THE JULY 2023 YEN PRESS RELEASES YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS

We love Yen Press (@YenPress) here at Comic Book Yeti and their incredible line up of new releases for the month of July have been some of the best I've read this year! It's also an insane amount of titles all released on the same day, so it can get a bit overwhelming to figure out what to grab! From haunting debuts to familiar faces, these are the must-read titles you won't want to miss. And, as always, thank you to Yen Press for the amazing care package and letting me delve into these titles before they hit shelves!

The Summer Hikaru Died, vol.1

THE TITLE YOU CAN'T MISS

My number one recommendation for the month of July is the first volume of the highly anticipated The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumokuren. This title immediately captured my attention from the first moment I saw the cover back in May, and it was the first manga I read after I opened my Yen Press box because I had been anxiously waiting for it. It did not disappoint!

It is a chilling masterpiece of slow building tension and unease that will leave you haunted and desperate for more. When this image shows up on page SIX, you know you're in for an absolute treat and I can easily say that The Summer Hikaru Died has shot up to one of my top favorites releases this year. Do not sleep on this one.

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, vol.18

FAN-FAVORITE FACES

July saw plenty of returning titles with an array of excellent installments in series both long running and new. Vol. 32 of Black Butler and vol.13 of A Terrified Teacher At Ghoul School! released on the 18th and brought back familiar and beloved characters and stories, while the new superhero series Shy's 3rd volume and the 4th and final volume of the brutal modern horror Can't Stop Cursing You also hit shelves the same day (Yen Press was busy last Tuesday!).

Perhaps the most anticipated of all, however, was the excellent 18th volume of Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun which was one of the best the series has ever offered. The action, the world building, and the reunion we've all been waiting for makes this one you won't want to miss. Plus, it finally happens, y'all! IYKYK.

I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World, Vol. 1

FANTASTIC FANTASIES

July also saw an awesome collection of new fantasy titles with a wide range of story elements and magical properties. My Mate Is A Feline Gentleman was the only BL title in my box and it has an interesting take on the Omegaverse that was fresh and unique. Though it does suffer from some of the typical issues that most one-shots do (i.e. a lot of lore and not enough pages to explore it), it's an interesting alternate history title that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Secrets of the Silent Witch is the manga adaptation of a light novel series of the same name that I enjoyed reading due to its an adorable art style and introverted protagonist. The unique take on magic and the reason our heroine has mastered casting spells without words due to her shyness is super cute.

The stand-out new release is I Want To Be A Receptionist In This Magical World, which I had an absolute blast reading and can't wait for volume 2, I already pre-ordered it! It mixes coming of age school days with a unique magic system based on the user's souls and it features a protagonist who wants to become a receptionist. It's so wholesome and a great summer read. All three of these titles also released on the 18th!

What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?, vol.2

WONDERFUL WEBTOONS

Yen Press is becoming the go-to publisher for high-quality print editions of beloved webtoons* and two new volumes were released on the 18th that are excellent additions to your library! The first volume of KyungRan Parks' Imitation (the webtoon is on TappyToon if anyone is interested!) is a colorful 200+ page introductory volume. It follows a member of an obscure idol group who accidentally embarrasses herself on a popular talk show and becomes scrutinized by a member of a top male idol group. The art style is a bit unusual but it has so much charm and heart I wasn't able to put it down.

And, of course, if you've been following these Yen Press coverage reviews regularly you'll know that I became obsessed with MyeongMi Kim and GyeongYun Jeong's What's Wrong With Secretary Kim? back in April and I was elated to see vol.2 in my box! This volume was excellent, I couldn't put it down, and I legitimately screamed when it ended because the build-up and cliffhanger was too much to handle. This is by far my favorite manhwa* title right now and everything from the printing quality to the size of the volume makes it well worth the price. This is a must-read series for office drama and romcom fans.

Saint? No! I'm Just a Passing Beast Tamer!: The Invincible Saint and the Quest for Fluff, vol.1

OH MY, ISEKAI!

Surprisingly, July only had one new isekai* title release this month and man, it is something else. Coming in with the most isekai title I've ever seen, the first volume of Saint? No! I'm Just A Passing Beast Tamer!: The Invincible Saint and The Quest For Fluff is a wild ride of a story about a young girl who grew up sick and died without ever knowing the joy of touching a cute fluffy animal.

So, when she gets reincarnated into a magical world where animals are only friendly to beast tamers, Kanata Aldezia does everything in her power to become a beast tamer so she can cuddle all of the cute, fluffy animals she can find! It's insane and I loved every minute of it. And, you guessed it, it also dropped on the 18th!

SOME LIGHT READING

And finally, for those of you who want less pictures in you reading experience, Yen Press dropped two new books under their Yen On division (also released on the 18th! I hope the YP team took a break after this mega-launch) that are worth picking up. The light novelization of Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop is an excellent summer cozy read. I read the entire thing in one sitting and, after reading the first volume of the manga last month, I was pleased to get the same vibes and warm fuzzy feelings from the light novel!

If you're looking for something a bit more intense, definitely grab a copy of The Samurai and The Prisoner by Honobu Yonezawa, marking the prolific and award-winning mystery author's English language debut. This intriguing and thought provoking historical fiction novel set in the age of prolific daimyō Oda Nobunaga. It's a stunning hardbound book that blends fact with fiction, and is a perfect example of why all of my favorite detective stories come from Japanese authors.

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The image(s) used in this article are from a comic strip, webcomic or the cover or interior of a comic book. The copyright for this image(s) is likely owned by either the publisher of the comic, the writer(s) and/or artist(s) who produced the comic. It is believed that the use of this image(s) qualifies as fair use under the United States copyright law. The image is used in a limited fashion in an educational manner in order to illustrate the points of the author and not for the purpose of entertainment or substituting the original work. It is believed the use of this image has had no impact on the market value of the original work. All images taken from the Google Books previews of the titles, provided by Yen Press.

All Yen Press characters and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof are trademarks of and copyright Yen Press or their respective owners. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

*webtoon is the term used for scrolling digital comics originating from South Korea, not to be confused with the platform WEBTOON

*manhwa is the South Korean term for print comics, like manga

*isekai is a massively popular genre where a normal human is reincarnated or transported into a magical world.