Anime Boston 2005
Anime Boston - Tokyopop
by Mikhail Koulikov,
TOKYOPOP editor Lillian Diaz-Pryzbyl and publicist Matt Nixon opened the panel with a PowerPoint presentation of manga, manhwa, and original properties that are currently being released or are scheduled for release through the end of the year. Manga titles mentioned include RG Veda, Sakura Taisen, Beck, Blame!, Scrapped Princess, Kanpai! (drawn and written by Maki Murakami, of Gravitation fame), Samurai Champloo, Saiyuki Reload, Trash, Earthian, Life, Kamikaze, Devil May Cry, an adaptation of the Devil May Cry 3 videogame, and the Clamp no Kiseki artbooks. Some, but not all, of these have been mentioned officially or semi-officially over the last several months, while others are brand-new announcements. The manhwa included in the presentation were Arcana, Tarot Cafe, and Dream World, and the "original manga" titles were Warcraft, Sokora Refugees, Van Von Hunter, MBQ, Bizenghast, I Luv Halloween, Princess Ai volume 2, MBQ (written and drawn by Rising Stars of Manga winner Felipe Smith), and War on Flesh, drawn by comics artist Tim Smith.
Starting with the July issue, four of TOKYOPOP's most popular properties—Saiyuki, Getbackers, Fruits Basket and Samurai Deeper Kyo—will be released at a rate of a volume each month, until the October volume. This will primarily be an experiment to gauge the feasibility of maintaining a monthly release schedule. Release of several other titles has been pushed back to 2006, but this does not mean that they are being placed on hiatus, and is merely a delay. The company is currently working with several Korean authors on developing projects that would be exclusive to TOKYOPOP, and similar arrangements for certain Japanese authors are under consideration.
Regarding the possibility of releasing more Manga Box sets, a box is being considered for Earthian, to test the reception of box sets in the manga market. If successful, it will be used as a model for future releases. Reprints of two back catalog titles: Duclyon: Clamp School Defenders, and Clover, are unlikely at this point. While the $9.95 price point will generally be maintained for the immediate future, the Kingdom Hearts manga, the first volume of which is scheduled for a November release, will be priced at $5.99. However, it will only be 96 pages.
The response to a question whether TOKYOPOP will be releasing any anime soundtracks was negative. The specific wording the TOKYOPOP representative used was that it is "a little too late in the game to get back in."
The delays in publishing the manhwa titles INVU and Under the Glass Moon is due to the English release currently being caught up with the original Korean publication; in both cases, the creators are working on new volumes. In the case of Ragnarok, the creator is committed to working on the Ragnarok game first and foremost, and that takes priority over any other projects such as manga.
The recent announcement that Spiral has been licensed does not extend to the one-volume Spiral: Alive prequel.
Starting with the July issue, four of TOKYOPOP's most popular properties—Saiyuki, Getbackers, Fruits Basket and Samurai Deeper Kyo—will be released at a rate of a volume each month, until the October volume. This will primarily be an experiment to gauge the feasibility of maintaining a monthly release schedule. Release of several other titles has been pushed back to 2006, but this does not mean that they are being placed on hiatus, and is merely a delay. The company is currently working with several Korean authors on developing projects that would be exclusive to TOKYOPOP, and similar arrangements for certain Japanese authors are under consideration.
Regarding the possibility of releasing more Manga Box sets, a box is being considered for Earthian, to test the reception of box sets in the manga market. If successful, it will be used as a model for future releases. Reprints of two back catalog titles: Duclyon: Clamp School Defenders, and Clover, are unlikely at this point. While the $9.95 price point will generally be maintained for the immediate future, the Kingdom Hearts manga, the first volume of which is scheduled for a November release, will be priced at $5.99. However, it will only be 96 pages.
The response to a question whether TOKYOPOP will be releasing any anime soundtracks was negative. The specific wording the TOKYOPOP representative used was that it is "a little too late in the game to get back in."
The delays in publishing the manhwa titles INVU and Under the Glass Moon is due to the English release currently being caught up with the original Korean publication; in both cases, the creators are working on new volumes. In the case of Ragnarok, the creator is committed to working on the Ragnarok game first and foremost, and that takes priority over any other projects such as manga.
The recent announcement that Spiral has been licensed does not extend to the one-volume Spiral: Alive prequel.
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