Viz Media announced at Yaoi-Con that it is launching a new yaoi manga line, SuBLime (the caps in the name play on "boys love"), in partnership with Animate, Ltd., and Libre Publishing Co., Ltd. The new venture will publish in print form and digitally on its Website (including Download-to-own). Libre is the biggest boys love publisher in Japan, Animate is a 100-store anime-manga retailer.
The first SuBLime print titles will be:
- Three Wolves Mountain, by Naono Bohra (spring)
- Hachimitsu Darlin, by Norikazu Akira (spring)
- Punch Up Vol. 1 by Shiuko Kano (summer)
- Aitsu No Daihonmei Vol. 1, by Suzuki Tanaka (summer)
Digital releases will launch in December with Love Pistols by Tarako Kotobuki, Dannasama To Mitsugetsuchu by Haruka Minami; continue in January with the launch of Ousama No Bed by Sakae Kusama; and in February with Sweet Pool by Nitro-CHiRAL. Additional digital titles planned for 2012 include Shizuku Hanabira Ringo No Kaori by Toko Kawai, Devil’s Honey by Isaku Natsume, Kekkon Zenya by Kou Fujisaki, Adult Teacher Wa Osuki? by Kiu Aion, and Yokubou No Shizuku by You Higashino.
The move is a reflection of the opportunity presented by the collapse of Tokyopop, which was a pioneer and a major publisher of boys love titles in North America. And the strong digital focus follows strong digital publishing efforts and response to date, including many of the earliest titles that have been offered on the Kindle. The adult female consumers of Yaoi, like other readers of romance fiction, are taking to digital formats in a big way.
The first SuBLime print titles will be:
- Three Wolves Mountain, by Naono Bohra (spring)
- Hachimitsu Darlin, by Norikazu Akira (spring)
- Punch Up Vol. 1 by Shiuko Kano (summer)
- Aitsu No Daihonmei Vol. 1, by Suzuki Tanaka (summer)
Digital releases will launch in December with Love Pistols by Tarako Kotobuki, Dannasama To Mitsugetsuchu by Haruka Minami; continue in January with the launch of Ousama No Bed by Sakae Kusama; and in February with Sweet Pool by Nitro-CHiRAL. Additional digital titles planned for 2012 include Shizuku Hanabira Ringo No Kaori by Toko Kawai, Devil’s Honey by Isaku Natsume, Kekkon Zenya by Kou Fujisaki, Adult Teacher Wa Osuki? by Kiu Aion, and Yokubou No Shizuku by You Higashino.
The move is a reflection of the opportunity presented by the collapse of Tokyopop, which was a pioneer and a major publisher of boys love titles in North America. And the strong digital focus follows strong digital publishing efforts and response to date, including many of the earliest titles that have been offered on the Kindle. The adult female consumers of Yaoi, like other readers of romance fiction, are taking to digital formats in a big way.
