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44th Annual Kodansha Manga Awards' Winners Announced

Japanese publisher Kodansha announced the winners on Tuesday for its 44th annual Manga Awards.

Best Shōnen Manga

Tokyo Revengers
Ken Wakui
Magazine: Weekly Shōnen Magazine (Kodansha)
Summary: Watching the news, Takemichi Hanagaki learns that his girlfriend from way back in middle school, Hinata Tachibana, has died. The only girlfriend he ever had was just killed by a villainous group known as the Tokyo Manji Gang. He lives in a crappy apartment with thin walls, and his six-years-younger boss treats him like an idiot. Plus, he's a complete and total virgin … At the height of his rock-bottom life, he suddenly time-leaps twelve years back to his middle school days!! To save Hinata, and change the life he spent running away, hopeless part-timer Takemichi must aim for the top of Kanto's most sinister delinquent gang!! (Via Kodansha Comics)

Other nominees for Best Shōnen Manga included SPY×FAMILY, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and Smile Down the Runway.

Best Shōjo Manga

Our Precious Conversations (Boku to Kimi no Taisetsu na Hanashi)
Robico
Magazine: Dessert (Kodansha)
Summary: Nozomi Aizawa has has kept her feelings for her schoolmate Azuma-kun a secret for quite a while, but the time has come for her to finally confess. His response, though, is far from ordinary! Led in circles by his hilarious tangents, these two awkward teenagers find themselves growing ever closer while muddling through misunderstandings and off-topic rants. When the airheaded stalker Aizawa-san finally connects with the petulant know-it-all Azuma-kun, the result is a romantic comedy worth talking about! (Via Kodansha Comics)

Other nominees for Best Shōjo Manga included Kageki Shōjo!!, Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight, and A Condition Called Love.

Best General Manga

The Blue Period.
Tsubasa Yamaguchi
Magazine: Afternoon (Kodansha)
Summary: The story centers on Yatora Yaguchi, who feels hollow and impatient despite his excellent grades and place on top of the school student caste. But when he sees a picture that captures his heart one day, he throws himself into the beautiful yet harsh world of art. With his wealth of knowledge, he plans to enter art school.

Other nominees for Best General Manga included Skip to Loafer, Witch Hat Atelier, and Do not say mystery.

The prizes awarded to each of the winning authors include a certificate, bronze statuette, and 1 million yen (about US$9,100). Ken Akamatsu, Tochi Ueyama, Oh! great, Atsushi Kase, Akiko Higashimura, Yūji Moritaka, and Waki Yamato formed the selection committee.

In past years, Kodansha gave out a "Best Children's Manga" award as well, but starting in 2015 Kodansha has integrated the nominees for that category into the Best Shōnen Manga and Best Shōjo Manga categories instead.

Last year, Negi Haruba's The Quintessential Quintuplets and Yoshitoki Ōima's To Your Eternity both won the Best Shonan Manga award. Rie Aruga's Perfect World won the Best Shōjo Manga award. Fumi Yoshinaga's What Did You Eat Yesterday? won the Best General Manga award.

Source: Kodansha