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Yen Press Licenses Goblin Slayer! Dark Fantasy Light Novel, Manga Series

Publishing news website Publishers Weekly announced on Friday that Yen Press has licensed author Kumo Kagyu and illustrator Noboru Kannatsuki's Goblin Slayer fantasy light novel series, as well as Kōsuke Kurose's manga adaptation of the series.

Yen Press will publish the manga simultaneously with its Japanese release on May 25, and then will publish the first light novel volume in December.

Publishers Weekly also revealed in the article more information regarding Kadokawa's recent purchase of a 51% stake in Yen Press. Under the new Yen Press, LLC company, Yen Press will still license manga and light novels from other publishers aside from Kadokawa, and Kadokawa will still license its works to publishers other than Yen Press. However, Yen Press will have a "first-and-last-look" option to license Kadokawa's manga.

Under the new joint venture, Hachette's Yen Press imprint split off from being a completely-owned Hachette Book Group company, and is now jointly owned by Hachette and Kadokawa, with Hachette having a 49% stake in Yen Press, LLC. The new joint venture launched this month.

SB Creative published the first volume of the Goblin Slayer dark fantasy novel series (pictured above right) on February 15 in Japan, and the second volume shipped on Saturday. Kagyu and Kannatsuki originally published the series online. The series centers on a man who desires to become an "adventurer," but insists on only killing goblins. The story begins with a female priest who has just joined a party, but quickly gets in trouble. She is saved by the man known as the "Goblin Slayer," a man who is ranked Gold (third highest) in his local guild in subduing goblins. In the story, he says, "I won't save the world, I just kill goblins." After hearing rumors about him, a female elf approaches him with a request.

Kurose (The Idolm@ster Neue Green for Dearly Stars) will launch the manga adaptation (pictured left in image below) in the June issue of Square Enix's Big Gangan magazine on May 25. The chapter will have an opening color page.

Thanks to Dessa for the news tip.

Source: Publishers Weekly; Brigid Alverson