In a piece of truly depressing news, Tokyopop, one of the larger publishers of manga in the US, has announced effective May 31, their US offices are closed. They aren’t completely dead, as their German operation will remain to run Tokyopop’s film division as well as to oversee licenses, but still this is a devastating blow.
Tokyopop founder Stu Levy had a parting note for fans. You can read the full letter on the company’s website:
I simply want to thank all of you – our incredibly talented creators from all over the world, our patient and supportive business partners and customers, our amazingly dedicated TOKYOPOP team – full-timers, part-timers, freelancers and interns, and of course the greatest fans in the entire world. Together, we’ve succeeded in bringing manga to North America and beyond.
Tokyopop has been suffering a lot of hardships lately, including layoffs, so this isn’t a complete surprise. The mark they left on the US manga industry is a proud legacy that will endure even if the company itself does not. I remember reading my first Tokyopop book, back when they were called Mixx. I loved that they tried the anthology format, and they took many risks. If not for Tokyopop I never would have discovered of my favorite mangas ever, Parasyte. I salute you, Tokyopop. You will be missed, but never forgotten.
via The Beat