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Kodansha USA to Take Over Del Rey Manga Titles (Update 3)

posted on by Gia Manry
Kodansha to publish manga, Del Rey parent Random House to distribute

In a press release issued on Monday, the Japanese publisher Kodansha has announced that it will gradually take over publishing duties for manga titles currently published by Random House's Del Rey Manga imprint in North America. Random House will distribute the Kodansha USA-published volumes as part of its Random House Publishing Services (RHPS) division. Dallas Middaugh, associate publisher for Del Rey Manga, will remain involved in the partnership by transferring to the RHPS division.

Del Rey's Kodansha titles which have not yet been published in their entirety in English include xxxHOLiC, Fairy Tail, Air Gear, Negima!, and numerous others.

Kodansha announced its intent to publish manga directly in the American market through a new Kodansha USA holding company in July of 2008. A year later, Tokyopop confirmed that all of its Kodansha licenses had ended.

Kodansha has already re-issued the first volumes of Katsuhiro Ōtomo's Akira manga and Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell manga last October; both were formerly published by Dark Horse, and Marvel Comics' Epic imprint had published Akira before Dark Horse Comics. Not incidentally, Kodansha licensed the live-action film adaptation rights for Akira and Ghost in the Shell to Leonardo DiCaprio's team at Warner Brothers/Appian Way and Steven Spielberg's team at DreamWorks, respectively, in 2008.

Writer and editor Sean Michael Wilson revealed in August that Kodansha International is planning to publish the manga memoir Yakuza Moon. Kodansha International is a separate company from Kodansha USA, the subsidiary which will be working with Random House.

Update: More background information added.

Update 2: Del Rey has not finished publishing the following Kodansha manga titles in their entirety:

Update 3: Del Rey did complete Parasyte and Le Chevalier d'Eon. Thanks, classicalzawa and swanjun.


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