The first ever American Manga Award winners were presented on August 22nd at the Japan Society, at a gala event that kicked off Anime NYC. The event – which was spearheaded by The Beat’s own Deb Aoki – was a unique event to recognize the people behind the scenes, including translators and letterers, as well as the best in the category.
The awards were hosted by author and localizer Matt Alt and included opening remarks from Japanese illustrator Acky Bright.
Frederik L. Schodt, renowned translator and author of 1983’s Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics, was inducted into the American Manga Awards Hall of Fame for his pioneering work in introducing manga to English-speaking audiences.
His remarks -recalling his earliest days writing about manga – showed how far manga has come in the US – from a very very obscure and unavailable niche for diehard fans to a vibrant industry whose influence is felt everywhere.
The winners of the 2024 American Manga Awards are as follows:
Best New Manga
#DRCL midnight children
by Shin’ichi Sakamoto, based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula
VIZ Media
Editor: Andrew Kuhre Bartosh
Translator: Caleb Cook
Lettering and touch-up: Brendon Hull
Best Continuing Manga Series
Delicious in Dungeon
by Ryoko Kui
Yen Press
Editors: Abigail Blackman, Thomas McAlister
Translator: Taylor Engel
Lettering: Abigail Blackman
Best New Edition of Classic Manga
Neighborhood Story
by Ai Yazawa
VIZ Media
Editor: Karla Clark
Translator: Andria McKnight
Touch-up art / lettering: Michelle Pang
Best Translation
Stephen Kohler
translation for Witch Hat Atelier
by Kamome Shirahama
Kodansha
Editor: Haruko Hashimoto
Best Lettering
Lys Blakeslee
lettering for Witch Hat Atelier
by Kamome Shirahama
Kodansha
Editor: Haruko Hashimoto
Best Publication Design
Adam Grano
design for My Name Is Shingo
by Kazuo Umezz
VIZ Media
Editor: Joel Enos
Lettering: Evan Waldinger
Nominees were chosen by a panel of experts in manga, including journalists, translators, comics letterers, and designers. To select the winners, voting was conducted exclusively by hundreds of professionals working in editorial capacities within North American manga publishing.
The full ceremony will be available to watch on VOD in the coming weeks on the American Manga Awards website.
The event was supported by sponsors Scholastic Graphix, VIZ Media, Hoopla, and Saturday AM. Beverages were donated by Sapporo-Stone Brewing and Brooklyn Kura.
