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Local Manga Cancels Localization of ri-ru-'s Prince Noir Manga

Dallas-based localization company Local Manga announced on Monday that it is no longer able to release a localization of ri-ru-'s Prince Noir manga due to "legal barriers" beyond their control.

Local Manga representative Christopher Hepburn cited that the company is "not able to justify" localizing the manga, citing U.S. federal obscenity law, specifically 18 U.S. Code § 1466A. Manga creator ri-ru- also commented on the release's cancelation, saying that U.S. law judges not only "physical shota" but "mental shota" (referring to the term "shota" for the depiction of underage males in manga, anime, and related media, as well as an otaku slang term for real-life underage males).

In 2010, a U.S. man named Christopher Handley was sentenced to six months in prison for receipt and possession of obscene manga.

Prince Noir launched in Takeshobo's moment magazine in 2018. The manga centers on a yakuza boss named Takumi who loses his memories in an accident after succeeding as the yakuza group's new head.

Local Manga announced Prince Noir alongside ru-ri-'s The Perfect Son as its first two licenses, both originally slated for an early 2021 release.

Hepburn previously confirmed with ANN that Local Manga was founded in Texas in summer 2018 "as a boutique localization company specializing in Boys' Love manga." While the company continues to focus on boys-love, it has expanded to other genres. The company recently added support for direct localization and publishing in cooperation with artists. Local Manga hopes to offer print releases in the future.

Thanks to Mariam for the news tip.

Sources: Local Manga's Twitter account, Christopher Hepburn's Twitter account, ru-ri-'s Twitter account