Tag Archives: lovelove

Tokyopop Launches Moyori Mori’s Manga Series Bride of Ignat in April

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Tokyopop delivers creator Moyori Mori’s award-winning BL manga series Bride of Ignat to readers with the debut of Vol. 1 on April 28, 2026.

This beautifully illustrated, award-winning fantasy from Tokyopop’s LoveLove imprint will be available digitally and in paperback and hardcover editions. It tells the story of Rita, a young man chosen by his village to become the “Dragon’s Bride”, and Ignat, the mythical dragon to whom Rita is sacrificed. Only the warmth of Rita’s loving determination is enough to thaw Ignat’s long-frozen heart in this sweeping mystical romance by rising star of the BL world, Moyori Mori.  A 2025 Chill Chill Award winner!

“If life is meaningless no matter where you are…” Rita, a lonely boy, is chosen as the “Dragon’s Bride” by the village custom. The ancient legend of the “Snowy Mountain Dragon” is now nothing more than a legend, but Rita, unable to find his role in the village, accepts the sacrifice while realizing that it is to reduce the number of mouths to feed. Rita, who was left alone and freezing in the snowstorm, is saved by Ignat, a beautiful dragon in human form. Rita’s eyes sparkle because the dragon really exists, and he can fulfill his role as a “bride”, but Ignat rejects him, saying “I no longer need a bride.” Still, Rita cannot give up, and he learns the secret of the ritual to turn humans into “dragons.” A silent dragon x a fearless sacrifice. A fantasy BL story of a non-human marriage that will heal your frozen heart!

A special edition of Vol. 1 also will be available exclusively from Kinokuniya Bookstores in the United States featuring a Kinokuniya exclusive variant cover and a bonus shikishi artboard illustration by Moyori Mori (available while supplies last). Pre-orders for this edition are expected to begin in early April.

Bride of Ignat

Tokyopop launches the Girls Love Office Rom-Com Manga Series Ayaka Is In Love With Hiroko

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Tokyopop expands its catalog of Girls Love (GL) manga published under its LoveLove with Sal Jiang‘s Ayaka Is In Love With Hiroko.

Ayaka is passionately, head over heels in love with her work senior, Hiroko. But no matter how hard she tries to catch her eye, the polished, professional Hiroko never seems to get the hint. What’s a girl supposed to do to prove her love to her boss?

Hiroko isn’t out at work — though she’s got a reputation for being a real womanizer in the local lesbian community. But her self-control is tested when her beautiful and busty work subordinate starts getting awfully close to her…

This workplace rom-com by popular Twitter artist Sal Jiang features two lovestruck coworkers – who each think the other is straight. Ayaka Is In Love With Hiroko Vol. 1 is available now in-print and digitally from leading retailers.

Ayaka Is In Love With Hiroko

Tokyopop spotlights new romance and fantasy manga debuts

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With love in the air, Tokyopop has spotlighted four new romance and fantasy adventure manga series set to launch during Q1 under its LoveLove imprint.

MY CONTRACT WITH THE APOTHECARY MONSTER Vol. 1

by Ayaka Sakuraze, art by Ino Manmaru · Print SRP: 13.99 · 160 pages · ISBN: 9781427880574 · For Readers 13+ ·

Available Now!

In this world, monsters consume a person’s lifespan in exchange for granting their every wish. However, Nea’s mysterious “apothecary” monster seems uninterested in consuming hers. 

After wandering into the land of Weem, Nea is offered the illustrious position of Songbearer and forms a contract with Dino – a monster as beautiful as he is powerful. While Nea adjusts to her role (and Dino’s peculiar brand of companionship) she is tasked with the search for the Grimmdoll Chain: an artifact in possession of the elusive Masked Monster. If not her lifespan, what will Dino require of her in exchange for her wishes…?

MY CONTRACT WITH THE APOTHECARY MONSTER Vol. 1

THE MARGRAVE’S DAUGHTER AND THE ENEMY PRINCE Vol. 1

by An Ogura · Print SRP: 13.99 · 192 pages · ISBN: 9781427880604 · For Readers 16+ · Available Now!

Anna, daughter of the Margrave of Halmich, is tired of the expectations placed on women in court. She has no interest in marrying a nobleman because society expects it of her. Instead, she works hard on her swordsmanship and dreams of joining her father on the battlefield someday. Unfortunately, fate deals her a heavy blow: when the hostile forces of the Kingdom of Albion invade and take the Halmich heir prisoner, she is given to the enemy prince in exchange for her brother’s life. 

But even in the face of these tragic circumstances, Anna still has plans of her own: “I’ll infiltrate their ranks as a tribute, and then… I’ll defeat the man who killed my father.” 

THE MARGRAVE’S DAUGHTER AND THE ENEMY PRINCE Vol. 1

THE INCONVENIENT LIFE OF AN AROUSING PRIESTESS Vol. 1

by Makino Maebaru, art by Yamato Fujimine · Print SRP: 13.99 · 208 pages · ISBN: 9781427880581 · For Readers 13+ · Available February 25th

Monster-fighting priestess Monica’s impressive powers earned her an engagement with the crown prince, but… those powers come with a downside, arousing anyone affected, including herself! When the prince finds out, their engagement doesn’t last long. 

While news of the “indecent” holy woman spreads throughout the land, an unexpected connection from her past approaches Monica for help: he needs her powers, and the rumors don’t seem to bother him. His name is Richard, and unbeknownst to Monica, he is also a prince…

THE INCONVENIENT LIFE OF AN AROUSING PRIESTESS Vol. 1

TRAPPED BY HIS LOVE: THE DUKE’S UNEXPECTED BRIDE Vol. 1

by Kotoko, art by Nimo Kakunimoto · Print SRP: 13.99 · 164 pages · ISBN: 9781427880567 · For Readers 13+ ·  Available March 25th

When her engagement to her childhood bully is announced, Alice Coleman — he gentle-hearted and serious daughter of an impoverished noble family – is utterly aghast. In a desperate bid to find someone to stand in as an alternate fiancé, she blurts out a proposal… to the wealthy, high ranking son of a Duke, Arthur Grindelbard. And to her shock, he accepts.

Despite the strange beginning of their engagement, Arthur is an adoring fiancé to Alice, eager to spoil her with luxurious gifts and earn her affection. But behind his charming smile and solicitous attention lies a deeper intent and focus, hints of a man who has had his eye upon Alice for far longer than he cares to admit…

TRAPPED BY HIS LOVE: THE DUKE’S UNEXPECTED BRIDE Vol. 1

Comic Party Wonder Love debuts in December from TokyoPop’s LoveLove Imprint

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A BL manga about men who love BL manga… and each other. Fun, heartwarming and tantalizingly sexy, Comic Party Wonder Love is a boys love romance series about the world of making boys love comics!

Raizo and TOS are two men who also write BL in their spare time. Raizo is a cool, laidback and handsome guy whose dark BL style is popular, while TOS has a light and fluffy writing style, but is less popular due to his social awkwardness and difficulty communicating. Even though they are complete opposites in everything, they find themselves inexplicably drawn to one another…

Deco Yamano is a prolific BL manga creator known for such titles as Comic Party Wonder Love, Chotto Damatte, and Kimiiro Real.

Comic Party Wonder Love Vol. 1 debuts December 3rd from Kodansha’s LoveLove imprint and is for readers 18+.

Comic Party Wonder Love Vol. 1

Tokyopop reveals new Manga for early 2024

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NEVER LET GO, Vol. 1

by Saki Sakamoto ∙ Print SRP: $13.99 ∙ 224 pages ∙ ISBN: 978-1-4278-7560 ∙ For Mature Audiences ∙ Available January 16, 2024

Rich-kid Haruto is used to being flattered and fawned over by fellow students, so when he’s kicked out of his elite Alpha school, he finds himself as the ultra-desirable Alpha transfer student at a mixed-gender high school. Everyone is quick to try to befriend him — everyone, that is, except student council president Miyabi, who seems to despise him.

Haruto swore he wouldn’t get involved with anyone at his new school, but something about openly hostile, sickly-looking Miyabi keeps drawing Haruto in…

**This book contains sexual content and is intended for an audience aged 18 years and up.

NEVER LET GO, Vol. 1

STAR CROSSED

by Crimson Chains ∙ Print SRP: $19.99 ∙ 208 pages ∙ ISBN: 978-1427875495 ∙ For Older Teens ∙ Available February 6, 2024

This is a story about a king and his knight…

Polaris is king of the stars; with his celestial paint brush he breathes life into constellations, which protect his kingdom. Yildun is his loyal knight, ever at his side, but always in shadow as his station dictates him to remain unseen. Together, they will face a battle for the throne from Polaris’ brother — as well as their own conflicting feelings. A love story written in the stars!

STAR CROSSED

SINCE I COULD DIE TOMORROW, Vol. 1

by Sumako Kari ∙ Print SRP: $13.99 ∙ 160 pages ∙ ISBN: 978-1427875273 ∙ For Teen Readers ∙ Available February 6, 2024

Sawako Honna, 42, single; she works hard at a film promotion company. One night, suddenly, her heart palpitates, and her body goes cold… Could it be that she’s going through menopause!?

Not as hard-working as in your 20s. Not as flippant as in your 30s. The mental and physical changes, and the obstacles you face in your 40s. Sudden illness, menopause, fatigue you can’t get rid of, changes in working patterns, money worries, life, and plans for the future.

Winner of the 23rd Japan Media Arts Festival Excellence Award winner.

Nominated for the 2020 Manga Taisho Award.

SINCE I COULD DIE TOMORROW, Vol. 1

THE PRINCE IS IN THE VILLAINESS’ WAY, Vol. 1

by Minami Shiima ∙ Print SRP: $13.99 ∙ 176 pages ∙ ISBN: 978-1427874368 ∙ For Teen Readers ∙ Available February 6, 2024

Iris, the “Wise Princess Who Never Smiles,” has just remembered her past life as Fiona, Warrior Princess from the neighboring kingdom. In this lifetime, however, the events that lead to Fiona’s death have yet to happen, and Iris becomes determined to use the knowledge from her reincarnation to stop the person she suspects is behind her murder: Fiona’s cousin, Prince Alvin.

In disguise, Iris moves to the neighboring country and becomes the princess’ educator. But when she meets Prince Al, he turns out to be a cool-headed flirt, who, most-shockingly of all, is actually very sweet with Fiona… Can Iris figure out the truth in time to save Fiona from her fate?

THE PRINCE IS IN THE VILLAINESS’ WAY, Vol. 1

COVER MY SCARS WITH YOUR KISS, Vol. 1

by Io Imaki ∙ Print SRP: $13.99 ∙ 210 pages ∙ ISBN: 978-1427875310 ∙ For Older Teen Readers ∙ Available March 5, 2024

Seiichi Kurusu is the handsome eldest son in line to inherit a large company. After running into insecure dentist Nao Seto not once but twice coincidentally, Seiichi wonders if fate is at play. When Nao reveals that Seiichi reminds him of the man he’s been unrequitedly in love with, Seiichi proposes a deal with him: for the length of time, he receives his dental treatment from Nao, the two of them will date. Nao’s tragic love history, combined with Seiichi’s status as family heir and the impending countdown… can something good come from such a relationship?

COVER MY SCARS WITH YOUR KISS, Vol. 1

RESIDENT EVIL: INFINITE DARKNESS – THE BEGINNING

by Keith R.A. DeCandido ∙ Print SRP: $15.99 ∙ 128 pages ∙ ISBN: 978-1427868428 ∙ For Teen Readers∙ Available March 12, 2024

Before the events of the 2021 animated series, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, Leon Kennedy is called in to investigate alongside Pittsburgh PD when a bomb kills a guard at the Carnegie Museum of Art. But when that guard rises from the autopsy table and begins a chain reaction of undead corpses hunting for blood, Leon is once again caught in a complex web of intrigue. A terrorist cult, a mysterious virus, and the corpses of the dead returning to life to assault the living…

RESIDENT EVIL: INFINITE DARKNESS - THE BEGINNING

HEAT X BEAT: I MAY BE AN OMEGA BUT I’M GOING TO BE AN IDOL!

by Ken Homerun ∙ Print SRP: $13.99 ∙ 232 pages ∙ ISBN: 978-1427875365 ∙ For Older Teen Readers ∙ Available March 19, 2024

Asahi wants nothing more than to be an idol, and when he’s chosen as the latest member of boyband B-Marks he’s over the moon. Except for one little detail; Asahi is an omega, and one of the other members, Madoka, is an alpha. Insisting on staying unmated to remain loyal to their fanbase, Asahi agrees to a “friends with benefits” arrangement to appease their hormonal urges without commitment. At least, that’s what he intends…

HEAT X BEAT: I MAY BE AN OMEGA BUT I’M GOING TO BE AN IDOL!

Tokyopop launches the BL Manga Series – Love Murder Basketball – in November

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Publisher Tokyopop has announced the upcoming release of a gripping and gritty new BL release that weaves a tense cat and mouse murder mystery against the backdrop of professional sports, Love Murder Basketball. It comes to shops on November 28th.

The new series will be published under Tokyopops’s LoveLove imprint and features story by Kurutta Hito and artwork by Tsunderuuu. Love Murder Basketball is based on a hit OEL webtoon that has been read more than 360 million times and currently enjoys more than 45K subscribers. The print release from Tokyopop also will be published digitally.

As the son of one of the most infamous Yakuza bosses in Japan, Shoto Tanaka’s life is anything but ordinary. Then he meets the most popular athlete in Japan, Goro Nakamura. Goro is used to putting on a show for the public, and since he comes of a family of wealth and notoriety, he is frequently in the limelight. Shoto, like many others, is captivated by Goro’s icy charisma.

What Shoto doesn’t yet know is that Goro is also the infamous “Animosity Serial Killer.” In what ways will Goro and Shoto’s profound devotion to each other and their conflicting ideologies impact their complex relationship and those around them?

Goro, one of the main characters, is of Japanese and Melanesia-African American heritage. His heritage is an important part of his narrative, and I wanted to explore what it’s like to be a multicultural kid growing up in a homogeneous culture.

During the early stages of the creation of his character, I had a distinct notion that he should be unlike anyone else in the BL community. I wanted him to be unique in his own way. I was also aware that it would not be easy to do. Every character in this series brings a smile to my face, and I sincerely hope that readers will develop the same sentiments regarding any of the characters that ultimately win their hearts. There is a character for everyone. Your readership of Love Murder Basketball is appreciated.

creator Kurutta Hito

This bloody BL thriller is for mature readers (18+) who enjoy dark psychological themes, suspense, and a side of horror with their romance.

Love Murder Basketball

Tokyopop unveils its LoveLove Manga Imprint

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Pop culture is more inclusive than ever, and stories with special appeal to straight, LGBTQ+, male and female readers are attracting legions of new readers. The growth of manga continues globally and combined with a strong demand for romance fiction, Tokyopop‘s new imprint LoveLove is poised to gain a substantial reader and fanbase.

The LoveLove catalog is curated to include age-appropriate content for readers ranging from teens to adults. Titles cover a wide age range, from 13+ to older teens (16+) to ones aimed strictly at mature readers (18+).

THE BLACK CAT & THE VAMPIRE, Vol. 1

by Nikke Taino · Print SRP: 15.99 · 226 pages · ISBN – 978-1-4278-7434-4 · Available October 10th 

Blanc College is a prestigious all-boys boarding school where the sons of leading families from all over the world study and learn to be independent. Yuki, a freshman attending Blanc College on a scholarship, is the perfect student: at the top of his class, quiet and polite. He’s a a loner, keeping others at arm’s length — except Jean, the devastatingly charming Head Boy, who seems entirely immune to Yuki’s aloof attitude. Their school days are peaceful until, one day, a student gets attacked, and ends up with a wound on his neck that looks suspiciously like a vampire bite! Yuki doesn’t have time for this nonsense. And besides, vampires aren’t even real… right?

THE BLACK CAT & THE VAMPIRE is a two-volume, supernatural BL manga set in a magical boarding high school. The digital edition comes with exclusive full-color bonus art pages. For older teen readers (16+).

THE BLACK CAT & THE VAMPIRE, Vol. 1

UNDEAD: FINDING LOVE IN THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, Vol. 1

by Fumi Tsuyuhisa · Print SRP: 13.99 · 178 pages · ISBN – 978-1-4278-7422-1 · Available October 24th 

Which will you find in this devastated world — love or despair? Nineteen-year-old Hikaru Asahina lost everything the day the world ended. Everything, that is, except his childhood friend Ai Kosaka, who has always taken care of him. Now the two of them, along with other survivors, struggle to stay alive in a post-apocalyptic world filled with man eating zombies. And when Ai confesses to feeling something more for Hikaru, it changes everything. After all, the more precious someone is to you, the harder it is to lose them. In a world like theirs, is something like love even possible? 

UNDEAD presents a unique premise blending boys love and horror genres. A compelling read for fans of dystopian fiction and romance. A mature themed title for older readers (18+).

UNDEAD: FINDING LOVE IN THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, Vol. 1

SATING THE WOLF

by Troy Arukuno · Print SRP: 13.99 · 192 pages · ISBN – 978-1-4278-7510-5 · Available October 24th 

Noah, a wolf with no family, was banished from his beloved pack after presenting as an Omega. While wandering alone in a village of herbivores, he meets Henri, a rabbit who lives alone with his little brothers. In a town where carnivores are feared, Henri bravely takes Noah in and offers him a job. When Noah accidentally goes into heat, it suddenly awakens Henri’s Alpha instincts.

Will a world divided between carnivores and herbivores accept the relationship between a little Alpha rabbit and a big Omega wolf?

SATING THE WOLF is a mature themed (18+), standalone manga featuring anthropomorphic characters that is set within the “Omegaverse,” a complex setting founded on BDSM and werewolf-like themes, which are very popular among romance and BL fans. The story is a great fit for readers who enjoy strongly defined interpersonal dynamics in their romance.

SATING THE WOLF

LULLABY OF THE DAWN, Vol. 1

by Ichika Yuno · Print SRP: 13.99 · 208 pages · ISBN – 978-1-4278-7349-1 · Available November 14th  

Night after night, Elva steps forth into the black sea, sword in hand, to drive back the creatures that surge from the waves. Elva is one of the ‘kannagi,’ warrior priests chosen by the divine to protect the island. With his snow-white hair, unaging youth, and black-stained limbs — proof of the corruption that gradually takes the life of every kannagi — the local people fear and shun him… at least until his path crosses with that of a boy named Alto. Enraptured by Elva’s strength and lonely soul, Alto swears to serve him and free him from his cursed fate.

After eight long years, Alto has grown into a capable and fearless young man, unwavering in his devotion to his kannagi. Elva had long ago resigned himself to an early death — but somehow, Alto’s presence seems to be gradually healing him of the black sea’s corruption…

LULLABY OF THE DAWN won first place in the Best Comic category in the 2022 Chill ChillBL Awards. This story (for Older Teens 16+) of a romance between a shaman and a loyal villager is based in an original fantasy world with unique elements and settings.

LULLABY OF THE DAWN, Vol. 1