Tag Archives: playing death games to put food on the table

Yen Press Tops Off Summer List with Fourteen New Licenses

Yen Press has announced fourteen new title acquisitions offering up an exciting range of stories, including a tantalizing yuri manhwa, dark action fantasies, and heartwarming slice-of-life stories.

Releasing in August 2026, the debut list includes two novels (Scarlet; and My Yandere Girlfriend Hiding in the Dungeon Kills Me Over and Over Again), one manhwa (What Does the Fox Say?), and eleven manga (Clevatess: The King of Dark Beasts, the Baby, and the Undead HeroElden Ring: Distant Tales BetweenThe Demon Bride: “I Love You” Are Frightening WordsHand in Hand with Mu-chan: Lessons from My Autistic DaughterPlaying Death Games to Put Food on the TableGirls’ Last Tour Collector’s EditionThe Blood-Crawling Princess of a Ruined CountryThen Shall I Kill in Your Stead?Don’t Confuse Me, Yamori-kunDeep-Sea Aquarium Magmell; and Golden Man).

Scarlet

By Mamoru Hosoda

The price of failure is death, but even death will not stand in the way of her vengeance.

Princess Scarlet’s life in the royal palace is turned on its head when her uncle Claudius usurps the throne and executes the king. Forever changed, she vows to take revenge on her father’s enemies—but she fails. When she next opens her eyes, she finds herself in the land of the dead. It is a world of madness where fallen soldiers from across time cause mayhem day in and day out, a wasteland where the injured or weak cease to exist. In this place where hopelessness seems inevitable, Scarlet crosses paths with a man named Hijiri, a registered nurse from present-day Japan. Together they set out on a journey to ensure that her enemies never find salvation.

Scarlet

My Yandere Girlfriend Hiding in the Dungeon Kills Me Over and Over Again (light novel)

By Nikita Kitagawa

Framed for a crime he didn’t commit, Kiska is warped to the deepest level of the dungeon, a death sentence for a non-adventurer with no abilities. But just as he’s preparing to die, a mysterious voice grants him the skill “Save & Reset,” allowing him to rewind time. This blessing is only the beginning of a new hell, however. The true powerhouses of this dungeon are a pack of beautiful girls out to destroy him, and unless Kiska can use his infinite tries to charm them, he’ll be stuck in the abyss forever.

My Yandere Girlfriend Hiding in the Dungeon Kills Me Over and Over Again (light novel)

What Does the Fox Say?

By Team Gaji

Sungji is entering the corporate world, the newest hire of a game development studio. Young and beautiful, Sungji quickly draws the attention of her coworkers…but she only has eyes for her aloof team leader, Sumin. Unfortunately, the older woman is tied up by her ex, the company president, Seju, who has one thing Sungji severely lacks—experience in love and lust. And so a love triangle ensues, following Sungji’s present pursuit of Sumin and Seju’s tumultuous relationship with her in the past…

What Does the Fox Say?

Clevatess: The King of Dark Beasts, the Baby, and the Undead Hero

By Yuji Iwahara

The hero was slain, the king was felled, and the child of fate was seized. Clevatess, a lord of dark beasts blessed with both peerless strength and superhuman intellect, raged at the thirteen heroes who felled him and vowed to wipe humanity out…Instead, he has found himself saddled with a terrible burden: a newborn human baby. Is this an omen of the end times or the birth of a new era?!

Clevatess: The King of Dark Beasts, the Baby, and the Undead Hero

Elden Ring: Distant Tales Between

By Haruichi 
Original Story by FromSoftware, Inc.

These are the tales of the other inhabitants of the Lands Between.

What if Roderika were to befriend the rest of the Roundtable Hold…?

What if the Blackguard went in search of a new delicacy other than prawns…?

What if one were to catch a glimpse of Rya’s youth…?

The lives of those in the Lands Between, and the many possibilities and the differing worlds that unfolded for them in the distant past, are written here.

Elden Ring: Distant Tales Between

The Demon Bride: “I Love You” Are Frightening Words

By Toshiko Machida
Original Story by Risako Natade

“You killed Chikage!”—is the last thing university student Ako expected to hear at her childhood friend’s funeral. She’s told that by sharing the accursed legend from her village about the “Demon,” she has brought about a curse. That must be a lie…but then why is Chikage’s corpse all unnaturally mangled? And when one tragedy after another occurs, each more supernatural than the last, Ako is physically and mentally pushed to the brink. Is this truly an unfortunate series of events, or is there something else at play…?

The Demon Bride: “I Love You” Are Frightening Words

Hand in Hand with Mu-chan: Lessons from My Autistic Daughter

By Rin Minato

When a couple full of excitement learns their daughter might be autistic, some of their feelings start to change. Even if they know all this means is that she’ll develop differently than other children, it’s not easy to watch the future and family they’d envisioned crumble. But in this story based on the author’s real-life experiences raising an autistic child, family love can overcome anything!

Hand in Hand with Mu-chan: Lessons from My Autistic Daughter 

Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table (manga)

By BanzaiKotobukiDaienkai
Original Story by Yushi Ukai
Art by necometal

Player Name: Yuki. Age: 17. Occupation: Death games. She has entered a genuine life-or-death show business where all the participants have to be female and where one must put their life at stake to strike it rich. Show no mercy, strut your stuff, and break the line between life and death! Aim for an unprecedented 99-win streak—for fun and for keeps!

Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table (manga)

Girls’ Last Tour Collector’s Edition

By Tsukumizu

Civilization is dead, but not Chito and Yuuri. Time to hop aboard their beloved Kettenkrad motorbike and wander what’s left of the world! Sharing a can of soup or scouting for spare parts might not be the experience they were hoping for, but all in all, life isn’t too bad…The hit comfy/existential post-apocalypse manga is now being released in a deluxe omnibus edition!

Girls’ Last Tour Collector’s Edition

The Blood-Crawling Princess of a Ruined Country

By Yuki Azuma

Princess Evita lives a modest and happy life in a small country. But when the neighboring country attacks, the kingdom’s land is taken, her family is mercilessly killed, and Evita is forced into prostitution. Going by the name “Priscilla,” she prostrates herself one day before the feudal lord’s third son, when the knell of rebellion sounds out…

The Blood-Crawling Princess of a Ruined Country

Then Shall I Kill in Your Stead?

Original Story by Yukiaki Kurando
Art by Sousou Sakakibara

High school student Yuuma Fujikura resides in a living hell, courtesy of the vicious bullies who treat tormenting him as a game. That is, until he meets Ryou Amezato, a mysterious classmate who’ll risk everything to protect Yuuma. Ryou is bold, cunning, and loyal, just about everything Yuuma could’ve asked for. But is he a guardian angel? Or a demon who’ll drag Yuuma into an even deeper, bloodier hell…?

Then Shall I Kill in Your Stead?

Don’t Confuse Me, Yamori-kun

By Shina Inoguchi

Over summer break, Mori has decided to change his look along with Yamori, the guy who sits behind him in class. Their seasonal debut is a success…but why is Yamori now in girl’s clothing? And suddenly he’s acting strangely and making suggestive comments…?!

Don’t Confuse Me, Yamori-kun

Deep-Sea Aquarium Magmell

By Kiyomi Sugishita

The deep sea is home to some of the most fantastic creatures the world has ever seen. And 200 meters below Tokyo Bay at the Magmell Deep Sea Aquarium, they’re on display for all to see—Kotaro’s idea of heaven. He’s a shy boy, but Kotaro loves sea creatures and just landed a part-time job cleaning the aquarium. Follow Kotaro, his new boss, and all their deep-sea friends as a heartwarming coming-of-age story unfolds.

Deep-Sea Aquarium Magmell

Golden Man

By Koji Megumi
Original Story by Petos

Golden Man, the great hero who protected Neo York, has suddenly vanished from the city of freedom! At the scene of his disappearance, an abnormally strong young man with amnesia has collapsed. In their hero’s absence, Golden Man’s support team sends the young man out in his place to confront the villains that menace the city. However, this man has a secret, and it might just threaten the peace of Neo York…!!

Golden Man

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.