On the one night in who-knows-how-long that I decide to go to bed a few hours early, Digital Manga goes and finally drops the F-word! You know the one, boys’ love fans. But I can’t complain about having good news to wake up to. Fans rejoice – Ayano Yamane’s popular Finders series is no longer in English-license limbo!
Digital Manga has announced that they will be releasing the Finders Series under their June boys’ love imprint. It looks like it’ll be printed at their 801Media cut-size. Digital Manga has set up a website specific for the release at FinderSeries.com. Along with the press release, the site has short character bios and the series’ synopsis.
“While our on assignment trying to document the illegal activities of the Japanese underworld, the photographer Takaba crosses paths with the dark and mysterious leader Asami. Asami takes Takaba captive, in an attempt to subjugate and possess him. But when the son of the Chinese mafia enters demanding evidence that Takaba may have, will Takaba be able to survive being caught in the crosshairs of a deadly underworld feud?”
The first volume of June’s edition of Finders will be in summer 2010 – which isn’t that far off from right now. It’s almost as if they were conveniently timing it for some event with overlapping interest…
Though the excitement over this news is already apparent, it’s been long-anticipated along with the concern from fans that by being published under the June imprint could mean that the Finder Series will face minor edits and censoring of the original work. Many assumed that because of the graphic nature of Finder Series it would be published under their 801Media imprint to avoid this (myself included admittedly), as they have with other of Ayano Yamane’s series. While Digital Manga has censored some of its June imprint work in the past, these edits were very minimal and this does not mean that the Finder Series will have changes.
Those interested in the news can check out Digital Manga’s complete press release which also includes word directly from Libre Shuppan, Japanese license-holders of the series.
As a short history lesson, the Finder Series was previously licensed by the now-defunct BeBeautiful which released three volumes of the 5-book series, all of which have spent years selling for inordinate amounts of money after they went out of print. Those who couldn’t afford $200 a book need weep no longer.
Sweeeet! That’s all I have to say.
YAY!!!! Yaoi fans – REJOICE!!!!! I have volumes 1-3 already (got it on eBay with no regrets!), so YES I am looking forward to getting the other volumes. Now that I know June/DMP have the license, am very willing to wait!