After meeting with little enthusiasm for their non-yaoi titles, Media Blasters will drop its line of shonen manga and increase the number of yaoi titles on its list.
The 10-year-old anime and DVD distributor first emerged on the publishing scene in 2004 with a shonen lineup of Pilgrim Jäger, Kamunagara: Rebirth of the Demon Slayer and Flesh for the Beast. The next year saw the addition of Apocalypse Zero and Baron Gong Battle. Shonen manga is aimed at boys, yaoi manga at women.
"We took chances that didn't pay off,” said Media Blasters managing editor Frank Pannone, who made the announcement on the message boards on the Anime on DVD Web site. "We were publishing shonen books for older readers. Most shonen coming out in the U.S. is aimed at an all ages audience."
The company will continue with its yaoi titles; it has 20 books in its yaoi catalogue including Level C and Skyscrapers of Oz—both of which have done well. Media Blasters is on its fourth printing of Skyscrapers, a yaoi one-shot about "seductive hit men." As an anime company, Media Blasters has stocked yaoi anime, including the anime DVD of Level C, which the company first began distributing in 2002. Currently, it publishes the Level C manga and finds it a powerful seller at conventions. "Fans will buy up all six volumes,” said Pannone.
Media Blasters will add more yaoi to its collection, with plans to publish one or two books every month for the next year. Its most anticipated series is the forthcoming Crimson Spell, out this June. Pannone describes Crimson Spell as a high fantasy/action yaoi about a prince who, while using a family sword to fight back against a swarm of demons, finds himself transformed into a very handsome cannibalistic fiend by night. Seeking a cure, he finds there is a temporary remedy that prevents him from killing. "It's a really good fantasy book that has sex scenes in it,” Pannone said. This will be the first time Media Blasters will work directly with the creator of this series, Ayano Yamane (Finder series, Target in the Finder). "We have to send the proofs to Japan for her approval,” said Pannone.
The publisher will also cross-promote its yaoi anime DVDs with other publishers that license the manga Media Blasters’ anime series are based on, such as Tokyopop, which publishes Loveless, and 801 Media, which publishes Sensitive Pornograph.
There are also plans to publish non-yaoi/general interest manga. "We're going to continue trying new things,” Pannone said. "We're still experimenting. We're always going for styles that no one else in the industry is doing."
