News

Silver Spoon, I Am a Hero Win Shogakukan Manga Awards

The judging committee of the 58th Shogakukan Manga Awards announced this year's winners on Thursday. Each winning title will be honored with a bronze statuette and a prize of 1 million yen (about US$11,000) at a March 1 ceremony at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Although manga from other publishers have won this award in previous years, every winner this year comes from Shogakukan itself.

Children's Category

Mysterious Joker
Hideyasu Takahashi
Serialized in Coro Coro Comics (Shogakukan)
The story of an enigmatic phantom thief who can steal anything with his unpredictable methods.

Boys' Category

Silver Spoon
Hiromu Arakawa
Serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday (Shogakukan)
A boy's life in an agricultural school in Hokkaido. A television anime will air in Fuji TV's Noitamina block.

Girls' Category

Piece
Hinako Ashihara
Serialized in Betsucomi (Shogakukan)
A woman uncovers shocking secrets in her high school past after a former classmate dies. The manga is inspiring a live-action television series.

General Category

I am a Hero
Kengo Hanazawa
Serialized in Big Comic Spirits (Shogakukan)
An aspiring manga creator once struggled with discontent with his assistant artist job and his relationship with his girlfriend — until people started turning into undead creatures overnight.

Shogakukan has been awarding this prize since 1956 (for works published in 1955). Recent winners have included Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata's Hikaru no Go (2000), Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha (2002), Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys (2003), Mine Yoshizaki's Keroro Gunso (2005), Kotomi Aoki's Boku no Hatsukoi o Kimi ni Sasagu (2008), Kanoko Sakurakoji's Black Bird (2009), and Kenta Shinohara's Sket Dance (2010). 2011's winners were Yumeiro Pâtissière, Ōoku, Ushijima the Loan Shark, and Space Brothers, while 2012's winners were Inazuma Eleven, Nobunaga Concerto, Pin to Kona, and Kids on the Slope.

This year's judging committee included Mitsuru Adachi, Akira Oze, author Mitsuyo Kakuta, Kaiji Kawaguchi, Chiho Saito, Kenshi Hirokane, columnist Bourbon Kobayashi, and Buronson.

Thanks to Liam for the news tip.

Source: Comic Natalie