It seems to be awards season in mangaworld.
The Tezuka Cultural Awards have been announced, and Ed at Mangacast explains that this year’s grand prize winner is unusually interesting:
Shissou Nikki by Aduma Hideo won the 9th edition of the award. Roughly translated “Disappearing Diary” is the comic version of the mangaka’s life after he temporarily left the manga industry in 1989. In some ways this story is very much a tragic tale of loneliness and self-refelction, but Aduma through his comical character designs and truthful vivid writing style was able to make even this, in Aduma-sensei’s words, “miserable story” into a comical story that readers enjoyed.
The panel of judges looks unusually diverse, including a manga store owner, a psychiatrist, and a college lecturer in addition to the usual industry insiders. Ed has scans of the other winners as well; note that a special award was given to American Comic Taizen (Encyclopedia of American Comics).
Mangacast also has the winners of the 30th annual Kodansha awards, together with cover scans, a list of judges, and a list of past winners that have been licensed in the U.S. Notable on this year’s list are Life, which is now a Tokyopop title, and Air Gear, which is licensed by Del Rey. Ed and the commenters wonder whether the two unlicensed titles, Kitchen Princess and Mushishi (Insect Master), will be licensed soon, with preference going to Del Rey.
ComiPress has the 35th Japanese Cartoonists’ Association Award Winners. I like the judges’ comment on the self-published “Aki Ryuuzan Manga Correspondence,” which won a grand prize:
We’re stunned and amazed with every issue. Then we grovel at the feet of this king of style!
Most excellent! Check out the cover scan of grand prize winner “Akai Yuki” (Red Snow)—it’s beautiful. And a special award went to what I assume is the Japanese edition of “Japan as Viewed by 17 Creators.” Fanfare/Ponent Mon has brought out the English edition, which David Welsh commented back in March was “almost certain to be one of the best books of 2006.”