Doujinshika fined, status quo unchanged; DMP in co-branding pact

Have I ever mentioned that AAA Anime carries our books?

Well, they do.

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Via a post on the 2ch board, Masaya Miyashita, the man who was arrested for publishing “obscene” doujinshi, was slapped with a fine for 300,000 yen (less than $3000 USD), according to NHK.

It’s a rather anti-climactic end, which is just what many have hoped for, but a part of me wants Miyashita to fight the fine.  As much as this is preferable to a long court fight for both the artist and Matsuyama officials, it also means that police can continue to exert pressure on publishers at whim.  The cynic in me says the relatively tiny fine, which is likely less than Miyashita’s printing bill, just makes it easier to kowtow to government censors.

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Semi-related… WaiWai provides an update on the police raid of NEVA, which oversees the proper application of mosaics in adult films. 

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Bookslut has a short interview with former TCJ Editor/current online editor Dirk Deppey, who castigates the apologists of the one true genre with all the balletic violence of a vintage John Woo film in prose.  It doesn’t sit well with readers at the Newsarama Blog.

Personally, I don’t think it’s outright hostility towards indies, but an utterly soul-crushing apathy that pervades the market, be it real or perceived.  (But for all practical purposes, the results are the same.)  I wouldn’t mind rejection… it’s the complete denial of our very existence that I fear.

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Precocious Curmudgeon dissects an interesting news item I had missed earlier… PWCW has an article on DMP’s co-branding contracts with Japanese publishers that would allow them to use the Japanese trademarks/company insignias.

Given the limited information, I don’t quite understand how being able to use the logos of their licensors is a big deal, nor am I convinced that not being able to is harmful to the business in the long run.  Certainly if we’re talking about big brands like Square Enix or Disney, being able to leverage their name is absolutely essential.  But this is hardly the situation with the three companies named in the release – Shinshokan, Oakla, and Taiyo Toshou… even if we’re talking about import-savvy readers like BL fans.  If anything, this arrangement benefits the Japanese publishers should they ever decide to start publishing in America themselves.

Of course, I’m not saying this is a bad move, I’m just very curious as to how DMP is benefitting from this… it could be a way to strengthen relationships, even so far as to encourage total licensing exclusivity in the future.  With the scramble for titles in certain genres currently, that would be quite desirable.  But at the moment, this doesn’t seem to mean very much… yet.

Edit: Ed Chavez gives an in-depth look at the three Japanese publishers in the co-branding deal.

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ComiPress has a press release from Boombox Media, which is looking for submissions for its manga anthology.

The anthology part is cool, but uhh… hmm… umm… err… MySpace?  Really?

Sorry, I’m just being a jerk aren’t I… =(