Seven Seas Entertainment has thrillingly announced it has acquired three additional danmei (dānměi, Chinese BL) novel licenses, namely two titles by Priest — Guardian: Zhen Hun and Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang — and Thousand Autumns: Qian Qiu by Meng Xi Shi.
The Seven Seas’ danmei label has already licensed four tremendously popular titles:
- Three novels authored by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (MXTX): Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi, Heaven Official’s Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu, and The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong;
- The Husky & His White Cat Shizun: Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou.
The newly acquired danmei titles at a glance
All three titles have already received or are about to receive multimedia adaptations, meaning that danmei fans are well acquainted with them.
As per Seven Seas’ announcement, the three novels will feature uncensored text and will come in “deluxe paperbacks with exclusive new covers and interior illustrations.”
Guardian: Zhen Hun by Priest
Guardian (镇魂, Zhen Hun) is a modern danmei trilogy set in a fantasy world populated with ghosts and gods and follows the chief of the Special Investigations Department Zhao Yunlan (Guardian) and professor Shen Wei.
The Special Investigations Department is a secret group comprised of skilled individuals tasked with investigating strange occurrences in modern-day Dragon City.
The novel received a web series adaptation in 2018, released via the Chinese hosting video platform Youku, a subsidiary of Alibaba Group Holding Limited. The series stars Bai Yu and Zhu Yilong as Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei, respectively.
Seven Seas will release Guardian: Zhen Hun Volume 1 in North America in May 2023 both digitally and in large-trim, deluxe paperback editions (US$19.99).
Stars of Chaos by Priest
Stars of Chaos (杀破狼, Sha Po Lang) is a steampunk danmei novel set in the age of the Great Liang Dynasty.
The setting is innovative in that the inhabitants of this alternate-history-China use steam-powered machines to help them get by (a similar premise is seen in the otome game Steam Prison).
The plot follows Chang Geng who is about to discover his true background and Gu Yun, commander of the Black Iron Camp.
A live-action web series adaptation has been announced. Titled “Winner is King,” the series will star Chen ZheYuan as Chang Geng and Tan Jianci as Gu Yun. Tencent will stream the series. There’s no official release date as of yet.
Seven Seas will release Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang Volume 1 in North America in February 2023 both digitally and in large-trim, deluxe paperback editions (US$19.99).
Thousand Autumns by Meng Xi Shi
Thousand Autumns(千秋, Qian Qiu) is a wuxia* danmei novel series that has already received a donghua (Chinese animation) adaptation.
Note that the donghua series is titled Shanhe Jian Xin; the first season aired in 2021, while the second season was announced during the Tencent Video Animation 2021 Conference held in August 2021. No official release date has been decided yet for Thousand Autumns S2.
The plot follows Yan Wushi, a leader of one of the demonic sects, and Shen Qiao, the leader of Xuandu Mountain who suffers an injury that leaves him blind.
Seven Seas will release Thousand Autumns: Qian Qiu Volume 1 in North America in January 2023 both digitally and in large-trim, deluxe paperback editions (US$19.99).
A note on danmei
Danmei is a genre of literature originating from China that depicts romantic relationships between male characters. It corresponds to Japanese shounen-ai rather than yaoi as it doesn’t feature explicit scenes, due to Chinese censorship policies.
Hence, sensitive souls have nothing to fear. All three titles may be safely considered historical novels with elements of BL romance.
wuxia*— Lit. “martial heroes,” a genre portraying Chinese martial arts.