The Finale of Tokyopop.

Yesterday was one hell of a big day in a horrible way being that the death of the US operations of Tokyopop is shutting down.

This is where I first read on it: http://www.comicsbeat.com/2011/04/15/end-of-an-era-tokyopop-shutting-down/

Then it just went from there.

On a personal note Tokyopop was actually my second big manga reading time. Between Viz and Dark Horse then once Tokyopop introduced the unflopped format being right to left reading experience my mind was blown. It was one fun period of time too. New manga in this unflopped format and it’s stuff I’d not heard much about till that point and it was absolutely exciting. When you went into the bookstores there was this sort of life about it that was absolutely cool. Here it was manga hitting huge and it was spreading everywhere else. Viz started to hit full steam with that and then everyone else started following suit. I swear I’d never had seen anything like it nor ever since. Then it spread into the graphic novels and it just exploded from there.  Walking into the bookstores with my comic interest in full steam with the manga push and I was in heaven.

It’s strange to think about the manga scene without Tokyopop. For there’s new people out there doing it now and Tokyopop is a shell of it’s former self but it’s sad to think about for me. For the manga industry in the states is still in a precarious situation. It’s doing okay but the boom is definitely in the rear view mirror and growing distant. I think in my heart of hearts that it could perk back up again but in what time period I couldn’t tell you. I think also the other hit of this is the fact that Tokyopop just started to have even the slightest potential to get into some sort of track again. I just don’t think it was soon enough. Just keep a thought for all those people that are losing their jobs and hopeful for you all that any manga you might have been following from them find new homes.

Here’s hoping next week brings brighter news and better thoughts for believe me it seems the past two weeks have had one wicked piece of news in it. Keep a thought out eh? Good luck Tokyopop employees and hopefully you all find new gigs soon. Here’s hoping for a brighter week to come.