Associate Publisher Dallas Middaugh of Del Rey Manga reacted to news that Kodansha was setting up a U.S. subsidiary to publish manga with a posting on the Del Rey blog in which he maintained that in spite of the establishment of Kodansha U.S., “it’s business as usual at Del Rey Manga.” 

According to Middaugh Del Rey is “continuing to license manga from Kodansha.”  Middaugh noted that Del Rey would be announcing new manga series at both the San Diego Comic-Con this month and at the New York Anime Festival in September.  It should be interesting to compare the new manga announced by Del Rey for 2009 and 2010 with those from the fledgling Kodansha U.S. operation, which has been set up in New York with $2 million in financing and could publish its first manga offerings as early as September (though that would appear to be quite a feat).

Middaugh also shot down Internet rumors that Kodansha had pulled any manga licenses from Del Rey, noting that Del Rey will “continue to publish all of our manga,” and stated flatly, “Kodansha has not pulled any licenses from us.”

2009 will mark the 5th anniversary of Del Rey Manga and Middaugh assured readers that “suffice it to say that we plan to keep publishing manga for the foreseeable future.”