In a press release sent out on Friday, March 6th, North American publisher Yen Press announced a whopping seven new licenses, including two light novels and five manga! All the titles listed below will hit store shelves in North America in August this year.
Starting things off with the light novels, Yen Press has revealed the license of the mood piece The Garden of Words written by Makoto Shinkai and the much more light-hearted Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World! Bonus Story: We are the Megumin Bandits.
The Garden of Words adapts the 2013 movie of the same name. In the press release, they describe the story as:
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.
Meanwhile, the Konosuba light novel is a side story that features the inept magic-user as the star. Written by Natsume Akatsuki and illustrated by Kasumi Morino, the story is described as:
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!”
In the manga section of the release, it was revealed that the following titles have been licensed: 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.
Last Round Arthurs started as a light novel series (the first volume has already been published in English by Yen Press) before being adapted into a manga starting in early 2018. The story comes from Taro Hitsuji, the writer of Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor, while the manga art is being created by Yuzuriha. The story is described as:
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!
The second manga title announced is a brand new romantic, crossdressing, shonen-comedy from the creator of Today’s Cerebus, Sakurai Ato. In this series, which made its debut in June 2019, the hero has his life saved by a witch and must crossdress to help repay the debt. Or, as Yen Press describes it:
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?!
For those of you who are looking for a more grounded, realistic story, comes this title from the creator of Barakamon which tells the story of a manga artist who must change his style and artistic process:
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!
Sci-fi fans aren’t being left out in the cold! If you were a fan of the anime series ACCA, you’ll want to pay close attention because Yen Press will be releasing the spinoff manga titled ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Department P.S.!
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.
Finally, we come to the big title that everyone has been waiting for… they will release the Madoka Magica series in an omnibus format!
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?
As stated above, all of these titles will be released in August this year, so which ones will be granted coveted space on your bookshelves?
