Yen Press and Tapas Entertainment have announced an expansion on their existing partnership, this time for the publication of popular light novels from its Yen On imprint.
Launching this month, the first wave of titles includes The Eminence in Shadow, Overlord, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, The Summer Hikaru Died, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. The first five “episodes” of each will be free, with new episodes releasing daily. Readers can pay to unlock new chapters or wait for free access.
Following the first wave of light novels, more titles will be released monthly.
“This is an exciting next step in our partnership with Tapas—for us, our creators, and our audience,” said Yen Press president Kurt Hassler. “It’s an opportunity that lets some of our biggest properties find new readers who already love and use the Tapas site, while preexisting fans of these series gain another accessible way to read their favorite titles and discover new ones as well.”
Tapas Entertainment executive director Alex R. Carr added, “At Tapas, we see a significant opportunity to bring novels to our readers. By partnering with Yen Press in this endeavor, we ensure not only a rich catalog of stories to delight our readers, but also a level of quality that our readers already come to expect on the platform. It’s an easy ‘yes’ from our perspective!”
To celebrate the launch of the new partnership, Tapas is hosting the Mega Hit Light Novels Festival, a reading challenge that will grant participants bonus ink for use on the site. The event runs until Wednesday, October 15.
Read on for details on the first set of light novel titles hitting Tapas.
The Eminence in Shadow
Written by Daisuke Aizawa
Illustrated by Touzai
Even in his past life, Cid’s dream wasn’t to become a protagonist or a final boss. He’d rather lie low as a minor character until it’s prime time to reveal he’s a mastermind…or at least, do the next best thing—pretend to be one! And now that he’s been reborn into another world, he’s ready to set the perfect conditions to live out his dreams to the fullest. Armed with his overactive imagination, Cid jokingly recruits members to his organization and makes up a whole backstory about an evil cult that they need to take down. Well, as luck would have it, these imaginary adversaries turn out to be the real deal—and everyone knows the truth but him!
Overlord
Written by Kugane Maruyama
Illustrated by so-bin
For twelve years, the virtual world of Yggdrasil has served as the playground and battlefield for the skeletal lord Momonga and his guild of fellow monsters, Ainz Ooal Gown. But the guild’s glory days are over, and the game is shutting down permanently. When Momonga logs in one last time just to be there when the servers go dark, something happens—and suddenly, fantasy is reality. A rogues’ gallery of fanatically devoted NPCs is ready to obey his every order, but the world Momonga now inhabits is not the one he remembers. The game may be over, but the epic tale of Ainz Ooal Gown is only beginning…
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-
Written by Tappei Nagatsuki
Illustrated by Shinichirou Otsuka
Subaru Natsuki was just trying to get to the convenience store but wound up summoned to another world. He encounters the usual things—life-threatening situations, silver-haired beauties, cat fairies—you know, normal stuff. All that would be bad enough, but he’s also gained the most inconvenient magical ability of all—time travel, but he’s got to die to use it. How do you repay someone who saved your life when all you can do is die?
The Summer Hikaru Died
By Mio Nukaga
Original Story by Mokumokuren
The bond between Yoshiki and Hikaru is a welcome escape from their isolated village. But one day when the two boys meet up, Yoshiki can immediately tell something is off. Though the person standing before him looks and acts exactly like Hikaru, Yoshiki knows that his friend is…gone. Someone—no, something—has taken Hikaru’s place. And with so many eerie incidents happening in town lately, Yoshiki is becoming increasingly conflicted. Although things will never be as they once were, he would prefer this Hikaru to no Hikaru at all.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
Written by Fuse
Illustrated by Mitz Vah
Lonely thirty-seven-year-old Satoru Mikami is stuck in a dead-end job, unhappy with his mundane life, but after dying at the hands of a robber, he awakens to a fresh start in a fantasy realm…as a slime monster! As he acclimates to his goopy new existence, his exploits with the other monsters set off a chain of events that will change his new world forever!
English (US) · 