Seven Seas Entertainment (SSE) has licensed five new manga titles for an English release.
On November 2, 2022, the publisher announced license acquisitions of the following manga series: Homunculus by Hideo Yamamoto, Soara and the House of Monsters by Hidenori Yamaji, Cat on the Hero’s Lap by Kosuke Iijima and Shiori, Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout by Yu Tsurusaki, and The Knight Captain is the New Princess-to-Be by Yasuko Yamaru.
Let’s take a brief look at each of these titles.
About the Homunculus manga series
Homunculus by Hideo Yamamoto is a supernatural horror manga title from the creator of Ichi the Killer and Voyeur.
The manga inspired the Homunculus Netflix movie adaptation (2021) starring Go Ayano, Ryo Narita, and Yukino Kishii.
SSE will be publishing the title in oversized omnibus editions. The entire manga series will be available in five large-trim omnibus paperbacks.
The plot follows 34-year-old Nakoshi Susumu. He spends his days among the homeless and sleeps in his car. Susumu is being stalked by a medical student who wants to pay Nakoshi a significant sum in exchange for his agreeing to a trepanation* procedure.
Susumu refuses at first but after losing his car, he finally agrees. He wakes up to discover nothing has changed but after a while, he discovers that he can see the homunculus** inside every human.
*Trepanation, also known as trepanning in anthropology and archeology is the oldest surgical procedure for which archaeological evidence exists. The procedure is performed by drilling a hole into the human skull using a surgical instrument called trephine. The word comes from the Greek term trypanon, meaning “to drill.”
**The term homunculus here refers to cortical homunculus (not to be confused with the small clay statues of miniature humans, which is the other meaning of the word). Cortical homunculus is a figurative representation of the relative sizes of the sensory areas in the brain that correspond to particular sensory parts of the body. The representation manifests as a distorted human form.
Homunculus (Omnibus) Vol. 1-2 will be released in North America in June 2023 and will be priced at 27.99 USA / $35.99 CAN.
About the Soara and the House of Monsters manga series
Soara and the House of Monsters by Hidenori Yamaji is a delightful fantasy manga title that tells the tale of an orphan girl who was raised to fight monsters. As the title portends, the girl’s name is Soara.
Just when she is ready to join the fight, peace is declared. Fortunately, Soara meets Krik the dwarf leader of the Monster Architects and decides to build cozy homes for the monsters with him. As the story progresses, perhaps Soara will manage to build a home for herself as well.
SSE will be publishing the series in single large-trim editions. The title will also be available digitally.
Soara and the House of Monsters Vol. 1 will be released in North America in October 2023 and will be priced at $15.99 USA / $19.99 CAN.
About the Cat on the Hero’s Lap manga series
Cat on the Hero’s Lap is a fantasy comedy manga series written by Kosuke Iijima and illustrated by Shiori. The plot focuses on a man named Ledo, who forms a fellowship with Aina (fighter) and Grace (wizard). The trio is planning to defeat the Demon Lord for good!
Alas! During their quest, a fluffy cat takes a liking to Ledo and uses every chance to cuddle with him. Thus, Ledo can’t fight the Demon Lord because of the cat on his lap!
SSE will be publishing the series in single large-trim editions. The title will also be available digitally.
Cat on the Hero’s Lap Vol. 1 will be released time in North America in November 2023 and will be priced at $14.99 USA / $18.99 CAN.
About the Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout manga series
Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout is a manga series written by Yuu Tsurusaki and illustrated by Shin Ikezawa. This is an isekai gender-bender comedy title that follows Tachibana Hinata and Jinguji Tsukasa who are sent flying to another world after a disastrous singles mixer. However, Tachibana is now a girl!
The bromance is likely to become a romance in this hilarious manga, which inspired an anime series adaptation by OLM in early 2022.
SSE will be publishing the series in single-volume editions and digitally.
Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout Vol. 1 will be released in North America in September 2023 and will be priced at $13.99 USA / $17.99 CAN.
About The Knight Captain is the New Princess-to-Be manga series
The Knight Captain is the New Princess-to-Be is a shoujo rom-com manga series by Yasuko Yamaru. The plot focuses on a royal bodyguard (Christina, a.k.a. “Lady Chris”) who is pretending to be engaged to the prince, who just so happens to be her childhood friend.
While it’s all just a game of pretend to Christina, prince Leonardo (a.k.a. Leo) might have a different idea.
SSE will be publishing the series in single-volume editions and digitally.
The Knight Captain is the New Princess-to-Be Vol. 1 will be released in North America in August 2023 and will be priced at $13.99 USA / $17.99 CAN.