Press Release
JAPANESE YAOI AUTHOR YOUKA NITTA DRAWS CROWD IN NEW YORK CITY

Hundreds of Yaoi Fans Line Up for Youka Nitta Book Signing at Kinokuniya

New York, NY (March 6, 2006) – North America's first and leading yaoi book publisher, Be Beautiful, is proud to announce nearly five hundred fans lined up to meet Ms. Youka Nitta at her first autograph session in North America, held at the Kinokuniya Rockefeller Center Bookstore in New York City on Friday, February 24, 2006.  Ms. Nitta is the author and artist behind Be Beautiful's current hit Embracing Love and upcoming Sound of My Voice and Casino Lily.

While Ms. Nitta's book signing didn't begin until 4 PM, eager fans began lining up before noon to reserve their spot in line. Amanda Thai, the first fan in line, arrived at Kinokuniya just after 11 AM. Ms. Thai said she was "super excited" to be meeting Ms. Nitta and even a little "intimated."

The second woman in line, Nicole Lynch, arrived soon after Ms. Thai and said she fell in love with Youka Nitta's work before she even knew the author's name and that Ms. Nitta's art is "very different" from traditional yaoi illustrations. She encouraged Ms. Nitta to keep writing and keep drawing because her style, in a word, is "beautiful."

While Amanda Thai arrived at Kinokinuya close to 11 AM, others from Vermont and Massachusetts were on the road at 11, crossing state lines to meet Youka Nitta. And by 4 PM, nearly five hundred women (and men) lined up through Kinokuniya, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Be Beautiful author Youka Nitta.

Upon the book signing's formal start, Ms. Nitta signed personal autographs and posed for pictures with her readers. Following the signing, Masumi Homma O'Donnell, Publisher of Be Beautiful, was very impressed. "Be Beautiful is perpetually thankful for our fan base," she said. "It is because of Be Beautiful's tremendous grassroots support that we are able to bring authors like Ms. Youka Nitta to North America. Keep reading Be Beautiful, and we will keep bringing the best stories, art, and authors in the yaoi world to you."

For fans unable to attend the signing, a limited number of signed Youka Nitta books are currently available for sale at Kinokuniya’s Rockefeller Center Store.

About Ms. Youka Nitta:
Ms. Youka Nitta is one of the most acclaimed yaoi manga artists of our time.  Ms. Nitta started drawing manga in the 1980’s.  Her most important work is Embracing Love (“Haru wo Daiteita”) which put her in the top position in the world of yaoi manga both in Japan as well as overseas.  Ms. Nitta's Embracing Love first appeared in a periodical magazine in 1997; it is still continuing after almost a decade.

Her uniquely dramatic drawing style and her excellently calculated elaborate storytelling create romantic tension through her work and are greatly loved by fans all over the world.

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 more information on Be Beautiful, visit www.bebeautifulmanga.com.

About Kinokuniya Bookstore:
Kinokunya's Rockefeller Center Store is located at 10 West 49th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues) in midtown Manhattan and is the New York branch of one of Japan's largest and most renowned book retailer chains. Kinokuniya is widely known for its wide selection of both English and Japanese novels and graphic novels and is quickly becoming New York's best source for yaoi.