On March 14th, Seven Seas revealed the cover for their upcoming English release of Joyful Reunion Vol. 1, which will also be available as a special edition. The cover illustration is provided by artist Porridge, and the B&W interior art by artist Qiangtou (墙头).
The provided summary for the volume is as follows:
An unwanted child becomes a man with a great destiny in this danmei novel from acclaimed author Arise Zhang, also known as Fei Tian Ye Xiang (非天夜翔)!
For as long as he can remember, Duan Ling has been an unwanted child. Raised by his deceased mother’s neglectful family, he’s grown up battered and mistreated. But his life takes a fateful turn when a stranger named Lang Junxia arrives at the Duan estate, claiming to be sent by the father Duan Ling never knew he had.
Whisked away to the capital of the Liao Empire, Duan Ling is thrust into a treacherous world of political intrigue and power struggles far beyond his comprehension. But Lang Junxia has promised his father will come for him, and Lang Junxia never lies.
As he prepares for a destiny greater than he ever imagined, Duan Ling finds himself at the heart of a story that could alter the fate of empires—and shake the world itself.
Recently, Seven Seas has begun releasing Special Editions for the first volumes of select series only—previously, they would release them with every series’ final volume. Seven Seas’ Joyful Reunion Vol. 1 Special Edition comes with a double-sided bookmark, a paper folding screen, a shikishi board, and a sticker sheet; all with art unique to the release. As with all of Seven Seas’ danmei special editions, they are limited to a single print run and will not be available for purchase again after stock is sold out.
Although fans were pleased to receive news about the release, Seven Seas saw some criticism for the cover on Twitter/X. Users pointed out issues with character proportions, and voiced their displeasure about font and color palette choices. Seven Seas has not made any official responses or statements at time of writing, but on March 17th, artist Ruthie (kkcoocool) announced they would be taking over B&W interior illustrations for the series starting from Vol. 2. Ruthie is the cover and interior illustrator for Seven Seas’ release of Legend of Exorcism, another series by the same author.
Joyful Reunion Vol. 1 is scheduled for release on June 17, 2025. Preorders are available from several major retailers:
Joyful Reunion Vol. 1 (Standard Edition) – $19.99 USD
Joyful Reunion Vol. 1 (Special Edition) – $29.99 USD
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Joyful Reunion (相見歡) is a danmei webnovel series written by Arise Zhang, also known as Fei Tian Ye Xiang. It was originally serialized on JJWXC starting in 2016, and ran for 228 chapters.
Seven Seas has provided the following series summary:
An unwanted child becomes a man with a great destiny in this danmei/Boys’ Love novel from acclaimed author Arise Zhang, also known as Fei Tian Ye Xiang (非天夜翔)!
All his life, Duan Ling has been an unwanted child. Abandoned as an infant, he has grown up scrabbling for scraps in the dirt, beaten and abused by his adoptive family. Yet everything changes the day a stranger arrives at the Duan estate, claiming to have been sent by Duan Ling’s father.
Duan Ling finds himself following the mysterious Lang Junxia into a dangerous world of power and politics far beyond his childish understanding. All he knows is that Lang Junxia never lies, and that he has promised Duan Ling’s father will someday come for him. On that day, Duan Ling must be prepared for a destiny far greater than he knows—one that will shake the world.
Fei Tian (also known as Chicken-gege) has written many popular danmei works, including Legend of Exorcism, Dinghai Fusheng Records, and To Rule in a Turbulent World.
Source: Seven Seas Bluesky
