Devil's Bride by KIM, Sae-Young

[mangotango]

Hi,

When is the next volume of Devil's Bride coming out? You guys released Volume 1 over a year and a half ago. I've read the korean orignal and it's up to chapter 23, I believe, so that makes it Voume 4 or 5.

Also I thought Tokyopop's licensed yaoi series (Boy's Love) are published by Blu (the Imprint of Tokyopop specializing in shounen-ai and yaoi)

[YamPuff]

If it hasn't been released in so long, maybe the series has been canceled. I don't see a Devil's Bride 2 upcoming release on amazon.

Blu Manga

Blu Manga is an imprint under which Tokyopop publishes shōnen-ai and yaoi manga titles. The imprint was launched in 2005. Initially, the company denied that it owned Blu, staying it was only distributing for another company. The company also released no editor names nor company contact info, out of fear there would be backlashes and hate mail from "moral crusaders."[21] In 2006, the company confirmed Blu was their own imprint.

From wiki

[LKK6144]

Most of TP's Korean titles have been placed on long term, probably indefinite, hold. On the whole, they didn't sell as well as the Japanese titles. When TP reduced its publishing schedule, the Korean titles were among the first ones affected. It will likely be a long time before Devil's Bride 2 is ever released. In my opinion, it probably won't ever be released.

Blu is TP's shounen-ai & yaoi imprint. But not all of TP's shounen-ai titles are released by Blu. I don't know why some titles are published under the Blu imprint while others are published as TP titles. But my understanding is that the decision of which imprint to release a title under is made on a case by case basis.

[mangotango]

So because the sales aren't doing so well they either decide to drop it or delay the release indefinitely without letting fans know?

I think it is pretty selfish of TP (and all publishers in general) for not providing notice to the general public regarding this mishave. There are fans out there wishing for more and waiting on this series that "probably won't ever be released".

I'm pretty sure there are other companies out there who would pick it up and do a better job promoting the series. I just hope that TP would announce next time if they are putting a series on indefinite hold or even dropping the licenses so other creditable companies can pick it up.

I know publishers can care less about the mangas and care more about sales and the cash coming in! I think this mentality can cause companies to lose fans and book sales. Now people will think twice before buying ongoing series by TP since god knows when the next book will be released, if ever. Thanks for your efforts; if only this series was published by Netcomics and not TP the world would be a better place!

[Arcademan]

Originally Posted by mangotango

So because the sales aren't doing so well they either decide to drop it or delay the release indefinitely without letting fans know?

I think it is pretty selfish of TP (and all publishers in general) for not providing notice to the general public regarding this mishave. There are fans out there wishing for more and waiting on this series that "probably won't ever be released".

In many cases involving manga series released in the States, this is a fact: poor sales= discontinued. Companies sometime won't announce if a series won't be continued to sell the remainder of the the books they're stuck with. After all, they pay a fee to their Japanese counterparts for the rights to said series so everyone loses in this senerio. Selfish? Sure but they have to make as much as their investment as possible.

I'm pretty sure there are other companies out there who would pick it up and do a better job promoting the series. I just hope that TP would announce next time if they are putting a series on indefinite hold or even dropping the licenses so other creditable companies can pick it up.

Which has happened recently. In rough economic times, cutbacks are unfortunate but a necessity and they have to decide and make an estimate based on past sales whether they will continue with a series or cease publication.

I know publishers can care less about the mangas and care more about sales and the cash coming in! I think this mentality can cause companies to lose fans and book sales. Now people will think twice before buying ongoing series by TP since god knows when the next book will be released, if ever. Thanks for your efforts; if only this series was published by Netcomics and not TP the world would be a better place!

First part of the above quoted for stupidity: if publishers didn't care about the manga in the first place, they wouldn't get it. Again, it's a business and they obtain licenses to series that they feel will make sales and cash. If they didn't, they wouldn't stay in business long.

While it does look like I'm playing devil's advocate on this, I do agree that TOKYOPOP and/or any other publisher should tell the public in advance if series is being canceled however if you know more on how the industry works, you would see some of the decisions do make sense to them though not necessarilly to the buying public.

[mangotango]

First part of the above quoted for stupidity: if publishers didn't care about the manga in the first place, they wouldn't get it. Again, it's a business and they obtain licenses to series that they feel will make sales and cash. If they didn't, they wouldn't stay in business long.

I meant to say that publishers all see mangas as a means of profit and not something you people enjoy yourselves. If you guys were fans of "manga reading" then you would know not to license series and then never finish the damn thing because this is a sign of disrespect to the original author and the fans who do enjoy the series. The reason why what you are doing is disrespectful is because this conduct is indirectly telling Authors that their work "stinks" and no one is buying it so you had to discontinue it and as for your fans you are indirectly hurting their feelings by noting their bad taste in mangas hence the discontinuation. And maybe you once were a fan of manga but obviously you lost touch with that side because this is your job and money makes life go around.

All I'm saying is that if you want to test out something why dodn't you test it out on something that's one volume (or a short series) instead of a series that is still ongoing in korea and gaining fan base. I'm certainly not trying to tell you what to do, but it's shady business to license a series and not continue it, that's the bottomline; you can ask anyone who buys manga (customers) how they feel about dropped series and they will tell you the same thing.

And to be honest I think after the complete release of Boy Princess (an earlier series by KIM, Sae-Young) by Netcomics, the fan base for Devil's bride should be pretty large. And excuse me if you guys aren't making millions off this particular series, but have you ever thought that maybe it's not the series itself but the fact that people just don't want to purchase licensed series published by TP.

I'm not going to argue since I'm not in this profession, but as a business professional myself I know money talks and weather this series gets put on hold or drop forever, as an outsider, I have no say, but as a fan I will remind myself never to buy an ongoing series published by TP.

Lastly, Money talks but so does reliability and trust from a business to the customer.

Thank You!

[NOTE: Please do not mind my disrespect to the company but as I am a graphic novel collector and from what I'm hearing about the obscure future of this series I am extremely upset]

[Arcademan]

I don't where you're getting 'you guys' in your post because I don't work for TOKYOPOP and it's not my profession however being around the industry and knowing a few in it, I understand it better than most people...alas, there's a lot I don't know about it, especially some of the circumstances that result in canceled series.

If you don't want to buy any ongoing series from TP, that's your decision however if I see something I like, I will support it and if by chance it's not completed, at least I got to know what I believe is something worth reading and buying.

[lucide]

Actually, i joined just to comment in on this.

While I'd admit that mangotango is rather agitated, I'd say for myself that I've been more than once frustrated and angry at Tokyopop for licensing a series and not continuing it. Although I have not bought a book from Tokyopop, I'm the kind who reads before buying a book that I enjoy for collection. I would have very much bought the series once it's all out.

For example, I'm personally waiting for the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan to finish before buying the entire set together.

The problem with licensing is that while Tokyopop does make money for those volumes that they did translate, there are other free scanlation groups out there that more often than not does a more entertaining job all for the love of the manga BUT because of the license, is unable to do so without breaking legal law.

Trust me, more people buy mangas because they had a tantalizing preview online and wish to genuinely support the author/mangaka/artist than they do because the cover and synopsis looked good. Naruto and He's Dedicated to Roses are fine examples on mangafox.

I do hope that this licensing problem can be fixed, so that Tokyopop can be licensed for the volumes that they do release, rather than an entire series which they do not continue. This puts free scanlators in uncertainty and would cost fans and an amount of profit for the mangaka. [Edit - It would also prove a good challenge to make a more entertaining translation that's also easy to understand for Tokyopop employees.]

As for why I'm speaking out, it's because my favourite manhwa 'Saver' is now unavaliable beyond Vol. 6. or 7? Also, I've been wanting to read Devil's Bride but no group wants to scanlate because its licensed. It is not so much a matter as to whether a series is worth reading or not as it is a matter of preference. I find Boy Princess and Devil's Bride rather worth reading but it is not for the general population who are against shonen-ai and soft yaoi. That's not to say there's not a good amount of yaoi and fluff lovers out there.

Sincerely, Luc.