Los Angeles, CA (April 21, 2004) -- Building on its unmatched catalog of groundbreaking entertainment, TOKYOPOP Inc. is bringing one of Japan's most shocking and raw series to North American readers. Santa Inoue's Tokyo Tribes is scheduled to debut in August 2004, marking the company's latest contribution to a revolutionary fusion of manga and hip-hop. The company also publishes Ahmed Hoke's award-nominated @Large, which has garnered critical acclaim by hip-hop and other national media.
Manga-ka Santa Inoue's action-packed tale of street gangs battling it out in the concrete sprawl of Japan's capital city has raised the bar for manga storytelling. Layered with hip-hop trappings and packed with gangland grit and authenticity, Tokyo Tribes paints a vivid, somewhat surreal vision of Tokyo's urban youth. When rival gangs from various barrios press each other for turf, the heat between two of the clans waxes personal, and a bitter rivalry explodes into all-out warfare.
"Tokyo Tribes sets itself apart from other imported manga," says TOKYOPOP Editor Luis Reyes. "It indulges the type of camp action you'd find in Tarantino and John Woo, but mixes it with a hip-hop sensibility for a really unusual blend of styles and narrative flavors."
With a love of American hip-hop culture, internationally acclaimed manga artist Santa Inoue is famous for hyper-real urban action dramas such as Neighborhood 13, Born to Die and Tokyo Tribes. His provocative work, which first appeared in the skateboard fashion magazine Boon, has proven so popular in Japan that he has achieved celebrity status. The multi-talented creator has launched a successful urban clothing line as well as collectible Tokyo Tribes merchandise found in fashionable retailers across his native country.
ABOUT TOKYOPOP Inc.
TOKYOPOP Inc. is the leading North American publisher of manga, the fastest growing segment within the publishing industry. With exclusive rights to hundreds of licensed and original book, video and music properties, the company has rapidly become a media convergence leader. TOKYOPOP has millions of books in print and publishes many hit manga series, including Love Hina, Chobits, Rave Master, Initial D, GTO, Battle Royale and Cowboy Bebop. The company pioneered Cine-Manga(TM), releasing such titles as Finding Nemo, SpongeBob SquarePants, Lizzie McGuire and Transformers Armada. TOKYOPOP television properties include Rave Master, GTO and Reign: The Conqueror. The company has also expanded its presence as a licensor, representing merchandising rights for Rave Master, Initial D, Stray Sheep and others. Visit www.TOKYOPOP.com for additional information.
