The awaited 48th edition of the Annual Kodansha Manga Awards has come through, and the winners have finally been announced after months of anticipation. The three categories, Shōnen, Shōjo, and General, showcase the publisher’s picks for the top manga in each division. During the past years of the Kodansha Manga Awards, they also granted the “Best Children’s Manga” award until 2015 when Kodansha eventually incorporated the nominees into the Shōnen and Shōjo Manga divisions.
The Japanese publisher announced the 15 nominees in all categories for the 48th Kodansha Manga Awards on the 4th of April, 2024. After a little over a month, they revealed the winners for each category on May 14th. Following last year’s wins for Shangri-La Frontier (Best Shōnen Manga), My Girlfriend’s Child (Best Shōjo Manga), and Skip and Loafer (Best General Manga), here are all the winners for this year’s Kodansha Manga Awards!
48th Kodansha Manga Awards Nominees and Winners
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Triumphs in the Shōnen Division
WINNER: Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End written by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukasa Abe (Shogakukan, Weekly Shōnen Sunday)
NOMINEES:
- The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity by Saka Mikami (Kodansha, Magazine Pocket)*
- Gachiakuta by Kei Urana (Kodansha, Weekly Shonen Magazine)*
- Tank Chair by Manabu Yashiro (Kodansha, Magazine Pocket)
- Daemons of the Shadow Realm by Hiromu Arakawa (Square Enix, Monthly Shonen Gangan)
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has killed it this year with nominations left and right for both manga and anime—and the year isn’t even halfway done yet. The series revolves around the elf mage prodigy, Frieren, as she and her companions return to their everyday lives after defeating the Demon King. However, Frieren is immortal and her party is human—not the best concoction for life-long friendships. She embarks on a journey to learn more magic, meet new people, and discover a new life while her human friends slowly age.
One Reddit user said, “I’m hyped for Frieren because it’s a breath of fresh air for the adventurer, fantasy, demon lord based genre. It’s been a while since we got an anime that wasn’t the cookie cutter defeat the demon lord and end of anime trope. This anime takes a different perspective of post demon lord defeat and the journey of an adventure after the fact. Most anime positions it’s characters purpose to defeat the demon lord where as Frieren starts at the end of most anime.”
I See Your Face, Turned Away Takes Home the Shōjo Award
WINNER: I See Your Face, Turned Away written and illustrated by Rumi Ichinohe (Kodansha, Bessatsu Friend)
NOMINEES:
- In the Clear Moonlit Dusk by Mika Yamamori (Kodansha, Monthly Dessert)*
- A Sign of Affection by Su Morishita (Kodansha, Monthly Dessert)*
- Firefly Wedding by Oreco Tachibana (Shogakukan, Ura Sunday)
Everybody loves something new, and I See Your Face, Turned Away is a new school-life romance you wouldn’t want to miss as evidence of it winning the award. Coming from the creator of My Sweet Girl, Rumi Ichinohe, this award-winning manga is about four teenagers who are essentially in a love quadrangle. The only thing they can do is look at them looking at somebody else.
One Reddit user stated I See Your Face, Turned Away was “slow but it is so good. I usually don’t like unrequited love trope bc most of the time they are always so dramatic and over the top, but this one is nice, it feels realistic, especially the pov of mc on the photo.“
Medalist Conquers the General Division
WINNER: Medalist by Tsurumaikada (Kodansha, Monthly Afternoon)*
NOMINEES:
- The Darwin Incident by Shun Umezawa (Kodansha, Monthly Afternoon)*
- OSHI NO KO by Aka Akasaka and illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari (Shueisha, Weekly Young Jump)
- Chiikawa: Nanka Chiisakute Kawaii Yatsu by Nagano (Kodansha)
- Nagatan to Ao to by Ichika no Rourijou (Kodansha, Kiss)
- Bokyo Taro by Yoshihiro Yamada (Kodansha, Weekly Morning)
There’s a reason why Medalist also won a Shogakukan and is poised to have an anime in 2025 under Studio ENGI. The manga is about Tsukasa Akeuraji and Inori Yuitsuka as they take on the ice skating world together. Tsukasa is a retired figure skater who gave up on his dreams because he was too late to chase them while Inori is a fifth-grader who was told that she was no better than her fellow young skaters. After Inori asks for Tsukasa’s help, the latter is committed to leading her to become a medalist.
A thread user said this about Medalist: “The adverse dilemmas these two undergo are a display that anyone can overcome obstacles as long as they believe in themselves and their partner. The journey of Tsukasa and Inori was so beautiful to watch and I was turning the pages with butterflies in my stomach, wanting more. If you are a fan of ‘Yuri on Ice’, you will LOVE the journey of Tsukasa and Inori.“