As usual, annually famous titles around the world compete for certain awards and competitions. Kodansha Comics is one of those, in addition, this time it has the 45th edition of the award. Therefore, I separated some titles that are being part of this competition being the best manga in its category.
So get ready, because below is a list of the best manga in its category. And of course, those with a lot of sales, public, there will be several details that influence, however it will not be the focus of the time.
Additionally, Japanese publisher Kodansha announced the 13 nominees in three categories for the 45th annual Manga Awards on Wednesday. Kodansha will announce the winner of each category on May 13.
Content Index
45th Annual Kodansha Manga Awards Nominees Announced!
best shounen manga
Fire Force
- Written by Atsushi Ohkubo
- Published – Magazine: Shōnen Weekly Magazine (Kodansha)
Summary: Terror has paralyzed the mechanical metropolis of Tokyo! Possessed by demons, people began to catch fire, leading to the establishment of a special firefighting team: the Fire Department, ready to roll in at a moment's notice to fight spontaneous combustion anywhere it might occur.
Additionally, the team is about to welcome a unique addition: Shinra, a boy who possesses the unique power to run at rocket speed, leaving behind the famous “devil’s footprints” (and destroying his shoes in the process).
Can the Fire Force discover the origin of this strange phenomenon and put an end to it? Or will the city burn to ashes first? (Via Kodansha Comics)
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
- Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe
- Magazine: Sunday Shonen Weekly (Shogakukan)
Summary: Elf wizard Frieren and his brave fellow adventurers defeated the Demon King and brought peace to the land. With the end of the great fight, they all go their separate ways to live a peaceful life. But as an elf, the nearly immortal Frieren will long outlive the rest of his former party.
How will she accept her friends' mortality? How can she find fulfillment in her own life and can she learn to understand what life means to the humans around her? Frieren begins a new journey to find the answer. (Via Viz Media)
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
- Taiki Kawakami
- Magazine: Shonen Sirius (Kodansha)
Summary: As Monster Hunter and Dungeons & Dragons players know, slime isn't exactly the king of fantasy monsters. So when a 37-year-old Tokyo salaryman dies and wakes up in a world of dragons and magic, he's a little disappointed to discover he's become a blind, boneless slime monster.
Mikami’s middle age hasn’t gone as planned: he’s never found a girlfriend, he’s stuck in a dead-end job, and he’s abruptly stabbed to death on the street at the age of 37. So when he wakes up in a new world straight out of a fantasy RPG, he’s disappointed but not exactly surprised to discover that he’s not a knight or a wizard, but a blind slime demon. But there’s a chance even a slime can become a hero… (Via Kodansha Comics)
Blue Lock
- Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yūsuke Nomura
- Magazine: Shōnen Weekly Magazine (Kodansha)
Summary: The manga begins with Japan's elimination from the 2018 World Cup, which prompts the Japan Football Union to start a school recognition program for selected players who will train and prepare for the 2022 World Cup. The protagonist Yoichi Isagi, a forward on his varsity team, receives an invitation to join the program, shortly after his team loses the Saitama finals and loses the chance to play in the nationals.
best shojo manga
Defying Kurosaki-kun
- Makino
- Magazine: Friend Bessatsu (Kodansha)
Summary: “I demand absolute obedience from you.” Yu Akabane has worked hard to reinvent himself for high school, and there's only one step left in his plan to put his Jane days behind him: inviting his idol, the "White Prince" Shirakawa-kun.
When circumstances lead Yu to move into the school dormitory where Shirakawa-kun is staying, she thinks she's found her lucky break. But unfortunately for Yu, "Black Devil" Kurosaki-kun, the boy everyone at school (including the teachers!) is afraid of, lives there too - and when Yu defies him, he's only too eager to punish her... ( Via Kodansha Comics)
A Condition Called Love
- Megumi Morino
- Magazine: Dessert (Kodansha)
Summary: Hotaru is a 16-year-old first-year high school student who has always been ambivalent about love, preferring to have a lively life with her family and friends. So, when she sees her schoolmate, Hananoi-kun, sitting in the snow after a messy public breakup, she doesn't think to offer to share her umbrella.
But when he asks her out in the middle of class the next day, she can't help but feel like her life is about to change a lot... (Via Kodansha Comics)
Honey Lemon Soda
- Mayu Morita
- Magazine: Ribon (Shueisha)
Summary: The manga centers on Uka Ishimori, who doesn't have any fond memories of his middle school years. Now 15 years old and in high school, Uka is trying to "graduate" from his former self, but it's not going well. That's when she meets her classmate Kai, who has lemon-colored hair.
A Sign of Affection
- Suu Morishita
- Magazine: Dessert (Kodansha)
Summary: Yuki is a typical college student whose world revolves around her friends, social media and the latest sales. But when a chance meeting on a train leads to her meeting a friend of a friend and fellow student Itsuomi-san, her world begins to widen. But even though Itsuomi-kun can speak three languages, sign language is not one of them. Can the two learn to communicate initial feelings between them? (Via Kodansha Comics)
Best Overall Manga
I Want to Hold Aono-kun so Badly I Could Die
- Umi Shiina
- Magazine: Afternoon (Kodansha)
Summary: I would die if I allowed myself to touch you. This is my love. Air-headed Yuri-chan and her boyfriend Aono-kun had a perfectly normal relationship until then one day Aono-kun suddenly “passed away”… They will never be together, and they can't even touch each other. This is their difficult and almost sincere love story. (Via Kodansha Comics)
Sweat and Soap
- Kintetsu Yamada
- Magazine: Morning, D Morning (Kodansha)
Summary: Asako is living her dream, working at personal care maker Lilia Drop. Little do her coworkers know, the reason she loves the company so much is that she's ashamed of her body odor, and their soap is the only thing that solves it.
So when the company's top product developer, a perfumery genius, approaches her in the lobby and wonders what "that smell" is, she's terrified... but does... does he like it? And, even more surprising for Yae... does she like him?
The hilarious ups and downs of an office romance at a personal care products company are the subject of this sexy, weird romp. Sweat and Soap combines the chemistry of Wotakoi's odd couple, the "too real!" Aggretsuko's workplace comedy and a lot of steamy office! (Via Kodansha Comics)
Hakozume: Kōban Joshi no Gyakushū
- Miko Yasu
- Magazine: Morning (Kodansha)
Summary: The story centers on Kawaai, a frustrated police officer who is about to leave the police force. Also, she is suddenly pulled into the criminal investigation department by Detective Lieutenant Fuji, the beginning of their unlikely pairing. Yasu worked for 10 years in the municipal police, and uses his experiences in the manga.
Futari Solo Camp
- Yūdai Debate
- Magazine: Night (Kodansha)
Summary: The story centers on Gen Kinokura, a 34-year-old amateur solo camper. He doesn't have a car, so instead he often takes train and bus connections and finally becomes one with nature and has his precious alone time. Until one day, on a camping trip, he meets 20-year-old Rei Kusano, also a solo camping enthusiast, and they end up getting hooked on solo camping “together”.
Yuria Sensei no Akai Ito
- Kiwa Irie
- Magazine: Be Love (Kodansha)
Summary: The manga follows 50-year-old Irie, a ballet dancer who got into the art through her sister a long time ago. Now she lives a simple but happy life teaching crafts and living together with a writer husband.
Therefore, when her husband experiences a medical emergency due to a hemorrhage, she rushes to the hospital, only to find a mysterious young man at her husband's side. When Irie's husband does not wake up, the young man confesses that he is Irie's husband's lover.
Furthermore, in recent years, Kodansha has also bestowed the “Best Children's Manga” award. However, as of 2015 Kodansha has integrated the nominees for that category in the Best Shōnen Manga and Best Shōjo Manga categories. But, hey, did you like the list of manga announced for the 45th edition of the award? After all, they are good manga, with a story that keeps you reading.
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