7th International Manga Award Winners

Trophies for the Gold and Silver Award winners were created by noted graphic designer Taku Satoh

Out of 256 entries from 53 different countries, 15 works were declared winners of the 7th International Manga Awards on February 14, 2014. Established in 2007 by former Japanese Prime Minister Tarō Asō and organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, it aims to praise and encourage the efforts of non-Japanese manga artists. The jury was headed by notable shōjo manga artist, Machiko Satonaka and included well-known manga artists such as Leiji Matsumoto (Space Battleship Yamato, Galaxy Express 999, Space Pirate Captain Harlock) and Seika Nakayama (Alfheim no Kishi).

All the winners were invited to attend the awarding ceremony in Tokyo and also got to visit some of the main manga publishing houses in Japan, as well as the Ishinomori Manga Museum and the Buddhist temples (a World UNESCO Heritage Site) of Hiraizumi, in Iwate Prefecture.

“Bokbig” by Prema Jatukanyaprateep, Thailand (Gold Award Winner)

The Gold Award for the best manga was given to Prema Jatukanyaprateep’s Bokbig. It is based on the author’s own experiences with her dog Bokbig and the funny antics he gets himself into. But when his family bought another dog, Bamboo, expecting him to be Bokbig’s friend, they became bitter rivals instead.

“Paris” by George Alexopoulous, USA (Silver Award Winner)

A young Greek-American girl, Katerina, travels to Greece to take a break from her hectic life in the US. Despite the language barrier, she befriends a young man, Nikos. But how will things work out when Katerina has to return home once her vacation is over?

“CARRIER” by Navar, China (Silver Award Winner)

A deadly virus has greatly reduced Earth’s population, leaving only a few gifted people, known as CARRIERS, who are immune to it. In this setting, a young CARRIER named Eddy and his guardian Mokus investigate a series of mysterious murders.

“Les Folies Bergère” written by Francis Porcel and drawn by Zidrou, Belgium (Silver Award Winner)

(Synopsis based on the artist’s own words) “How could anyone have continued to believe in God after such butchery? What is the place of the artist, when confronted with an absurdity of this magnitude? In order to better understand, we must go down in the trenches. The smell; It’s the smell that hits you first. The smell of corpses, putrefying, decaying. The French and the Germans abandoned to their fate, in a no-man’s-land where nothing grows but barbed wire.”

There were also 10 recipients of the Bronze Award. There were 3 more winners from Thailand (PANDISM <VIRUS PANDA< by Pittaya Werasakwong, D Day by Art Jeeno and Boonhome by Ruangsak Dangpla), two from China (Something Between Us by Zhi Ying and Lead of The Soul by chiya, Ke Han and Yi Sha), while there was one entry from Hong Kong (City of Darkness by Andy Seto and Yuyi). Singapore also had one winner (Ten Sticks and One Rice by Koh Hong Teng and Oh Yong Hwee), along with Malaysia (User by ZINT). Kondi Sambu Cyprien’s Le Directeur Contre La Crauache was the lone winner from Burkina Faso, while Belgium also yielded 2 more winners (La Peau de l’ours by Oriol and Zidrou, and It’s Your World by Junko Kawakami).