HarperCollins to Acquire Crunchyroll's Manga Publishing in France and Germany—A Major Industry Shift
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HarperCollins Plans to Acquire Crunchyroll's Manga Publishing Operations in Europe
Companies to close the transaction in the second half of 2025
HarperCollins has announced its intention to acquire Crunchyroll's manga publishing operations in France and Germany. The deal is expected to be finalized in the second half of 2025, pending regulatory approval.
Leadership and Future Plans
Following the acquisition, Hideki Iyama-Desseigne will lead the new team and report directly to Chantal Restivo-Alessi, CEO of International Foreign Language Publishing at HarperCollins.
Recent and Upcoming Releases
- HarperVia, HarperCollins' imprint, will release Run with the Wind (Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru) by Shion Miura in English this October. This follows previous publications like The Tatami Galaxy, The Tatami Time Machine Blues, and Park Seolyeon's A Magical Girl Retires.
- HarperCollins Japan is expanding its digital offerings, releasing fantasy and romance manga in English via Amazon and other e-book platforms under the BisouBisou Comics label, with 13 titles each month.
- Additionally, they will publish Matsuri Akino's Pet Shop of Horrors manga digitally in late 2024. Meanwhile, Seven Seas announced it will release a Pet Shop of Horrors: Collector's Edition manga in February 2025, featuring a new translation.
Crunchyroll's Manga Initiatives
Crunchyroll plans to launch a new manga app called Crunchyroll Manga later this year. This premium service will initially be available in the U.S. and Canada, with plans to expand to other languages and web browsers.
- Crunchyroll has a history of offering manga, having launched its first manga service in October 2013 and ending it in December 2023.
- The company previously published titles from Kodansha USA, but many titles were removed in 2018 and 2023 as part of restructuring.
- In December 2019, Crunchyroll became the majority owner of Viz Media Europe, which includes several manga and anime distribution companies.
Summary
This move marks a significant step in HarperCollins' expansion into the manga market in Europe, while Crunchyroll continues to innovate with new digital manga services. Fans can look forward to more manga titles and digital offerings in the coming years.
Source: HarperCollins**