Yen Press 2018 Holiday Gift Guide!

Welcome to the Yen Press 2018 Official Gift Guide!

We're feeling festive for the upcoming holidays and wanted to make a special guide to help fans navigate through this exciting time! Whether you're trying to gift an avid fan, readers who are new to the world of manga & light novels, or need some inspiration, we've got you covered!  

 

WHERE TO START?

 

  Those who haven’t read manga may often feel overwhelmed with so many options out there. Here are some great starting points for readers to the genre! Delicious in Dungeon When there’s nothing to eat in the dungeon, what else is there to do but turn in monsters into gourmands?! Volumes 1-6 in stores now! Yotsuba&! Come play with the adorable Yotsuba as she makes friends in a new house waaaaaay over there! The beloved series recently returned with Volume 14 out now! A Bride’s Story Crafted in painstaking detail, award-winning author Kaoru Mori breathes life into the scenery and architecture of the period in this heart-warming, slice-of-life tale. This gorgeous series is now available in digital and print with Volumes 1-10 available today! Fruits Basket & Fruits Basket Another One of the bestselling franchises returns to print in gorgeous deluxe English-language omnibus editions with beautiful full-color illustrations that are not to be missed. A  brand new anime has been announced for the series, which excited a generation of readers looking forward to revisit one of the biggest shoujo series of all time! The collector's edition is now complete with omnibus Volume editions 1-12 in stores now, and Fruits Basket Another is currently ongoing with Volume 1& 2 available today! Black Butler There’s nothing butler Sebastian Michaelis can’t do, be it save a dinner party or investigate the darkest secrets of London…but is he too good to be human. The series has 27 volumes to date, and continues to maintain a strong following and collect new fans every day!  

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO LIGHT NOVELS

 

  Light novels are fiction for entertainment that offer a world’s difference in detail than its manga counterpart. If your reader really loves expansive world-building and deep, thoughtful character development, they’ll find a whole new plane of lush detail in this enticing format! Overlord Momonaga used to have a boss. . .now he is the final boss in Yggdrasil—a game world made real! The third anime season of this popular series just ended, and skyrocketed demand for the books! Volumes 1-8 of the light novel are available now! Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? A would-be hero turns damsel in distress in this hilarious send up of sword and sorcery tropes! Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? has inspired a mobile game, an anime adaptation, and multiple spin-off stories. Volumes 1-13 of the light novel are out now! No Game No Life In a world where games decide everything--even national borders--a genius brother-sister duo aim to put their gamesmanship to the test...to save humanity! Volumes 1-7 in stores now! Spice & Wolf Merchant meets wolf! A disgruntled goddess joins a traveling merchant in this bestselling novel series from Yen Press. Also available as an anime, with a VR season in the works, Volumes 1-20 of the light novel are available today! My Youth Romantic Comedy is Wrong, As I Expected One of the bestselling light novel franchises in Japan brings high school cynicism face-to-face with youthful enthusiasm in this bittersweet comedy of errors! Volumes 1-6 in stores now!  

GIFTS FOR GAMERS

    Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks? What would you do if you got transported into a video game...with your mom?! A new kind of momcom roleplaying adventure begins! Released on November 13th, 2019, Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks has become a sensational hit among fans, and was just announced to receive an anime adaptation in the coming year! Volume 1 is in stores now! Sword Art Online Fall into the world of Sword Art Online, a VRMMORPG like no other! Since the inception of it's localization in 2013, Sword Art Online has taken off as a mega franchise, extending from light novels, manga, several spinoff series, art books, video games, and anime adaptations! Season 3 of the series is streaming now adapting the Alicization arc of the series, and fans are LOVING it. Volumes 1-15 of the light novel available now! Angels of Death When Rachel Gardner wakes up in the basement of an unfamiliar building, she finds herself in realm of murderers looking for a thrill of a kill! This series first premiered as an indie game on STEAM in 2016, and was later adapted as a manga in 2017, and an anime in 2018! Volumes 1-5 of the manga in stores now! Final Fantasy Lost Stranger When two siblings fall into the world of Final Fantasy, will their knowledge of the game shield them from danger?! Perfect for both existing of the series, and new readers, anyone who has ever dreamed of being reborn into their favorite video game will be charmed by Final Fantasy Lost Stranger. Volume 1 is now available in stores, and monthly simulpub chapters published every month on the same day as Japan! Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix Getting ready for Kingdom Hearts III? Go back to the beginning of the story with Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix! Our manga adaptations are faithful to the games, and a great option for fans looking for options of refreshing on the series for the upcoming release of Kingdom Hearts III! Volumes 1 & 2 available now!  

FROM BOOKS TO ANIME!

    That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime After dying at the hands of a robber, lonely thirty-seven-year-old Satoru Mikami awakens to a fresh start in a fantasy realm. . .as a slime monster!? Ranking as the second most popular anime for the Fall 2018 season, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is a shining addition to the isekai genre! Volumes 1-4 of the light novel available now! Kemono Friends Welcome to Japari Park! On an island of animal-human hybrids, friendship and laughter. Based on the sleeper hit anime that took Japan by storm! Watch out for the return of this hit anime with season 2 premiering in the new Winter 2019 season! Goblin Slayer A young priestess is rescued by an enigmatic warrior called Goblin Slayer—with a mission to exterminate all goblins—by any means necessary. There's no telling where the journey will go! The wildly popular series is available both in the light novel and manga format, and has inspired an anime adaptation and 2 spinoff series! Volumes 1-5 of the light novel, and Volumes 1-4 of the manga are available now! Stay up to date with our monthly simulpub chapters that release on the same day as Japan! As Beelzebub Likes Beelzebub commands fear and respect throughout Pandemonium. What her underlings don't realize, though, is that she's a complete airhead! This cute series received an anime adaptation in the early Fall, and is still airing! Read the source material with Volumes 1-4 available now! Kakegurui Hyakkaou Private Academy—an institution for the privileged. When you're the sons and daughters of the wealthiest of the wealthy, it's gambling that keep you ahead! Season 2 of this cult anime is premiering in the Winter 2019! Keep ahead of the game with Volumes 1-7 out now, and monthly simulpub chapters! Mark your calendar for the highly anticipated spinoff Kakegurui Twin releasing on February 19, 2019!  

ROMANCE TO GET YOU THROUGH THE WINTER

    Mermaid Boys The mermaid prince falls in love with a human girl…but getting her to fall for him might not be so easy! Volumes 1-3 out now! Hatsu*Haru Riko isn’t Kai’s usual type of girl: short-tempered, scary, and can (has) easily beat him up. So when he finds out her secret, one-sided crush, it’s not his concern…right? Volumes 1-4 out now! Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts A young girl is raised to be the sacrificial meal for the Beast King…but the king is not the monster he seems. Volumes 1-4 out now! One Week Friends Kaori Fujimiya has a secret: every week her memories reset. Yuuki Hase desperately wants to be friends with her, but is he prepared for how much it will hurt to be one-week friends? Volumes 1-5 out now! Love at Fourteen Kanata Tanaka and Kazuki Yoshikawa are mature beyond their years, but fresh in the throes of puberty, adolescence...and the persistent, bittersweet pangs of first love. Volumes 1-8 out now!  

OUT OF THIS WORLD READS!

    So I’m a Spider, So What? (light novel) A normal high school girl has many dreams. . . but getting reborn as a spider?! Worst. Reincarnation. Ever. Volumes 1-4 of the light novel and manga out now! I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level Overworked Azusa finds herself reincarnated in another world. She vows to spend her days as lax as possible…until rumors break that she’s OP! Volume 1-3 of the light novel out now! Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! Game loving shut-in Kazuma is reborn into a parallel world that’s threatened by a growing evil. Things couldn’t get any worse. . . until he’s teamed up with a goddess who’s totally useless! Volumes 1-7 of the light novel and manga out now! The Hero and His Bride Open a Pizza Parlor in Another World Kaito is given a unique opportunity to be reborn in an alternate world as a new “hero” class. . .who knew pizza could save the world!? This standalone volume is available now! Re: Zero –Starting Life in Another World – Subaru Natsuki was summoned to another world, but he realizes he’s gained the most inconvenient magical ability of all—time travel through the means of dying!? Volumes 1-8 of the light novel are out now! The manga is also available with 12 volumes currently in stores now!  

LOVE IS LOVE!

    The Betrayal Knows My Name Yuki possesses the strange ability to read the deepest, darkest thoughts of anyone he touches. When a beautiful man named "Zess" appears, his face tugs on Yuki’s memories… The series is now complete with Volumes 1-8 available now! A Polar Bear in Love When Mr. Polar Bear declares his love for ‘Lil Seal, the seal’s main worry is…will he be eaten by a polar bear?! Volumes 1-4 out now! Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl Two girls, a new school, and the beginnings of something more…? Volumes 1-7 in stores now! Éclair An anthology of girls in love, the sweet romances will leave you breathless and heart warmed. Catch this anthology in stores today!  

COLLECTOR'S TREASURE TROVE

    PandoraBox A must-have for collectors, this deluxe, limited edition boxed set compiles the full twenty-four volumes of the original PandoraHearts, and is sure leave your loved one breathless! Limited quantity left! Links below: Amazon | Barnes & Noble Erased The source material of the breathtaking anime series gets its own, deluxe English language release at last! Get this beautiful collection with the complete series (Volume 1-5) in stores today! And watch out for Kei Sanbe's upcoming mystery-thriller, For the Kid I Saw in My Dreams, available on January 22, 2019! Emma Kaoru Mori's EMMA, a modern manga classic, brings Victorian England to life in painstaking detail. Now available digitally and in print, get the entire collection today! Print edition includes 5 omnibus volumes, and the digital edition is complete in 9 single volumes! Sword Art Online Art Book Collect this gorgeous compilation from the artist of mega-hit franchise Sword Art Online, with featured illustrations from the first nine volumes, magazines, character designs for the anime, and more! Links below! Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Indigo | Indiebound | RightStuf This wraps it up for the holiday gift guide! We hope you found some great gifts for your loved ones, and look forward to seeing you in the new year! Stay tuned to our social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) for more holiday giveaways, goodies, and more throughout this week and next! Happy holidays!