Yaoi Author Draws Hundreds At Signing
For Immediate Release:
Top Yaoi Author Kazuma Kodaka Draws Hundreds of Fans to
Autograph Session at Kinokuniya in Rockefeller Center
Kizuna Author Sets Record for Graphic Novel Artist Appearance
New York, NY (May 18, 2005) – America's first name in Yaoi graphic novels, Be Beautiful, is proud to announce that almost five hundred fans of Ms. Kazuma Kodaka, a pioneer and top-ranked artist of the Yaoi genre, attended her first autograph session in the United States, held at the Rockefeller Center Kinokuniya Bookstore in New York City at 2 pm on Saturday, May 14, 2005. Fans came from as far away as Holland to meet the artist in person, and get her autograph. The outpouring of support was a record turn-out for a manga artist at the venue.
Ms. Kodaka is the author of the best-selling Yaoi manga series in Japanese publishing history, Kizuna - Bonds of Love. Currently available in America from Be Beautiful, this ground-breaking romantic masterpiece has sky-rocketed to fame around the world, due to its engaging characters, deep romanticism, and unflinching erotic depictions of love between impossibly beautiful men. The film version of Kizuna received its U.S. premiere at New York's Japan Society the previous evening.
"We are happily surprised at how popular the Yaoi genre is becoming in America," said Masumi Homma O'Donnell, Publisher of Be Beautiful. "We worked with a variety of fan organizations and websites to promote this event, and we were extremely gratified to see that Ms. Kodaka was responsible for the best fan turn-out for a manga graphic novel so far."
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Ms Kazuma Kodaka - Author of Kizuna - May 2005 | Ms Kazuma Kodaka - Author of Kizuna - May 2005 |
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Fans Line Up for Ms Kazuma Kodaka at Kinokuniya | Ms Kazuma Kodaka Signs for Fans at Kinokuniya |
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Yaoi Fans Show Up in Costume for Ms Kodaka's Autograph | Central Park Media (CPM) Staff & Ms Kazuma Kodaka at Kinokuniya l. to r. Shigeki Morii, Marketing Manager, CPM Newton Grant, Director of Business Development, CPM Ms. Kazuma Kodaka, author of Kizuna - Bonds of Love Tim Werenko, Video Production Manager, CPM Masumi Homma O'Donnell, Publisher, Be Beautiful David Hair, National Sales Manager, CPM |
About Ms. Kazuma Kodaka:
One of the first, and certainly the most successful of all Yaoi artists, Ms. Kodaka's career began in 1989 with the publication of Sessa Takuma! in Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine. The author of Kizuna - Bonds of Love, Kimera, and Kusatta Kyōshi no Hōteishiki, Ms. Kodaka's works have received acclaim throughout the world over the past fifteen years, and have been the cause of the worldwide fascination with the Yaoi genre of graphic novels. Kizuna - Bonds of Love is currently the best-selling Yaoi genre title in Japanese publishing history, with over ten volumes released to date.
About Be Beautiful:
Be Beautiful is America's leader in the publication of Yaoi manga graphic novels, aimed at college age and older female readers. Yaoi manga are illustrated romantic graphic novels, featuring stories about love and relationships between impossibly beautiful men, written by female artists for female readers. Be Beautiful graphic novels are distributed exclusively by Central Park Media, one of America's oldest publishers of Japanese anime and manga.
About Kinokuniya Bookstore
Located at 10 WEST. 49th Street in the middle of Rockefeller Center, Kinokuniya Bookstore is the New York branch of one of Japan's largest and most renowned book chains. Founded in 1927, Kinokuniya is the leading bookstore chain in Japan (with 60 domestic stores and 26 overseas outlets). To attain a high level of customer satisfaction, the company has been opening large-scale bookstores, selling publications over the Internet, and building up a peerless network of sales offices serving educational and research institutions all over Japan and the world.
