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Tokyopop to Release Chinese Comic Bloodivores Digitally

Tokyopop announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with China's Artention Films Corp and TencentHoldings Ltd. to release the manhua (Chinese comic) Bloodivores through its POP Comics digital platform. Tokyopop will also release eBook volumes for the series.

Artention president Kim Zheng commented that the company "has partnered with Tokyopop to bring the best content from leading platforms such as Tencent, for widespread release in the English-speaking world."

Tokyopop describes the story of Bloodivores:

After a case of widespread insomnia strikes the planet, a large number of people became mad with rage. A new medicine was produced to cure the illness with an unfortunate side effect: vampirism. These treated vampires become known as bloodivores,and must wear a special necklace to warn others of their condition.

Born from bloodivore and human parents, MiRyu was known as "The Child of Hope" tying bloodivore and humankind together. However, when MiRyu is arrested as the principal offender in a bank robbery, he is taken to a special prison operated by the Bureau of Special Threat Management for observing bloodivores.

Bai Xiao's original manhua launched in April 2016 on Tencent's Tencent Comic website. The manhua inspired a Chinese/Japanese animated series from Creators in Pack and Emon, the Japanese branch of Chinese animation brand Haoliners. Crunchyroll streamed the 12-episode series as it aired in Japan beginning last September.

Tokyopop shut down its North American publishing operations in May 2011 but collaborated with other companies to release manga and world manga after the closure. Tokyopop announced at its Anime Expo panel in 2015 that it was planning to begin publishing manga again in 2016. It has since released manga collaborations with Disney films, including Lilo and Stitch, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Beauty and the Beast.