Tokyopop Clinches #1 Spot on Publishers Weekly's Latest Fast-Growing Independent Publishers List

Iconic manga brand rebounds with more than 500% growth since 2020 and sets focus
on diversity and fan engagement.

Los Angeles, CA – The leading publishing industry trade, Publishers Weekly, has selected
TOKYOPOP for the top spot on the latest edition of Fast-Growing Independent Publishers.
According to the PW article, the manga and graphic novel brand's sales in 2022 doubled over 2021, and were up 580% from 2020.

The article (PW edition March 20, 2023, pg-41) notes that TOKYOPOP's impressive performance
has been due to the overall surge in demand for manga. The boom has led longtime TOKYOPOP
accounts like bookstores, libraries, and comic shops to increase their manga footprint, while
allowing the publisher to add key new retailer partners such as Walmart and Hot Topic.

TOKYOPOP also expanded its global retail reach though digital initiatives and developed more
subscription partnerships. In addition, in January 2021, it moved its trade distribution from
Diamond to Independent Publishers Group.

The publisher's new title count, which includes books as well as single-issue comics, rose from
45 in 2020 to 61 last year, as TOKYOPOP focused on signing and releasing titles based on high
fan engagement. A big success last year were the Disney Manga titles, led by Marcy's Journal: A
Guide to Amphibia and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

“Credit for the phenomenal growth and success of TOKYOPOP is due entirely to readers and
fans, who make all this possible, and to an incredible team of people that work very hard to
curate, edit, produce, print, ship, and stock our titles,” says TOKYOPOP founder, Stu Levy. “Now
more than ever before, the factors that will drive the continued success of TOKYOPOP rely on
diversity and a lasting commitment to quality and to publishing content that celebrates the best
aspects of humanity – creativity, inclusion, empathy, love, and courage.”

Popular licensed series based on well-known entertainment IP from brands such as Disney and
Ubisoft endear TOKYOPOP to legions of readers and several new top tier properties will be licensed this year. The publisher is also forging fresh connections with a vast and underserved
range of readers eager for diversity and a new era of characters and stories.

TOKYOPOP's LOVE x LOVE imprint is tailored for the substantial romance reader market, which
generated over $1.4 billion in 2022, making romance the highest-earning genre of fiction. LOVE
x LOVE celebrates straight and LGBTQ themed romance with a colorful rainbow of acclaimed
straight, shojo, BL, yuri and josei themed manga with an emphasis on quality. The imprint was
born from commitment to represent stories, characters, and voices as diverse as the readers
and manifests a core TOKYOPOP belief that “love is love” and all types of romances deserve to
be celebrated.

In 2023, TOKYOPOP also forged a publishing initiative with Noir Caesar Entertainment, a Blackowned
indie creative company founded by self-proclaimed “blerd,” pro athlete, and
entrepreneur, Johnny O'Bryant III, that supports and nourishes content from marginalized and
BIPOC communities for a burgeoning range of fans eager for wider representation in comics.

Utilizing TOKYOPOP's extensive channel distribution network, digital marketing resources, and
production expertise, Noir Caesar kicks off this collaboration with the release in July of the
coming-of-age martial arts drama, XOGENASYS, and the sci-fi adventure, PRIMUS 7. This will be
followed in August by the launch of the gritty crime and redemption saga, TRY AGAIN.

Finally, TOKYOPOP's “Comics That Matter” initiative uses graphic novels to raise awareness
about important causes and social issues. GUARDIAN OF FUKUSHIMA, which was named an
official selection by the Junior Library Guild, is the second and latest title in this catalog that
also includes 2022's release of VICTORY FOR UKRAINE, an impactful collection of nine stories by
Ukrainian creators focusing on the heroism of the Ukrainian freedom fighters in the face of
overwhelming forces. More details at: https://www.tokyopop.com/comicsthatmatter.

About TOKYOPOP, Inc.

Founded in 1997, TOKYOPOP brings Asian pop culture to Hollywood and beyond. 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/.