Broken Frontier

The leading publisher of manga (graphic novels) outside of Japan has recruited two of the animation world’s most celebrated scribes—Craig Bartlett and Mark Seidenberg—to develop television scripts inspired by two of its hot youth properties, Stray Sheep and Karma Club. This news comes not long after TOKYOPOP announced its feature film attachment deal for Samurai Girl, and only a few months after the company expanded its Film/Television division to develop key brands.

First on deck, veteran screenwriter Craig Bartlett, creator and writer of Hey Arnold! and Johnny Bravo, has just wrapped development on a kids’ comedy series based on the beloved characters in Tatsutoshi Nomura’s international sensation Stray Sheep. Debuting in 1994 as a series of animated shorts on Japanese television, the Stray Sheep’s cast of irreverent characters has since stolen the hearts of millions worldwide.

“I’ve been an anime fan for years, but the Stray Sheep stand out because of their unique look that appeals to my sense of design and humor,” said Bartlett. “I hope to develop this property into the kind of comedy that should enjoy a large audience in the States, while still maintaining its original kooky sensibility.”

Emmy Award-winning writer Mark Seidenberg (Tutenstein, Jackie Chan Adventures) is penning the script for Karma Club, the debut children’s manga novel franchise from D.J. Milky, the co-creator of TOKYOPOP’s best-selling manga Princess Ai. This kids’ action/adventure comedy envisions a world created by teens, in which cool music and good Karma rule the day. However, where’s there’s good, there’s always bad, and in this classic battle of good vs. evil, the villains seek to reverse good Karma for evil purposes. The fate of the world lies in the hands of five talented teen musicians who use their band as a cover to hide their secret agent status.

“When I first heard of creator D.J. Milky’s ideas about Karma Club, I was intrigued,” said Seidenberg. “It’s all about great, fun stuff like Karma, teens, music and (of course) the villains who hate everything that those things represent. What an awesome combo! No one’s ever seen this kind of an animated show before, and I wanted to be part of it.”

“TOKYOPOP is proud and honored to have partnered with such acclaimed writers as Craig Bartlett and Mark Seidenberg,” said Steve Galloway, TOKYOPOP’s Executive Director of Film/Television. “The storyboard aspect of manga is practically custom-built for the screen and with the addition of these two celebrated writers, TOKYOPOP is poised to create terrific television packages for teens.”