Official Announcement of the American Manga Award Nominees

The anime and and manga sector have always been enormous in the West, but there's no doubting that in the last ten years, the two media have really taken off. Despite the enormous amount of work that goes into translating, localizing, and bringing these titles to English-speaking audiences, a vast array of content tends to be overlooked and underappreciated. Of course, many mainstream fans are familiar with their favorite anime series and even some of the best-selling manga titles.

To address this, the Japan Society and AnimeNYC teamed together to establish the American Manga Awards. The American Manga Awards, which aim to honor and recognize the committed and diligent people making our beloved titles more accessible, have officially unveiled its 2024 candidates.

Every Nominee for the American Manga Awards

Ryoko Kui

Several standout titles have been chosen by the nomination committee to join the ranks of their nominees for 2024, indicating that the American Manga Awards are expected to be a major event.

Top New Manga Titles:

The Darwin Incident by Shun Umezawa | Kodansha

#DRCL Midnight Children by Shin’ichi Sakamoto, based on Dracula by Bram Stoker | Viz Media

Just Like Mona Lisa by Tsumuji Yoshimura | Square Enix Manga & Books

Mothers by Kusahara Umi | Glacier Bay Books

Soara and the House of Monsters by Hidenori Yamaji | Seven Seas Entertainment

>Top Suspenseful Manga Series:<

• Blood on the Tracks by Shuzo Oshimi | Kodansha (Vertical)
• Delicious In Dungeon by Ryoko Kui | Yen Press
• Dinosaur Sanctuary by Itaru Kinoshita | Seven Seas Entertainment
• She Loves To Cook, She Loves To Eat by Sakomi Yuzaki | Yen Press
• The Summer Hikaru Died by mokumokuren | Yen Press

>Top Reimagined Manga Series

• Minami’s Lover by Shungiku Uchida | Fantagraphics
• My Name Is Shingo by Kazuo Umezz | Viz Media
• Okinawa by Susumu Higa | Fantagraphics
• UFO Mushroom Invasion by Marina Shirakawa | Living the Line / Smudge
• Neighborhood Story by Ai Yazawa | Viz Media

Top Translation

• Kevin Steinbach – for Issak by Shinji Makari & DOUBLE-S | Kodansha
• David Evelyn – for Doll-Kara by Kazuyoshi Ishii, Hanamura, and Kei Ryuzoji | J-Novel Club
• Stephen Paul – for Akane Banashi by Yuki Suenaga & Takamasa Moue | Viz Media
• Stephen Kohler – for Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama | Kodansha
• John Neal – for Bocchi the Rock! by Aki Hamaji | Yen Press

Optimal Typography

• Vadim K. – lettering for They’ll Make a Man Out of You by Shiwasu no Okina | J18 Publishing
• Rebecca Sze – lettering for Tokyo Interstellar Immigration Volume 3. by Mado Guchimoto | VAST Visual
• Tomoko Saito – for letteing & retouch for Blade of the Immortal Deluxe Edition Volume 10 by Hiroaki Samura | Dark Horse
• Lys Blakeslee – lettering for Witch Hat Atelier | by Kamome Shirahama | Kodansha
• Phil Christie – lettering & retouch for Search & Destroy Volume 1 by Atsushi Kaneko, based on Dororo by Osamu Tezuka | Fantagraphics

Best Design for Publications

• Nicky Lim & Sandy Grayson – box set design for Orange Complete Box Set
• Nicky Lim & Karis Page – cover design, lettering, & interior design for My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness: Special Edition by Nagata Kabi | Seven Seas Entertainment
• Phil Balsman – design for Initial D Omnibus by Shuichi Shinego | Kodansha
• Andrea Miller – cover design for Tokyo Aliens by NAOE | Square Enix Manga & Books
• Adam Grano – design for My Name Is Shingo by Kazuo Umezz | Viz Media

The American Manga Awards Seek to Honor the People Who Shape the Industry

Over the last several years, the Western manga business, as well as the manga industry in general, has encountered many difficulties because of problems with AI-generated translations and publishers underpaying personnel for work on a very profitable medium. It's easy to forget that there are actual, passionate people working on manga to get it into English-speaking book stores, and that social media echo chambers that debate the business often lack empathy for the amount of effort involved.

📚 INTRODUCING THE AMERICAN MANGA AWARDS 📚

Set to take place at the @JapanSociety in New York on August 22, the @MangaAwardsUSA will celebrate the outstanding achievements of professionals in the world of Japanese comics.

✒️ Learn more at https://t.co/31kdgRHAN4 pic.twitter.com/AosdZMXBwD

— Anime NYC (@animenyc) June 3, 2024

This is where the American Manga Awards come in; the committee seems committed to honoring and appreciating the unsung heroes who toil day in and day out to bring the beloved works of the community to the West. All of the judges are seasoned professionals who have shown their passion for the medium loudly.

Choose Our Favorites From the List of Nominees

This year's American Manga Awards featured some obvious favorites, including Delicious In Dungeon, which became popular again recently because of its excellent anime adaptation on Netflix. Wearing its Dungeons & Dragons influence on its sleeve and drawing inspiration from other important fantasy franchises, the series is a fantastic high fantasy adventure.Another thing we really enjoy about this year's nominees list is how smaller publishers, like Mothers, are acknowledged for their efforts to bring Mothers to English-speaking readers. Kusahara Umi's first book, Mothers, gathers fifteen years of self-published short tales. According to what the publisher says: Kusahara Umi's first book in English, Mothers, gathers and translates her fifteen years' worth of independently published short tales with themes of grief, love, and family. Featuring an elegant cream paper stock and a stitched binding, it is offset printed. The cover will showcase newly designed artwork by Umi just for this, their first collected edition, with gatefold flaps spot printed on uncoated paper using a combination of red and blue inks. Twelve short tales that capture various aspects of the human experience are included in the book Mothers.Many beloved classics have also made a comeback and are now more approachable for casual manga readers, such as the exquisitely styled Initial D Omnibus collection. The Summer Hikaru Died is a chilling supernatural mystery series that brilliantly explores the nature of loss and its link with sorrow. It's one of the major shows we're hoping for.Even though the official results are still pending, everyone in the business is considered a winner in our eyes because of this event. Through AnimeNYC's official website, click this link to vote for their favorite series and support their favorite publishers.