Anime Expo 2026: Yen Press Announces Eight Acquisitions
At the Yen Press Industry Panel at Anime Expo 2026, Yen Press announced eight acquisitions, ranging from thrilling survival horror to a manga adaptation of one of the most iconic anime in history.
The slate of announcements featured two novels (The Chef of the Adventurers’ Tavern and A Flower in Black Crude Clothes) joining the Yen On catalog, a duo of releases that includes a quirky culinary adventure and a compelling work of supernatural historical fiction.
The Chef of the Adventurers’ Tavern
Story by Hagane Kurodome
Illustration by Kururi
A Quest That Begins in the Kitchen!
Yoishi the tavernkeeper has a big problem with adventurers…because they have awful diets! One day, some rookie adventurers happen to bring back the bitter stone walnut from the dungeon, considered by many to be inedible. Hoping to find a way to incorporate it into a new dish, Yoishi taps into his knowledge of previous eras and embarks on a new culinary adventure!
A Flower in Black Crude Clothes
By Kouko Shirakawa
In the capital of Xiao lives one of the finest exorcists the world has ever known—a girl of seventeen named Gekki Tou. Despite hailing from a line of distinguished exorcists, Gekki travels around the country to help a wide variety of people deal with malignant spirits alongside her surly fiancé and bodyguard, Reiyou Hou. One day, she receives a request from a member of the wealthy Kohou family who claims he’s being haunted by the spirit of a recently deceased cousin. But as soon as they begin their investigation, the client dies in a suspicious accident. When more members of the Kohou family succumb to supernatural mishaps, it becomes clear they have no ordinary case on their hands. But does this pair of opposites have what it takes to get to the bottom of it before the Kohou fall to ruin?
The Yen Press Industry Panel also had something for every kind of manga fan with six announcements (The 11th Cat Is Nene!; Planarian Humans; The Lowly Elf Is the Blackhearted King’s Plaything; Takane-san and Arashi-chan; Chihaya Re:Start!; and Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam Define) that included Boys Love, Girls Love, sports manga, and more.
The 11th Cat Is Nene!
By Harikamo
Pointy ears, check. Furry tail, check! Here goes nothing—Nene’s life as a cat starts now!
A meek little mouse from the rodent island of Konoshima, Nene smuggled herself into the land of catfolk and arrived at Rairai Teahouse looking for work…but found it already staffed by ten older cat girls! Surrounded by pretty faces, sharp claws, and even sharper eyes, Nene’s ready to give work all she’s got—after all, she can’t afford to be one paw out of place!
Planarian Humans
Original Story by Hajime Taguchi
By Hiromu Kitano
Yuu Kaneko has lived his whole life on a small, peaceful island, and he wants nothing more than to leave it behind for Tokyo and the big-city life. But one day, that peace is shattered when his fellow islanders are mysteriously infected and start to tear one another apart! Those afflicted regenerate at inhuman speeds, even growing back severed limbs, and nothing seems capable of stopping them. As the numbers swell, how are the few left unaffected going to survive…?
The Lowly Elf Is the Blackhearted King’s Plaything
By samesuke
Long ago, demons and humans established a peace treaty and vowed to live in harmony. When Fouchen, ruler of the human kingdom Zenobi, arrives at an intertribal exchange, he finds a rookie demon soldier named Walt absentmindedly gazing at butterflies…The soldier’s distinctly un-demonic nature fascinates Fouchen, who decides to bring Walt to his castle! But this king has always gotten everything he ever wanted—will his newest plaything meet the same fate as all the others?
Takane-san and Arashi-chan
By Nauchi
When quiet, offbeat Takane rescued her lively classmate Arashi from a boy creeping on her, she fully intended to keep to herself. Time after time, Arashi offered to do something in return as thanks, but Takane refused at every turn…Yet little by little, she grew to enjoy having that ray of sunshine in her life. Now, they spend every day together as girlfriends—and Takane can never get enough of the adorable, flustered look on Arashi’s face when she flirts back with her!
Chihaya Re:Start!
By Hollow Takeuchi
Chihaya Sakurazaka’s got one thing that sets her apart—her legs are as fast as the wind!
When Mio Koshimizu introduced her to track and field in middle school, a whole new world opened for Chihaya. Before she and Mio went to different high schools, they swore to be rivals for life and meet again in an inter-high tournament. But when the time finally comes, something unexpected brings Chihaya’s ambitions to a screeching halt…
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam Define
By Hiroyuki Kitazume
Original Concept by SUNRISE
A new take on a legendary series by Gundam franchise director and animator Hiroyuki Kitazume!
Char Aznable, once the most iconic ace for the enemy in the previous war, is now a Federation soldier going by a different name. When the theft of a new Gundam leads him to cross paths with a Newtype boy named Kamille, their meeting sparks a conflict between the anti-government AEUG and the Federation’s brutally oppressive faction known as the Titans…
