TOKYOPOP to close North American publication Division (Update 3)

ANN has confirmed with Tokyopop Senior Vice President Mike Kiley that the company will shutter its Los Angeles-based North American publishing operations on 31 May. Movies and the company's European operations will be affected by this closure, and based in Hamburg, Germany, will continue to manage global sales of rights for the company.

A representative of public relations, working for Tokyopop CEO Stu Levy informed ANN that "Tokyopop announce the future of specific titles and other versions in the coming weeks."

In a post on the Web site for Otaku web series greatest reality of America's Tokyopop, Levy revealed they will spend the next year located in Miyagi, Japan, to make a documentary on the effects of the great Hanshin earthquake disaster Japan East (Higashi Nihon Daishinsai) on 11 March. The proceeds of the documentary will be to support victims. She also sent a message of goodbye official Tokyopop site.

May 31, is less than three weeks after the first major feature film based on Tokyopop properties, priest, opens in American theaters.

Levy founded the company, originally called Mixx, in 1997 and published manga in serial form in his magazine Mixxzine. The company's titles include the popular manga series Mahou shojo Sailor Moon manga by Naoko Takeuchi, Hitoshi Iwaaki's Parasyte horror/science-fiction, fantasy manga series Magic Knight Rayearth and clamp.

TOKYOPOP experienced following the publication of manga "unflopped (shown in its original format of reading from right to left) for all its titles in 2002 divisions and launched in United Kingdom and Germany, as well as an imprint dedicated to boys love manga called Bluebetween 2003 and 2005. Other efforts have included a line of Tokyopop novel lightweight program Rising Stars of Manga and more recently, manga print-on-demand and digital printing.

In 2006, the company announced that it had negotiated the rights to a live action adaptation of manhwa Korean Hyung Min-Woo priest. In 2008, the company has undergone a deep restructuring that divide society publishing division and a new Division of media and film. The company also toured the United States throughout the summer of 2010, largest Otaku web series in America.

In 2009, Tokyopop has confirmed that all licenses Kodansha would lapse. Last month, Levy commented that the failure of February of the borders bookstore had played a significant role in his decision to dismiss a number of employees of the company.

Update: Added background information and image.

Update 2: Added more history information and company background.

Update 3: Comment information added to the State licensing.
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