#DRCL midnight children by Shin’ichi Sakamoto, based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula and published by VIZ Media, was named best new manga at the inaugural American Manga Awards ceremony, held on August 22 at the Japan Society in New York City.
The awards, launched this year by Anime NYC and the Japan Society, honor outstanding achievements in the world of Japanese comics, and celebrated the best manga published in North America in the past year. Held on the eve of Anime NYC, the Japanese pop culture convention being held at the Javits Center in New York City August 23–25, the ceremony was hosted by author Matt Alt, and included opening remarks from Japanese illustrator Acky Bright.
“Anime NYC and Japan Society are proud to celebrate the excellence and creativity within the manga community,” Anime NYC event director MK Goodwin said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing this tradition in future years.”
VIZ saw a particularly successful night, taking home three winners; Kodansha had two winners and Yen Press one. The full list of winners are as follows:
- Best New Manga: #DRCL midnight children by Shin’ichi Sakamoto (VIZ Media)
- Best Continuing Manga Series: Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui (Yen Press)
- Best New Edition of Classic Manga: Neighborhood Story by Ai Yazawa (VIZ Media)
- Best Translation: Stephen Kohler for Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama, (Kodansha)
- Best Lettering: Lys Blakeslee for Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama (Kodansha)
- Best Publication Design: Adam Grano for My Name Is Shingo by Kazuo Umezz (VIZ Media)
The new awards slate comes following years of skyrocketing manga sales worldwide and persistent demand for the medium in the U.S. market. Sales of the category have consistently buoyed overall comics sales over the past few years, due to a dramatic increase in consumption of both anime and the manga from which many are adapted as streaming surged during the pandemic.
