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Project Itoh's Harmony Honored at Philip K. Dick Awards

The North American publisher Viz Media announced on Monday that its English-language version of the late Project Itoh's novel Harmony earned a Special Citation honor at this year's Philip K. Dick Awards ceremony. The Philip K. Dick Award and the related Special Citation honor the American science-fiction author of the same name. Viz acquired the Harmony novel, which revolves around three girls fighting against a totalitarian government in the future, in 2009. It won a Nihon SF Taisho award from the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of Japan that same year.

Viz's Haikasoru blog also announced on Sunday that Nick Mamatas, the editor for its Haikasoru line of English-translated Japanese science fiction/fantasy novels, has been nominated for a Hugo award in the the Best Editor — Long Form category. The award is not attached to a specific work; the following is a list of works in the Haikasoru line (including those not yet published):

• All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka
• Battle Royale: The Novel by Koushun Takami
• The Book of Heroes by Miyuki Miyabe
• Brave Story by Miyuki Miyabe
• Dragon Sword and Wind Child by Noriko Ogiwara
• Good Luck, Yukikaze by Chōhei Kambayashi
• Harmony by Project Itoh
• The Lord of the Sands of Time by Issui Ogawa
• Loups-Garous by Natsuhiko Kyōgoku
• Mardock Scramble by Tow Ubukata
• Mirror Sword and Shadow Prince by Noriko Ogiwara
• The Next Continent by Issui Ogawa
• The Ouroboros Wave by Jyouji Hayashi
• Rocket Girls by Housuke Nojiri
• Rocket Girls: The Last Planet by Housuke Nojiri
• Slum Online by Hiroshi Sakurazaka
• The Stories of Ibis by Hiroshi Yamamoto
• Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse by Otsuichi
• Usurper of the Sun by Housuke Nojiri
• Yukikaze by Chōhei Kambayashi
• Zoo by Otsuichi

The Hugo Awards were established in 1955 and are awarded each year at the annual Worldcon science fiction convention. This year's Worldcon will take place from August 17 to 21 in Reno, Nevada. Members of the Worldcon nominate and then vote for the awards. In 2009, the awards added a graphic novels category, although no manga appear in the 2011 nominees for the category. Anime titles, such as Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away film, have already been eligible for Hugo Awards in the Best Dramatic Presentation categories.