The manga announcements continue as Yen Press announced today that it will publish a Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun art book.

Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun is one of the most popular non-Viz manga in print right now; the first volume has consistently been in the BookScan Top 20 for over a year, and the series took second place on our list of manga with the best dollars-to-unit-sales ratio (see “Most Efficient Manga Series for Retailer Shelves”). Yen has already licensed a sequel, After-School Hanako-Kun, and now they have licensed an art book, Aidalro Illustrations: Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun. The book includes all the color Hanako-Kun illustrations that ran in Monthly GFantasy from 2015 to 2019, plus images of merchandise and promotional art. It is scheduled for November release.

Seven Seas also had a high-profile announcement with Robo Sapiens: Tales of Tomorrow by Toranosuke Shimada, which won the Division Grand Prize at the 2020 Japan Media Arts Festival. The science fiction story is set in the future, when artificial intelligence has advanced to the point where robots are thriving and humans are starting to fall behind; this is similar concept to Mark Russell and Mike Deodato Jr.’s Not All Robots, which is about to launch from AWA (see “Mark Russell and Mike Deodato Jr. Team Up on ‘Not All Robots’”). Robo Sapiens was released in Japan as two volumes but Seven Seas will publish it as a large-trim, two-in-one omnibus in November 2021 with an MSRP of $19.99.

Here’s a look at the other manga that have been announced over the past few weeks. 

From Seven Seas:

The Country Without Humans by IWATOBINEKO is a sci-fi tale about a girl who is the only human left in a world filled with mechanical creatures; she is pursued by one robot and aided by another. (December 2021, $12.99)

My Next Life as a Villainess Side Story: On the Verge of Doom! by Satoru Yamaguchi, nishi, and Nami Hidaka is a spinoff of the manga and light novel series My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! Seven Seas already publishes the manga of the main story, J-Novel Club publishes the light novels digitally, and the anime streams on Crunchyroll. The side story imagines a different scenario for Kararina Claes, the main character. (December 2021, $12.99)

Reincarnated as a Sword: Another Wish by Yuu Tanaka and Hinako Inoue is a spinoff of the Reincarnated as a Sword manga and light novels, both of which are published by Seven Seas. (January 2022, $12.99)

THE EXO-DRIVE REINCARNATION GAMES: All-Japan Isekai Battle Tournament! by Keiso and zunta is a parody of isekai manga in which contestants vie to have the best death and reincarnation story. (November 2021, $12.99)

Reborn as a Barrier Master by Kataoka Naotaro, Souichi, and Shizuki Hitomi is an isekai series about a young man who is reborn as a child who will be sold into slavery, but instead is taken in by a noble family and trained to be a powerful magic guardian. (October 2021, $12.99) 

Succubus and Hitman by Makoto Fukami and Seigo Tokiya (the creators of Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka) is a dark fantasy story about a man who was murdered and now inhabits someone else’s body and in addition to that is haunted by a succubus who has tasked him with killing humans so she can devour their souls. (December 2021, $13.99)

Magaimono: Super Magic Action Entertainment by Kami Imai is a supernatural action story about a high school girl on the run from a shadowy government agency. (October 2021, $12.99)

The Savior’s Book Cafe Story in Another World by Kyouka Izumi, Oumiya, and Reiko Sakurada is an isekai tale about a woman who is reincarnated as the savior of another world but decides she’s rather not, so she opens a book cafe instead. Of course, she ends up getting drawn into battle anyway. (November 2021, $12.99)

The Dragon Knight’s Beloved by Asagi Orikawa and Ritsu Aozaki is a josei (young women) fantasy tale about a woman who becomes a dragon master for an earl. (December 2021, $12.99)

Necromance by Yuuki Doumoto is a fantasy romance about a hero who is defeated by the demon lord and condemned to undeath. He is in love with a priestess but cannot touch her, so he heads out to face down the demon lord and remove the curse. (October 2021, $12.99)

The additional manga licensed by Yen Press, all scheduled for November 2021, are

The Hero Laughs While Walking the Path of Vengeance a Second Time by Kizuka Nero and by Yamo Yomoya is a double isekai story: The main character was reincarnated as a hero but was betrayed and killed by his party, so when he is reincarnated a second time, he returns bent on revenge.

Let This Grieving Soul Retire by Tsukikage, Rai Hebino, and Chiko is a comedy about a young man who vows to be the world’s strongest hero and belatedly realizes he doesn’t have what it takes. Tsukikage is the creator of the light novel series Defeating the Demon Lord’s a Cinch (If You’ve Got a Ringer) and The King of the Dead at the Dark Palace, both licensed by Yen On.

The Splendid Work of a Monster Maid by Yugata Tanabe follows a masterless phantom who finds herself in a demon world, working as a maid alongside an undead woman and an android, and trying to get back to her former world. 

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Wraith Arc by Magica Quartet and Hanokae is the latest spinoff of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica franchise, this one set between the original story and Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion and set in a world where the witches have disappeared and wraiths steal emotions from the remaining humans.

Click Gallery for cover images