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NEWS: Tokyopop CEO Cites Borders' Bankruptcy for Layoffs


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dragonrider_cody



Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 2541
PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 11:32 am Reply with quote
Well, I think most people assumed the Borders bankruptcy contributed to it. TokyoPop has been having issues for a while and your biggest customer stiffing you on the bills doesn't help. However, I believe there were other problems at play as well.

Anyway, I know TP is exactly popular around these parts, but they were the company that really introduced me to manga and brought over most of my favorite series. They also had some really good employees working for them. I hope they can pull through somehow.
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chrisc1978



Joined: 31 May 2008
Posts: 363
PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 11:59 am Reply with quote
Couldn't be to hard to figure that out.
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Jaymie



Joined: 18 Jun 2009
Posts: 915
PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:08 pm Reply with quote
No, it's because of the money squandered away for America's Greatest Otaku. The cost of the minibus, hotel rooms, and gas to travel across the freaking country could've easily went towards the employee's wages instead.

You don't see Viz, Yen, Dark Horse, Seven Seas, Vertical, Kodansha, or Digital Manga laying people off because of Borders.
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firedragon54738



Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 3113
Location: wisconsin
PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:16 pm Reply with quote
Well it does make since in some kind of way but I dont think it the root of the problem here
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Mohawk52



Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:45 pm Reply with quote
Aye! I agree it does seem a bit too convenient.
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Sheleigha



Joined: 09 May 2008
Posts: 1671
PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:54 pm Reply with quote
Jaymie wrote:
No, it's because of the money squandered away for America's Greatest Otaku. The cost of the minibus, hotel rooms, and gas to travel across the freaking country could've easily went towards the employee's wages instead.

You don't see Viz, Yen, Dark Horse, Seven Seas, Vertical, Kodansha, or Digital Manga laying people off because of Borders.


If it wasn't for TP being on my Facebook, I wouldn't have even KNOWN about that contest thing... Does anyone really care about it, besides the people who are in the contest? Does it matter? Does it... even create money or even marketing for TP? I doubt it. There's no point in it...
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silentjay



Joined: 12 Dec 2003
Posts: 303
PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:03 pm Reply with quote
Jaymie wrote:
No, it's because of the money squandered away for America's Greatest Otaku. The cost of the minibus, hotel rooms, and gas to travel across the freaking country could've easily went towards the employee's wages instead.


That's... really not all that all that much money. Maybe enough for one staffer for a few months, maybe.
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MagicallyDelicious



Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 157
PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:07 pm Reply with quote
This is sort of sad to me. When I first began reading manga, Tokyopop had ALL the series I wanted... CardCaptor Sakura, Chobits, Fruits Basket (I bought every volume as it released) ... In fact I was avid about my distaste in Viz because of their treatment of the Inuyasha manga... I was young, like 15 lol.

But as I was reorganizing my collection the other day... it's almost all Viz although DelRey and a few others are earning their space. The only "new" Tokyopop that I added since the early days of my fandom were DearS, Welcome to the NHK, and 2 volumes of Rozen Maiden. Oh, and 4 volumes of Crescent Moon that I haven't read because someone gave it to me saying it was "awful".

I remember being worried about Tokyopop the month that Fruits Basket ended because there was nothing left from them that I wanted, and if I felt that way, I was pretty sure other people did too.

I hope Tokypop gets it together, but it's hard to see it happening.
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Sunday Silence



Joined: 22 Jun 2010
Posts: 2047
PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:19 pm Reply with quote
silentjay wrote:
Jaymie wrote:
No, it's because of the money squandered away for America's Greatest Otaku. The cost of the minibus, hotel rooms, and gas to travel across the freaking country could've easily went towards the employee's wages instead.


That's... really not all that all that much money. Maybe enough for one staffer for a few months, maybe.


Add the Van Von Hunter Movie and any other assorted "projects" DJ Milkstain isn't telling us about to the mix, and the gap widens abit. I've went to several Borders (non-closing) and the ratio of ToiletPaper to say, Viz or Yen Press is minuscule. Hell, Seven Seas outnumbered them 10 to 1 in one case!!
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chrisc1978



Joined: 31 May 2008
Posts: 363
PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:21 pm Reply with quote
Jaymie wrote:
No, it's because of the money squandered away for America's Greatest Otaku. The cost of the minibus, hotel rooms, and gas to travel across the freaking country could've easily went towards the employee's wages instead.

You don't see Viz, Yen, Dark Horse, Seven Seas, Vertical, Kodansha, or Digital Manga laying people off because of Borders.


Vertical was bought-out by Kodansha, & Dai Nippon Printing animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-02-23/kodansha-dai-nippon-printing-buy-vertical

Kodansha International Shut Down animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-03-03/kodansha-international-to-shut-down-by-april

Not that it matters to me I don't read manga.
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PetrifiedJello



Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 3782
PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:26 pm Reply with quote
I'm sure the CEO of a buggy whip business also blamed the Model T for their layoffs.

The fact Borders had a substantial debt to pay publishers is a pretty good indication the problem isn't with Borders.
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Teriyaki Terrier



Joined: 26 Mar 2008
Posts: 5689
PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:37 pm Reply with quote
Jaymie wrote:
No, it's because of the money squandered away for America's Greatest Otaku. The cost of the minibus, hotel rooms, and gas to travel across the freaking country could've easily went towards the employee's wages instead.

You don't see Viz, Yen, Dark Horse, Seven Seas, Vertical, Kodansha, or Digital Manga laying people off because of Borders.


Bingo! You hit the nail square on the head there. Seriously Stu, take responsibility for your mistakes and don't blame others. You don't see any of the other big manga companies directly because of Borders now do you?

All that wasted money spent on the that idiotic America's Greatest Otaku could have easily went towards the employee's wages and helped them out. It's actually really sad to see a once great company become what they are today. And what is worse is that this all could have been prevented fairly easily.
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RAmmsoldat



Joined: 19 Oct 2005
Posts: 1261
Location: North wales coast
PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:42 pm Reply with quote
chrisc1978 wrote:
Jaymie wrote:
No, it's because of the money squandered away for America's Greatest Otaku. The cost of the minibus, hotel rooms, and gas to travel across the freaking country could've easily went towards the employee's wages instead.

You don't see Viz, Yen, Dark Horse, Seven Seas, Vertical, Kodansha, or Digital Manga laying people off because of Borders.


Vertical was bought-out by Kodansha, & Dai Nippon Printing animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-02-23/kodansha-dai-nippon-printing-buy-vertical

Kodansha International Shut Down animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-03-03/kodansha-international-to-shut-down-by-april

Not that it matters to me I don't read manga.


evidently

all those companies are now kodansha USA
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mike.motaku



Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Posts: 160
Location: Indiana
PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 2:13 pm Reply with quote
How any of the publishers' involved got to the point where they were willing to let slide millions of dollars in past-due payments is pretty much their own damn fault. As an employee at a smaller non-chain bookstore, I am not unfamiliar with accounts being placed on credit hold and shipments of new stock frozen until the past-due amounts are cleared up. We've had credit holds placed when we missed a $2.00 payment.

While I am sympathetic to those who lost their jobs as a result of the home office's stupidity, their bosses should have seen this coming. Unfortunately, many smaller publishers who let this debt level slide will have to close as a result or hope that one of the larger conglomerates are interested in picking up even more debt and buy them.
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Pelianth
Industry Insider


Joined: 26 Apr 2003
Posts: 52
PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 4:32 pm Reply with quote
chrisc1978 wrote:

Kodansha International != Kodansha USA

KI was not a manga division and only ever published a few bilingual manga series. They were primarily English translations of Japanese books.
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