandmaster’s most impressive achievements, Ikiru and Seven Samurai.

Compound Cinematics: Akira Kurosawa and I (Paperback)

Edge

By Koji Suzuki
Rated: 16+

New paperback edition of hardcover published in 2012.

Koji Suzuki is an internationally recognized and lauded horror writer, often described as the Stephen King of Japan. And like King, Suzuki’s works have been adapted to both television and film around the world almost as soon as the ink dries on each new manuscript. Both Ring and Dark Water received the Hollywood treatment–the former’s success eliciting a sequel–and Dream Cruise–another short story from Dark Water–was adapted as one of the episodes of Showtime’s Masters of Horror series in 2007.

Edge

Slow Sex Secrets

By Adam Tokunaga
Rated: 18+

New paperback edition of hardcover published in 2008.

A sex book for the “ME” generation, Slow Sex Secrets: Lessons from the Master Masseur enlightens today’s selfish men to the debilitating effects of self-centered sex.

From in-depth analyses, gathered from more than a thousand sexual encounters with women, Japanese sexpert Adam Tokunaga reveals the secrets to having mind-blowing sex, everything from making your partner scream to mastering Tokunaga’s very own “Adam” touch.

Slow Sex Secrets

The Name of the Game is a Kidnapping

By Keigo Higashino
Rated: 16+

Award-winning author Keigo Higashino’s modern mystery where a once powerful man is broken, and upon finding an opening makes a big and potentially dangerous game in the name of revenge.

The Name of the Game is a Kidnapping

Yen Press to Publish Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume

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Yen Press, LLC has announced the acquisition of Suzume, the most recent novel from the renowned creator, Makoto Shinkai. The 2022 anime film of the same name has since exceeded 12 billion yen (about US$90.7 million) in box office revenue. The film dominated the Japanese box office for several weeks and is highly regarded as one of the top films of 2022. Suzume is Makoto Shinkai’s thirteenth directorial work, following Weathering with You’s release in 2019. Crunchyroll has teamed up with Sony Pictures Entertainment, Wild Bunch International, and Eurozoom to release the film globally in theaters April 2023.

Suzume

By Makoto Shinkai

Suzume Iwato lives with her aunt in a quiet port town in Kyushu, Japan. One day, on her way to school, she runs into a young man looking for a door and follows him to a ruin in the mountains. Standing alone amid the collapsed walls is a single old white door, and as if pulled by an invisible force, Suzume reaches out her hand to open it… Eventually, doors begin to open up one after another across Japan, and they must be closed before disaster crosses over from the other side. Follow Suzume’s journey to do just that in this novelization of Makoto Shinkai’s film, written by the director himself.

Yen Press is proud to have given Makoto Shinkai’s literary works a home under the Yen On imprint and is thrilled to add Suzume to the collection of Shinkai’s previous works, such as your name., The Garden of Words, and 5 Centimeters per Second + Children Who Chase Lost Voices. The Yen Press edition of Suzume will be available in a physical hardcover release and digitally in July 2023.

Suzume

Yen Press Announces Eleven New Titles

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Yen Press has announced a slate of upcoming titles that include light novels (The King of Death at the Dark Palace, Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below + 5 Centimeters per Second), manga (Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill Is Actually a Legendary Assassin, I’m the Catlords’ Manservant, Hard-boiled Stories from the Cat Bar, I’m the Hero, But the Demon Lord’s Also Me, Uncle from Another World, Your Turn to Die and Afterschool Hanako-kun) and both the light novel and manga adaptation of If the RPG World Had Social Media.

Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill Is Actually a Legendary Assassin (manga)

Story by Kennoji
Art by Fuu Araki
Character Design by KWKM

With a worthless skill, Roland managed to kill the most powerful demon lord that’s ever lived. While he could have all the riches in the world, all Roland really wants now is a normal life. Such an unremarkable existence may not come easy to someone so exceptional, however…

Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill Is Actually a Legendary Assassin is a stylish manga adaptation of the highly-anticipated light novel series by the same name. The previously announced light novel series is scheduled for a March 2021 release under the Yen On imprint.

Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill Is Actually a Legendary Assassin (manga)

I’m the Catlords’ Manservant

Story and Art by Rato Kitaguni

Izumi Yukihara, high school second year. His life is completely average—until a series of misfortunate events turn his life upside down. As if losing his parents weren’t enough, he’s saddled with their massive debt and forced to relocate to a new residence. On the bright side, the owners of his new residence offer him a chance to repay his debt…by serving cats?!

A quirky manga series that is as hilarious as it is adorable! This series appeals to the ever popular genre of cat manga such as Nyankees and Chi’s Sweet Home.

I’m the Catlords’ Manservant

Hard-boiled Stories from the Cat Bar

Story and Art by Ono Yourei

An assassin unable to get over the loss of his cat, a man with a scar on his cheek, and a feline named Dandy that is waiting for its master to return are at the center of this gritty tale of men and tears.

A cute twist on hard-boiled crime manga, this charming yet gritty standalone title appeals to those who are fond of noir fiction and beautiful illustration. Additionally, Hard-boiled Stories from the Cat Bar appeals to fans of manga featuring beautiful men, such as Monster and the Beast and Penguin Gentleman., and, of course, fans of cat manga!

Hard-boiled Stories from the Cat Bar

I’m the Hero, But the Demon Lord’s Also Me

Story by Akiyoshi Ota
Art by Tatsuya Endo

Yuuma Tsugari is an ordinary high school student whose family runs a public bath house. He leads a peaceful, uneventful life, but all that changes when a beautiful woman from another world appears before him, certain that he’s the hero she’s been searching for! Sure, he’s no hero, but how can he refuse such a beauty…!?

This romantic comedy manga involving traveling between worlds filled with beautiful women is a welcome treat to fans of fantasy manga that are heavy on the fanservice! With a mature take on the ecchi fantasy genre, this series appeals greatly to fans of To Save the World, Can You Wake Up the Morning After with a Demi-Human?

I'm the Hero, But the Demon Lord's Also Me

If the RPG World Had Social Media (light novel)

Story by Yuusuke Nitta
Illustration by Yukinatu Amekaze and LOL

When a fantasy world has fully functioning internet and smartphones (for some reason), it’s only natural for its sixteen year-old Hero to declare war on the Demon Lord via text message. But is it natural for that Demon Lord to be an innocent snowflake who hates conflict…!? Take a peek into this unfortunate Hero’s chatlog with a…unique group of RPG characters, like an overly pure Demon Lord, her cheerful Generals (who all adore her), and the kidnapped princess who seems to be developing a major crush on her captor!

While there have been plenty manga and light novels that have placed fun twists on fantasy storytelling, If the RPG World Had Social Media goes deep into the concept of social media and text communication in a fantasy world coupled with a fun adventure! This light novel series is perfect for fans of In Another World with My Smartphone.

If the RPG World Had Social Media (light novel)

If the RPG World Had Social Media (manga)

Story by Yuusuke Nitta
Art by Sato Kamegoya

When a fantasy world has fully functioning internet and smartphones (for some reason), it’s only natural for its sixteen year-old shut-in of a Hero to declare war on the Demon Lord who has kidnapped the kingdom’s princess via text message. But is it natural for that Demon Lord to be an innocent snowflake who hates conflict!!? And somehow, this hopelessly weak Level One Hero ends up texting this overly pure Demon Lord, her cheerful Generals (who all adore her), and the princess who also seems to be developing a major crush on her captor as he goes about his adventures!

This two volume manga adaptation of If the RPG World Had Social Media captures all of the fun and silliness of the light novel series with a cute art style portraying the events of our hero’s adventure as well as all of the quirky texting and social media interaction in between!

If the RPG World Had Social Media (manga)

Uncle from Another World

Story by Akiyoshi Oota
Art by Tatsuya Endou

When a middle-aged man wakes up from a seventeen-year coma, he tells his nephew Takafumi that he’s been adventuring in another world. It’s a generation gap comedy starring an uncle who bridges two universes!

Uncle from Another World goes back and forth between the real world and the fantasy world as a comatose uncle who spent the past 17 years living in another world recounts his adventures! This isekai manga playfully puts twists on well known tropes that are sure to please fans of the ever popular genre.

Uncle from Another World

The King of Death at the Dark Palace (novel)

Story by Tsukikage
Illustrations by meron tomari

When a sickly boy succumbs to illness only to reawaken as a weakly undead, his first thought is not of horror, but joy. Sadly, his delight is cut short by the realization that he is still not in control of his own body. The excruciating pain that plagued him in his previous life has simply been replaced by the necromancer that brought him into this one. Now, to win true freedom, he must put his unlife on the line and fight for his dark master…!

An intense fantasy light novel series involving a resurrected protagonist seeking freedom and solace. A story that goes into darker places than many other light novels, this series is a long-awaited release for fans of horror light novels such as Torture Princess: Fremd Torturchen.

The King of Death at the Dark Palace (novel)

Your Turn to Die: Majority Vote Death Game

Story and Art by Tatsuya Ikegami

Sara Chidouin has been getting harassed by a mysterious stalker lately, so her concerned friend Joe Tazuna decides to walk her home. But once they arrive, the two of are attacked by someone and black out. When they come to, they find that they’ve been restrained to some tables in a strange room…

Your Turn to Die: Majority Vote Death Game is a manga adaptation of the popular virtual novel by the same name, one that tells the tale of an assortment of people trapped in a death game. This manga is naturally a must read for fans of the prolific series as well as for fans of similar visual novels such as the Danganronpa series. 

Your Turn to Die: Majority Vote Death Game

Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below + 5 Centimeters per Second

Story by Makoto Shinkai

Experience in a new way the worlds of acclaimed animation director Makoto Shinkai’s award-winning romantic drama 5 Centimeters per Second, along with the adventure of Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below, in this two-in-one novelization!

The newest addition to Yen On’s beautiful collection of hardcover novel adaptations of Makoto Shinkai’s finest works, Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below + 5 Centimeters per Second is a bind up collection that retells the stories from two of Shinkai’s earlier works. With 5 Centimeters per Second standing out as one of the films that introduced Makoto Shinkai to the West, this collection is a highly-anticipated release for fans of one of today’s most beloved creators.

Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below + 5 Centimeters per Second

Afterschool Hanako-kun

Story and Art by AidaIro

The ghostly Hanako-kun and his mortal assistant Nene Yashiro usually have their hands full resolving various supernatural incidents in Kamome Academy, but how do they spend their time when they get a break from all that? Come and see what the characters of Toilet-bound Hanako-kun do on their laid-back afterschool days!

Afterschool Hanako-kun is a fun manga spin-off of Toilet-bound Hanako-kun that showcases what fan favorite characters are up to in between events of the main story. With Toilet-bound Hanako-kun enjoying success as the best-selling new manga series of 2020, Afterschool Hanako-kun is sure to please many fans eager for more Hanako-kun!

Afterschool Hanako-kun

Yen Press Announces New Manga and Light Novels for August

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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)

Garden of Words Novel By Famed Japanese Director Makoto Shinkai Debuts From Yen Press

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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. 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.

The Garden of Words is a new novel by famed Japanese Director Makoto Shinkai debuts from Yen Press on August 25.

The Gardens of Words

Yen Press Acquires Seven New Titles for August 2020

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Yen Press has announced its latest acquisitions today, including a novel adaptation of Makoto Shinkai’s The Garden of Words, the Konosuba light novel spinoff Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World! Bonus Story: We are the Megumin Bandits and five manga series: Last Round Arthurs, Majo Raba Majo Reba, Yoshi no Zuikara: The Frog in the Well Does Not Know the Ocean, ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Department P.S. and Puella Magi Madoka Magica Omnibus Edition. All seven titles will release in August 2020.

The Garden of Words

Story by Makoto Shinkai

From director Makoto Shinkai comes the novel adaptation of his award-winning 2013 film Garden of Words, a moody drama about two lonely souls who meet in the garden of Shinjuku during rainy season and help each other “learn to walk again” in life.

From Makoto Shinkai, the prolific storyteller responsible for critically-acclaimed films such as your name. and Weathering With You, comes a novel adaptation of The Garden of Words, a visually stunning and touching film from 2013 that is currently streaming on Netflix.

The Garden of Words

Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World! Bonus Story: We are the Megumin Bandits

Story by Natsume Akatsuki
Illustration by Kasumi Morino

The right magic words can stir a person’s soul. For Megumin, those words are “vigilante justice.” Join everyone’s favorite one-trick wizard, as well as Iris the Headstrong, Cecily the Problematic, and Yunyun…as they get a taste of the righteous bandit lifestyle! Evil aristocrats beware!

“For the sake of justice, there’s no line I won’t cross! No criminal act I won’t commit!”

An ongoing bonus series that ties into the light novel spinoff Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World!, which features the beloved arch-wizard Megumin as the protagonist, Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! Bonus Story: We are the Megumin Bandits is a laugh-out-loud series filled with vigilante justice and plenty of Megumin!

Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World! Bonus Story: We are the Megumin Bandits

Last Round Arthurs

Story by Taro Hitsuji
Art by Yuzuriha
Original Illustration by Kiyotaka Haimura

In all honesty, Rintarou’s life is boring as hell. If you ask him, he was born into this world with too much talent. Everything goes too according to plan. His way of having fun? Joining forces with the weakest candidate, Luna Artur, in the upcoming battle to become King Arthur’s successor—and save the world from impending doom.

The only problem? She’s the scummiest of scum, pawning off her sacred sword and forcing her knight, Sir Kay, into some seriously skeevy cosplays! Or so he thinks—until a close encounter with death, when her true power astonishes all. Make way for an unexpected take on the age-old legends of King Arthur!

A manga adaptation of the Last Round Arthurs light novel series by Taro Hitsuji, the writer of Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor. The first volume of the Last Round Arthurs light novel is currently available from Yen Press.

Last Round Arthurs

Majo Raba Majo Reba

Story and Art by Sakurai Ato

Haruka Kuse sees Maruna Rinjou as his savior—he owes his life to her blood transfusion, after all. But what he never knew is that she’s actually a witch! Haruka wants to repay the favor somehow, and the answer is…crossdressing to help Maruna pass her magic exams?!

Ato Sakurai, author of Today’s Cerberus, brings a fiery new magical romance! Combining cute artwork with a hilarious hijinks, Majo Raba Majo Reba is a must-read for fans of shonen comedy.

Majo Raba Majo Reba

Yoshi no Zuikara: The Frog in the Well Does Not Know the Ocean

Story and Art by Yoshino Satsuki

A new story about one man’s creative struggles arrives courtesy of Satsuki Yoshino, author of Barakamon! Can a ten-year manga artist with experience only in the fantasy genre pivot to drawing a down-to-Earth story about regular folks? It’s sink-or-swim for Naruhiko Toono and his career!

From Satsuki Yoshino, creator of Barakamon and Handa-kun, comes a new series involving the subject of mangaka and the artistic process. The series stands out as an intriguing read for fans of slice-of-life stories as well as fans of series focusing on the manga industry, such as Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun and Bakuman.

Yoshi no Zuikara: The Frog in the Well Does Not Know the Ocean

ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Department P.S.

Story and Art by Natsume Ono

Dive back into Natsume Ono’s world of clandestine intrigue and delectable eats! This spin-off puts the spotlight on the supporting characters seen throughout the original series—including the five chief officers of ACCA, Nino, and Mauve! Discover closely guarded secrets, hidden thoughts, and true feelings in the Dowa Kingdom.

A two-volume spin-off of Natsume Ono’s ACCA 13-Territory Inspection Department, a sophisticated tale of espionage that was adapted into an anime in 2017. All six volumes of the original ACCA 13-Territory Inspection Department manga are available from Yen Press.

ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Department P.S.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica Omnibus Edition

Story by Magica Quartet
Art by Hanokage

When a new girl joins her class, Madoka Kaname feels she recognizes the mysterious, dark-haired transfer student from one of her dreams…a dream where she is approached by a cat-like creature who offers Madoka an opportunity to change destiny. Madoka had always thought magic was the stuff of fantasy…until she sees the transfer student fighting with the very cat-being from her dream! And just like in Madoka’s dream, the cat gives her a choice: Will Madoka become a Puella Magi in exchange for her dearest desire? What will be the cost of having her wish come true?

A collection of the three-volume Puella Magi Madoka Magica manga series published by Yen Press into a single omnibus volume. Puella Magi Madoka Magica retells the story of the iconic animated series from Gen Urobuchi, a series which has stood out as one of the most beloved anime of the past decade.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica Omnibus Edition