Danica Davidson
July 16, 2024 
The very first American Manga Awards will occur on August 22, right before the Anime NYC convention. Anime NYC and Japan Society are in on this together, and they’re revealed not only the nominees, but also that Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics author and prolific translator Frederik L. Schodt is being inducted into the brand-new American Manga Awards Hall of Fame.
Let’s take a look at the nominees!
Best New Manga
The titles competing for Best New Manga are The Darwin Incident by Shun Umezawa, #DRCL Midnight Children by Shin’ichi Sakamoto, Just Like Mona Lisa by Tsumuji Yoshimura, Mothers by Kusahara Umi, and Soara and the House of Monsters by Hidenori Yamaji.
Best Continuing Manga Series
In the category Best Continuing Manga Series, the titles are Blood on the Tracks by Shuzo Oshimi, Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui, Dinosaur Sanctuary by Itaru Kinoshita, She Loves to Cook, She Loves to Eat by Sakomi Yuzaki, and The Summer Hikaru Died by mokumokuren.
Best New Edition of Classic Manga Series
For the category Best New Edition of Classic Manga Series, the nominees are Minami’s Lover by Shungiku Uchida, My Name is Shingo by Kazuo Umezz, Neighborhood Story by Ai Yazawa, Okinawa by Susumu Higa, and UFO Mushroom Invasion by Marina Shirakawa.
Best Translation
There’s a Best Translation category, and the translators named are Stephen Paul (for Akane Banashi), John Neal (for Bocchi the Rock!), David Evelyn (for Doll-Kara), Kevin Steinbach (for Issak), and Stephen Kohler (for Witch Hat Atelier).
Best Lettering
There’s a Best Lettering category, and the nominees are Tomoko Saito (for both lettering and retouch for Blade of the Immortal Deluxe Edition Volume 10), Phil Christie (for both lettering and retouch for Search & Destroy Vol. 1), Vadim K. (for lettering They’ll Make a Man Out of You), Lys Blakeslee (for lettering Witch Hat Atelier), and Rebecca Sze (for lettering Tokyo Interstellar Immigration Vol. 3).
Best Publication Design
The final category is Best Publication Design, and the people in the running are Phil Balsman (for design for Initial D Omnibus), Nicky Lim, (for cover design) and Karis Page (for lettering and interior design for My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness: Special Edition), Adam Grano (for design for My Name Is Shingo), Nicky Lim and Sandy Grayson (for box set design for Orange Complete Box Set), and Andrea Miller (for cover design for Tokyo Aliens).
What do you think of the American Manga Awards nominees?
Source: Publishers Weekly
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
