Tokyopop US closes down

[Demon_Skeith]

Tokyopop, the American publishing company that has been spurring the manga revolution in the U.S. since 1997, announced today that it would be shutting down all U.S. operations. As of May 31, 2011, Tokyopop's Los Angeles-based headquarters will close its doors for good. However, the company will continue to cultivate its film and television projects and continue its European operations via the office in Hamburg, Germany.

Founded by Stu Levy in 1997, Tokypop focused on bringing manga to American readers while increasing the comics readership of women and children along the way. To anyone that's been in a Barnes & Noble as of late, you'll see that they've succeeded. Most mainstream bookstores carry significantly more manga than they do American comics and graphic novels.

Levy issued a heartfelt message to fans via the Tokyopop website, saying:

"Fourteen years later, I'm laying down my guns. Together, our community has fought the good fight, and, as a result, the Manga Revolution has been won –manga has become a ubiquitous part of global pop culture. I'm very proud of what we've accomplished – and the incredible group of passionate fans we've served along the way (my fellow revolutionaries!).

For many years Japan has been my second home, and I have devoted much of my career to bringing my love for Japan to the world – and hopefully in my own way, I can give back to the culture that has given me so much joy."

The closure comes after the company reduced its full-time staff to only six employees back in February.

source

thank you tokyopop, for all that have you done.