At the annual boys love manga/anime fanfest that is YaoiCon in the San Francisco Bay Area this past weekend, VIZ Media hinted that they had a big announcement for BL fans. Sure enough, they delivered, as VIZ Media editors Leyla Aker and Jennifer LeBlanc, along with Yoshiko Noda from Animate unveiled SuBLime.
SuBLime is a new partnership between VIZ Media, Animate (Japan's largest anime/manga retailer) and Libre Publishing (Japan's largest boys love manga publisher) that aims to publish English-language editions of yaoi manga in both print and digital formats, and make it available to readers worldwide. The first digital releases will be available on SublimeManga.com beginning in December 2011, with the first print releases due to hit stores in June 2012. Included in their list of releases? A few fan faves like Love Pistols by Tarako Kotobuki, Sweet Pool by Nitro+CHiRAL, and Three Wolves Mountain by Naono Bohra.
I was there at the panel that Saturday morning, tweeting away. But there was much more said and announced at the panel than just new title announcements. Check out my transcript from the VIZ Media / SuBLime panel at YaoiCon, which is part 1 of my two-part series on the hows, the whys and the what's nexts of SuBLime Manga for more details on how they'll be offering titles in two ways: digital and print editions for some titles, and digital only/ download-to-own releases for other titles, and how they'll be making it available to fans worldwide.
Here's a quick run-down of the SuBLime manga titles announced at YaoiCon 2011:
NEW DIGITAL-ONLY RELEASES FROM SUBLIME: DEC. 2011 - AUG. 2012
LeBlanc and Aker announced the new digital-only releases that will be available for sale / download-to-own from SublimeManga.com, starting from December 2011 at $5.99 per volume.
- Love Pistols (Sex Pistols) by Tarako Kotobukiya - Dec. 2011 (Vol. 1, with new volumes released quarterly)
- Dannasama to Mitsugetsuchu (Husband and Honeymoon) by Haruka Minami - Dec. 2011
- Ousama no Bed (The Bed of My Dear King) by Sakae Kusama - Jan. 2012
- Sweet Pool by Nitro+CHiRAL and Kurumazaki Mayu - Feb. 2012
- Shizuku Hanabira Ringo no Kaori (Apple-Scented Blossoms) Volumes 1 - 2 by Toko Kawai - April 2012
- Devil's Honey by Isaku Natsume - May 2012
- Kekkon Zenya (The Night Before the Wedding) by Kou Fujisaki - May 2012
- Adult Teacher wa Osuki (Do You Like An Adult Teacher?) by Kiu Aion- June 2012
- Yokubou no Shizuku (Droplets of Desire) by You Higashino - August 2012
NEW PRINT AND DIGITAL MANGA RELEASES FROM SUBLIME: JUNE - SEPTEMBER 2012
These new SuBLime titles will be available in both print and digital editions. The print editions will have a cover price of $12.99, while the digital editions will be $5.99 per volume.
- Three Wolves Mountain by Naono Bohra - June 2012
- Hachimitsu Darling (Honey Darling) by Norikazu Akira - June 2012
- Punch ↑ Volume 1 by Shiuko Kano - July 2012
- Aitsu no Daihonmei (His Most Favorite) by Suzuki Tanaka - September 2012
ANIMATE KINDLE TITLES ADDED TO SUBLIME MANGA LINE-UP
Besides the new SuBLime titles, these current releases from Animate / Libre for the Amazon Kindle will be available from SublimeManga.com, beginning December 2011
- Cigarette Kisses by Nase Yamato (previously published by Deux / Aurora)
- Delivery Cupid by C.J. Michalski (previously published by Boysenberry Books / Broccoli)
- Golden Cain by You Asagiri (previously published by Be Beautiful/ Central Park Media)
- Hyper Loving a Maniac Volume 1 by You Higashino (published by 801 Media / Digital Manga)
- Kiss Ariki Volume 1 by Youka Nitta
- Love Ala Carte By Haruka Minami (previously published by Be Beautiful / Central Park Media)
- Oh My God! Volumes 1 - 2 by Natsuho Shino (previously published by Deux / Aurora)
- Pet on Duty by Nase Yamato (previously published by Boysenberry Books / Broccoli)
- Playboy Blues Volumes 1-3 by Shiuko Kano (previously published by Be Beautiful / Central Park Media)
Stick around -- I'll be posting part 2 of my articles spotlighting SuBLime, including my interviews with VIZ Media editors Leyla Aker and Jennifer LeBlanc. More to come!
Image credits: © Tarako Kotobuki / LIBRE PUBLISHING, © Nitro+CHiRAL / LIBRE PUBLISHING, © Naono Bohra / LIBRE PUBLISHING
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