encyclopedia
forum
username password login remember me | register
menu_news
menu_views
menu_encyclopedia
menu_video
menu_forum
menu_myann

Forum - View topic
NEWS: Tokyopop to Restructure - Update


Goto page Previous  1, 2

 Note: this is the discussion thread for this article
Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
kirbyboy102



Joined: 04 Jul 2007
Posts: 156
PostPosted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 5:52 pm Reply with quote
I haven't liked tokyopop's recent books, so...

I'm sorry that those people got layed off, and that they can find jobs soon.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
CatzCradle



Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 132
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 6:06 pm Reply with quote
Ariolander wrote:
From what I understand it is part of a movement toward OEL & Original creative properties and this mass layoff was a suprise to everyone within the company. A facebook group has beens tarted by layed off employees and former staffers are speaking out, Reallly a lot going on here.


Does anyone mind providing the link to the facebook group?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Sakura Shinguji



Joined: 09 Feb 2005
Posts: 42
PostPosted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 6:10 pm Reply with quote
Ryusui wrote:
Not like Tokyopop had much. I could forgive ADV for butchering names and terms in the Zone of the Enders anime because the English dub itself was excellent. Tokyopop's work on the .hack manga and novels was not only brutally underresearched, but went with the annoying weeaboo style that appears to be becoming the norm these days: "we can't write worth a damn, so we'll honorific their pants off!"


What did you think of the first volume of .hack//G.U.+?

As the person responsible for the rewrite and some of the research for .hack//G.U.+ (as well as the upcoming .hack//XXXX manga), I would hope that the time and effort put into the book by myself and others are apparent in the final product. I'll readily accept the blame for the Lumina Cloth name mistake (which I'm still ashamed to have gotten wrong despite knowing better), but other than that I feel like the book was a good final product, text-wise, both in terms of .hack franchise accuracy and in terms of readability.

I can't speak to any of the other manga or novel installments, other than to mention that I feel TOKYOPOP does deserve some credit for going back and fixing various problems in reprints, based on fan feedback.

[shameless plug]

I'd hope that you haven't given up on the print aspects of the franchise entirely. Volume 2 of .hack//G.U.+ and volume 1 of .hack//XXXX are both out this month, so please give them a shot!

[/shameless plug]
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
midorihebi



Joined: 24 Oct 2006
Posts: 26
Location: Los Angeles, CA
PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 2:28 am Reply with quote
CatzCradle wrote:
Ariolander wrote:
From what I understand it is part of a movement toward OEL & Original creative properties and this mass layoff was a suprise to everyone within the company. A facebook group has beens tarted by layed off employees and former staffers are speaking out, Reallly a lot going on here.


Does anyone mind providing the link to the facebook group?


The group is actually meant for the laid off employees (and former employees, as well) to be able to keep in touch and to point out possible job opportunities for each other. We're not using it to speak out against Tokyopop.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
Moomintroll



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Posts: 1004
Location: Nottingham (UK)
PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 4:17 am Reply with quote
BellosTheMighty wrote:
TP, Viz, Del Rey, etc. are all really just middlemen, and once they've convinced the overseas publishers that there's a market here, they can be cut out quite easily.


I think that may be true of some publishers (like Tokyopop) but Viz are already owned outright by Japanese publishers and I think Del Ray's owners (Random House) also have financial links with a major Japanese publisher (though I can't recall who owns whom off the top of my head).
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Hon'ya-chan



Joined: 31 Jul 2007
Posts: 905
PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 4:56 am Reply with quote
Moomintroll wrote:
Del Ray's owners (Random House) also have financial links with a major Japanese publisher (though I can't recall who owns whom off the top of my head).


Kodansha. Oddly enough, Kodansha also has close ties with Disney as well.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
mufurc



Joined: 09 Jun 2003
Posts: 472
PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 6:04 am Reply with quote
Sakura Shinguji wrote:
I can't speak to any of the other manga or novel installments, other than to mention that I feel TOKYOPOP does deserve some credit for going back and fixing various problems in reprints, based on fan feedback.

Is that true for other releases as well? Because if they fixed the 'translation' (more like 'complete rewriting') of Pet Shop of Horrors, I might buy it... otherwise I'll just stick to the Japanese version.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
marie-antoinette



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 2624
Location: Toronto
PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 8:01 am Reply with quote
Hon'ya-chan wrote:
Moomintroll wrote:
Del Ray's owners (Random House) also have financial links with a major Japanese publisher (though I can't recall who owns whom off the top of my head).


Kodansha. Oddly enough, Kodansha also has close ties with Disney as well.


Kodansha doesn't own Random House, but Kodansha and Random House do jointly own Random House Kodansha (ie Random House Japan).

Random House is owned by Bertelsmann AG, a German company.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
saishokushugisha
Editor, Anime Insider


Joined: 18 Aug 2004
Posts: 100
Location: USA
PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 9:03 am Reply with quote
BellosTheMighty wrote:

All you really need to distribute a manga in the states is a good translator and a marketing department that understands the American market. The former can be hired by the original publisher, and the duties of the latter can be handled either by subcontracting to a marketing firm, or by training some of your own people to do it.

I doubt it would be hard at all for a Japanese publisher to just re-focus on the international market, and with no need left for region-specific publishers, companies like TokyoPop simply cease to exist.


Technically, yes, but even in the face of crippling market problems, few Japanese companies have been able to do that. It's more than just cutting out the middleman and doing it yourself--the wide cultural gap is made into an almost literal chasm by the fact that many of the anime companies are run by an older generation that is resistant to change and unable to admit it was wrong about any marketing decision.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Hon'ya-chan



Joined: 31 Jul 2007
Posts: 905
PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 10:08 am Reply with quote
marie-antoinette wrote:
Hon'ya-chan wrote:
Moomintroll wrote:
Del Ray's owners (Random House) also have financial links with a major Japanese publisher (though I can't recall who owns whom off the top of my head).


Kodansha. Oddly enough, Kodansha also has close ties with Disney as well.


Kodansha doesn't own Random House, but Kodansha and Random House do jointly own Random House Kodansha (ie Random House Japan).

Random House is owned by Bertelsmann AG, a German company.


Wait, wut?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
The Xenos



Joined: 29 Mar 2004
Posts: 1101
Location: Boston
PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 2:06 pm Reply with quote
marie-antoinette wrote:
Kodansha doesn't own Random House, but Kodansha and Random House do jointly own Random House Kodansha (ie Random House Japan).

Random House is owned by Bertelsmann AG, a German company.


Um.. yeah.. wait what? Kodansha is Kodansha. They're not Random House Japan. Where did you get that from? Bertelsmann is one of the media giants. Checking, yeah, they do own Random House.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodansha
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assets_owned_by_Bertelsmann
http://www.stopbigmedia.com/chart.php?chart=pub

Oh wait. I thin I see what you mean. There's a company called Random House Japan that's created between Kodansha and Random House. Aha. Well, no wonder they had connection to make the contracts for Del Ray manga.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
marie-antoinette



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 2624
Location: Toronto
PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 11:32 pm Reply with quote
Random House calls the Japanese branch of Random House "Random House Kodansha". This is not the same company as Kodansha, but a different one which is jointly owned by Random House and by Kodansha.

http://careers.randomhouse.com/About-Random-House/Random-House-Worldwide/Random-House-Asia.html
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page Previous  1, 2
Page 2 of 2

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group