Otaku Champloo

Tag: manga taishou

  • A Sneak Peek of The 2014 Manga Taisho Nominees

    sevendeadlysins

    It’s another year for Manga Taisho (Manga Award) where some of manga’s most influential critics select a number of titles to choose the best of manga released last year. It’s been a yearly tradition of sorts for me to check this award out since I’m a lazy fart and I really don’t have the time (or money) to take risks on titles I’m not exactly sure I’m ready to read. So looking at these lists always leave an impression that they’re good since they’ve been listed by judges of this award. And they compose of critics, manga artists, and editors who have the experience and the knowledge on what makes an amazing manga. And that’s always a good, isn’t it?

    This year didn’t have as much nominations as the previous year but it’s a good list nonetheless. Here’s a little rundown on these manga nominated for the award.

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  • Peeking into 2013 Manga Taishou Nominees

    I think I’m going to make a habit of this feature given this award has actually given me fruitful readings from last year. I personally have no regrets reading some of these titles and the likes of Aku no Hana (Flowers of Evil) and I am a Hero have become my favorite reads from last year. Of course, Silver Spoon is always a welcome casual read (but I really prefer Hyakusho Kizoku!) but all in all the Manga Taisho list is always interesting.

    I’ve been on standby since last week for any announcements knowing it’s the “season” where the nominees are out. So I’m grateful that I was advised last night that the Manga Taishou list is out and now it’s a good time to figure out who might win it. I do wonder if any of you guys have read some of these. Hopefully, a good number of these titles will get licensed as well.

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  • Starting 2012 with Manga Taishou Nominees

    Starting 2012 with Manga Taishou Nominees

    It feels like 2012 took me in like a tornado. I spent the first week thrown into the fray of work and my lungs were hacking a lot more than what I inhale. That said, the year has started to calm down and I am more than pleased to see the nominees for Manga Taishou this year.

    Last year, it felt like there were clear winners among the nominees. While I felt that the horse-riding bride of Otoyomegatari (A Bride’s Story) will be shooting straight for the coveted prize, Sangatsu no Lion seemed to have played the right pieces last year and took the prize home.

    This year’s nominees is quite an interesting set. For one, I can’t seem to distinguish who will take the Manga Taishou home. More so, it seems that there are brave soldiers who are still fighting for this prestigious prize.

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  • Sneak Peek at 2011 Manga Taishou List

    Sneak Peek at 2011 Manga Taishou List

    It’s Manga Taishou season again and I haven’t even started reading Therma Romae (once… I find my copy somewhere). Out of all the award ceremonies, I tend to enjoy the selection in Manga Taishou because these manga do not disappoint at all. Some awards tend to let some title win awards in order to boost its popularity. I honestly don’t know how some of these awards go behind the scenes, but yeah, so far, some winners are rather questionable. I cannot say the same for Manga Taisho though. When I look at their list, it all boils down to which manga were most amazing in the past year.

    The list of the nominees is out and here’s my two cents on who have a shot of bringing home the Manga Taisho… well, at least those that I have read…

    Otoyomegatari. The Bride Stories by Kaoru Mori. A very strong contender and quite popular to both critics and fans. I have full faith that there’s a high chance that Mori-san might bag this one. Can’t say much about the committee but if they gave it to Therma Romae last year, they might give this eclectic beautiful title a chance. I mean for chrissakes, she’s holding a kind of antelope on her shoulders. I’m quite sure the expectations will be high on this one.

    Sangatsu no Lion. March Comes in Like a Lion by Chica Umino. This is quite an interesting tale and it’s one of those heartwarming stories that you can’t stop reading. The shougi is a nice extra but it ain’t anything like Hikaru no Go. This might have a good chance and I’m trying to think if there was something amazing that happened since its last nomination. This is Chica Umino and if you’ve read Honey and Clover, you can imagine the pace of this story. Between this and Otoyomegatari… my bet’s on the latter.

    Omo ni Naitemasu by Akiko Higashimura. Filling in the loss of the amusing Himawari in Morning is her new work Omo ni Naitemasu. My friend and I have been fans of Himawari and we were hoping that this title would follow. While the humor is there, the plot in itself is a little difficult to swallow. The female lead is a mistress/muse to an artist and sometimes you just want to whack her head for longing such a horrible man. It’s a cohesive story but not exactly the best of the lot.

    I think what I love more about looking at the list is the number of titles I have yet to read. So far, these are the ones that caught my eye.

    Don’t Cry Girl by Tomoko Yamashita. This girl’s a BL artist and I enjoy her work immensely. I’m not exactly sure what this title is – if it’s a seinen or a josei. Either way, it looks interesting.

    I am a Hero by Kengo Hanazawa. I’ve been trying to find this comic but it often escapes my mind. Maybe I should give it a shot next time.

    Un chocolatier de l’amour perdu by Setona Mizushiro. It has macarons on the cover. While it’s quite josei-ish in art… it looks yummy.

    Hana no Zubora Meshi by Masayuki Kusumi & Etsuko Mizusawa. I doubt this manga is about food but that girl on the cover looks like she’s enjoying what she’s doing (with those morsels of rice all over her face.) It looks yummier and maybe… just maybe… I might get to enjoy this one.

    I wish all of the nominees good luck and I can’t wait to hear the results of this one!