Digital Manga Publishing recently launched a new website dedicated to their DokiDoki imprint, a co-publishing effort between Gardena, California-based DMP and Japanese publisher Shinshokan. To celebrate, they're giving away a free gift with every purchase of two spotlighted DokiDoki titles, Princess Princess Plus by Mikiyo Tsuda and Train Train Volume 1 by Eiki Eiki: a special fukuseigenga - two full-sized prints of the pages from these books as created by the artists.
There's two ways to get this extra collectible treat. First, you can visit dokidokibooks.com and register for the DokiDoki newsletter. You'll then be given the option to visit DMP's Akadot Retail site to purchase your copy of either (or both!) of these titles. If you prefer to purchase your copy at your favorite comics shop or bookstore, look for the special promo code in each of these books. Then go to dokidokibooks.com and click on the "Enter Promo Code" button. You'll be asked to fill out a survey, and then be sent to checkout to order your free promo item. Quantities are limited, so get yours soon.
So what is DokiDoki, and what makes it different than DMP's other imprints, June and 801 Media? First, DokiDoki titles are exclusively from Shinshokan's library of manga titles. Diehard fans might recognize Shinshokan as the publisher of Wings and Dear+ manga magazines. (Wings was the original home for CLAMP's Tokyo Babylon, Yun Kouga's Earthian and Fumi Yoshinaga's Antique Bakery). Also, compared to June stories, which are generally boys love stories with some romantic sizzle for readers 18 or older, and 801 Media stories, which are hotter, sexier and more explicit boys love tales, DokiDoki stories are billed as "The Gateway from Shojo to Yaoi," and includes a range of stories that veer between shojo manga for girls, and romantic boys love / shonen-ai to sexy boys love / yaoi manga. While romance will still be in the mix, sexually-explicit content generally won't be the primary focus, as these stories are promised to be suitable for readers age 13 to 18 and over. "Doki doki" is also a playful reference to the sound effect commonly used in manga to signify a heart beating in excitement.
The first two titles featured as part of DokiDoki's launch are by two creators who already have fan followings in the U.S. Here's the plot synopses of these two series, courtesy of DMP and dokidokibooks.com:
Train Train by Eiki Eiki - April 22, 2009
Welcome to Minami-Kitazawa Station, where the trains run strictly on time, customer service is an important priority, and the staff is entirely made up of super good-looking guys! That’s the environment 18-year-old Asahi Saruta gets dropped in the middle of when he finds himself assigned there. Asahi’s goal is to one day become a train operator like his father, but never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he’d have to deal with a group of strange co-workers like this. Even though Asahi may have been chosen more for his cuteness-factor than his job skills, can he rise to the challenge, or will the day-to-day mayhem of working in a train station cause him to reevaluate his career path altogether?
Eiki Eiki is also the author of The Art of Loving, World's End and Dear Myself, all available from DMP's June imprint.
Princess Princess Plus by Mikiyo Tsuda - April 22, 2009
The new school year is here! Fujimori Academy students Kiriya Matsuoka and Tomoe Izumi have been chosen as this year’s princesses, but it’s going to take a lot of hard work to bring them up to speed. Enter former princesses Kouno, Shihoudani and Yutaka for a bit of princess training! Although Matsuoka and Izumi seem willing and able to take over the job of dressing up as girls and cheering at school events, they’re not exactly what you’d call "friends." In fact, they seem to be about as opposite as two people can get. This animosity spells trouble for a student body that depends on their princesses to give them a warm, glowy feeling all year long. Can President Sakamoto and the ex-princesses convince Matsuoka and Izumi to bond for the sake of the school? Or will it take more than a common experience to bring two very different people together?
Princess Princess Plus is a sequel to the Princess Princess series by Tsuda-sensei (also published by DMP). Tsuda-sensei was also the creative force behind Family Complex and The Day of Revolution, both available from Digital Manga Publishing.
Also, as an interesting aside, Eiki-sensei and Tsuda-sensei are best friends who frequently collaborate on each other's projects. They were both also special guests at Yaoi Jamboree in 2008.
Check out the DokiDoki Books website for more sneak peeks at other manga that'll be coming soon from this new imprint from DMP, including Brilliant Blue by Saemi Yorita, Living for Tomorrow by Taishi Zaou, Millenium Prime Minister by Eiki Eiki, and Color by Eiki Eiki and Taoishi Zaou. You can also check out the DokiDoki blog, or sign up for their newsletter to be the first to hear about new and upcoming releases.
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