VIZ Media and Tokypop in Germany???

Anime On DVD Community Forums: On a side note - VIZ and Tokyopop (Germany) cooperation: "Cooperation of SHUEISHA Inc., VIZ Media and TOKYOPOP GmbH on the German-speaking market

SHUEISHA Inc. (Tokyo), VIZ Media (San Francisco) and TOKYOPOP GmbH (Hamburg) have reached an agreement to form a strategic partnership for future publishing and marketing of new SHUEISHA properties on the German-speaking market.

SHUEISHA wants to implement their multimedia-strategy, which has been very successful in Japan, in Europe as well. Together with VIZ Media they looked for a publishing partner to walk that road with them. Kenji Yasaka, general manager of SHUEISHA's international department, comments: 'The visions of TOKYOPOP GmbH about the future of manga were to our liking. After coordinating with our american subsidiary VIZ Media we agreed, that -- based on the larger strategy of VIZ Media for the European market -- further development of the German market and a strengthening of SHUEISHA's properties will best be realized working with TOKYOPOP GmbH.'

TOKYOPOP GmbH plans to publish not only manga titles like BLEACH, PRINCE OF TENNIS and DEATH NOTE, but YA novel series of SHUEISHA as well. The new business strategy will have no effect on the publishing of titles that have already been licensed by other German publishers, though.

'This new partnership with the leading manga publisher of Japan is a great opportunity for this new company of ours,' says Dr. Joachim Kaps, managing director of TOKYOPOP GmbH. 'We are looking forward to working with these great properties, and we will gladly contribute to helping them become great successes on the German-speaking market.'

The Global Domination continues...

Mark
The Anime Times