Target in the Finder
Encyclopedia
is a yaoi
manga
written and illustrated by Yamane Ayano. Originally serialized in Be x Boy GOLD and "B-Boy Zips" from 2001 through 2005, the individual chapters have been collected and published in three tankōbon
volumes by Biblos from 2002 until 2005 when the company went out of business. Libre picked up the series, reprinting the first three volumes before continuing its release. As of June 2009, five volumes have been released, as well as a drama CD adaptation and a character art book.
The series was licensed for English language release in North America by Central Park Media
under its Be Beautiful Manga imprint. After purchasing the Biblos properties, in 2007 accused Central Park Media of copyright infringement and required that new licenses be negotiated for all of the former Biblos properties. Central Park Media refuted the claim, but ceased publication of Finder. The series is licensed for German release by Tokyopop
. In March 2010 Digital Manga Publishing
announced that it had acquired the license and would release the series under its Juné imprint.
". After he takes photographs of the business dealings of crime lord Asami Ryuichi, Asami kidnaps and rapes him, beginning a sadomasochistic relationship between them as they find themselves continually drawn to one another. Fei Long, a rival Chinese boss who blames Asami for his father's death, takes an interest in Takaba, as well, seeking a way to get revenge.
volumes by Biblos, with three volumes released from 2002 until 2005. Biblos licensed the series for English language release to Central Park Media
, which began publishing the series under its Be Beautiful Manga imprint in 2005. In 2006, Biblos filed for bankruptcy and some of its properties were acquired by Libre Publishing
. Libre later accused Central Park Media of infringing on its copyright of the transferred Biblos properties, stating that all foreign license holders needed to negotiate new licenses with Libre as those Biblos had sold ended with the company's bankruptcy. In a letter posted to its website, it asked readers not to purchase any Be Beautiful releases, calling them "illegal". John O'Donnell, then manager of Central Park Media refused Libre's claims and felt that Biblo's original license agreements were still valid. Despite this, the third volume of the series, released in April 2007, was the last English volume published in North America. In 2009, the company filed for bankruptcy and its assets, including licenses, were liquidated. Finder Series was not listed among the assets, indicating Central Park Media no longer held the license. In March 2010, Digital Manga Publishing
announced that it had acquired the license to the Finder Series. Volume 3 of the DMP edition was #4 on the New York Times bestseller list for manga the week of May 1, 2011.
The series is licensed for regional language release in Germany by Tokyopop Germany
, which has published all five volumes of the series as of October 2010.
, Takehito Koyasu
, and Hideo Ishikawa
as the three central characters.
A character book was released December 18, 2007 that included a pull-out poster.
In Manga: The Complete Guide
, Jason Thompson
gave the series a rating of 3½ out of four stars, stating that the series is "written in an appropriately dark and brooding fashion" due to its use of "graphic sex and S&M", and praised the art as "coolly attractive".
Yaoi
In careful Japanese enunciation, all three vowels are pronounced separately, for a three-mora word, . The English equivalent is . also known as Boys' Love, is a Japanese popular term for female-oriented fictional media that focus on homoerotic or homoromantic male relationships, usually created by...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
written and illustrated by Yamane Ayano. Originally serialized in Be x Boy GOLD and "B-Boy Zips" from 2001 through 2005, the individual chapters have been collected and published in three tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes by Biblos from 2002 until 2005 when the company went out of business. Libre picked up the series, reprinting the first three volumes before continuing its release. As of June 2009, five volumes have been released, as well as a drama CD adaptation and a character art book.
The series was licensed for English language release in North America by Central Park Media
Central Park Media
Central Park Media was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York, that was active in the distribution of East Asian cinema, television series, anime, manga and manhwa titles in North America prior to its bankruptcy in 2009...
under its Be Beautiful Manga imprint. After purchasing the Biblos properties, in 2007 accused Central Park Media of copyright infringement and required that new licenses be negotiated for all of the former Biblos properties. Central Park Media refuted the claim, but ceased publication of Finder. The series is licensed for German release by Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
. In March 2010 Digital Manga Publishing
Digital Manga Publishing
Digital Manga is a company that licenses and releases, in English, Japanese anime, manga, and related merchandise. The company has several subdivisions: Digital Manga Publishing, which publishes Japanese manga, novels and instructional and illustration books in North America with multiple imprints,...
announced that it had acquired the license and would release the series under its Juné imprint.
Plot
Twenty-three-year-old Takaba Akihito is a young freelance photographer who takes pride in his work and seeks to get a major "scoopScoop
-Related to journalism:* Scoop , a news story, particularly connotating a new or developing story with aspects of importance and excitement, normally an exclusive for the journalist involved...
". After he takes photographs of the business dealings of crime lord Asami Ryuichi, Asami kidnaps and rapes him, beginning a sadomasochistic relationship between them as they find themselves continually drawn to one another. Fei Long, a rival Chinese boss who blames Asami for his father's death, takes an interest in Takaba, as well, seeking a way to get revenge.
Manga
Written and illustrated by Yamane Ayano, Finder Series was originally serialized in Japan's Be x Boy GOLD and "B-Boy Zips"manga anthologies. The individual chapters were collected and published in tankōbonTankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes by Biblos, with three volumes released from 2002 until 2005. Biblos licensed the series for English language release to Central Park Media
Central Park Media
Central Park Media was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York, that was active in the distribution of East Asian cinema, television series, anime, manga and manhwa titles in North America prior to its bankruptcy in 2009...
, which began publishing the series under its Be Beautiful Manga imprint in 2005. In 2006, Biblos filed for bankruptcy and some of its properties were acquired by Libre Publishing
Libre Publishing
Libre Publishing is a Japanese boys love manga publishing company. It was founded on May 8, 2006, and is the successor to Biblos , which folded due to the failure of its parent company....
. Libre later accused Central Park Media of infringing on its copyright of the transferred Biblos properties, stating that all foreign license holders needed to negotiate new licenses with Libre as those Biblos had sold ended with the company's bankruptcy. In a letter posted to its website, it asked readers not to purchase any Be Beautiful releases, calling them "illegal". John O'Donnell, then manager of Central Park Media refused Libre's claims and felt that Biblo's original license agreements were still valid. Despite this, the third volume of the series, released in April 2007, was the last English volume published in North America. In 2009, the company filed for bankruptcy and its assets, including licenses, were liquidated. Finder Series was not listed among the assets, indicating Central Park Media no longer held the license. In March 2010, Digital Manga Publishing
Digital Manga Publishing
Digital Manga is a company that licenses and releases, in English, Japanese anime, manga, and related merchandise. The company has several subdivisions: Digital Manga Publishing, which publishes Japanese manga, novels and instructional and illustration books in North America with multiple imprints,...
announced that it had acquired the license to the Finder Series. Volume 3 of the DMP edition was #4 on the New York Times bestseller list for manga the week of May 1, 2011.
The series is licensed for regional language release in Germany by Tokyopop Germany
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
, which has published all five volumes of the series as of October 2010.
Volume list
Other media
A two-disk drama CD of the first volume of the series was re-released by Geneon Entertainment under its "Cue Egg" label on May 25, 2007, containing 10 audio tracks. It featured the voices of Akira SasanumaAkira Sasanuma
is a Japanese voice actor who is a member of Arts Vision.-Notable voice roles:*Crush Gear Turbo *Gundam Seed *Gundam Seed Destiny...
, Takehito Koyasu
Takehito Koyasu
is a Japanese voice actor.-Career:Koyasu is part of the voice actor quartet Weiß consisting of Weiß Kreuz voice castmates Shinichiro Miki, Tomokazu Seki, and Yuuki Hiro...
, and Hideo Ishikawa
Hideo Ishikawa
is a male Japanese voice actor born in Hyōgo, Japan. His nicknames are "Hide" and "Hide-chan" and he works for Aoni Production. He is married and has two children....
as the three central characters.
A character book was released December 18, 2007 that included a pull-out poster.
Reception
In May 2009, Germany's Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons labeled the first volume of Finder as "harmful to young persons", which results in the first volume of the series being "restricted to people of legal age only. It is also prohibited to show incriminated content as teasers, trailers or in any other advertising context." In response, Tokyopop Germany removed the information about the first volume from its website, but continued to list the other three volumes it had already published.In Manga: The Complete Guide
Manga: The Complete Guide
Manga: The Complete Guide is a 2007 encyclopedia written by Jason Thompson and published by Del Rey which provides basic details and short reviews of over 1000 Japanese manga titles that have been translated and released in English in North America...
, Jason Thompson
Jason Thompson (writer)
Jason Thompson is a manga critic, journalist, writer and comics artist.-Life and career:...
gave the series a rating of 3½ out of four stars, stating that the series is "written in an appropriately dark and brooding fashion" due to its use of "graphic sex and S&M", and praised the art as "coolly attractive".