Global Online Media Distribution Giant Partners with Canada-Based Publisher to Launch Weekly Digital Manga and Comic Digest

San Francisco, CA (July 23, 2008) ‹Canada-based publisher UDON Entertainment partners with online media distribution giant, Crunchyroll, to launch a weekly digital manga and comic digest called UDON COMBO!. More information can be found at www.crunchyroll.com.

UDON COMBO! will debut worldwide in August with award-winning hit titles including 1520 and Makeshift Miracle, with many more to be announced in the weeks to come.

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VIZ MEDIA PARENT COMPANY SHUEISHA INVESTS IN JAPANESE PUBLISHER SHOGAKUKAN’S LICENSING AND MERCHANDISING SUBSIDIARY TO FORM NEW PARTNERSHIP – SHOGAKUKAN-SHUEISHA PRODUCTIONS CO., LTD.

New Entity Will Help Streamline Operations And Increase Flexibility To License Titles For Global Manga And Anime Markets

San Francisco, CA, June 19, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced that one of its parent companies, Japanese publisher Shueisha, Inc., has made an investment in Shogakukan Production Company Ltd., the licensing and merchandising subsidiary of Japanese publisher Shogakukan, Inc., another of VIZ Media’s parent companies. ShoPro will be renamed Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions Co., Ltd.

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Originally known as Mixx, the well-known Tokypop is a company that licenses, publishes and distributes translated Japanese anime and manga as well as Korean mahn-wa and global manga. Stuart Levy, who still maintains position as owner to this day, originally founded the company in 1997. Tokyopop has since released hundreds of manga graphic novels in both English and German, including global manga and 'cine-manga' (manga styled graphic novels using images from animated shows).

A co-publishing agreement with HarperCollins Publishers in 2006 handed over the distribution rights for a portion of Tokyopop's inventory. Along with this came permission for Tokyopop to begin creation of global mangas based on HarperCollins Publishers' books. It was the largest corporate news heard from the manga-publishing giant until June 2008, when Tokyopop announced a restructuring of the company.

On June 3rd, 2008, Tokyopop representatives issued a press release stating that Tokyopop would be split into two separate companies. While one side will continues its lead focus on the publishing aspect of the company, the other, titled Tokyopop Media, will deal with the company's recent endeavours with its digital releases and comics-to-film division.

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From Manly Manga and More... comes three manga-related news from Germany:

1. Tokyopop Germany has licensed four new manga (2 shounen and 2 shoujo): Love Trouble by Saki Hasemi & Kentaro Yabuki and Claymore by Norihiro Yagi, and Hell Girl by Miyuki Etoo and Nagatachou Strawberry by Mayu Sakai.

2. The result of Comic of the Year Award 2007, an award hosted by Comixene, Comics Info and comic.de, has been announced.

3. Heyne Manga has raised the price of several of their manga (such as Air Gear, Mamotte! Lollipop and Samurai Deeper Kyo), and that the publication of Gacha Gacha, Yagyu Ninpo Cho and Life has been put on hiatus indefinitely.

The French association of comics, critics and journalists, Association des Critiques et des journalistes de Bande Dessinée, has released its annual report on the state of the comics industry in France. Below is a partial translation of the report by guest translator Loup Solitaire:

2007, VITALITY AND DIVERSITY
A year of comic books in the European French-speaking territory

by Gilles Ratier, secretary-general of the ACBD
French to English translation by Loup Solitaire, mangavore
Adapted by Anthony Andora

I. Production: growth continues for the 12th consecutive year: 4,313 comic books were published in 2007 (of which 3,312 strict novelties), a growth of 4.4 %.
II. Publishing: more players on the market, which is a sign of vitality: 254 publishers published comic books in 2007, while only 17 groups account for 74 % of the production.
III. Optimization: 90 series enjoyed enormous mises en place and continued to rank among the best sellers, all book genres included.
IV. Translation: 1,787 foreign comic books (of which 1,371 from Asia and 253 from USA) were translated: a slight decline of 0.67 % from last year.
V. Adaptation and media influence: comics continued to adapt literary works (96 books in 2007), while inspiring other means of expression more and more.
VI. Magazines: presence of 77 specialized magazines in kiosks and bookstores while comics found a new creative field in internet publishing.
VII. Deceases and accolades: 13 French-speaking creators died in 2007 and some 128 works dating from more than 20 years have been republished.
VIII. Gratification: despite everything, 1,357 comic book authors continue, all the same, to make a living from their occupation.

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The Icarus Blog has posted responses to some questions asked by the fans regarding how the company worked. The questions answered include:

• How do you choose which books to license? What is the process behind it?
• Why don't you translate the sound effects?
• Why don't you do direct sales to retailers/distribute through ___ company?
• When is Blue Eyes 4 coming out!?

According to ANN, Square Enix has sold over 30 million copies of Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist manga in Japan:

The promotional sleeve wrapper on the 19th volume of Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist manga announced that the series has sold over 30 million copies in Japan. Arakawa began drawing the "dark fantasy" manga in Square Enix's Monthly Shonen Gangan magazine in 2001, and Viz Media has been publishing the manga in North America.

According to an article from the Associated Press, Borders announced on Thursday that it may put itself up for sale:

Shares in Borders tumbled more than 39 percent as the nation's second-largest bookseller said it was considering options including the sale of the company or certain divisions, and that it had lined up $42.5 million in financing to help it keep running through the year.

Borders cut back on its graphic novel division early last year after the departure of Kurt Hassler.

Site features sneak peek at manga prequel, plus downloads and more!

GRIMES, IA, February 29, 2008 - Anime producer and distributor Right Stuf, Inc./Nozomi Entertainment and Kadokawa Pictures USA are pleased to unveil a sneak preview of THE THIRD manga - available from TOKYOPOP on March 11, 2008 - at www.thethirdanime.com, the official site for THE THIRD: THE GIRL WITH THE BLUE EYE.

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Country's Mix Of Western And Asian Culture Creates A Growing Demand For Diverse Titles

San Francisco, CA, February 22, 2008 - VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced its continued global expansion with a new distribution agreement with Madman Entertainment to offer a wide variety of Shueisha manga (graphic novel) series to the burgeoning market in Australia and New Zealand. Shueisha Inc., is one of Japan's largest publishers and is a parent company of VIZ Media.

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