Companies to collaborate on a wide variety of publishing and trans-media projects

San Diego, CA, July 24th, 2008 – Global manga giants TOKYOPOP and GENTOSHA COMICS have entered into a worldwide partnership to advance the cause of the manga revolution. Under the terms of the alliance, TOKYOPOP will provide sublicensing agency services (outside of Asia, France, and Italy) for GENTOSHA COMICS’s world-class library of manga hits, including titles like Gravitation, Lament of the Lamb, and Arm of Kannon. The companies will also pursue a wealth of co-development opportunities in the digital, film, and merchandising spaces.

“Working with our friends at GENTOSHA COMICS in this comprehensive, innovative way is an incredibly exciting initiative for us at TOKYOPOP,” said Stuart Levy, TOKYOPOP CEO and Chief Creative Officer. “GENTOSHA COMICS are world-class storytellers and the chance to represent their titles around the world is a privilege. In addition, we are looking forward to creating cool brand-new stories with GENTOSHA COMICS’s incredibly talented team of manga editors, writers, and artists.”

“TOKYOPOP is known around the world for the passion and creativity with which they have championed the manga revolution,” said Yoshihiko Ito, President of Gentosha Comics, Inc. “We are thrilled at the chance to partner with them in this new venture and our teams can’t wait to get started on working together!”

The TOKYOPOP/GENTOSHA COMICS alliance is expected to yield great results not only in the world of printed books, but will also represent a significant addition to the growing library of properties that TOKYOPOP is developing into feature films, television series, and web shows.