TOKYOPOP Interview

Written by Kevin Leathers on 19 Mar 2009

Andrew Whelan, head of sales & marketing at TOKYOPOP UK, has taken time out to discuss how the company viewed 2008 and talk about their plans for manga in 2009. TOKYOPOP has released titles such as the ever popular Fruits Basket as well as Battle Royale, DN Angel, Trinity Blood, GTO and many more.


2008 saw TOKYOPOP undergo some heavy restructuring in both it’s US and Japanese companies, has the UK arm been forced to scale back releases in the wake of this restructuring?

We never released as many books as the US so the reduction is much less drastic than people think. We are still releasing 3 to 4 new series a month this year.


With the recent collapse of Tanoshimi in the UK, the ever growing presence of Yen Press and the worldwide economic slowdown, do you think the UK market is changing for TOKYOPOP and will it affect what the company does in the future?

The market is tough at the moment for everyone, but its still growing so I think it's only natural that while we have been the pioneer here in the UK with regards to getting manga stocked in the high street that Yen and Viz will be here as well, just like in the US.


What have the most successful TOKYOPOP releases been in terms of sales over the past twelve months? Any surprise successes?

Fruits Basket, Battle Royale, DN Angel, Loveless, +Anima, Gakuen Alice, Trinity Blood, Warcraft and Battle Vixens are still the top sellers and now we have Chibi Vampire coming up on the outside to join them.

Manga Sutra had some good sales as well, with a different format to what we'd normally use.

I think we always have a good idea how well something will do but VB Rose and the Gothic and Lolita Bibles did catch me out a little in how popular they would be from the beginning, especially the Bibles.


Were there any titles that didn’t meet expectations?

Didn't meet expectations is a bit harsh. However, I think Trinity Blood will really move up in 2009 with the anime having made it to the UK courtesy of MVM.


Which of your titles has been a personal favourite and why?

Priest is my favourite, mainly because of the artwork, but I love the storyline too - it's so cool! Zombies, Cowboys and Medieval Knights - what's not to like? Can't wait for the movie in 2010.

Dramacon as well I think, mainly because I've been lucky enough to go to plenty of cons over the last 4 years and I got the chance to meet and chat to Svetlana last year.

Peacemaker and Utopia's Avenger also keep appearing on my desk when I get the chance.

I'm also a fan of our Warcraft titles and can't wait for the Battlestar Galactica manga in May 2009.


How much of TOKYOPOP's business is poached by online retailers like Amazon, who sell US manga before it's official UK release date and how do you combat this trend?

Less and less as the months go by, with the odd exception we will caught up with the US by middle of 2009 or be a month behind at most. We have done this by releasing a book a month, or in the case of Chibi Vampire, six so we can catch up asap.


Does Tokyopop work with competitors to raise the profile of manga?

More than people think. Viz took part in our ReCon programme all last year. I talk to my opposite number at some of our competitors each month to catch up. We are still very much building the market in the UK so it is worthwhile to work together to promote the development of the medium (sometimes).


Here are some questions asked by our forum members:

What's the biggest TOKYOPOP title coming out in the next 6 months?

Battlestar Galactica I think it could be a book that prompts more people to give manga a chance. Still a lot of sci-fi and western comic fans that think mangas not for them.


Would you ever consider selling manga in a digital format? I'm thinking of low-selling series where the profits perhaps don't justify the cost of printing.

This type of project is something that our LA office deals with, but I know they are looking at all sorts of different options with regards to online manga (just recently a couple of titles have been completely free to read for a limited time so in a way its already starting).

We actually have a deal in place for digital mobile distribution through Uclick already.


How much manga actually gets bought from high street stores?

Its well over half our sales I think its safe to say. Comic Bookstores and online still have an important part to play in building the market.


And to finish, first thank you for taking the time to talk to us and is there anything else you would like to add?

Thanks to everyone who buys our books, comes along to our ReCons, says hello at conventions and generally makes working for TOKYOPOP so much fun a lot of the time.