Spacewalking With You, Half is More, ‘Draw This, Then Die,’ More Manga Nominated Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize

The Asahi Shimbun paper announced the 10 nominees for the 30th Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize on Saturday. The awards commemorate the contributions of the manga pioneer Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy/Mighty Atom, Kimba the White Lion/Jungle Emperor, Phoenix, Black Jack) by recognizing the manga that best follow his tradition.

Iemori Kitan
Kaho Nashiki, Yōko Kondō
Shinchosha

Spacewalking With You
Inuhiko Doronoda
Kodansha

Draw This, Then Die!
Minoru Toyoda
Shogakukan

Shuto!!
Akira Yamaguchi
Kodansha

Sukima
Yan Gao
Kadokawa

Solaris
Stanisław Lem, Takehito Moriizumi
Hayakawa Publishing

Half Is More
Yoico Fujimi
LEED Publishing

Ball and Chain
Q-ta Minami
Magazine House

Hon Nara Uru Hodo
Ao Kojima
Kadokawa

ROCA Complete
Hisaichi Ishii
Tokuma Shoten

Asahi Shimbun will announce the winners in late April, and will host an awards ceremony in Tokyo on June 11. The Grand Prize winner will receive a bronze statue and 2 million yen (about US$13,300), while the other winners will each receive a bronze statue and 1 million yen (about US$6,600).

Last year, seven titles were nominated for the awards. Rintarō‘s autobiographical manga 1-byō 24-koma no Boku no Jinsei won the Grand Prize. Shiho Kido‘s When the Chameleon Flowers Bloom won the New Creator Prize, and Shunji Enomoto‘s The Kinks won the Short Work Prize.

Sources: The Asahi Shimbun, Comic Natalie

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