Egmont Manga & Anime

Egmont Manga & Anime, commonly shortened to Egmont Manga or EMA, is a German manga publishing imprint and one of the country’s largest publishers in the field. It was established in October 2000 as a daughter company of Egmont Ehapa, following the rapid expansion of manga readership in Germany at the end of the 1990s. The imprint’s creation formalized Egmont’s response to a market that had previously been served through occasional manga releases and comic-book activities within the wider Ehapa organization. Egmont’s German publishing history reaches back to Ehapa, the subsidiary founded in 1951 by the Scandinavian Egmont publishing group. Ehapa became known in Germany for translated Disney comics and subsequently for European comic properties including Asterix and Lucky Luke. The group also acquired Reiner Feest Verlag in 1991, giving it an established connection to comics and Japanese material. Ehapa’s first manga publication under the Reiner Feest label was Appleseed in February 1994. Early releases did not immediately create a mass market, but the success of Sailor Moon in 1997 and 1998 demonstrated the commercial potential of manga among German readers. In 2000, Ehapa released Wedding Peach, its first manga aimed specifically at the Japanese-reading market, and later that year created Egmont Manga & Anime as a dedicated operation. Georg F. W. Tempel, who had previously overseen trend-oriented publications at Ehapa, became the imprint’s central publishing executive. EMA also distinguished itself by being described as the first German manga publisher to maintain an adviser directly in Japan, helping connect German publishing decisions with Japanese licensors and the original manga market. The imprint expanded beyond printed manga. In 2001 it released Weiß Kreuz as its first anime project, produced with Anime-Virtual under the IKASU label. Although anime publishing was part of the original identity signaled by the name “Manga & Anime,” manga remained the core of the business. The imprint also developed a publishing presence around the wider fan community. From 2003 to 2005, EMA cooperated with Animexx e.V. in organizing Connichi, an annual anime convention in Kassel. Its semiannual Shinkan program preview served as a major way of presenting forthcoming titles and communicating the publishing schedule to readers and retailers. Organizationally, EMA was reintegrated with Ehapa in 2002 while retaining its label. In 2003, several companies within the Ehapa group were reorganized and combined with Egmont vgs. EMA and the Ehapa Comic Collection moved to Cologne, where the comic and book-trade operations were consolidated. The imprint therefore functioned both as a recognizable consumer-facing brand and as part of a broader corporate publishing structure rather than as a fully independent company. Today, the name Egmont Manga is generally used for the imprint, while “Egmont Manga & Anime” remains its historically important full name. Its role is that of a specialist German publisher licensing and releasing Japanese manga for the German-speaking market, supported by Egmont’s wider experience in comics, children’s publishing, magazines, and international rights management. Publicly available reference material identifies the imprint’s historical development and major organizational changes, but does not provide reliable current figures for revenue, market share, employee count, or a complete current management roster.

Egmont Manga & Anime developed from Egmont’s broader German comics operation, Ehapa. The Egmont publishing tradition began in Copenhagen in 1878, when Egmont H. Petersen established a printing business. Its later international growth included the acquisition of rights to publish Disney comics in several European countries in 1948. Egmont founded the German subsidiary Ehapa in 1951, and the company became prominent through translated Disney publications as well as European comic series such as Asterix and Lucky Luke. The German manga business emerged gradually. Egmont acquired Reiner Feest Verlag in 1991, strengthening its position in comics. The first manga associated with the publishing group appeared in February 1994, when Appleseed was issued under the Reiner Feest label. These early publications preceded the larger German manga boom. The breakthrough came in 1997 and 1998 with Sailor Moon, whose popularity helped establish manga as a significant commercial category in Germany. In 2000, Ehapa published Wedding Peach, its first manga directed toward readers familiar with the Japanese format and market. In October of that year, Egmont created Egmont Manga & Anime, usually abbreviated EMA, as a dedicated manga and anime operation. Georg F. W. Tempel, formerly responsible for trend-oriented publications at Ehapa, led the new imprint. EMA also developed a direct connection with Japan through an adviser based there, a feature described in reference material as a first among German manga publishers. EMA’s activities soon included anime. In 2001, Weiß Kreuz became its first anime release, produced with Anime-Virtual under the IKASU label. In 2002, the imprint was integrated again with Ehapa, but its public label was preserved. The following year brought a larger corporate restructuring involving companies from the Ehapa organization and a combination with Egmont vgs. EMA and the Ehapa Comic Collection moved to Cologne, while the Egmont magazine department remained in Berlin. The imprint also participated in fan-community infrastructure. Between 2003 and 2005, EMA worked with Animexx e.V. to organize Connichi, an annual anime convention in Kassel. Its Shinkan preview, issued twice yearly, provided readers and retailers with information about forthcoming publications and helped maintain visibility for the program. Over time, the shorter name Egmont Manga became more common than Egmont Manga & Anime. The brand remains associated primarily with licensed manga publishing in Germany, while the historical “Anime” designation reflects its early expansion into related audiovisual and fan-oriented activities. Available sources document the imprint’s origins, catalog milestones, and corporate integration, but do not establish a fully documented current executive team or detailed present-day financial profile.

• 2003

  Integration into Egmont vgs

  [1]Egmont Manga & Animeen.wikipedia.org

  After a corporate reorganization, EMA moved with the Ehapa Comic Collection to Cologne and became part of Egmont vgs.

• 2001

  First anime project

  [1]Egmont Manga & Animeen.wikipedia.org

  Weiß Kreuz was released as EMA’s first anime project in cooperation with Anime-Virtual under the IKASU label.

• 2000

  Egmont Manga & Anime is founded

  [1]Egmont Manga & Animeen.wikipedia.org

  Egmont created EMA in October as a dedicated German manga and anime publishing operation.

• 1997

  Sailor Moon helps trigger the German manga boom

  [1]Egmont Manga & Animeen.wikipedia.org

  The success of Sailor Moon in the late 1990s demonstrated the growing commercial potential of manga in Germany.

• 1994

  First Egmont-associated manga release

  [1]Egmont Manga & Animeen.wikipedia.org

  Appleseed appeared in February under the Reiner Feest label, preceding the later creation of EMA.

• 1991

  Reiner Feest Verlag acquisition

  [1]Egmont Manga & Animeen.wikipedia.org

  Egmont acquired Reiner Feest Verlag, expanding its German comics platform and creating an earlier route into manga publishing.

• 1951

  Ehapa is founded in Germany

  [1]Egmont Manga & Animeen.wikipedia.org

  Egmont established the German subsidiary Ehapa, which later became the corporate base for the group’s manga activities.

• 1878

  Egmont publishing origins

  [1]Egmont Manga & Animeen.wikipedia.org

  Egmont H. Petersen opened a printing business in Copenhagen, forming the foundation of the later Egmont publishing group.

A specialist German manga imprint within the Egmont publishing group, positioned around licensed Japanese comics, anime-related entertainment, and connections with Germany’s manga and anime fan community.

• Manga · 1994

  Appleseed

  Appleseed was the first manga associated with Egmont’s German publishing operation, appearing in February 1994 under the Reiner Feest label. Its publication preceded the formal launch of Egmont Manga & Anime and represents the group’s early move into Japanese comics.

• Manga · 1997

  Sailor Moon

  Sailor Moon was one of the key titles in the German manga breakthrough of the late 1990s. Its success in 1997 and 1998 helped demonstrate the size of the local audience and contributed to the market conditions that led Egmont to create a dedicated manga imprint.

• Manga · 2000

  Wedding Peach

  Wedding Peach was published by Ehapa in 2000 as a manga directed toward readers of Japanese-format comics. Its release immediately preceded the establishment of Egmont Manga & Anime and formed part of the transition from occasional manga publishing to a specialist imprint.

• Anime · 2001

  Weiß Kreuz

  Weiß Kreuz was EMA’s first anime project. It was produced in cooperation with Anime-Virtual and issued under the IKASU label in 2001, marking the imprint’s early attempt to extend beyond print manga into anime-related media.

• Publishing preview

  Shinkan

  Shinkan was EMA’s semiannual program preview. It presented forthcoming manga and related publishing plans, serving as a communication and promotional vehicle for readers, retailers, and the German manga community.

• 2003Connichi cooperation

  Germany

  EMA cooperated with Animexx e.V. in organizing Connichi, an annual anime convention in Kassel, linking the publishing imprint with Germany’s organized anime and manga fan community.

  Outcome. The cooperation continued through 2005.

  Source

• 2003

  Corporate consolidation with Egmont vgsStrategy

  Background

  Egmont reorganized several companies associated with the Ehapa concern and combined them with Egmont vgs.

  Action taken

  EMA and the Ehapa Comic Collection moved to Cologne and continued under the consolidated Egmont vgs structure.

  Aftermath

  EMA retained its consumer-facing label while operating as part of a broader Egmont publishing organization.

  Source

• 2001

  Expansion into anime with Weiß KreuzProduct launch

  Background

  The imprint’s original identity covered both manga and anime-related entertainment.

  Action taken

  EMA released Weiß Kreuz in cooperation with Anime-Virtual under the IKASU label.

  Aftermath

  Anime became part of the imprint’s early history, although manga remained its principal publishing activity.

  Source

• 2000

  Creation of a dedicated manga and anime imprintStrategy

  Background

  The late-1990s success of manga in Germany indicated that Japanese comics had become a substantial publishing category rather than a niche experiment.

  Action taken

  Egmont Ehapa established Egmont Manga & Anime in October 2000 and appointed Georg F. W. Tempel to lead the operation.

  Aftermath

  The imprint became one of Germany’s major manga publishers and later operated within Egmont’s consolidated Cologne-based publishing structure.

  Source

1. 1Egmont Manga & Animeen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Egmont Manga official websiteegmont-manga.de