Japan Media Arts Festival
Encyclopedia
The Japan Media Arts Festival is an annual festival held by Japan
's Agency for Cultural Affairs
since 1997. The festival for a nominal year was usually held during February or March next year, rather than at the end of the nominal year. For instance, the 2010 Japan Media Arts Festival, where award-winning works for Year 2010 were exhibited or screened, was actually held in February, 2011.
During the festival, awards are given in four categories: Art (formerly called Non-Interactive Digital Art), Entertainment (formerly called Interactive Art; including video games and websites), Animation
, and Manga
. Within each category, one Grand Prize, four Excellence Prizes, and (since 2002) one Encouragement Prize are awarded. These are sometimes also called Japan Media Arts Awards.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's Agency for Cultural Affairs
Agency for Cultural Affairs
The is a special body of the Japanese Ministry of Education . It was set up in 1968 to promote Japanese arts and culture. As of April 2007, it is led by the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs, Tamotsu Aoki....
since 1997. The festival for a nominal year was usually held during February or March next year, rather than at the end of the nominal year. For instance, the 2010 Japan Media Arts Festival, where award-winning works for Year 2010 were exhibited or screened, was actually held in February, 2011.
During the festival, awards are given in four categories: Art (formerly called Non-Interactive Digital Art), Entertainment (formerly called Interactive Art; including video games and websites), Animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
, and Manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
. Within each category, one Grand Prize, four Excellence Prizes, and (since 2002) one Encouragement Prize are awarded. These are sometimes also called Japan Media Arts Awards.
Non-Interactive Digital Art Awards
| Year | Grand Prize | Excellence Prizes | Encouragement Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 (1st) | "Soul Blade" Opening Movie |
|
n/a |
| 1998 (2nd) | Tokitama Hustle (CG moving picture) |
Silent Hill is a survival horror video game series consisting of seven installments published by Konami and its subsidiary Konami Digital Entertainment. The first four games in the series, Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, 3 and 4, have been developed by an internal factor, Team Silent... (CG moving picture) |
n/a |
| 1999 (3rd) | The Diverting History of Mechanical Fellows (CG still picture, solid) |
Pokémon (anime) , abbreviated from , is a children's TV anime series, which has since been adapted for the North and South American, Australian and European television markets... (CG moving picture) |
n/a |
| 2000 (4th) | 1 (CG moving picture) |
|
n/a |
| 2001 (5th) | Anjyu (CG moving picture) |
|
n/a |
| 2002 (6th) | TextArc print:Alice's Adventure in Wonderland (CG still picture) |
|
FISHER MAN (CG moving picture) |
Art awards
| Year | Grand Prize | Excellence Prizes | Encouragement Prize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 (1st) | Digital Gadgets #6,8,9 (interactive art) |
|
Tracks of Blue | |
| 2004 (2nd) | 3 minutes2 (installation) |
|
life-size (still image) | |
| 2005 (3rd) | Khronos Projector (interactive) |
|
Conspiratio (interactive) | |
| 2006 (4th) | Imaginary・Numbers 2006 (installation) |
|
Sagrada Familia Project (still image) | |
| 2007 (5th) | nijuman no borei (200000 phantoms) (visual image) |
|
Super Smile (visual image) | |
| 2008 (6th) | Oups! (installation) |
|
insider |
outsider (installation) |
| 2009 (7th) | Growth Modeling Device (Installation) |
|
F - Void Sample (Installation) |
Entertainment/Interactive Art awards
| Year | Grand Prize | Excellence Prizes | Encouragement Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 (1st) | Kage |
|
n/a |
| 1998 (2nd) | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is an action-adventure video game developed by Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis and Development division for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It was released in Japan on November 21, 1998; in North America on November 23, 1998; and in Europe on December 11, 1998... |
Metal Gear Solid is a videogame by Hideo Kojima. The game was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and first published by Konami in 1998 for the PlayStation video game console. It is the sequel to Kojimas early MSX2 computer games Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake... |
n/a |
| 1999 (3rd) | AIBO AIBO AIBO was one of several types of robotic pets designed and manufactured by Sony... , model ERS-110 |
Seaman (video game) is a virtual pet video game for the Sega Dreamcast. It is one of the few Dreamcast games to take advantage of the microphone attachment. The narration is voiced by Leonard Nimoy in the English-language version.... |
n/a |
| 2000 (4th) | Dragon Warrior VII Dragon Warrior VII Dragon Warrior VII, known in Japan as is a Japanese console role-playing game developed by Heartbeat and ArtePiazza, and published by Enix for the PlayStation in... |
Shenmue is a 1999 open-world adventure video game developed by Sega AM2 and published by Sega for the Dreamcast, produced and directed by Yu Suzuki. Suzuki coined a genre title, "FREE" , for the game, based on the interactivity and freedom he wanted to give to the player... |
n/a |
| 2001 (5th) | Protrude, Flow |
Pikmin is a strategy video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube video game console in 2001. Pikmin is the first game in the Pikmin series of video games, and the third game for the Gamecube overall. It was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto. Pikmin was released on October 26, 2001... |
n/a |
| 2002 (6th) | Social Mobiles |
|
Youkai Yamiwarashi |
| 2003 (7th) | Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is a action role-playing game for the Nintendo GameCube. It was published by Nintendo and developed by The Game Designers Studio, a shell corporation for Square Enix's Product Development Division-2. A spin-off of the Final Fantasy series, the game spawned a metaseries of the same name... |
EyeToy: Play EyeToy: Play is a video game for the PlayStation 2, released in 2003. It was the first game to make use of the PlayStation 2's video camera accessory, EyeToy. The game was initially packaged with the EyeToy when the accessory was first released. It features twelve mini-games to choose from. This... |
atMOS: Self-Packaging Movie |
| 2004 (8th) | WarioWare: Twisted! WarioWare: Twisted! WarioWare: Twisted!, known in Japan as is a video game for Game Boy Advance by Nintendo. The game is of a variety and puzzle genre. It was released on October 14, 2004 in Japan, May 23, 2005 in North America, and May 19, 2005 in Australia. It was not released in Europe, despite having been... |
PictoChat PictoChat is a communication utility that comes pre-installed on the Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite and Nintendo DSi consoles. Up to sixteen people can paint chat with each other using it, connected wirelessly through a system-to-system wireless connection. It allows for simple input of keyboard... Onimusha 3: Demon Siege Onimusha 3: Demon Siege, released in Japan and Europe as , is an action-adventure game developed and published by Capcom. It is the third game of the Onimusha series and was released for the PlayStation 2 on April 27, 2004. It was later ported to Windows on December 8, 2005.-Plot:The game opens... YKK AP F.C. is a Japanese football club based in Kurobe, Toyama Prefecture. They play in Toyama Prefectural League. Their team colour is blue.-History:The club was founded as the football club of YKK in 1962... Evolution |
Cherry-Clouds |
| 2005 (9th) | Flipbook!, Khronos Projector |
Nintendogs is a real-time pet simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It was first released in Japan, and was later released in North America, Australia, Europe, and other regions. It was originally released in three different versions:... Hifana is a Japanese breakbeat musical duo, composed of KEIZOmachine! and Juicy . The group formed in 1998, in the Tokyo neighbourhood of Kichijōji.-History:... "Wamono" |
Incompatible Block |
| 2006 (10th) | Ōkami Okami is an action-adventure video game developed by Clover Studio and published by Capcom. It was released for Sony's PlayStation 2 video game console in 2006 in Japan and North America, and 2007 in Europe and Australia... |
Rhythm Tengoku is a music video game developed by Nintendo SPD. It was released in Japan on August 3, 2006, and was the last game developed by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. The game received an Excellence Prize for Entertainment at the 10th annual Japan Media Arts Festival in 2006... Sensuous Sensuous is the 2006-2007 release by Japanese musician Cornelius. It was released in the United States by Everloving Records.-Track listing:#"Sensuous" — 4:21#"Fit Song" — 3:59#"Breezin'" — 3:50#"Toner" — 1:32#"Wataridori" — 6:56... (music video) |
Amagatana |
| 2007 (11th) | Wii Sports Wii Sports is a sports game developed and published by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii video game console , and part of the Touch! Generations. The game was first released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and was released in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month... |
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a video game developed by Kojima Productions for the PlayStation 3 console. The game was directed by Hideo Kojima and made its worldwide release on June 12, 2008, ten years after the release of Metal Gear Solid and twenty years after the North American release of Metal Gear.Guns of the Patriots... Monster Hunter Freedom 2 Monster Hunter Freedom 2 is a PlayStation Portable video game and sequel to Monster Hunter Freedom, largely based on its PlayStation 2 predecessor Monster Hunter 2, which was never released outside of Japan.... |
The moon princess being smelled by ~ Japanese old tales remix ~ (picture book) |
| 2008 (12th) | Tenori-On (electronic musical instrument) |
Wii Fit is a video game developed by Nintendo for the company's home video game console, Wii, designed by Hiroshi Matsunaga. It is an exercise game consisting of activities using the Wii Balance Board peripheral... |
Gyorol (web) |
| 2009 (13th) | Hibi No Neiro (Tone of Everyday) |
|
ASAHI ART FESTIVAL |
Animation awards
| Year | Grand Prize | Excellence Prizes | Encouragement Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 (1st) | Princess Mononoke Princess Mononoke is a 1997 epic Japanese animated historical fantasy feature film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. is not a name, but a general term in the Japanese language for a spirit or monster... |
|
n/a |
| 1998 (2nd) | Glassy Ocean |
Serial Experiments Lain Serial Experiments Lain is an anime series directed by Ryutaro Nakamura, original character design by Yoshitoshi ABe, screenplay written by Chiaki J. Konaka, and produced by Yasuyuki Ueda for Triangle Staff. It was broadcast on TV Tokyo from July to September 1998... Doraemon: Nobita's South Sea Adventure is a feature-length Doraemon film which premiered on March 7, 1998.- The start :The film starts with a group of pirates searching for treasure. They enter a cave behind a waterfall and start crossing a bridge when suddenly it falls and some of them fall off. The remaining people continue forward... |
n/a |
| 1999 (3rd) | The Old Man and the Sea The Old Man and the Sea (1999 film) The Old Man and the Sea is a 1999 paint-on-glass-animated short film directed by Aleksandr Petrov, based on the novel of the same name by Ernest Hemingway. The film won many awards, including the Academy Award for Animated Short Film... |
Ojarumaru Prince Mackaroo, known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga series created by Rin Inumaru in 1993. It was adapted as an anime series broadcast on NHK in 1998. The title character was originally voiced by Hiroko Konishi, but is now performed by Chinami Nishimura. The theme song is performed by Saburō... My Neighbors the Yamadas is an anime film directed by Isao Takahata and released by Studio Ghibli on July 17, 1999. The movie is a family comedy that is presented in a comic strip style which is unusual since all the other Studio Ghibli movies are presented in the traditional anime style of Studio Ghibli... |
n/a |
| 2000 (4th) | Blood: The Last Vampire Blood: The Last Vampire Blood: The Last Vampire is a 2000 anime film produced by Production I.G and SPE Visual Works and directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo. The film premiered in theaters in Japan on November 18, 2000... |
Hidamari no Ki is a Japanese manga series written an illustrated by Osamu Tezuka about a friendship between a samurai and a doctor in the final days of the Tokugawa Shogunate... Tarepanda Tarepanda is a cute panda character owned by the company San-X . The term "tare" means "lazy" or "droopy" in Japanese.-Creation:Tarepanda is licensed by San-X , the company that introduced Tarepanda stickers in 1995... |
n/a |
| 2001 (5th) | Spirited Away Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy-adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film tells the story of Chihiro Ogino, a sullen ten-year-old girl who, while moving to a new neighborhood and after her parents are transformed into pigs by the witch Yubaba,... and Millennium Actress Millennium Actress is a 2001 Japanese anime by director Satoshi Kon and animated by the Studio Madhouse. It tells the story of a documentary filmmaker investigating the life of an elderly actress in which reality and cinema become blurred.-Plot:... (tie) |
Cat Soup is a 2001 Japanese animated short film directed by Tatsuo Sato, inspired by the work of manga artist Nekojiru. The surreal black comedy follows Nyatta, an anthropomorphic kitten, on his travel to the land of the dead and back in an effort to save his sister's soul. Cat Soup was released... |
n/a |
| 2002 (6th) | Crayon Shin-chan Crayon Shin-chan is a Japanese manga and anime series written by Yoshito Usui.Crayon Shin-chan follows the adventures of five-year-old Shinnosuke "Shin" Nohara and his parents, baby sister, neighbors, and friends and is set in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, Japan.... : Arashi o Yobu Appare! Sengoku Dai Kassen |
Koji Yamamura is a Japanese independent animator who, since leaving a career as a background artist at an animation studio, currently directs, writes, edits, animates, creates the model sheets and background art for and sometimes produces his own short films and has worked on many commissions such as music... 's Mt. Head Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is an anime television series produced by Production I.G and based on Masamune Shirow's manga Ghost in the Shell. It was written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama, with original character design by Hajime Shimomura and a soundtrack by Yoko Kanno... The Cat Returns is a Japanese animated fantasy film directed by Hiroyuki Morita, produced by Studio Ghibli and theatrically released in Japan in 2002 and in 2003 in the United States through Walt Disney Pictures.... |
"The Evening Traveling" |
| 2003 (7th) | Winter Days Winter Days is a 2003 animated film, directed by Kihachirō Kawamoto. It is based on one of the renku in the 1684 collection of the same name by the 17th-century Japanese poet Bashō.... |
Tokyo Godfathers is a 2003 anime film by the late Japanese director Satoshi Kon.Tokyo Godfathers was Kon's third animated movie, which he wrote and directed. Keiko Nobumoto, noted for being the creator of the Wolf's Rain series and a head scriptwriter for Cowboy Bebop, co-wrote the script with Kon.Tokyo Godfathers... Mr. Stain Mr. Stain, also known as , is a digital computer anime series created and directed by Ryuji Masuda. The producer of the show is Shunsuke Koga and the characters are designed by Wakako Masuda. The series involves surreal adventures centered on characters living in a junk-filled alley.The episodes... Tsuneo Goda is an animator.He directs Domo shorts by using stop motion animation; Domo is the mascot of NHK.He has also directed the stop motion animation film Komaneko - The Curious Cat and the three-minute stop motion music video short "I am a Bear," which is based on the Hikaru Utada song "Boku wa... 's Komaneko Frank (comics) Frank is a cartoon character created by American cartoonist Jim Woodring. He is a bipedal, bucktoothed animal of uncertain species with a short tail, described by Woodring as a "generic anthropomorph". When shown in color, his fur is purple... |
Hoshi no Ko |
| 2004 (8th) | Mind Game Mind Game (film) is a 2004 Japanese animated feature film based on Robin Nishi's Japanese comic of the same name. It was planned, produced and primarily animated by Studio 4°C and adapted and directed by Masaaki Yuasa, with chief animation direction and model sheets by Yūichirō Sueyoshi, art direction by Tōru... |
Howl's Moving Castle (film) is a 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli and based on the novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones... Grrl Power Grrl Power, known in Japan as is an independently produced original video animation by Akitaro Daichi. The animated short film was released simultaneously in Japan and North America on June 10, 2004... Acidman Acidman is a Japanese Rock group. The band was formed in 1997 with four members, Shiibashi Takeshi, Urayama Ichigo, Satou Masatoshi, and Ohki Nobuo, who first met in a military academy in Saitama. The four went to a college in Shimokitazawa, where together they formed Acidman... short film "SAI (Part 1)/Mawaru, Meguru, Sono Kaku e" |
DREAM |
| 2005 (9th) | Flow |
The Book of the Dead (film) is a 2005 Japanese stop motion animation feature film directed by Kihachirō Kawamoto. It is his second feature film, the first being the Rennyo and His Mother and is based on the novel of the same name by Shinobu Orikuchi... Koji Yamamura is a Japanese independent animator who, since leaving a career as a background artist at an animation studio, currently directs, writes, edits, animates, creates the model sheets and background art for and sometimes produces his own short films and has worked on many commissions such as music... 's The Old Crocodile |
seasons |
| 2006 (10th) | The Girl Who Leapt Through Time |
|
Vladimir Bellini's La grua y la jirafa |
| 2007 (11th) | Summer Days with Coo Summer Days with Coo is a 2007 Japanese animated film about a kappa and its impact on an ordinary suburban family, directed by Keiichi Hara.-Reception:The film won the Best Animation Film award at the 2008 Mainichi Film Awards and was nominated for Best Animation Film at the 2008 Japanese Academy Awards, and for Best... |
Denno Coil , Coil — A Circle of Children, is a Japanese science fiction anime television series depicting a near future where semi-immersive augmented reality technology has just begun to enter the mainstream. The series takes place in the fictional city of Daikoku, a hotbed of AR development with an... A Country Doctor (film) is a 2007 anime short film by Kōji Yamamura.The film is a direct interpretation of Franz Kafka's short story "A Country Doctor," voiced by kyōgen actors of the Shigeyama house.... |
ushi-nichi |
| 2008 (12th) | La Maison en petits cubes La Maison en Petits Cubes is a 2008 Japanese animated short subject film created by Kunio Katō, with music by Kenji Kondo. It won several prizes, the most important of which being the Grand prize for short films at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in 2008 and the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film... |
Kaiba is an anime series directed by Masaaki Yuasa that debuted on the WOWOW satellite network in Spring 2008. Animation is by Madhouse and it is described as a sci-fi love story.... Koji Yamamura is a Japanese independent animator who, since leaving a career as a background artist at an animation studio, currently directs, writes, edits, animates, creates the model sheets and background art for and sometimes produces his own short films and has worked on many commissions such as music... 's A Child's Metaphysics |
ALGOL |
| 2009 (13th) | Summer Wars Summer Wars is a 2009 Japanese animated science fiction romance film directed by Mamoru Hosoda, animated by Madhouse and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film's voice cast includes Ryunosuke Kamiki, Nanami Sakuraba, Mitsuki Tanimura, Sumiko Fuji and Ayumu Saitō... |
Jirí Barta Jiří Barta is a Czech stop-motion animation director. His films, many of which used the medium of wood for animation, garnered critical acclaim and won many awards, but after the fall of the communist government in Czechoslovakia he was unable to release anything for about 15 years... 's In the Attic Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 is a Japanese anime television series that premiered on Fuji TV's noitaminA timeslot on July 9, 2009, where it ended its original run on September 17. Directed by Masaki Tachibana and written by Natsuko Takahashi, it is an original series co-produced by Bones and Kinema Citrus... |
ANIMAL DANCE |
| 2010 (14th) | The Tatami Galaxy The Tatami Galaxy is a Japanese comedy-drama campus novel written by , originally published in December 2004 by in the tankōbon format and later reissued in March 2008 by Kadokawa Shoten as a bunkoban... |
Colorful (film) is a 2010 Japanese animated feature film directed by Keiichi Hara. It is based on the novel of the same name written by Eto Mori, produced by Sunrise and animated by the animation studio Ascension.-Plot:... Mai Mai Miracle is a Japanese animated film based on Nobuko Takagi's novelization of her autobiography, Maimai Shinko. It was produced by the animation studio Madhouse, distributed by Shochiku, and directed by Sunao Katabuchi.... |
The Wonder Hospital |
Manga awards
| Year | Grand Prize | Excellence Prizes | Encouragement Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 (1st) | The Manga classics of Japan (32 volumes) |
|
n/a |
| 1998 (2nd) | Sakamoto Ryōma, Hiroshi Kurogane |
Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M is a shōnen manga by Masahito Soda. The manga has been released in its entirety by Viz Media in the United States. In 1996, it received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen.-Plot:... , Masahito Soda Masahito Soda is a Japanese manga artist. Soda studied at Nihon University, but left prior to graduating. He worked as an assistant for Taku Kitazaki, and debuted in 1990 with GET ROCK, published in Magazine Special... Gon (manga) Gon is a tiny fictional dinosaur and the title character of a Japanese manga series created by Masashi Tanaka. The Gon series features the completely wordless adventures of the irascible title character as he interacts with the natural world, depicted by Tanaka in lush, realistic detail... , Masashi Tanaka Masashi Tanaka Masashi Tanaka is a Japanese manga artist best known for Gon, his silent manga starring a miniature dinosaur. He began publishing Gon in 1991. He later worked on the game Street Fighter EX.-External links:... Motoka Murakami is a Japanese manga artist who writes primarily shōnen manga. He won the Kodansha Manga Award for shōnen for Gakuto Retsuden in 1982 and the Shogakukan Manga Award twice, for shōnen for Musashi no Ken in 1984 and for general manga in 1996 for Ron, serialized in Big Comic Original from 1991 to 2006... |
n/a |
| 1999 (3rd) | I'm home, Kei Ishizaka |
Jiro Taniguchi is a Japanese manga artist.- Biography:He began to work as assistant of the late manga artist Kyota Ishikawa. He made his manga debut in 1970 with Kareta Heya , published in the magazine Young Comic.... |
n/a |
| 2000 (4th) | Vagabond Vagabond (manga) is an ongoing manga by Takehiko Inoue, portraying a fictionalized account of Miyamoto Musashi's life, on a loose adaptation of Eiji Yoshikawa's novel Musashi.... , Takehiko Inoue Takehiko Inoue is a Japanese manga artist, best known for the basketball manga Slam Dunk, which has become a success both in Japan and overseas. Many of his works are about basketball, Inoue himself being a huge fan of the sport, and many Japanese children started to play basketball because they read the manga... (art) and Eiji Yoshikawa Eiji Yoshikawa was a Japanese historical novelist, probably one of the best and most famous authors in the genre. Among his most well-known novels, most are revisions of past works. He was mainly influenced by classics such as The Tale of the Heike, Tale of Genji, Outlaws of the Marsh, and Romance of the Three... (original story) |
Yoshikazu Yasuhiko is a Japanese animator and manga artist in the anime industry.Yasuhiko dropped out of Hirosaki University and was hired by Osamu Tezuka's Mushi Productions in 1970 as an animator. He later went freelance and worked on various animation productions for film and television. In 1981 he won the Seiun... Kenshi Hirokane is a Japanese manga artist. He graduated from Waseda University with a degree in law, then worked for Matsushita Electric for four years, before making his manga debut in 1974 with Kaze Kaoru.... |
n/a |
| 2001 (5th) | F-shiteki nichijō, Yōji Fukuyama |
Real (manga) is a manga series, by Takehiko Inoue, which deals with wheelchair basketball. It has been serialised in Shueisha's Young Jump and to date, 10 volumes have been published in Japan... , Takehiko Inoue Takehiko Inoue is a Japanese manga artist, best known for the basketball manga Slam Dunk, which has become a success both in Japan and overseas. Many of his works are about basketball, Inoue himself being a huge fan of the sport, and many Japanese children started to play basketball because they read the manga... Baku Yumemakura is a Japanese science fiction and adventure writer. He is best known for writing Jōgen no Tsuki wo Taberu Shishi , which won both the Seiun Award and the Nihon SF Taisho Award... and Jiro Taniguchi Jiro Taniguchi is a Japanese manga artist.- Biography:He began to work as assistant of the late manga artist Kyota Ishikawa. He made his manga debut in 1970 with Kareta Heya , published in the magazine Young Comic.... |
n/a |
| 2002 (6th) | Sexy Voice and Robo Sexy Voice and Robo is a seinen manga by Iou Kuroda. It was originally serialized in the semi-alternative manga magazine Ikki between 2000 and 2003, and has also been published worldwide, including in North America by Viz Media and Spain by Ponent Mon... , Iō Kuroda |
20th Century Boys is a science fiction-mystery manga created by Naoki Urasawa. It won the 2001 Kodansha Manga Award in the General category, an Excellence Prize at the 2002 Japan Media Arts Festival, and the 2003 Shogakukan Manga Award in the General category. The last two volumes of the story were serialized under... , Naoki Urasawa Naoki Urasawa is a Japanese manga artist.-Early life:He graduated from Meisei University with a degree in economics. In 2008, Urasawa had a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University, where he taught classes on manga.-Manga career:... Shūhō Satō is a Japanese manga artist. He won the Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Award for his work Say Hello to Black Jack.His assistants have included his wife, manga artist Tomomi Satō, as well as Masami Kakizaki , Takahisa Shiratori, Itsunari Fujii, Eiji Nomura, Takashi Yoshida, and Kōjirō Umezawa.-Brief... |
Naze Hakase wa okotte iru no ka, Isao Ikegaya |
| 2003 (7th) | Kajimunugatai: Kaze ga kataru Okinawa-sen, Susumu Higa |
Kyoko Okazaki is a Japanese manga artist whose manga are popular for their unorthodox style and controversial topics, for instance sex, sadomasochism, drugs, homosexuality, rape, murder and prostitution. The Tokyo born Okazaki often focuses on urban Japanese life in the capital from the 1980s and 90s. Her... Mushishi is a manga series written and illustrated by Yuki Urushibara, published in Kodansha's Afternoon magazine from 1999 to August 2008.The manga was adapted into an anime television series in 2005. The Artland production was directed by Hiroshi Nagahama... , Yuki Urushibara Yuki Urushibara is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for the series Mushishi, for which she received an Excellence Prize for manga at the 2003 Japan Media Arts Festival and the 2006 Kodansha Manga Award for general manga... |
Junkissa Nokoribi, Tai Itō |
| 2004 (8th) | Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms is a one-volume manga written and illustrated by Fumiyo Kōno. The two connected stories were first published in Japan by Futabasha in Weekly Manga Action in 2003 and 2004, then collected in a single tankōbon volume in 2004. The stories about a family of survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima... , Fumiyo Kōno Fumiyo Kōno is a Japanese manga artist from Nishi-ku, Hiroshima, known for her Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms. She was born in Hiroshima in 1968 and began drawing manga when she was in junior high school. She states that she began drawing manga because her parents would not often buy her manga... |
With the Light is a josei drama manga by Keiko Tobe. It began serialization in 2000 in For Mrs., and serial chapters were collected in 15 tankōbon volumes by Akita Shoten. The series depicts the struggles of a young mother, Sachiko Azuma, raising her autistic son Hikaru in modern Japan... , Keiko Tobe Keiko Tobe was a Japanese manga artist who wrote primarily josei manga. She was best known for creating With the Light, which won an Excellence Prize in the Japan Media Arts Festival Awards in 2004 from the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and inspired a television drama.- Biography :Tobe was born in... Daisuke Igarashi is a critically acclaimed manga artist born in Saitama , Japan. He began his professional career in 1993. Igarashi is known among manga fans for his bold, detailed art style and innovative storytelling... |
Shōwa nijūnen no edekami, shi no Hachigatsu jūgojitsu, Watashi no Hachigatsu Jugonichi Association |
| 2005 (9th) | Disappearance Diary Disappearance Diary is a manga by Hideo Azuma and published by East Press in Japan in March 2005. The manga is a somewhat-fictionalized autobiography of part of the author's life. It has received multiple awards inside and outside of Japan... , Hideo Azuma Hideo Azuma is a Japanese manga artist born on February 6, 1950 in Urahoro, Hokkaidō, Japan. Azuma made his professional debut in 1969 in the Akita Shoten manga magazine Manga Ō... |
Pluto (manga) is a manga series by Naoki Urasawa published in Shogakukan's Big Comic Original from 2003 to 2009. It has been licensed for release in English by Viz Media, under the name Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka. Takashi Nagasaki is credited as the series' co-author... , Naoki Urasawa Naoki Urasawa is a Japanese manga artist.-Early life:He graduated from Meisei University with a degree in economics. In 2008, Urasawa had a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University, where he taught classes on manga.-Manga career:... Kaoru Mori is a Japanese manga artist from Tokyo. She is the creator of popular manga such as Shirley and Emma. Many of her works are set in Britain, centering on characters who are maids... Dragon Zakura is a Japanese manga by Norifusa Mita, which won the 2005 Kodansha Manga Award for general manga and an Excellence Prize at the 2005 Japan Media Arts Festival. It was adapted into live action television series of the same name broadcast on TBS in 2005.- Plot :... , Norifusa Mita Norifusa Mita is a Japanese manga artist who is best known for Dragon Zakura for which he received the 29th Kodansha Manga Award.-References:... |
E-Cartoon , Yoshio Nakae |
| 2006 (10th) | A Spirit of the Sun A Spirit of the Sun is a seinen manga written and illustrated by Kaiji Kawaguchi about a resourceful boy, Genichiro Ryu, as he survives a series of natural disasters and collapse of the economy in Japan set in the beginning of the 21st century. It was serialized in Shogakukan's Big Comic. In February 2009, Shogakukan... , Kaiji Kawaguchi Kaiji Kawaguchi is a Japanese manga author whose works include Eagle and Zipang. Generally, his stories involve Japan and examine the moral choices that people make in extreme situations. He received the Kodansha Manga Award three times, for Actor in 1987, for The Silent Service in 1990, and for Zipang in 2002... |
Ōoku: The Inner Chambers is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fumi Yoshinaga. The plot follows an alternate history of medieval Japan in which an unknown disease kills most of the male population, leading to a matriarchal society in which the Ōoku becomes a harem of men serving the now female... , Fumi Yoshinaga Fumi Yoshinaga is a Japanese manga artist known for her shōjo and shōnen-ai works.-Personal:Fumi Yoshinaga was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1971. She attended the prestigious Keio University in Tokyo.... Yotsuba&! is an ongoing Japanese comedy manga series by Kiyohiko Azuma, the creator of Azumanga Daioh. It is published in Japan by ASCII Media Works, formerly MediaWorks, in the monthly magazine Dengeki Daioh and collected in ten tankōbon volumes... , Kiyohiko Azuma Kiyohiko Azuma is a Japanese manga author and artist. In his manga he writes under the hiragana form of his name, which has led some non-Japanese-speakers to confuse him for a woman . He used to use the pen name ' in his H manga... |
Shiritori, Kazuko Chikuhama (story) and Kenichi Chikuhama (art) |
| 2007 (11th) | Mori no Asagao Mori no Asagao is a Japanese manga series by Mamora Gōda. It won the 11th Grand Prize for manga at the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2007. It will be adapted into a live-action television drama in 2010.-Synopsis:... , Mamora Gōda |
Umimachi Diary is a Japanese josei manga by Akimi Yoshida serialized in Monthly Flowers magazine. It won the Excellence Prize for manga at the 2007 Japan Media Arts Festival Awards. It was also nominated for the 1st Manga Taisho, where it came in 3rd place, for the 12th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, where it came... , Akimi Yoshida Akimi Yoshida is a Japanese manga artist.Yoshida is best known for the series Banana Fish. She twice won the Shogakukan Manga Awards for shōjo, for Kisshō Tennyo in 1984 and for Yasha in 2002... Taiyo Matsumoto is an influential manga artist. He made his debut in Afternoon, Kodansha's monthly seinen manga magazine, but is probably best known for his works with Kodansha's rival publisher Shogakukan, including Tekkonkinkreet, Ping Pong and Number Five. He has received critical praise for his unconventional... (art) Yukari Ichijo is a Japanese shōjo and josei manga artist. She debuted in 1968 with Yuki no Serenade. In 1986 she received the Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo for Yūkan Club, and in 2007, she received an Excellence Prize in manga at the Japan Media Arts Festival for Pride... |
Tenken-sai, Yumiko Shirai |
| 2008 (12th) | Piano no Mori Piano no Mori is an ongoing manga by Makoto Isshiki, about Shuhei Amamiya, who transfers to Moriwaki Elementary filled with hope and ambition about his new life... , Makoto Isshiki Makoto Isshiki is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his series Piano no Mori, which has been adapted as an anime movie and received the Grand Prize for manga at the 2008 Japan Media Arts Festival... |
Yukinobu Hoshino is a Japanese manga artist. He was born in Kushiro, Hokkaidō and dropped out of Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music mid-semester from the fine arts department. He made his debut in 1975 with Kotetsu no Queen and with Harukanaru Asa won the Tezuka prize for an outstanding manga. On... |
Cartoon 2008, Masafumi Kikuchi |
| 2009 (13th) | Vinland Saga Vinland Saga (manga) is a Japanese historical manga series written and drawn by award-winning manga author Makoto Yukimura. The series is published by Kodansha, and was first serialized in the youth-targeted Weekly Shōnen Magazine before moving to the monthly manga magazine Afternoon, aimed at younger adult men... , Makoto Yukimura Makoto Yukimura is a Japanese manga artist. Yukimura made his debut in 2000 with the praised Planetes, serialized in Kodansha Weekly Morning mangazine and adapted into a 26 episodes anime series by the studio Sunrise... |
Children of the Sea (manga) is an ongoing Japanese seinen adventure manga series written and illustrated by Daisuke Igarashi, and serialized in Shogakukan's monthly seinen manga magazine Ikki. Shogakukan has released four tankōbon volumes so far, between July 30, 2007 and August 4, 2009... , Daisuke Igarashi Hyouge Mono is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Yamada. It won an Excellence prize for manga at the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival and the Grand Prize at the 2010 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. It was adapted into an anime series in 2011. The official website was updated to reflect the change... , Yoshihiro Yamada |
Hesheit Aqua, Wisut Ponnimit |
| 2010 (14th) | Historie Historie is a historical manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki that tells the life story of Eumenes, a secretary and general to Alexander the Great. It is serialized by Kodansha in Afternoon, and collected in 6 tankōbon volumes as of June 2010.- Story :... , Hitoshi Iwaaki |
Bokurano is a Japanese science fiction manga by Mohiro Kitoh that was serialized in the monthly manga magazine Ikki from 2003 to 2009; 11 tankōbon have been published by Shogakukan... , Mohiro Kitoh Mohiro Kitoh is a Japanese manga artist. He was born in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, and graduated from the Nagoya Institute of Technology. Kitoh created the manga Shadow Star and Bokurano: Ours, both of which were adapted into anime series... |
Uchino Tsumatte Doudeshou?, Shigeyuki Fukumitsu |