Jacob wrote...
Now that pre-orders have started for our first book I figure it's time to talk about how we got here and how FAKKU Books came to exist. Back in April we received a DMCA takedown notice from Wanimagazine, the largest ero manga publisher in the world. They requested we remove thousands of uploads from the site or face significant legal repercussions. As a fan of the many artists and magazines published by Wani we thanked them for noticing us and complied immediately. But on the inside I thought to myself, shit. That’s it. FAKKU is done for.
But rather than sulk we came up with an idea, what if we found a way to work with them rather than try to hide? Why do we have to be fans in the shadows. Why can’t we be legitimate along with everyone else? Why isn't this content available to us? After refining these ideas we pitched them to the publishers in Japan and the result was better than we could have ever imagined. We are now going to publish Wani’s entire catalog; Gunma, Homunculus, Hisasi, Napata, meme50, isao, Bosshi, and so many other talented artists. Available legally worldwide. Uncensored. DRM free. Digital. Paperback. Magazines. All of it. As fans it is everything we could have possibly wanted.
As a community we have scanlated and fansubbed in order to fill the hole that these companies left when they chose to ignore us. Because of our hard work things are starting to change. They are listening to us. No longer is piracy our only option. No longer are we forced to look in the shittiest corners of the Internet to find anime worth watching or manga worth reading. We should celebrate our victories, because that’s what they are. And now with FAKKU we have the opportunity to bring over hentai in ways that have never been seen before. I honestly believe there is a market for high quality hentai manga outside of Japan, and so far the pre-order numbers for Renai Sample have proved it. We’re putting together a talented team of people to work on these releases from scratch and I know the results will impress everyone.
All that said, as a community we still have a lot of work to do. Fansubbing and scanlating are not ready to disappear. Scanlating and fansubbing exist not because we want to be pirates, but because we've had no other choice. There are too many good artists and too many good shows that would never be seen without our hard work. For now we still have a responsibility to make sure it continues, but hopefully one day we won't have to. Until then, keep scanlating. Keep fansubbing. Keep making this one of the best communities to be a part of.
I couldn't be more proud of where we are with FAKKU and how much we have grown. These companies now consider us a part of their audience, but more importantly, they recognize us as their fans. At FAKKU we have a lot of exciting things planned and there will no doubt be some big changes made in the future. As we go through this transition I hope you stick with us, because the end result is going to be incredible.
Amen brother.
Working for the FAKKU team is definitely a dream come true for me. I'm a huge pervert. Always have been. Always will be. The fact that I have been given the opportunity to work on this team and create English translated hentai for the community I have loved and been a part of for so long is the greatest feeling. I couldn't be happier or more proud that I am a part of this.
I am giving my all to make sure these books are what
I want. But what that means is basically I am a huge fan, and as a fan, I am making these books look and feel how I think fans would want them. I want all of you to want our books, but for that to happen
I have to want to own our books. I want you, the community, to buy our books not just because they are good artists or because it's the only printed version, but because we created something that you see and say, "Wow, that looks really good!" Or, "Look at the color work in this! I can't believe they did that! These pages look great!" This is what I'm striving for and envision when working on these books.
We have a great team of passionate people working for us. I couldn't be more pleased with the talented and hardworking group of people here at FAKKU Books. This is only the beginning for us and I am excited to bring even more releases to all of you. Having all this positive feedback makes everything worth it. I'm a fan doing this for my fellow fans and having your support is what we love.
Thank you all! And look forward for even more to come from us at FAKKU!
<3 Mike