The 9th Annual "Next Manga Awards" ("Tsugi ni Kuru Manga Taishou") nominee list has been released, and voting has opened on the official website. 41 manga have been nominated in the print category, and an overwhelming 61 web manga have also been nominated. Readers can vote from all over the world, and many of the titles nominated are available in English to read, so international fans will recognize them.
The announcement of the nominees for the best manga and voting came via the Next Manga Awards official website. Voting has already opened online, and will continue through July 10th. The winners will then be announced on August 31st. Last year's winner for the print category was Medalist by Tsurumaikada, and Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You by Jinushi took the web manga category.
All the final nominees were chosen from a list that was submitted by fans, and then narrowed down by the experts. Originally, 5,170 manga were submitted by fans, which makes the 202 final nominees actually seem quite reasonable! Some of the biggest names on the list are the ones that are also available to read in English because they are already officially licensed, including Daemons of the Shadow Realm, by Hiromu Arakawa (Fullmetal Alchemist).
The other manga in the print category that are licensed in English are:
- Cipher Academy by NisiOisin and Yuji Iwasaki, Licensed by Viz Media
- The Ichinose Family's Deadly Sins by Taizan 5, Licensed by Viz Media
- God Bless the Mistaken by Nio Nakatani, Licensed by Yen Press
- The Summer You Were There by Yuama, Licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment
- The Coppersmith's Bride by namo, Licensed by J-Novel Club
- GOKURAKUGAI by Yuto Sano, Licensed by Viz Media
- Fabricant 100 by Daisuke Enoshima, Licensed by Viz Media
- Tamon’s B-Side by Yuki Shiwasu, Licensed by Viz Media
- Dinosaur Sanctuary by Itaru Kinoshita, Licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment
- The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady by Harutsugu Nadaka, Piero Karasu, and Yuri Kisaragi, Licensed by Yen Press
In the web manga, the ones licensed in English are:
- I Want to End This Love Game by Yūki Dōmoto, Licensed by Viz Media
- After God by Sumi Eno, Licensed by Comikey
- The Moon on a Rainy Night by Kuzushiro, Licensed by Kodansha Comics
- Genkai Bonnō Katsugeki Osamu (Ghostbuster Osamu) by Getabako, Available on MangaPLUS
- Skeleton Double by Tokaku Kondo, Available on MangaPLUS
- Sekkyaku Musō (Service Wars) by Tsurun Hatomune, Available on MangaPLUS
- Soara and the House of Monsters by Hidenori Yamaji, Licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment
- Handsome Must Die by Astra Ashima, Available on MangaPLUS
- Kindergarten WARS by Yu Chiba, Available on MangaPLUS
The Next Manga Awards voting website has an English version, making it accessible for fans not only in Japan, but also abroad to vote for their favorite manga. This is rare in most of these kinds of award ceremonies and competitions, which are not usually English-friendly. It shows another way that the otaku world is becoming more international, though, making it more accessible to everyone!
You can vote now on the Next Manga Awards Official Website until July 10, 2023.
Source: AnimeNewsNetwork