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Gouten Hamada, Takeshi Sesimo's Shimazaki in the Land of Peace Manga Wins 8th Saito Takao Award
posted on by Joanna Cayanan
The official website of Saito Production announced on Tuesday that Gouten Hamada and Takeshi Sesimo's Shimazaki in the Land of Peace (Heiwa no Kuni no Shimazaki e) manga is the winner of the 8th Saito Takao Award. The award ceremony will be held on January 14 at the Mikasa Kaikan in Tokyo.
The manga bested four other nominated works including Takashi Ushiroyato and Kanato Abiko's Before You Go Extinct, Hoko Tsuda and Nobuhide Takishita's The Isekai Doctor, Masamichi Sato and Katsuhito Fujiya's Shosen Hitogoto Desu kara: Toaru Bengoshi no Honne no Shigoto, and Makoto Ojiro's Hoshino-kun, Shitagatte! (Hoshino-kun, Please Follow My Lead!).
Hamada and Sesimo launched their Shimazaki in the Land of Peace manga in Kodansha's Morning magazine in August 2022. Kodansha published the manga's seventh compiled book volume on November 21.
Kodansha USA Publishing licensed the manga, and released the first volume in English on November 26. Kodansha USA describes the story:
After surviving a terrorist incident as a child, Shingo Shimazaki was forced to join the League for Economic Liberations' revolutionary army. Now, thirty years later, he's back in Japan and trying to assimilate to a normal life. His Japanese may be awkward, and his grasp of ordinary tasks a little weak, but he has all the combat and surveillance training of a green beret. There are many kindhearted souls who want to help him - and a few not so kind ones who will do anything to stop him.
The manga was ranked fifth in the list for male readers in the 2024 edition of Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! (This Manga Is Amazing!) guidebook last year, and was nominated for the 17th Manga Taisho awards earlier this year. The manga recently ranked #30 in Kadokawa Media Factory's literary news magazine Da Vinci's 24th annual "Book of the Year" list.
Golgo 13 manga creator Takao Saitō and his Saito Takao Gekiga Cultural Foundation established the Saito Takao Award in 2017.
This year's final committee include Yū Koyama (Azumi manga artist), writer Masaru Satō, and scenario writers Takashi Nagasaki and Juzo Yamasaki.
Winners will receive the "Golgo 13 trophy." Winners in the scenario writer and manga artist categories will also receive 500,000 yen (about US$3,296).
Writer NUMBER 8 and artist Sakuzō Baku's ABURA manga won the 7th Saito Takao Award last year.
Sources: Saito Production website, Comic Natalie
