Anime Expo Announces Mokumokuren as Guest of Honor

The Creator of The Summer Hikaru Died to Attend Anime Expo 2025
NEW YORK, NY — Thursday, May 29 — Anime Expo, the largest anime convention in the United States, held annually in Los Angeles, CA, announced the attendance of Mokumokuren, the creator behind the Eisner Award–nominated manga series The Summer Hikaru Died, as a Guest of Honor at this year's event. An evocative and eerie supernatural horror, The Summer Hikaru Died blends a coming-of-age story with themes of grief and belonging, all told through Mokumokuren's stunning visual style, making it a bestselling series for publisher Yen Press since its English-language debut in 2023. In May 2024, it was announced that Netflix would be adapting the series into an anime, which is set to premiere summer 2025. The recent release of the trailer has propelled the series even further, making it one of the most anticipated releases of the summer anime season.

Anime Expo 2025 marks Mokumokuren's first visit to a North American convention. Fans of the beloved series will have an opportunity to hear from Mokumokuren on a guest panel hosted by Yen Press, meet the creator through signings facilitated by Anime Expo, and participate in the North American premiere of the first episode of The Summer Hikaru Died on Friday, July 4.

Anime Expo takes place in Los Angeles, CA, from July 3 to 6. For more information, visit https://www.anime-expo.org/.

About Mokumokuren
Mokumokuren is a manga creator who made their serial debut with the series The Summer Hikaru Died. Their compelling work, which artistically injects horror into a coming-of-age story, has been one of the most discussed manga series on social media, and less than a year after the start of its serialization, it won first place in the male reader's category of Takarajimasha's This Manga is Amazing! list in 2023 and won 11th place in the Manga Taisho that same year. Mokumokuren's breathtaking work has been adapted into various media, including a novel and a Netflix-exclusive anime series.

About Yen Press, LLC
­­Yen Press, LLC, is a joint venture between Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. Founded in 2006, Yen Press has quickly risen to become one of the largest and most prolific publishers of manga and original graphic novels in the North American marketplace and a driving force in the introduction of light novels and Japanese literature to new readers through its Yen On and Yen Audio imprints. For more information, visit www.Yen Press.com.

About Anime Expo
Anime Expo (AX) brings together fans and industry professionals from Japan, the US, and all over the world for the largest celebration of Japanese pop culture in North America. Taking place every year since 1992, Anime Expo features the best in Japanese animation, popular art, entertainment, music, fashion, and video games. For more information, visit www.anime-expo.org.