Los Angeles, CA – Love and romance are in the air as manga and graphic novel publisher TOKYOPOP touts a collection of upcoming titles to be published under its LoveLove imprint that will captivate, tantalize, and titillate a fast-growing range of romance readers. With a diverse catalog of shojo, josei, girls love, boys love manga and graphic novel titles by Western creators, the LoveLove line offers romantic stories and characters for everyone.
New manga titles have been announced for print and digital release in Q4 and include:
- THE BLACK CAT & THE VAMPIRE ∙ Available October 10th
- UNDEAD: FINDING LOVE IN THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE ∙ Available October 24th
- SATING THE WOLF ∙ Available October 24th
- LULLABY OF THE DAWN ∙ Available November 11th
Pop culture is more inclusive than ever, and stories with special appeal to straight, LGBTQ+, male and female readers are attracting legions of new readers. The growth of manga continues globally and combined with a strong demand for romance fiction, LoveLove is poised to gain a substantial reader and fanbase. Some notable factors about the romance publishing sector in North America make LoveLove extremely compelling:
- Romance novels generate over $1.44 billion in revenue, making romance the highest-earning genre of fiction.
- 19 million printed units sold over the last 12 months as of August 2022.
- Sales of printed romance novels have increased by 36% compared to 2021.
- Over 33% of books sold in mass-market paperback format were romance novels.
“LoveLove is founded on a core TOKYOPOP company belief that ‘love is love’ and all types of romance deserve to be celebrated,” says Lena Atanassova, LoveLove Brand Editor of TOKYOPOP. “Given the strong global market for manga and romance content, there are substantial opportunities to bring these titles to existing fans as well as traditional romance readers eager to explore the genre in a new way.”
The LoveLove catalog is curated to include age-appropriate content for readers ranging from teens to adults. Titles cover a wide age range, from 13+ to older teens (16+) to ones aimed strictly at mature readers (18+).
THE BLACK CAT & THE VAMPIRE, Vol. 1, by Nikke Taino
Print SRP: 15.99 ∙ 226 pages ∙ ISBN – 978-1-4278-7434-4
Available October 10th
Blanc College is a prestigious all-boys boarding school where the sons of leading families from all over the world study and learn to be independent. Yuki, a freshman attending Blanc College on a scholarship, is the perfect student: at the top of his class, quiet and polite. He’s a a loner, keeping others at arm’s length — except Jean, the devastatingly charming Head Boy, who seems entirely immune to Yuki’s aloof attitude. Their school days are peaceful until, one day, a student gets attacked, and ends up with a wound on his neck that looks suspiciously like a vampire bite! Yuki doesn’t have time for this nonsense. And besides, vampires aren’t even real… right?
THE BLACK CAT & THE VAMPIRE is a two-volume, supernatural BL manga set in a magical boarding high school. The digital edition comes with exclusive full-color bonus art pages. For older teen readers (16+).
UNDEAD: FINDING LOVE IN THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, Vol. 1, by Fumi Tsuyuhisa
Print SRP: 13.99 ∙ 178 pages ∙ ISBN – 978-1-4278-7422-1
Available October 24th
Which will you find in this devastated world — love or despair? Nineteen-year-old Hikaru Asahina lost everything the day the world ended. Everything, that is, except his childhood friend Ai Kosaka, who has always taken care of him. Now the two of them, along with other survivors, struggle to stay alive in a post-apocalyptic world filled with man eating zombies. And when Ai confesses to feeling something more for Hikaru, it changes everything. After all, the more precious someone is to you, the harder it is to lose them. In a world like theirs, is something like love even possible?
UNDEAD presents a unique premise blending boys love and horror genres. A compelling read for fans of dystopian fiction and romance. A mature themed title for older readers (18+).
SATING THE WOLF, by Troy Arukuno
Print SRP: 13.99 ∙ 192 pages ∙ ISBN – 978-1-4278-7510-5
Available October 24th
Noah, a wolf with no family, was banished from his beloved pack after presenting as an Omega. While wandering alone in a village of herbivores, he meets Henri, a rabbit who lives alone with his little brothers. In a town where carnivores are feared, Henri bravely takes Noah in and offers him a job. When Noah accidentally goes into heat, it suddenly awakens Henri’s Alpha instincts.
Will a world divided between carnivores and herbivores accept the relationship between a little Alpha rabbit and a big Omega wolf?
SATING THE WOLF is a mature themed (18+), standalone manga featuring anthropomorphic characters that is set within the “Omegaverse,” a complex setting founded on BDSM and werewolf-like themes, which are very popular among romance and BL fans. The story is a great fit for readers who enjoy strongly defined interpersonal dynamics in their romance.
LULLABY OF THE DAWN, Vol. 1, by Ichika Yuno
Print SRP: 13.99 ∙ 208 pages ∙ ISBN – 978-1-4278-7349-1
Available November 14th
Night after night, Elva steps forth into the black sea, sword in hand, to drive back the creatures that surge from the waves. Elva is one of the ‘kannagi,’ warrior priests chosen by the divine to protect the island. With his snow-white hair, unaging youth, and black-stained limbs — proof of the corruption that gradually takes the life of every kannagi — the local people fear and shun him… at least until his path crosses with that of a boy named Alto. Enraptured by Elva’s strength and lonely soul, Alto swears to serve him and free him from his cursed fate.
After eight long years, Alto has grown into a capable and fearless young man, unwavering in his devotion to his kannagi. Elva had long ago resigned himself to an early death — but somehow, Alto’s presence seems to be gradually healing him of the black sea’s corruption…
LULLABY OF THE DAWN won first place in the Best Comic category in the 2022 Chill Chill BL Awards. This story (for Older Teens 16+) of a romance between a shaman and a loyal villager is based in an original fantasy world with unique elements and settings.
Follow LoveLove Online:
Website: www.LoveLove.ai
Twitter: www.twitter.com/TOKYOPOP
Instagram: www.instagram.com/tokyopop
About TOKYOPOP, Inc.
Founded in 1997, TOKYOPOP established the market for manga in North America, introducing the term to the English language in the process, and expanding the market in Germany, publishing thousands of books in both languages, distributing anime and Asian films on home video and television, licensing merchandise to consumer goods and companies, and creating graphic novels of both original content and major IP adaptations. TOKYOPOP’s core values focus on multiculturism and diversity; aestheticism and artistic integrity; and passionate and positive storytelling. More information at: https://www.tokyopop.com/.
