Editing Tokyopop (section)

==History==

=== Early history ===
Tokyopop was founded in 1997 by [[Stuart J. Levy]].<ref name="founding">{{Cite news | last=Jarvis | first=Michael | title=The Godzilla-Sized Appeal of Japan's Pop Culture | url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/430966331.html?dids=430966331:430966331&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+26%2C+2003&author=MICHAEL+T.+JARVIS&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=I.9&desc=Metropolis+%2F+Chat+Room%3B+The+Godzilla-Sized+Appeal+of+Japan%27s+Pop+Culture | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225175830/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/430966331.html?dids=430966331:430966331&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+26%2C+2003&author=MICHAEL+T.+JARVIS&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=I.9&desc=Metropolis+%2F+Chat+Room%3B+The+Godzilla-Sized+Appeal+of+Japan%27s+Pop+Culture | url-status=dead | archive-date=February 25, 2009 | magazine=[[Los Angeles Times]] | page=9 | date=October 26, 2003}}</ref> In the late 1990s, the company's headquarters were in [[Los Angeles]].<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20001029221527/http://www.mixxonline.com/mixxonline/company/press_releases/pr_990618_sailor_tops.html MIXX'S SAILOR MOON MANGA IS THE NUMBER 1 GRAPHIC NOVEL OR TRADE PAPERBACK IN AMERICA!]" [[Mixx Entertainment]]. June 18, 1999. Retrieved on August 21, 2011. "Mixx Entertainment, Inc. 746 W. Adams Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90089-7727"</ref>
 
Tokyopop published a manga magazine called MixxZine which serialized four classic manga including ''Sailor Moon'', ''Magic Knight Rayearth'', ''[[Parasyte]]'', and ''[[Ice Blade]]''. Eventually, MixxZine became an Asian pop culture publication entitled [[Tokyopop (magazine)|Tokyopop Magazine]]. Additionally, the company published a manga and tech magazine entitled [[Smile (magazine)|Smile Magazine]].

Cultural anthropologist [[Rachel Thorn]] praised [[Stu Levy]] for opening up an untapped market for animation with the publication of ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' and other. Before ''[[Sailor Moon]]'', the belief among entertainment executives was that "girls don't watch cartoons."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://matt-thorn.com/wordpress/?p=495 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120824211531/http://matt-thorn.com/wordpress/?p=495 |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 24, 2012 |title=Matt Thorn's Blog}}</ref> Due to ''Sailor Moon''{{'}}s immense popularity, Tokyopop discontinued the serial from its magazines, and released it separately as its first manga graphic novel. They engineered prominent book distribution via retail stores, standardized book trim size, created a basic industry-wide rating system, and developed the first-ever retail manga displays and introduced the world of graphic novels to an audience of teenage girls. Also, together with [[Diamond Comic Distributors|Diamond]], Tokyopop offered retailers free [[spinner rack]] displays for Tokyopop manga, thereby increasing the visibility of the medium in bookstores.<ref>{{Cite web|title = TOKYOPOP, Diamond Offer Free Spinner Rack Display through October 31!|url = http://www.diamondcomics.com/Home/1/1/3/124?articleID=14099|website = www.diamondcomics.com|access-date = November 25, 2015}}</ref>

Tokyopop also licensed and distributed Japanese anime. In 1996, Mixx Entertainment acquired the rights to the anime biopic of Japanese poet [[Kenji Miyazawa]], and Stu Levy produced and directed the English version of the anime film, entitled ''[[Spring and Chaos]]''. The film was directed and scripted by [[Shōji Kawamori]], who created ''[[Super Dimension Fortress Macross]]'' and ''[[The Vision of Escaflowne]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Spring and Chaos {{!}} TOKYOPOP|url = http://tokyopop.com/spring-and-chaos/|website = tokyopop.com|access-date = November 27, 2015}}</ref>  Taste of Cinema ranked "Spring and Chaos" thirteenth in its list of Top "25 Weird Animated Movies That Are Worth Your Time."<ref>{{Cite web|title = 25 Weird Animated Movies That Are Worth Your Time|url = http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2015/25-weird-animated-movies-that-are-worth-your-time/2/|website = Taste Of Cinema – Movie Reviews and Classic Movie Lists| date=November 23, 2015 |access-date = November 27, 2015|language = en-us}}</ref>  From 2000 to 2004, Tokyopop released multiple film and television projects such as ''Street Fury'', which Stu Levy created, ''[[Great Teacher Onizuka|GTO]]'' (English version for Showtime TV), ''[[Rave Master]]'' (English version for Cartoon Network's Toonami), and ''[[Reign: The Conqueror]]'' (English version for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.) Tokyopop also released English version DVDs for: ''[[Initial D]]'', ''[[Marmalade Boy]]'', ''[[Saint Tail]]'', ''[[Samurai Girl: Real Bout High School]]'', ''[[Vampire Princess Miyu]]'', ''[[Brigadoon: Marin & Melan|Brigadoon]]'', ''[[Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling|FMW]]'', ''[[High School Ghostbusters]].''<ref>{{Cite web|title = Stuart J. Levy|url = https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1646305/|website = IMDb|access-date = November 27, 2015}}</ref>

=== "100% Authentic Manga" ===
In 2002, Tokyopop launched its line of "100% Authentic Manga", which was printed in the original Japanese right-to-left format and included the original Japanese printed sound effects.

In Japan, most published manga is written to read from right to left, but when an English translation was published in the U.S., however, the common practice was to use computer-reversed or mirror images that allowed the books to read from left to right. As a result, this distorted the artwork.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Tokyopop Commits to Unflopped Manga|url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2002-01-29/tokyopop-commits-to-unflopped-manga|website = Anime News Network|access-date = November 25, 2015}}</ref> Tokyopop's decision to use the original right-to-left format allowed the artwork to keep its original form and also enabled Tokyopop to release most graphic novel series on a frequency three-to-six times faster than the industry standard at the time. Tokyopop volumes hit the shelves monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly versus the six months or longer typical of competitors. It also allowed Tokyopop to sell books for an industry-leading price point of $9.99 per book, at a time when most competitors charged $12.99 to $16.99 per book.<ref>{{Cite web|title = TokyoPop delivers authentic Manga to fans with original right-to-left format|url = http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=829|website = Comic Book Resources|date = February 4, 2002|access-date = November 25, 2015}}</ref>

Tokyopop was the first U.S. publisher to adopt such a sweeping policy. While some Japanese manga artists had required that the English versions of their manga be published from right to left, Tokyopop was the first American publisher to unilaterally announce that it would maintain the original format for all of its future manga titles.

An "authentic manga" how-to guide was included in each graphic novel to keep readers from accidentally reading the final page first, and the authentic manga also featured special packaging.

=== Rising Stars of Manga ===
Tokyopop launched their [[Original English-language manga|Global Manga]] publishing program in 2003 via the introduction of its "[[Rising Stars of Manga]]" talent competition.<ref name="Variety profile">{{cite news | publisher = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date =  October 26, 2007 | title = Profile, Stu Levy | first = Tom | last = McLean}}</ref>  The competition called for American manga artists to submit 15–25 page English-language stories of any genre. The top 10 entries, as judged by Tokyopop editors, received cash prizes (between $500 – $2500) and were published in an anthology of the winning works. The grand prize winners were also given the chance to pitch full-length manga projects to Tokyopop for a chance to become professional [[Mangaka|manga-ka]].

Tokyopop launched its first "Rising Stars of Manga" contest on August 15, 2002, and ended it on December 16, 2002,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Tokyopop Announces Rising Stars of Manga Competition|url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2002-08-14/tokyopop-announces-rising-stars-of-manga-competition|website = Anime News Network|access-date = November 25, 2015}}</ref> with more than five hundred American artists submitting their 15–25 page, English-language stories.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Tokyopop launches 2nd Manga Contest|url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2003-05-31/tokyopop-launches-2nd-manga-contest|website = Anime News Network|access-date = November 25, 2015}}</ref>

The 5th Rising Stars of Manga competition added the People's Choice award, where the top-20 finalists had their entire entries judged by the fans on the Tokyopop website. "We are really pleased to open up the Rising Stars judging to the fans," commented Tokyopop editor Rob Valois. "Since so many people have been vocal on the message boards and at industry conventions, we're offering them all a chance to shape the future of manga. I'm personally excited to see how the fans' favorite will compare to our own."<ref>{{Cite web|title = TOKYOPOP Kicks Off Rising Stars Of Manga|url = http://www.animationmagazine.net/events/tokyopop-kicks-off-rising-stars-of-manga/|website = Animation Magazine|date = December 2004|access-date = November 25, 2015|language = en-US}}</ref>

Tokyopop held eight Rising Stars of Manga competitions between 2002 and 2008, as well as one in the UK in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Rising Stars of UK|url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-04-20/rising-stars-of-uk|website = Anime News Network|access-date = November 25, 2015}}</ref>

Several ''Rising Stars of Manga'' winners went on to publish full-length graphic novels with Tokyopop, including [[Josh Elder]] with ''[[Mail Order Ninja]]'', [[M. Alice LeGrow]] with ''[[Bizenghast]]'', Mike Schwark and Ron Kaulfersch with ''[[Van Von Hunter]],'' Lindsay Cibos and Jared Hodges with ''[[Peach Fuzz (manga)|Peach Fuzz]],'' [[Wes Abbott|Wes Abbot]] with ''[[Dogby Walks Alone]]'', Felipe Smith with ''[[MBQ (manga)|MBQ]],'' and Nathan Maurer with ''Atomic King Daidogan''.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}

As of July 2022, a new Rising Stars of Manga 25th Year Anniversary edition was announced.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anime Expo Wrapup: Tokyopop Brings Back Rising Stars of Manga |url=https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/51591/anime-expo-wrapup-tokyopop-brings-back-rising-stars-manga |access-date=August 15, 2022 |website=icv2.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== Rise of Tokyopop ===
Tokyopop became one of the biggest manga publishers outside [[Japan]], and as such, was attributed with popularizing manga in the [[United States]].  By 2004, it boasted the largest  market share of manga sales in the U.S., reaching as high as 50% of manga exports to the United States, according to Nissei Weekly.

Tokyopop was also instrumental in the introduction of manhwa to western audiences. Brad Brooks and Tim Pilcher, authors of ''The Essential Guide to World Comics. London'', said that Tokyopop "published many [[Koreans|Korean]] artists' work, possibly without Western fans even realizing the strips don't come from Japan. Series like ''[[King of Hell (comic)|King of Hell]]'' by Kim Jae-hwan and Ra In-soo, and the [[Gothic fiction|Gothic]] [[vampire]] tale ''[[Model (manhwa)|Model]]'' by [[Lee So-young (artist)|Lee So-young]] are both Korean, but could easily be mistaken for manga."<ref name="worldcomics">{{cite book | last=Brooks | first=Brad | author2=Pilcher, Tim | title=The Essential Guide to World Comics | publisher=[[Collins & Brown]] | date=October 28, 2005 | location=London | isbn=1-84340-300-5 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/essentialguideto0000pilc }}</ref> In 2005, Tokyopop began a new, free publication called ''[[Manga (magazine)|Manga]]'' (originally ''Takuhai'') to feature their latest releases.

Tokyopop secured newspaper distribution in the form of [[Sunday comics]], featuring its titles Princess Ai, Mail Order Ninja, Peach Fuzz, and Van Von Hunter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Manga Hits the Funny Pages |url=https://icv2.com/articles/comics/view/7782/manga-hits-funny-pages |access-date=June 6, 2022 |website=icv2.com |language=en}}</ref>

In March 2006, Tokyopop and [[HarperCollins Publishers]] announced a co-publishing agreement in which the sale and distribution rights of some Tokyopop manga and books, under this co-publishing license, would be transferred to HarperCollins in mid-June 2006. The agreement enabled Tokyopop to produce [[Original English-language manga|original English-language (OEL) manga]] adaptations of HarperCollins' books. [[Meg Cabot]]'s books were the first to be adapted into the manga format, along with the ''[[Warriors (novel series)|Warriors]]'' series by [[Erin Hunter]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/28/business/media/28comics.html?scp=3&sq=meg+cabot&st=nyt | work=[[The New York Times]] | title=Comic Book Publisher Switches a Deal to HarperCollins | first=Edward | last=Wyatt | date=March 28, 2006 | access-date=May 25, 2010}}</ref> The first line of Tokyopop-HarperCollins OEL manga was released in 2007 with the goal of publishing up to 24 titles each year.<ref name="harpercollins">{{cite web | last=Crum | first=Erin | date=March 27, 2006 | url=http://www.harpercollins.com/footer/release.aspx?id=423&b=&year=2006 | title=HarperCollins Publishers and Tokyopop Announce Innovative Co-Publishing, Sales, and Distribution Agreement | publisher=[[HarperCollins Publishers]] | access-date=April 10, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426005007/http://www.harpercollins.com/footer/release.aspx?id=423&b=&year=2006 | archive-date=April 26, 2011 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

Tokyopop entered a licensing arrangement with [[Kaplan, Inc.|Kaplan]], a leading provider of educational and training services in 2007,<ref>{{Cite web |title="KABOOM!" "SLAM!" and "ARRGH!" Supplemented By "ERADICATE!" "RELINQUISH!" and "ILLUMINATE!" |url=https://kaplan.com/release/kaboom-slam-and-arrgh-supplemented-by-eradicate-relinquish-and-illuminate/ |access-date=May 24, 2022 |website=Kaplan |language=en}}</ref> to help students study vocabulary words in preparation for the [[SAT]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |author=C. B. R. Staff |date=May 31, 2007 |title=Kaplan and Tokyopop Introduce Vocab-Building Manga Series |url=https://www.cbr.com/kaplan-and-tokyopop-introduce-vocab-building-manga-series/ |access-date=May 24, 2022 |website=CBR |language=en-US}}</ref>

Tokyopop has released several series based on American games, films, and characters, such as ''[[Warcraft]]'',<ref>{{cite web | url=http://kotaku.com/380931/tokyopop-publishing-more-warcraft-starcraft-manga | title=Tokyopop Publishing More Warcraft, StarCraft Manga | last=Fahey | first=Mike | work=[[Kotaku]] | date=April 17, 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120711063238/http://kotaku.com/380931/tokyopop-publishing-more-warcraft-starcraft-manga | archive-date=July 11, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.comicsbulletin.com/news/109173264226099.htm | title=TokyoPop to Produce Warcraft Manga Trilogy | last=Patty | first=Shawn | work=ComicsBulletin | date=August 5, 2004}}</ref> the ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' video game series, and [[Jim Henson]] films.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tokyopop.com/product/1712 | title=Book Info: Return to Labyrinth Volume 1 | work=Tokyopop | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090824142456/http://www.tokyopop.com/product/1712 | archive-date=August 24, 2009 }}</ref> They released the first volume of a series based on the ''[[Hellgate: London]]'' video game in April 2008.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tokyopop.com/shop/2244/HellgateLondon/1 | title=Book Info: Hellgate: London Volume 1 | work=Tokyopop }}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref>

=== CineManga ===
TOKYOPOP pioneered the Cine-Manga format, which took popular animated and live-action series and films and turned them into colored print editions. Titles included popular Nickelodeon cartoon series like Avatar: The Last Airbender and SpongeBob SquarePants. As well as franchises such as Star Wars, Akira, Lizzie McGuire, Card Captor Sakura, Kim Possible, Family Guy, Hannah Montana, amongst many others.<ref>{{Cite web|title = ICv2: Tokyopop Does Nickelodeon|url = http://icv2.com/articles/comics/view/2822/tokyopop-does-nickelodeon|website = icv2.com|access-date = November 25, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title='Avatar Cine-Manga' Tops 500k |url=https://icv2.com/articles/comics/view/8740/avatar-cine-manga-tops-500k |access-date=November 2, 2022 |website=icv2.com |language=en}}</ref>

===2008 restructuring===
In June 2008, Tokyopop announced that it was being restructured, with its name being changed to Tokyopop Group, a holding group for several new subsidiaries. The Tokyopop operations in the United States were split into two subsidiaries: Tokyopop, Inc., and Tokyopop Media. Tokyopop, Inc. consisted of the company's existing publications business, while Tokyopop Media focused on the company's digital and comics-to-film works.<ref name="LostPositionsANN" /> Tokyopop Media managed the Tokyopop website, which continued to promote its publications.<ref name="ICV Inside" /> According to representative Mike Kiley, the divisions would allow the company to "set things up in ways that would very clearly and definitively allow those businesses to focus on what they need to do to succeed. The goals in each company are different and the achievement of those goals is more realistic, more possible if everyone working in each of those companies is very clearly focused."<ref name="ICV Inside" />

During the restructure, Tokyopop laid off 39 positions, equating to 35%–40% of its American workforce. Most of the positions cut were those involved in the direct publication of its books which resulted in a scale back of publication output from Tokyopop, Inc.<ref name="LostPositionsANN">{{cite web | url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-06-04/tokyopop-to-restructure-update | title=Tokyopop to Restructure Update | work=[[Anime News Network]] | date=June 4, 2008 | access-date=June 4, 2008}}</ref><ref name="ICV Inside">{{cite web | url=http://icv2.com/articles/news/12707.html | title=Inside the Tokyopop Restructuring | work=ICv2 | date=June 8, 2008 | access-date=June 9, 2008}}</ref>  Tokyopop reported that it would be cutting the volumes released per year by approximately 50%, to an average of 20–22 volumes per month.<ref name="ICV Inside" /><ref name="SplitANN">{{cite web | url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-06-03/tokyopop-to-restructure | title=Tokyopop to Restructure | work=Anime News Network | date=June 3, 2008 | access-date=June 3, 2008}}</ref><ref name="SplitICV">{{cite web | url=http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/12677.html | title=Tokyopop Splits into Two Companies | work=ICv2 | date=June 3, 2008 | access-date=June 3, 2008}}</ref>

Tokyopop's Japan division was also to be split, with one unit operating under Tokyopop Media and the other becoming a subsidiary under the overall Tokyopop Group.<ref name="SplitICV" /> In response to Tokyopop's restructuring, declining sales, and losing 20% of its manga market share, Tokyopop UK cut its publication release schedule from approximately 25 volumes a month to 20.<ref name="UK Cuts">{{cite web | url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-06-12/tokyopop-to-cut-manga-output-in-united-kingdom | title=Tokyopop to Cut Manga Output in United Kingdom | work=Anime News Network | date=June 12, 2008 | access-date=June 12, 2008}}</ref>

In December 2008, citing "dramatically low sales" in the publishing industry as a whole, Tokyopop, Inc., laid off eight more employees, including three editors, and noted that the company would have to rearrange some of its upcoming publication schedules.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-12-12/manga-publisher-tokyopop-lays-off-eight-more-staffers | title=Manga Publisher Tokyopop Lays Off Eight More Staffers | work=Anime News Network | date=December 12, 2008 | access-date=December 12, 2008}}</ref>

===Loss of Kodansha licenses===
Licenses from the Japanese manga publisher [[Kodansha]], historically, were a large part of Tokyopop's catalog. In the years leading up to 2009, the number of Kodansha titles licensed by Tokyopop decreased. The final new Kodansha title was ''[[Tokko (manga)|Tokko]]'' by [[Tohru Fujisawa]], and the final batch of volumes of Kodansha titles appeared around March 2009. Around that time Kodansha began to consistently give licenses to its manga to competitor [[Del Rey Manga]]. Deb Aoki of [[About.com]] said "Well, more or less. You get the idea. If you're the type who reads the tea leaves of the manga publishing biz, you kinda sensed that things weren't quite the same as they used to be."<ref name="About.com Kodansha">{{cite web | url=http://manga.about.com/b/2009/09/01/the-kodansha-tokyopop-split-which-manga-are-left-in-limbo.htm | title=The Kodansha-TokyoPop Split: Which Manga Are Left in Limbo? | first=Deb | last=Aoki | work=[[About.com]] | date=September 1, 2009 | access-date=September 1, 2009 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113070748/http://manga.about.com/b/2009/09/01/the-kodansha-tokyopop-split-which-manga-are-left-in-limbo.htm | archive-date=2012-11-13}}</ref>

On August 31, 2009, Tokyopop announced Kodansha was allowing all of its licensing agreements with both the North American and German divisions of Tokyopop to expire for reasons unknown. Due to this loss in licensing, Tokyopop was forced to leave several Kodansha series unfinished, including the popular ''[[Rave Master]]'', ''[[Initial D]]'', ''[[GetBackers]]'', and ''[[Life (manga)|Life]]'' series. It would be unable to reprint any previously published volumes, rendering all Kodansha-owned Tokyopop releases out-of-print.<ref name="ANN Kodansha">{{cite web | url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-08-31/tokyopop-confirms-its-kodansha-manga-licenses-will-end | title=Tokyopop Confirms Its Kodansha Manga Licenses Will End | work=Anime News Network | date=August 31, 2009 | access-date=September 1, 2009}}</ref>

Several other titles licensed and published by Tokyopop, including best sellers ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]'', ''[[Chobits]]'', ''[[Clover (Clamp manga)|Clover]]'', and ''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]'', were reacquired by [[Dark Horse Comics]], though two other titles Kodansha licensed to Dark Horse had since transferred to [[Random House]] by then.<ref name="About.com Kodansha" /><ref name="ANN Kodansha" /> ''[[Samurai Deeper Kyo]]'' was relicensed by competitor [[Del Rey Manga]], a division of Random House, which published the remaining volumes of the series.<ref name="ANN Kodansha" />

Tokyopop said that it expected the loss of the licenses to have minimal impact on the company economically due to its diversification of their holdings over the last few years, though they acknowledged the loss would hurt fans of the ongoing series who face uncertainty about the completion of those titles from other companies. ICv2 reported that Tokyopop would continue to publish [[light novel]]s from Kodansha and that Kodansha appeared to be planning to publish its own titles through its partnership with Random House.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/15747.html | title=No More Kodansha Manga for Tokyopop | work=ICv2 | date=September 1, 2009 | access-date=September 1, 2009}}</ref>

===Resignations and layoffs===

In February 2011, the president and chief operating officer, John Parker, resigned from the company and took the position of vice president of business development for [[Diamond Comic Distributors|Diamond]]. This came shortly after Diamond became Tokyopop's new distributor, taking the business from [[HarperCollins]]. Tokyopop did not name a replacement for Parker. Parker's departure left only three remaining executives: the founder and CEO, Stuart Levy; Publisher, Mike Kiley; and Vice President of Inventory, Victor Chin.

On March 1, Tokyopop continued to lay off workers, removing many high-profile employees such as long-time manga editors Lilian Diaz-Przyhyl and Troy Lewter. Tokyopop's management also eliminated the position of director of sales operations. In an interview with ICv2, Stuart Levy revealed that the layoffs were due to [[Borders (retailer)|Borders]], Tokyopop's largest customer, filing bankruptcy in March 2011, no longer carrying Tokyopop stock, and not paying debts that the company owed to Tokyopop.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/w_apa/showarticle.aspx?articleID=16492&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 | title = Tokyopop discusses the consequence of Borders' bankruptcy on publishers | publisher = Asia Pacific Arts | date = March 7, 2011 | access-date = March 9, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140912204210/http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/w_apa/showarticle.aspx?articleID=16492&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 | archive-date = September 12, 2014 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

===North American publishing shutdown===
On April 15, 2011, Tokyopop announced that it would close its Los Angeles, California–based North American publishing operations on May 31, 2011. According to the release, Tokyopop's film and television projects, as well as European publishing operations and global rights sales, would not be closing. The UK branch would cease to operate after May 31 due to their reliance on the importing of the North American branch's product. Stuart Levy, Tokyopop's founder, released a personal statement reaffirming Tokyopop's role in introducing manga to the mainstream North American audience and thanking fans, creators, and employees for their dedication.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.comicsbeat.com/2011/04/15/end-of-an-era-tokyopop-shutting-down/ | title = End of an era: Tokyopop shutting down | publisher = Comics Beat | date = April 15, 2011 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120306122848/http://www.comicsbeat.com/2011/04/15/end-of-an-era-tokyopop-shutting-down/ | archive-date = March 6, 2012 }}</ref> On May 24, Tokyopop stated that the manga they licensed would revert to their original owners, who may license the titles to other companies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-05-24/tokyopop/japanese-manga-licenses-to-revert-to-owners |title=Tokyopop: Japanese manga licenses to revert to owners |publisher=Anime News Network |date=May 24, 2011 |access-date=December 7, 2011}}</ref>

===New incarnation===

In October 2011, Tokyopop's official Twitter account released a message stating that its "ultimate goal is to start publishing manga again."<ref>{{Cite web|title = Tokyopop Confirms Intent to Publish Manga Again|url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-10-12/tokyopop-confirms-intent-to-publish-manga-again|website = Anime News Network|access-date = December 13, 2015}}</ref>

On December 10, 2012, Tokyopop's website relaunched with a letter from management stating that the company was down to a few select employees who were starting a 'new incarnation' of the company. Partnered with '[[Right Stuf Inc.|Right Stuf]] on Demand', they began offering ebooks of various titles for which they retained the rights.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Web Relaunch is a GO! {{!}} TOKYOPOP|url = http://tokyopop.com/an-example-of-company-news-article/|website = tokyopop.com|access-date = December 13, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151231035030/http://tokyopop.com/an-example-of-company-news-article/|archive-date = December 31, 2015|url-status = dead}}</ref>

Their company blog article stated:

<blockquote>Luckily new technologies that have only very recently become practical are enabling us to re-emerge. Conventional publishing has irrevocably changed, and it is impractical for all but the largest and most established companies to pursue publishing as it has gone on for centuries. But by embracing ebook and print-on-demand technologies, we believe we can move forward and continue to produce some amazing manga as well as bring you Asian Pop Culture in many forms.<ref name="tokyopop.com">{{cite web|url = http://tokyopop.com/an-example-of-company-news-article/|title = Web Relaunch is a GO!|publisher = TokyoPop|author = wptokyopop|date = 2012-12-10|access-date = 2015-07-08|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150710065919/http://tokyopop.com/an-example-of-company-news-article/|archive-date = 2015-07-10|url-status = dead}}</ref></blockquote>

A letter from Levy on January 6, 2013, stated:

<blockquote>Digital technology has transformed many industries including publishing. This hit TOKYOPOP very hard since we didn't have ebook rights to most of our series (except OEL). Unfortunately our Japanese licensors did not move fast enough to provide a legitimate alternative to piracy, and piracy shows no mercy. As a result, TOKYOPOP had to shut down its LA office and the licenses to Japanese titles expired, reverting to the Japanese licensors.

What that means is TOKYOPOP is evolving as a company. I know many fans would prefer us to return to being a manga publisher like we were for most of our history. However, manga will never disappear – we will do what we can to deliver manga. I plan on experimenting with new ways to bring you Asian pop culture. Please keep an open mind – and give feedback (not just negative when you don't like something but also positive when you like something) so we can tweak our approach.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tokyopop.com/happy-new-year-and-new-site/|title=Happy New Year and New Site!|publisher=TokyoPop|author=wptokyopop|date=2013-01-03|access-date=2015-07-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710080204/http://tokyopop.com/happy-new-year-and-new-site/|archive-date=2015-07-10|url-status=dead}}</ref></blockquote>

Throughout the publishing closure, Tokyopop Media remained open for business, continuing its efforts to produce film and TV adaptations of Tokyopop's manga, as well as reinvigorating the Tokyopop YouTube channel, launching several original web series and adding trailers for Japanese film and TV. In 2013, Tokyopop partnered with MondoMedia to release an animated short film based on the Tokyopop manga ''Riding Shotgun'',<ref>''[https://web.archive.org/web/20130824214355/http://tokyopop.com/riding-shotgun/ Riding Shotgun]''</ref> which was directed by Michael Davis and starred the voices of [[Yuri Lowenthal]] and [[Jessy Schram]]. The short film garnered over a million views in its first month, and led to an IndieGoGo campaign to finance a full animated series.

In 2015, at [[Anime Expo]] and [[San Diego Comic-Con]], Tokyopop announced that it would be relaunching its publishing operations in North America in 2016 and hinted that its first major licensor would be [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Tokyopop Plans Manga Publishing Relaunch, More Projects|url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/daily-briefs/2015-07-03/tokyopop-plans-manga-publishing-relaunch-more-projects/.90002|website = Anime News Network|access-date = November 25, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = Tokyopop Hints at Possible Manga Collaborations With Disney|url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-07-11/tokyopop-hints-at-possible-manga-collaborations-with-disney/.90356|website = Anime News Network|access-date = November 25, 2015}}</ref>

In January 2018, Tokyopop announced the release dates for three new properties: ''[[Konohana Kitan]]'', ''[[Futaribeya: A Room for Two]]'', and ''Hanger''.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Tokyopop® Reveals its First Wave of Japanese Manga Licenses|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2018-01-24/tokyopop-reveals-its-first-wave-of-japanese-manga-licenses/.126890|website = Anime News Network|access-date = February 5, 2018}}</ref> Additionally, TOKYOPOP initiated "International Woman of Manga" to showcase non-Japanese female manga writers with the publication of five titles: ''Ocean of Secrets'', ''Goldfisch'', ''Kamo'', ''Undead Messiah'', and ''Sword Princess Amaltea''.<ref>{{cite web|title=TOKYOPOP PLANS 'INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF MANGA' PUSH|url=https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/39771/tokyopop-plans-international-women-manga-push|website=ICv2|access-date=March 5, 2018}}</ref> Tokyopop's "Nightmare Before Christmas: Zero's Journey" was nominated for two 2018 Diamond GEM awards in the categories "2018 Best All Ages Series" and "2018 Licensed TP or HC of the Year".<ref>{{cite web |title=2018 DIAMOND GEM Award Nominees |url=https://www.newsarama.com/43348-2018-diamond-gem-award-nominees.html |website=Newsarama |access-date=January 15, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tokyopop's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Zero's Journey Nominated for Diamond Gem Awards |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2019-01-10/tokyopop-the-nightmare-before-christmas-zero-journey-nominated-for-diamond-gem-awards/.141911 |website=Anime News Network |access-date=January 15, 2019}}</ref>

In 2021, [[Cracker Barrel|Cracker Barrel Old Country Store]] restaurants agreed to sell specific Tokyopop Manga by offering Disney's The Nightmare Before Christmas adaptation by Jun Asuka in its North American in-store gift shops.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 22, 2021 |title=TOKYOPOP Announces Collaboration With Cracker Barrel to Offer Disney Manga in Country Store |url=https://www.themarysue.com/tokyopop-cracker-barrel/ |access-date=May 26, 2022 |website=The Mary Sue |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author1=Chris Arrant |date=October 27, 2021 |title=Cracker Barrel will start selling comics – well, one – this holiday season |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/cracker-barrel-nightmare-before-christmas/ |access-date=May 26, 2022 |website=gamesradar |language=en}}</ref>