Besides Oshi no Ko, the nominees include Battle Scar and Never Say Ugly.
The Osamu Tezuka Manga Award, or the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, is one of the most prestigious manga awards in Japan. Named after famed comic artist, mangaka, and animator Osamu Tezuka, the award is divided into four categories including Creative Award, Short Story Award, Special Award, and the Grand Prize. The last one here is the most important, as it honours excellent work in manga in the previous calendar year. This year, the top 7 contestants for the first prize have been revealed.
The contenders for the Grand Prize are:
- Battle Scar by Kazuya Kuramoto
- Oshi no Ko by Aka Akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari
- Embryologist Mizuiro by Mari Okazaki
- Umi ga Hashiru Endroll by John Tarachine
- Chizu ni Nai Basho by Yuki Ando
- Ma Vie en 24 Images par Seconde by Rintaro
- Never Say Ugly by Arako Toaru
The final results of the Grand Prize will be announced in April. As fans might already know, Oshi no Ko, which was one of the most popular mystery thriller manga, came to an end last year. Due to its controversial finale, many fans were extremely disappointed with the series. Although it’s extremely well-written, the prize might not end up going to Oshi no Ko.
In 2024, the Grand Prize went to Mari Yamazaki and Miki Tori’s PLINIVS. Some other popular series that have received this prize are Fujiko F. Fujio’s Doraemon (1997), Naoki Urasawa’s Monster (1999), Takehiko Inoue’s Vagabond (2002), Naoki Urasawa, Osamu Tezuka and Takashi Nagasaki’s Pluto (2005), Yasuhisa Hara’s Kingdom (2013), Satoru Noda’s Golden Kamuy (2018), and Uoto’s Orb: On the Movements of the Earth (2022).
The award is named after Osamu Tezuka, a legendary manga artist and the creator of the groundbreaking manga series Astro Boy. Born in 1928, Tezuka’s other notable works include Kimba the White Lion, Princess Knight, Buddha, Phoenix, and Black Jack. He is often noted as the father of Manga or the God of Manga, for his influence on the genre and the animation industry. The Osamu Tezuka Manga Award is sponsored by Asahi Shinbum.
