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Anime News

Viz And Tokyopop Partner On German Manga Strategy
Date: 11/22/2005
VIZ Media B.V., a recently launched joint venture between San Francisco based VIZ Media and London-based Copyright Promotions Licensing Group, Ltd. (CPLG) to drive the long term growth of Japanese manga and animation brands in the European market, has announced a groundbreaking partnership with TOKYOPOP GmbH Germany to publish and distribute the latest manga titles to the German market.
The first titles to be offered will include a cross section of both shonen manga, aimed at male audiences, and shojo manga aimed primarily at female readers, from the Japanese publisher Shueisha. Upon the launch of the partnership, the strength and diversity of manga will be fully displayed with an array of action, fantasy, supernatural, and romantic plots to be released including BLEACH, ICHIGO 100%, DEATH NOTE, PRINCE OF TENNIS, MARIA SAMA and CRAZY FOR YOU. In particular, there is high expectations for the shojo titles, as they have gained increased momentum as more young girls discover an array of compelling series with romantic subplots that break down the myth that manga is only for male readers.

"We are extremely pleased to announce this innovative partnership between VIZ Media B.V. and TOKYOPOP Germany," states Daniel Marks, managing director, VIZ Media B.V. "We are enthusiastic to partner with a company that understands manga and our vision of using a brand building approach to nurture and further expand the German market for Japanese content."

VIZ Media B.V. possesses access to some of the most popular manga and animation properties owned by VIZ Media's parent companies, Shueisha Inc. and Shogakukan Inc., the largest publishing houses in Japan, and ShoPro (Japan). TOKYOPOP GmbH Germany is the fastest growing manga publisher in the German market. By combining forces, the companies will deliver the best and most compelling content to the growing legion of male and female manga fans and will seek to gain new fans through innovative marketing and promotional activities.

"TOKYOPOP Germany is pleased to be working with VIZ Media B.V. to bring these popular Shueisha properties to our market." states Dr. Joachim Kaps, managing director, TOKYOPOP GmbH Germany. "We are confident that the new cross-media activities of VIZ Media B.V. will change the face of the manga markets in Europe and we are excited to be part of this new adventure."
Source: Anime News Service