Anime Expo 2017 manga and novel licensing round-up

After a packed four days of Anime Expo 2017 in Los Angeles, it's time for us to start picking through the slew of information which came from the event to see what juicy morsels were revealed to tantalise us.

For now, let's focus on the major western publishers of manga, light novels and such, almost all of whom had plenty to unveil during panels on the show floor. Here's our round-up of who showed off what,

Viz Media

There were a pair of new manga titles revealed by Viz Media at their panel, most notably Fire Punch (due for release from January 2018) and Kenka Bancho Otome: Girl Beats Boys (also due 2018). Alongside this, Hiromu Arakawa's classic Fullmetal Alchemist will be getting an all-new remastered release with a new translation and lettering, complete with large trim, new artwork and more besides. The Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition will arrive in May 2018.

Meanwhile, sci-fi novel Sisyphean was announced for a January 2018 release, while the publisher has also lined up English releases of Neko Atsume Kitty Collector: Where am I Meow and Neko Atsume Kitty Collector Haiku: Seasons of the Kitty, both of which are derived from the Neko Atsume mobile game.

Kodansha Comics

This publisher kicked things off with a bang by making the first volume of CLAMP's new Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card manga available digitally on both Kindle and ComiXology last Friday, before confirming at Anime Expo that a print version of this series is also on the way, with volume one arriving on November 14th 2017.

Also announced at their panel was Battle Angel Alita prequel manga Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle - to be released from February 2018 - with plans also afoot to re-release the original series as 2-in-1 hardcover omnibus editions from this November. We'll also be seeing more Fairy Tail in the form of Fairy Tail S, comprising two volumes of short stories, the first of which will arrive this October. Last but not least, Sailor Moon will get another outing via the first Sailor Moon Eternal Edition, a special edition of the manga boasting 350 pages for its first volume.

Yen Press

You can always rely on Yen Press to bring announcements aplenty at an event like Anime Expo, and they didn't disappoint here - perhaps the highlight of their panel was confirmation that Hiromu Arakawa's Silver Spoon manga will be published in English at an unspecified date.

A slew of manga titles were announced without any further details, so here's their full run-down:

Baccano!
Hatsu*Haru
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Days of goddess
Kemono Friends: Welcome to Japari Park
Mermaid Boys
Oh, My Sweet Alien
Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts
Silver Spoon
Stupid Love Comedy
Tales of Wedding Rings
The Demon Who Became My Sister
Zo-Zo-Zombie-kun

Also confirmed were a number of new titles set for digital-only release:

Baka and Test
Kuzumi-kun Can't You Read the Room
MAOYU
Now Playing
Thou Shalt Not Die
Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun
Tokyo Ravens

The publisher's Yen On light novel imprint also has a number of titles to boast, including the tales of a boy reincarnated as a vending machine. No, really...

A Sister's All You Need
Goblin Slayer: Year One
I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years
Reborn as a Vending Machine, Now I Wander the Dungeon
The Hero and His Elf Bride Open a Pizza Parlor

Finally, Yen Press also unveiled two "simulpub" manga titles, in the form of the manga adaptation of Goblin Slayer: Year One and Final Fantasy: Lost Stranger.

Seven Seas Entertainment

Similarly, Seven Seas Entertainment had no shortage of new manga to get us excited, including acquisitions of comedy series New Game and the soon to be airing Made in Abyss:

Getter Robo Devolution
Made in Abyss
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: Kanna's Daily Life
Nameless Asterism
New Game!
Orange: Future
Soul Liquid Chambers

The publisher also had a major light novel acquisition to show off, as they'll be bringing the original Toradora light novels to the west in English, as well as providing print editions of two further J-Novel Club light novel releases in the form of Clockwork Planet and Arifureta - From Commonplace to World's Strongest.

Vertical Comics

Vertical's modus operandi for their panel was a case of quality over quantity, as they unveiled Nichijou author Keiichi Arawi's CITY, Mitsurou Kubo (of Yuri on Ice fame's) Moteki, and the highly rated My Boy. In light novel news, the publisher confirmed that they'll be releasing the second volume of Nisio Isin's Zaregoto series, titled Strangulation.

Crunchyroll

Lastly, you wouldn't be alone in almost forgetting that Crunchyroll also has a digital manga service, but thankfully someone over there has remembered and managed to acquire and announce a few new titles into the bargain. As well as providing another home for Final Fantasy: Lost Stranger (which Yen Press also announced), they'll also be releasing two titles in simulpub form, both of which also have their anime adaptation airing this summer, meaning that you can read Knight's & Magic and Restaurant to Another World from right now.

So, there you have it - an exhastive list of new titles aplenty. What are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments!