25th
Award-winning WorksManga Division

The expansion of the base of manga seems apparent. The techniques of manga, as well as of many
other forms of expression and arts, always continue
to evolve with the times. Some entries seemed to me
that they were aiming for the height of expression, while
many others surprised me by using familiar subjects as
a theme.
About 50 years ago, weekly magazines were exclusively occupied by big-name manga artists, and
I hopelessly thought “I have no talent or ability good
enough to join them,” feeling hard-pressed because
“one can’t be a professional without drawing skills like
them.” Today, with more flexible approaches available
in terms of theme and expression, the times are more
kind to artists aspiring to publish their works. Numerous works, almost too many to search, are available for
reference. There are endless past bestsellers to read.
In fact, we live in a world where “we already have a lifelong manga supply without getting new ones.” Even so,
we still need “new manga reflecting this era.” Being
up-to-date is extremely important for the manga genre—
the work quality depends on how well it depicts the
current time.
The entries of the Japan Media Arts Festival are hard
to evaluate since their target readership and age group
are unclear, but this in turn makes the themes of the
entries diverse far beyond what one can imagine. Some
works overwhelm readers with their powerful drawings,
some are impressively well researched even though demand for such works is doubtful, some simply depict a
melancholic reality, and some are lighthearted fictions
that readers wish to become true. In all of these works, a
fresh perspective of the “current” time is important, and
I saw a variety of such standpoints this time. In order to
present an excellent perspective, I think accumulated
skills, momentary determination, and of course, “generosity to harness people power” are essential.

Even as a manga freak, I braced myself for the pain
of reading so many entries for judging, but I ended up
being exhilarated like an ant that’s fallen into a sugar
pot. What surprised me was the high quality of the entries—every entry was excellent, including the almost
unknown ones. There were only three ratings based
on my criteria: “interesting,” “very interesting,” and
“extremely interesting.” Sturgeon’s law, stating “ninety
percent of everything is crap,” doesn’t seem to apply
to modern Japanese manga. I don’t mean that now is
the golden era, but rather, the evolution of manga will
continue. I was convinced of this when I saw the entries
this year.
The Grand Prize winner, Golden Raspberry by
MOCHIDA Aki, instantly carries away readers with
its particularly unique characters and powerful and
speedy story development. Maintaining the identity of
the girl’s manga genre, it also appeals to male readers. The Excellence Award winner, The Concierge at
Hokkyoku Department Store by NISHIMURA Tsuchika,
consists of extremely fine drawings, comparable to
those by TAKANO Fumiko, with an eccentric story of
a department store where extinct animals come to
shop. Another Excellence Award winner, THE BEST
WE COULD DO: AN ILLUSTRATED MEMOIR by Thi BUI
portrays the previously unrevealed postwar history of
Vietnamese refugees, along with the history of a family.
It illustrates a lower-case world of “family” that is often
hidden behind the capitalized term, “Refugee,” in a very
realistic manner. The Social Impact Award winner, ONNA NO SONO NO HOSHI by WAYAMA Yama, doesn’t
need much explanation. In a world of a women’s high
school, drawn in a style resembling that of ITO Junji,
peaceful days with only good girls unroll without bullying or teasing. But why does this work generate such
disturbing laughter? The impact of the appearance of
WAYAMA Yama will likely persist for a while.

Manga is entertainment that mirrors social conditions.
Participating in judging for the first time, I was surprised
anew by how many works are sensitively and flexibly
integrating the social conditions, and how the creators
keep their eyes open.
Gender-related works have remarkably evolved over
the past few years, and stories that are more open to
diverse genders and different forms of love are shaped
into a form of drama. The homosexuality-themed Jury
Selections—HEARTSTOPPER, depicting the exhilaration of love, and Kaijuni natta gei (A gay man who turned
into a monster) in which aggravated mental trauma goes
out of control—appeal to everyone with common emotions and win the readers’ hearts.
The Grand Prize winner, Golden Raspberry, exquisitely crafted a delightful story about the changing
positions of men and women. The Social Impact Award
winner, ONNA NO SONO NO HOSHI, presents a unique
sense of high school girls who stay away from romance
yet maintain glamour, striking a chord for many readers.
Portraying the evanescence of “extinct” animal characters, The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store
produces an uplift feeling with a lovely taste as if opening a beautiful wrapping paper. THE BEST WE COULD
DO: AN ILLUSTRATED MEMOIR, a record of exile from
Vietnam, vividly reveals the psychological changes of a
family. DEAD DEAD DEMON’S DEDEDEDE DESTRUCTION appears as if it is placed at the tip of the sharpest
antenna. It is realized with almost obsession-like drawings, from the vastness of the overlooking world to the
slight changes within mankind.
The New Face Award winner, Rolling Siblings,
comically and splendidly depicts the fact that human
relationships are established based on affinity, on the
premise that they don’t mesh. Manga offers a clear answer to a complex problem that arises in life. Manga
culture is said to be declining, yet new buds of comic
culture are sprouting in response to the ever-changing
world. I am certain of its strong vitality and potential.

My first thought when I saw the entries was that this
year’s judging was going to be tough. It was like when
all the 100m-sprint runners cross the finish line within
0.1 second. All entries were of such high quality that
it made the selection extremely hard. With a coffee
mug on my desk, I started reading through the entries
in order.
After reading for a while, I wondered, “Are there
more analog works this year? No, this one appears to
be analog but it’s actually digital, isn’t it?” Distinguishing analog and digital works had been easy until last
year, but this year, it was hard to tell the difference. Why
is that? I halted reading to solve this mystery. By comparing several works, I figured it out. Most of the digital
works were processed to resemble an analog style.
Do readers of Japanese manga prefer analog, handdrawn looking pictures? I continued thinking about
that in the midst of the judging process. In Japan, a
great number of manga has been placed on the market over a long period of time, through rental manga at
first, then serial publication in monthly magazines and
in weekly magazines. These manga manuscripts were
hand-drawn, before the prevalence of digital devices
for facilitating drawing. Therefore, long-time readers of
hand-drawn manga might feel more comfortable reading hand-drawn ones. Manga artists might have thought
the same and employed the analog style, in order to
convey their messages in a more readable manner.
When looking at the entries again, it seemed to me
that there were more analog-style manga, with less of a
digital look, than there used to be. As I resumed reading, I began to think that this may be associated with
the storylines. The number of fantasy or otherworldly
stories was clearly smaller than before, and manga
stories taking place in a real or realistic world were
dominant. Analog and digital, and the real world and
another world—there might be some kind of relationship
between them. Different drawing techniques might be
suitable for portraying different worlds, such as analog
drawing for the real world and digital drawing for another world. Soft lines of analog drawing surely enhance
a realistic feel, while digital processing adds unrealistic effects. Analog and digital techniques are perhaps
effective in guiding readers into different worlds. One
possibility from the viewpoint of a manga artist is that
manga artists are often artistically inclined, so they tend
to challenge themselves to draw analog-looking pictures by using digital tools. Anyway, manga artists are
doing their best to usher readers into their world.
Meanwhile, there are changes in manga storylines
as well. The story structure itself remains mostly the
same, but it seems to me that characters are becoming genderless. They are not male or female, or even
human, but just one character acting in a magazine or
on screen. This may be another reason for readers to
feel comfortable reading. I think the social situation may
have contributed to this.
Thus, the entries this year became different from
those in the previous years, not majorly but surely.
Manga artists are going through changes and new artists are emerging rapidly. In addition to printed media,
manga works are published online, and some are only
digitally distributed. Manga will continue to evolve by
repeatedly going through various changes. The world is
also changing. No one knows how manga will change
while responding to the times ahead of us. Nevertheless, I hope we will see many works that will contribute
to a better future and a brighter world.

During the unfortunate year of the COVID-19 pandemic,
I read more manga than usual due to several stay-athome orders. However, what I read was certainly limited
to those that suit my own tastes, range of interests, and
research areas. Serving on the jury this time was a great
opportunity for me to reset my rather stiffened “view of
manga,” thanks to the applicants. I am honored to see
so many excellent works from Japan and abroad.
Diverse story settings and storylines, a wide range
of drawing styles, and high artistic quality—I was excited that so many engrossing works exist. After reading
the entries, however, this in turn caused serious distress
in the judging process when I had to select only a few
from such a wide variety of works. The entries were
carefully evaluated through consultation with the other
four jury members. I am fully convinced by the results,
even though opinions were somewhat divided.
I hope many people will read the Award-winning
Works and the Jury Selections, and discover new manga. The Jury Selections are all interesting and drawn
in unique styles, including those with a completely fictional theme, and those addressing social issues such
as the pandemic, solitary death, sexual harassment,
child abuse, and hoarder houses. Even though social
issues are covered, the works are not preachy but enlightening, and can be enjoyed in many different ways,
as documentaries or entertainment. As an educator, I
would like to read some of them with my students.