Fans Choose The Name of Kazuma Kodaka’s Latest Graphic Novel

New York, NY (January 9, 2005) - Be Beautiful and Kazuma Kodaka jointly announced Be Beautiful's latest acquisition, Kazuma Kodaka's Midaresomenishi, at Yaoi-Con 2005. Along with the acquisition announcement, Be Beautiful and Ms. Kodaka announced a contest allowing yaoi fans to vote for the English title of Midaresomenishi at www.bebeautifulmanga.com. Today, Be Beautiful revealed the winner.

Be Beautiful gave yaoi fans the chance to select Midaresomenishi's English title from three possibilities -- Swords of Passion, Entangled Flames, and Midaresomenishi - A Legend of Samurai Love -- and after receiving thousands of votes and sorting through the results, with over 60% of all votes cast, Be Beautiful can proclaim the winner, by a landslide, to be Midaresomenishi - A Legend of Samurai Love.

"We always have our ear to our readers," Be Beautiful's Publisher, Masumi Homma O'Donnell, said. "We value their opinions and want to grow with their suggestions, and our Midaresomenishi contest is an expression of this."

The selection of Midaresomenishi's English title wasn't the only thing at stake. Be Beautiful also selected one voter to take home an eight-foot Midaresomenishi banner personally signed by Kodaka-sensei. And the winner? Randomly chosen from all votes cast, Lauren Agliata from White Plains, NY will soon find an autographed Midaresomenishi - A Legend of Samurai Love banner at her door.  "I was really excited to see Kodaka at Yaoi-Con last autumn, and I've wanted to read Midaresomenishi for a while! I am so overjoyed!" Lauren said when she was first told about her prize.

(Kazuma Kodaka signing the Midaresomenishi banner.)

Fans wishing to learn more about Midaresomenishi - A Legend of Samurai Love should keep checking www.bebeautifulmanga.com for the first image of the manga's title treatment as well as other Midaresomenishi updates leading up to the book's release later this year.

About Midaresomenishi - A Legend of Samurai Love:
A tale of samurai love by Kizuna author and Yaoi-Con 2005 Guest of Honor Kazuma Kodaka, Midaresomenishi is the story of the samurai Shirou, a man with violently red hair and a temper to match.  When Shirou is sent away to become a priest, bandits capture him and his brother, Fujimaru, along the way.  Shirou submits to becoming the bandit leader's love slave in order to spare his brother punishment; however, the event leaves Shirou forever changed.  Midaresomenishi follows Shirou and his sexual odyssey throughout feudal Japan in search of the one man who can tame him. Violent, tragic, beautiful, and graphic, Midaresomenishi is the story of a man who lives by the sword and dies for love.

About Be Beautiful:
Be Beautiful is America's leader in the publication of yaoi manga graphic novels, aimed at college age and older female readers.  Yaoi manga are illustrated romantic graphic novels, featuring stories about love and relationships between impossibly beautiful men, written by female artists for female readers.  
Be Beautiful is an imprint of fifteen-year old Central Park Media, one of America's oldest publishers of Japanese anime and manga.

For high resolution, downloadable artwork and information, please visit Be Beautiful’s distributor’s electronic press kit at http://www.bebeautifulmanga.com/EPK/