Looking Ahead to 2024

2023 was quite the year! It was one in which we saw Ize Press take the world of Korean comics by storm and one in which we made an appearance at a convention nearly every month (our bodies are still feeling the pain…). In these first few days of 2024, I can only imagine what the year has in store for us, but with several exciting new releases on the horizon, it’s already shaping up to be a great one!

Let’s look at some of our most highly anticipated titles and series for 2024 in a few fan-favorite categories!

Manga

While we at Yen Press now are known for a wide variety of books, including light novels, Korean comics, and audiobooks, many of you learned about us from our contributions to the world of manga. We pride ourselves on not only being one of the biggest publishers of manga in the English-reading world, but rather that is responsible for delivering an eclectic mix of seriesfor you all to enjoy. Here are a few to keep an eye out for.

Ako and Bambi

by HERO

When amateur novelist Bambi moves into a new, cheap place, he’s shocked to find it’s already occupied—by the ghost of a high school girl. With one amnesiac ghost girl Ako haunting the apartment, the stories practically write themselves! But as the days pass and they get closer, he starts wondering exactly who she is…and what she is to him. From the author of Horimiyacomes a sweet slice-of-life that transcends the boundaries of life and death!

Ako and Bambi, Vol. 1 is coming to print and digital February 2024.

Taking Care of God

Art by Jun Yokoyama

Original Story by Cixin Liu

Character Design by Golo

Editorial Supervision by Future Affairs Administration

One strange day, roughly twenty thousand otherworldly spaceships flew into stable orbit around the Earth. After six months with no contact from the mysterious spacecrafts, in a certain Asian village, a young girl named Zhihan 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 the popular Chinese sci-fi author Cixin Liu!

Taking Care of God is coming to print and digital February 2024.

She Likes Gays, but Not Me

Art by Naoto Asahara

Story by Akira Hirahara

Based on the critically acclaimed novel. High schooler Atsushi Andou has always hidden the fact that he’s gay. But one day, he sees his classmate Sae Miura with a BL book—a small moment with major consequences. Atsushi longs for a “normal” happiness with a loving wife and a biological child, but what can he do when he’s not turned on by women?

She Likes Gays, but Not Me, Vol. 1 is coming to print and digital May 2024.

Novels

Our Yen On imprint continues to be a force to be reckoned with, not only bringing you the hottest light novels from Japan but also several amazing works of literary fiction! With many of the most iconic light novel series that inspired your favorite anime available in English, be sure to check out the Yen On series that will be the next big thing, as well as a few compelling and emotional novels that just might bring you to tears…

Amalgam Hound

Story by Midori Komai

Illustration by Domino Ozaki

Theo, a young investigator, crosses paths with Eleven, an Amalgam perfectly mimicking the form of a girl. In a strange twist of fate, the two become partners on a special mission to track down other Amalgams on the run after the war. However, Eleven only looks like a young girl. She’s a living weapon who doesn’t understand what it means to be human. Theo has no love for Amalgams, but he’ll have to deal with it because a terrorist attack has rocked the nation to its core, and someone needs to get to the bottom of it!

Amalgam Hound, Vol. 1 is coming to print and digital March 2024. 

Brunhild the Dragonslayer

Story by Yuiko Agarizaki

Illustration by Aoaso

Eden… A place of perfection… A place where man and beast live side by side in harmony… Eden’s protector, the silver dragon, regularly visits retribution upon those who would bring harm to paradise. But when the dragon discovers a human girl on the shores of Eden, he decides to raise her as his own. He teaches her that if she is to be welcomed into God’s Kingdom after death, she must not harbor hatred in her heart. But when the dragon’s life is mercilessly snuffed out by human machinations, the girl must choose whether to heed the dragon’s dying wish and stay the course of righteousness…or walk a path of vengeance.

Brunhild the Dragonslayer, Vol. 1 is coming to print and digital May 2024.

The God of Nishi-Yuigahama Station

Story by Takeshi Murase

On the first day of spring, a train derails, causing numerous deaths. Two months later, rumors spread of a ghost at Nishi-Yuigahama Station with the power to send others back in time to the day of the terrible accident. The story attracts a woman who lost her fiancé, a man who lost his father, and a boy who lost his unrequited love. A chance to go back, to see those dear to them, seems almost too good to be true. What will they do now that they have it?

 

The God of Nishi-Yuigahama Station is coming to print and digital May 2024

 

Boys Love

If there is any category that has risen to new heights like none other these past few years, it’s Boys Love. We at Yen Press absolutely adore Boys Love—it can be said that we’ve loved Boys Love for years. We’ve not only been responsible for some of the most iconic works of Boys Love manga, such as Sasaki and Miyano, but we’ve also started bringing great Boys Love novels, such as You Can Have My Back, to English readers in the past year. What’s coming next?

The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter (light novel)

Story by Yatsuki Wakatsu

Illustration by Kikka Ohashi

Seiichirou Kondou is a twenty-nine-year-old accountant and major workaholic. When he’s accidentally transported to another world, not only does he demand a job, but he also starts whipping the lackadaisical Royal Accounting Department into shape! But when he gets in over his head and nearly dies from overwork, the handsome Commander Aresh steps in to save him, and the two develop a unique physical relationship…as a form of medical treatment?! 

The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter, Vol. 1 (light novel) is coming to print and digital February 2024.

All or Nothing

by Shikke

When their friends Kadoi and Hasumoto reveal that they’ve been dating for a whole month, Oka and Mao are more jealous that their friends have lovers than anything else. So when the change in their friends’ relationship causes them to be more conscious of each other, they can’t help but wonder what it’d be like with each other—in more ways than one…

All or Nothing is coming to print and digital April 2024.

Fox-Colored Jealousy

by Machi Suehiro

The first day they met was on the train. While Akiha Konno was on his way to his first day of school in Tokyo, some creep just had to touch his butt… Thankfully, the nice college guy saved him, but, uhhh…Akiha really didn’t mean to just glomp him like that! Worse, he called the fox ears that appear when he’s all worked up “cute”! Welp, it’s not like he’ll ever see him again…

Fox-Colored Jealousy is coming to print and digital April 2024.

Anime Tie-Ins

So we’ve got a bit of a unique category here. Each of the following series has already been released, one of them being among the most iconic works published by Yen Press. But as much as we look forward to publishing new books in English for the first time, we also look forward to new anime that bring some of our favorite stories to new life and new audiences. Here’s a few that we can’t wait to see!

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian

Story by Sunsunsun

Illustration by Momoco

Alisa Mikhailovna Kujou is Seirei Private Academy’s “solitary princess.” She’s a half-Russian beauty with silver hair, at the top of her class, student council accountant, and…completely unapproachable. For some reason, she’s also taken on the responsibility of reprimanding the slacker who sits next to her in class. Masachika Kuze is constantly frustrating her by falling asleep, forgetting his textbooks, and just being an overall unexemplary student. Or at least, that’s how it looks from the outside. She may put on a tough act, but she doesn’t mind Masachika as much as others would think. She even lets him call her by her nickname, Alya. Anyone hearing the comments she mutters in Russian under her breath might know how she really feels, but since none of her classmates understand the language, she’s free to say whatever she likes! Except…there is one person who knows what she’s saying. Masachika eavesdrops on her embarrassing revelations, pretending to be clueless, all the while wondering what her flirtatious comments actually mean!

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian, Vols. 1–4 are available now in print and digital.

Unnamed Memory

Story by Kuji Furumiya

Illustration by chibi

“My wish as champion is for you to descend the tower and be my wife.” Climbing a deadly tower, Oscar seeks the power of its master, the Witch of the Azure Moon. He hopes her incredible magic can break a curse that will kill any woman he takes for a wife. When the prince sees how beautiful Tinasha is, though, he has a better idea—since she’s surely strong enough to survive his curse, she should just marry him instead! Tinasha isn’t keen on the idea, but agrees to live with Oscar in the royal castle for a year while researching the spell placed on the prince. The witch’s pretty face hides several lifetimes of dark secrets, however—secrets that begin resurfacing…

Unnamed Memory, Vols. 1–6 (light novel) are available now in print and digital. Also available are Vols. 1–3 of the manga adaptation.

Black Butler

by Yana Toboso

Translated by: Tomo Kimura

Just a stone’s throw from London lies the manor house of the illustrious Phantomhive earldom, its master one Ciel Phantomhive. Earl Phantomhive is a giant in the world of commerce, Queen Victoria’s faithful servant…and a slip of a twelve-year-old boy. Fortunately, his loyal butler, Sebastian, is ever at his side, ready to carry out the young master’s wishes. And whether Sebastian is called to save a dinner party gone awry or probe the dark secrets of London’s underbelly, there is practically nothing Sebastian cannot do. In fact, one might even say Sebastian is too good to be true…or at least, he is too good to be human…

Black Butler, Vols. 1–32 are available now in print and digital.

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With so many great titles coming out in 2024, it was tough choosing which ones to feature! We hope you enjoyed reading this wrap-up and find it as a helpful starting point to check out the many great books we have in store for you this year.