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Rumiko Takahashi Wins Angoulême Grand Prix 2019 Prize

The 46th Angoulême International Comics Festival announced on Wednesday that manga creator Rumiko Takahashi (Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma ½, Inuyasha, RIN-NE) received the Grand Prix d'Angoulême. The award honors the author's lifetime body of work. The award entitles Takahashi to be the marshal for the 2020 awards.

Chris Ware and Emmanuel Guibert were also nominated for the award.

This year's event also included seven manga among the nominees for Best Comic, but the event has not yet announced the winner for that award.

Additionally, Kamome Shirahama's Witch Hat Atelier manga is nominated for Best Youth Comic. Kodansha Comics publishes the manga in English. Maki Sasaki's previously unpublished anthology manga Charivari is nominated for Best Heritage Comic. The manga originally ran in the Garo avant-garde magazine from 1967-1981.

The event is also hosting a retrospective exhibition for manga creator Taiyo Matsumoto (Sunny, Tekkon Kinkreet, Ping Pong).

This year's Angoulême Festival runs from January 24-27 in the Angoulême area of France.

Last year, the first volume of horror manga creator Kazuo Umezu's Watashi wa Shingo (Je Suis Shingo; My Name Is Shingo) manga won the Best Heritage Comic award. Naoki Urasawa was additionally awarded with the Fauve Special Award and the Fauve Polar SNCF Special Award for mystery works.

Last year's event also hosted Fairy Tail creator Hiro Mashima and an exhibition for his works. Mashima was also awarded with the Fauve Special Award.

Winners in 2017 included Kazuo Kamimura's Rikon Club manga and the fourth volume of Minetarō Mochizuki's Chiisakobee manga.

The festival launched in 1974 as an event celebrating comics from countries throughout the world.

Source: Angoulême via Crunchyroll