New Licenses Announced at the Innaugural Japan Expo USA

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Yen booth at the inaugural Japan Expo USA last weekend. To those who couldn't make it to the show, we announced several new and exciting licenses! Bloody Brat, spun off from the New York Times bestselling manga hit Blood Lad, is a collection of short stories and four-panel comics by series creator Yuuki Kodama and artist Kanata Yoshino. In this hilarious behind-the-scenes trip, readers will discover the full extent of Staz’s anime/manga obsession, join Bell on her treasure-hunting travels, and much more! The Blood Lad anime has been licensed by Viz and is being simulcasted in North America this summer. Publication is scheduled for a March 2014 release. Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story by series creator Magica Quartet and artist Hanokage is a spin-off series from the original world of the hit anime and manga Puella Magi Madoka Magica. In The Different Story, Kyouko and Mami take center stage, and the story follows an alternate chain of events. The first volume is also scheduled for release in March 2014. Accel World by Reki Kawahara is the award-winning light novel series that follows a bullied middle schooler named Haruyuki Arita, who is introduced to Brain Burst, a secret program that can “accelerate” his real life…and a VRMMO (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online) Fighting Game as well. Sword Art Online, also by Reki Kawahara, is the runaway best-selling light novel franchise that topped the category charts in 2012 in Japan and was adapted into the massively popular anime of the same name. Set in the year 2022, where a new VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) opens its virtual doors, allowing players to completely immerse themselves in the game world by manipulating their brain waves to create a wholly realistic gaming experience. In addition to the Sword Art Online light novels, Yen also will be releasing both the SAO Aincrad and SAO Fairy Dance manga arcs. Publication of the first novel and manga volumes is slated for early 2014.