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Medalist, WITCH WATCH, Akane-banashi Win Next Manga Awards 2022 Results

Tsurumaikada's ice-skating drama manga series Medalist series took first place in the eighth "Next Manga Awards" (Tsugi ni Kuru Manga Taishō) print manga category. The sport series was joined by Weekly Shonen Jump manga WITCH WATCH by Kenta Shinohara and Akane-banashi by Yūki Suenaga and Takamasa Moue.

Medalist has been well-received by critics in Japan and was selected as one of the top 50 manga in last year's "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine. It placed on the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics list in 2021 and 2022 and ranked 16th out of 50 nominees in last year's Next Manga Awards.

The series is licensed by Kodansha Comics in English and follows two aspiring ice-skaters, Tsukasa and Iori. Tsurumaikada launched the manga in Kodansha's Afternoon magazine in 2020 and Kodansha has published six volumes so far.

WITCH WATCH follows Morihito, a boy with the strength of an ogre, who is about to start living together with his childhood friend Niko, who is training to be a witch. Niko's magic leads to all sorts of unpredictable trouble, and with two teens under one roof the fantastical antics begin.

Viz Media releases Witch Watch in English and the series available on the Shonen Jump and Manga Plus apps and for digital purchase. The series ranked #10 in last year's Next Manga Awards.

Akane-banashi has garnered attention with well-known creators like Hideaki Anno and Eiichiro Oda after its debut in February. The story follows Akane a girl enticed by the traditional storytelling art of rakugo. The series is available digitally on the Shonen Jump and Manga Plus apps.

In the Web Manga Category, Jinushi's Behind the Supermarket, Smoking With You (Super no Ura de Yani Sū Hanashi) took first place. The manga follows an overworked and stressed out salaryman named Sasaki whose only joy at the end of the day is smoking a cigarette at his favorite convenience store and seeing Yamada, the store's optimistic checker. One day, Yamada isn't at the store when Sasaki arrives and instead he sees a young woman with piercings smoking in his usual spot.

Behind the Supermarket, Smoking With You is published by Square Enix in Japan and is not currently available in English.

In second place is You and I are Polar Opposites by Kōcha Agasawa. The romantic comedy stars the energetic Suzuki who tends to go with the flow. She meets Tani, a quiet boy with no aversions of saying what he thinks. The series is available digitally on the Manga Plus app and is published on Shueisha's Shonen Jump Plus website in Japan. Third place went to Magilumiere Co. Ltd. by Sekka Iwata and Yū Aoki. The series, also published on the Manga Plus app, follows Kana Sakuragi, a female college student who struggles with job hunting, and then is picked up by a magical girl startup company. In her world, "magical girl” is a profession that undertakes the work of exterminating a kind of natural disaster called "Kaii."

The awards also included "Global Special Prize (Traditional Chinese Edition)" and "Global Special Prize (English Edition)" categories. The Global Special Prize (English Edition) was awarded to Gachiakuta by Kei Urana with graffiti design by Hideyoshi Ando. Notably, Gachiakuta is not available in English in North America but was the most popular choice among English-speaking voters. The Summer Hikaru Died (Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu) by Mokumokuren won the Global Special Prize (Traditional Chinese Edition).

There were a total of 50 titles nominated in both the print and web manga categories. The top 20 in each category are listed below.

Print Manga

1. Medalist by Tsurumaikada *Licensed by Kodansha Comics
2. WITCH WATCH by Kenta Shinohara*Available on MangaPLUS/Viz Media
3. Akane-banashi by Yuki Suenaga and Takamasa Moue *Available on MangaPLUS/Viz Media
4. With You and the Rain by Ko Nikaido *Licensed by Kodansha Comics
5. PPPPPP by Mapollo 3 *Available on MangaPLUS/Viz Media
6. My Wife Has No Emotion by Jiro Sugiura *Licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment
7. Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court by Ei Ohitsuji, Satsuki Nakamura, and YukiKana *Licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment
8. I'm in Love with the Villainess by Aonoshimo, Inori, and Hanagata *Licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment
9. High School Family: Kokosei Kazoku by Ryo Nakama *Available on MangaPLUS/Viz Media
10. Shiroyama to Mita-san by Yūhei Kusakabe
11. Tamon-kun Ima Docchi!? by Yuki Shiwasu (Takane & Hana)
12. Sudachi no Maōjō by Makoto Morishita (Im: Great Priest Imhotep)
13. Gachiakuta by Kei Urana and graffiti design by Hideyoshi Ando
14. Dai Dark by Q Hayashida*Licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment
15. Mikadono Sanshimai wa Angai, Choroi. by Aya Hirakawa
16. Draw this, then die! (Kore Kaite Shine) by Minoru Toyoda (Love Roma)
17. Amber Days and Golden Nights (Kohaku no Yume de Yoimashō)by Masoho Murano, Nodoka Yoda, and Kei Sugimura
18. Kujima Utaeba Ie Hororo by Akira Konno
19. Futari Escape by Shouichi Taguchi *Licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment
20. Black Channel by Satoshi Kisaichi

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Web Manga

1. Behind the Supermarket, Smoking With You (Super no Ura de Yani Sū Hanashi) by Jinushi
2. You and I are Polar Opposites by Kocha Agasawa *Available on MangaPLUS/Viz Media
3. Magilumiere Co. Ltd. by Sekka Iwata and Yu Aoki *Available on MangaPLUS/Viz Media
4. Puniru wa Kawaii Slime by Maedakun
5. Ramen Akaneko by Angyaman (East, Into The Night)
6. The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity (Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku) by Saka Mikami
7. Gōkon ni Ittara Onna ga Inakatta Hanashi by Nana Aokawa
8. MARRIAGETOXIN by Jōmyaku and Mizuki Yoda Available on MangaPLUS/Viz Media
9. Make the Exorcist Fall in Love by Aruma Arima and Masuku Fukayama *Available on MangaPLUS/Viz Media
10. Godaigo Daigo by Kōnosuke
11. The Summer Hikaru Died (Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu) by Mokumokuren
12. Nisemono no Renkinjutu by Jirō Sugiura
13. She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat by Sakaomi Yuzaki *Licensed by Yen Press
14. Reiwa no Dara-san by Haruomi Tomotsuka
15. Debby the Corsifa is Emulous (Debby the Corsifa wa Makezugirai) by Masahiro Hirakata (Best Blue)
16. Anten-sama no Hara no Uchi by Itsuki Yosuga
17. Nippon Sangoku by Matsuki Ikka
18. Völundio ~Divergent Sword Saga~ by Nanao Nanaki  *Available on Comikey
19. Kuchibeta Shokudō by Bonkara
20. The Person in a Villainess (Akuyaku Reijō no Naka no Hito) by Nazuna Shiraume, Makiburo, and Mai Murasaki