Off*beat is an original English-language manga authored by Jennifer Lee Quick, first released September 13, 2005. It is both licensed and published by Tokyopop. The style of its writing and illustration is heavily influenced by urban culture and the fantasy genre. While critical reception to Off Beat has been largely positive, with praise from sources like ForeWord Magazine, it has received some negative criticism for being a stylistic oddity among Japanese manga and OEL manga. Set in Queens, New York City, Off Beat follows the exploits of Christopher "Tory" Blake, a bright and disenfranchised fifteen-year-old who amuses himself by taking endless notes in a notebook about what he sees and hears each day. Usually a loner, Tory becomes infatuated with the boy who moves in next door in the middle of the night, and devotes all his time to learning what the new boy, Colin Stephens, is hiding. History While living in Queens, New York, Jennifer Lee Quick began drawing up ideas for Off Beat. A BFA in animation, she approached Tokyopop when the company was doing portfolio reviews for students and graduates at the School of Visual Arts. Originally, she had intended for the manga to be a joint project with her best friend, Becky Cloonan, but Quick was forced to fly solo due to conflicts with Cloonan's schedule."They liked what they saw, and asked me to send them a pitch sometime. At the time, I was working on Once in a Blue Moon so I didn't have time to send a pitch. When I finished that project, my long time best friend, Becky Cloonan was contacted by Tokyopop to send a pitch proposal. I remembered that I had been asked to send one as well, so we briefly considered sending a joint proposal for Off Beat (at the time she had talked about possibly working on the project with me). Her schedule got booked though, so I wasn't sure about submitting the pitch on my own. She encouraged me to go ahead though, so I went for it." It was during September 2004 that Quick officially began working with Tokyopop on bringing Off Beat to shelves, having decided that there would only be three books in her series, making it the shortest story she has ever conceived. On the subject of her work, she has stated:"I thought I would like to write a story that takes place in