Sakura-Con 2014: ANNOUNCEMENTS & NEW LICENSES!

So we promised some major announcements today at Sakura-Con 2014, and call me biased, but I think we delivered! As if our digital initiatives weren't exciting enough, we're delighted and excited to announce Yen On, a new imprint and program dedicated to bringing you fans English editions of the best light novels that Japan has to offer! We're already a powerhouse when it comes to getting light novels out there, but now we're going to build on the successes of hits like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Spice & Wolf, and the upcoming blockbusters, Sword Art Online and Accel World, and bring you even more! Look for Yen On to launch this fall! But of course, to launch a new imprint, you need new titles, right?! Well, let's see what you think of these!

• ANOTHER by Yukito Ayatsuji – Not technically new or a light novel (you might see more of that!), but before and since publishing this deliciously spine-chilling horror tale digitally last year, we've gotten tons of requests for a print release. Well, we're happy to say your prayers have been answered! Look for the hardcover omnibus print edition of ANOTHER hitting bookstores this October as part of the Yen On launch!
• A CERTAIN MAGICAL INDEX by Kazuma Kamachi, art by Kiyotaka Haimura – I can't tell you how thrilled we are to finally be bringing A CERTAIN MAGICAL INDEX to you guys! One of the most popular and acclaimed light novel series in Japan, INDEX is also one of our most requested titles! This winter, science and magic clash in Academy City, when one unlucky young man finds a mysterious nun in his room and gets landed in the middle of a war he never expected!
• IS IT WRONG TO TRY TO PICK UP GIRLS IN A DUNGEON? by Fujino Omori, art by Suzuhito Yasuda – Like that title alone isn't reason enough to check out this new breakout light novel series! Also known as DanMachi, Fujino Omori's hilarious fantasy tale about a fateful encounter in the labyrinthine Dungeon between a hapless boy who wants to make a name for himself as an adventurer and a failed goddess rounds out the Yen On launch list this winter!

Whew! And that does it for our Sakura-Con announcements…PSYCH! We wouldn’t leave our manga faithful hanging like that! On top of more light novels, we’re positively giddy with excitement to bring you…

• KING OF EDEN by Takashi Nagasaki, art by SangCheol Lee – Maybe you’re not familiar with the name Takashi Nagasaki, but you sure should be! Nagasaki, the critically acclaimed co-author of Monster, 20th Century Boys, Master Keaton, Billy Bat, and Pluto, pens a grotesque thriller that will leave you begging for more! Starting May 1, digital chapters will be simultaneously published worldwide!
• PandoraHearts ~odds and ends~ by Jun Mochizuki – If you love the cracking mind-warp that is PandoraHearts, you won’t want to miss this art book! Lavishly presented in hardback with a slipcase, Mochizuki’s darkly whimsical world comes to vivid life in this collection of over 120 color and black-and-white illustrations from PandoraHearts, Crimson-Shell, and more! Look for it in November 2014!
• GOU-DERE SORA NAGIHARA by Suu Minazuki – No Yen list would be complete without a little raunch, am I right? In this hilarious fantasy romp out in November 2014, Shouta Yamakawa, a boy in love with his favorite demure manga heroine, Sora Nagihara, casually wishes she could be real…only to find himself staring into her eyes?! But Shouta soon realizes he got more than he bargained for ’cos this Sora turns out to be one bold, brazen babe!
• LOVE AT FOURTEEN by Fuka Mizutani – Serialized in Hakusensha’s wonderful Rakuen Le Paradis anthology, LOVE AT FOURTEEN is a charming, bittersweet slice-of-life story about two very mature students in junior high falling in love like the teenagers they are. If you have a soft spot for subtle (not to mention adorable) romance, you’re going to have to read this in November 2014!
• THE ANGEL OF ELHAMBURG by Aki – In this beautiful standalone volume, a close friendship between a king blessed by a strange angel and his knight begins to crumble under the weight of jealousy and contempt when a woman, and soon her child, comes between them. We love Aki with a burning passion here at Yen, so we’re beyond excited to be adding the gorgeousness of THE ANGEL OF ELHAMBURG to our Spring 2015 list!

Well, that really does do it for our Sakura-Con 2014 announcements! We’ll be sure to bring you more awesome next year! If you’re at the con, do come by and say hello! We always love to meet our fans!