Shizuki Yamashita, Director of Operations for Broccoli International U.S., has confirmed to ICv2 that “Broccoli International USA will be dissolving at the end of this year.”  BIUSA has licensed-and-or-published a number of manga titles including Aquarian Age: Juvenile Orion, Digi Charat Theater, Galaxy Angel, Galaxy Angel II,  Disgaea, Digaea II, Kamui, sola, Nui!, Murder Princess, Es, Honoka Level Up, and Koi Cupid under its Broccoli Books imprint.  Mr. Yamashita told ICv2, “We have stopped production work on our manga releases, and do not plan on releasing any titles in 2009.”

In 2007 Broccoli launched Boysenberry Books, a shonen ai imprint that was an attempt to get a share of what at that time was a growing market for yaoi manga.  According to interviews with retailers for the next ICv2 Anime/Manga Guide (#62), yaoi sales have leveled off and the market is oversaturated with new releases.  The economic downturn has only exacerbated pressures on mid-level manga publishers caused by an over-proliferation of titles and a shift in sales to top tier releases.  According to the latest “ICv2 Manga Survey” market conditions in 2008 caused publishers to reduce their projected output of manga volumes in 2008 by 22%.

In closing its U.S. subsidiary BIUS’s parent company Anime Gamers cited increased competition in all the various sectors, including anime/manga-related merchandise as well as publishing, in which BIUS was competing.  BIUS also produced English versions of several anime including the hit series FLCL under its now defunct Synth-Point Division.