With the holidays right around the corner and an epic line up of new releases from Yen Press dropping throughout the month, now is a great time to dive into some excellent titles, add to your TBR list, and do some shopping for the manga nerds in your life! These are the November Yen Press releases you won’t want to miss!
THE TITLES YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS
The two stand out titles this month are drastically different in tone but both have beautiful, realistic narratives set in high schools! The third and final volume of the heartbreaking and honest series She Likes Gays, but Not Me by Akira Hirahara and Naoto Asahara (Nov.26th) concludes the brutal yet hopeful story of recently outed high schooler Andou as he begins to push forward following the unraveling of his life at the hands of his bullies. This three part series is stunning and though it’s not for the faint of heart, it’s well worth the read. The second title you simply must pick up is the darling new series April Showers Bring May Flowers by Roku Sakura (Nov. 26th) which I ate up. I laughed, I said “same”, and fell madly in love with these sweet characters. A darling coming of age story about high school freshman Hana who believes she’s the class ‘uggo’ and her meet-cute with the most popular boy in her class, this sweet shoujo-inspired story about feeling like a secondary character in everyone else’s narrative has me hooked and I can’t wait for volume two next year!
WE LOVE BOYS’ LOVE
Anyone who’s been around CBY and these Yen Press lists for a while knows that I love my BL, which is why the small selection of new releases I got in my review box were the first things I picked up to read. While these three titles really weren’t my favorites, they definitely have charm and would be a great addition to any BL reader’s library. The highly anticipated first print volume of the wildly popular webtoon series Semantic Error (Nov. 19th) arrived from the IZE imprint and the full color volume spans several chapters (well over 300 pages) with some really top tier printing and design work. Fans of the series will want this edition ASAP!
In the world of manga, there are two new one-shots to keep an eye out for. All or Nothing by Shikke (Nov. 19th) is a college slice-of-life story about four friends dealing with newly developed queer relationships, and Praised Me When I’m A Good Boy by Yodaka Kuroi (Nov.19th) which follows a high school teacher who reunites with one of his former students and begins a Sub/Dom relationship that has a unique spin on the Omegaverse genre that I’m sure long-time fans will find to be a breath of fresh air. And finally, fans of the world-wide phenomenon Sasaki and Miyano by Shou Harusono will absolutely adore the newly released Candy (Nov.19th), which is an over-sided artbook featuring illustrations, notes, and behind the scenes of Shou’s manga. It’s hands-down one of the most beautiful artbooks I’ve ever seen.
SLICE-OF-LIFE GOODNESS
Lots of cozy and lazy-day vibes to curl up with this month with some darling artwork, loveable characters, and heartwarming stories! The first volume of the new series Mono by Afro (Nov.19th) is about failing high school clubs banning together to keep their favorite hobbies alive by traveling across Japan, inpsiring a manga artist with their journeys in the process. This is a great series for fans of Azumanga Daioh and Laid-Back Camp. The sixth and final volume of the office romance webtoon What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim (a CBY favorite) by MyeongMi Kim and Gyeong Yun Jeong (Nov.19th) is an excellent excuse to grab the entire series for yourself or the romance fanatic in your life, as this one is hard to put down once you start it. A new spin-off of the sci-fi series 86-Eighty Six called 86-Eighty Six: Operation High School by Suzume Somemiya (Nov.4th) continues the story in an almost AU style with a high school arc that showcases the heroes living a peaceful life as normal students as the grim battlefields from the original series become a thing of the past.
THE SUPERNATURAL SIDE OF LIFE
Two supernatural-heavy titles to add to your TBR arrived this month! The first volume of Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring vol.1 by Nappa Komatsuda, Kana Akatsuki, and Suho (Nov.19th) is a beautiful mythology-filled series about humans who act as representatives for each of the seasons, traveling alongside their protectors to spread the change across the country. Following the failed Agent of Spring, Lady Hinagiku, as she attempts to undo the mess she made ten years prior, she must find her footing and courage again among the other Agents who have upheld their duties in her absence. But the one I definitely want to put on your radar is the oversized Dracula’s on the Night Shift by Tsukumo Asakusa, Satoshi Wagahara, and Aco Arisaka (Nov.19th). This almost 450 page omnibus follows Yura, a vampire who works the graveyard shift at a convenience store, who one day saves a woman named Iris who turns out to be a hunter of occult creatures! Through ridiculous circumstances, Iris becomes his roommate and the two must start hunting evil phantoms together! This manga is such a delight to read and will be a new favorite and comfort title for fans of spooky-cute slice-of-life stories. Don’t miss out on this one!
OTHER TITLES TO LOOK OUT FOR
While these are just the titles I was able to read early (thanks YP), Yen Press’ full list of releases for November is a sight to behold! Here are some of their other titles you should keep an eye out for that are either out or on their way!
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I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time, Vol. 4 – light novel (Nov.5th)
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A Business Proposal, vol.7 (Nov.19th)
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Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture, vol.5 (Nov.19th)
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Brunhild the Dragon Slayer, vol.1 (Nov.19th)
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Cheeky Brat, vol.12 (Nov.19th)
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Festival of Heresies – light novel (Nov.19th)
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Horror Collector, vol.5 – light novel (Nov.19th)
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I Cannot Reach You, vol.8 (Nov.19th)
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Solo Leveling, vol.10 (Nov.19th)
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The Teen Exorcist, vol.1 (Nov.19th)
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Oshi no Ko, vol.8 (Nov.19th)
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Adult’s Picture Book: New Edition, vol.3 (Nov.26th)
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A Sinner of the Deep Sea, vol.2 (Nov.26th)
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CLAMP Premium Collection Tokyo Babylon, vol.5 (Nov.26th)
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GOGOGOGO-GO-GHOST!, vol.2 (Nov.26th)
