The esteemed Harvey Awards, celebrating outstanding achievements in comics and sequential art, recently unveiled their nominees for this year. Among the most anticipated categories for manga fans is Best Manga, which promises a fascinating competition this year.
This Year's Best Manga Nominees
The 2024 Best Manga category features a diverse and critically acclaimed selection of works, highlighting the breadth and depth of the medium. The nominated titles are:
- Billy Bat by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki (Kana/Abrams)
- He Rolled Me Up Like a Grilled Squid by Yoshiharu Tsuge (Drawn and Quarterly)
- Land by Kazumi Yamashita (Yen Press)
- Miss Ruki by Fumiko Takano (NYR Comics)
- My Gorilla Family by Iijima Ichiro (Living the Line)
- My Life in 24 Frames per Second by Rintaro (Kana/Abrams ComicArts)
This lineup showcases a mix of established masters and unique voices, from psychological thrillers to introspective slice-of-life narratives, ensuring a tight race for the coveted award.
Manga's Presence in Other Categories
Manga's influence extends beyond its dedicated category, with several adaptations earning nominations in the Best Adaptation from Comic Book/Graphic Novel category. This demonstrates the growing impact of Japanese comics across various media. Nominated entries include:
- Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle - Akaza Sairai
- My Hero Academia — Final Season
- The second live-action One Piece season
- The Korean animated film Your Letter
These works face stiff competition from Western counterparts such as the fifth season of The Boys, the fourth season of Invincible, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, the second Peacemaker season, and Spider-Noir.
A Look Back: Previous Best Manga Winners
The Best Manga category, established in 2018, has seen a fascinating array of winners. Last year, Kamome Shirahama's Witch Hat Atelier took home the prize, prevailing over strong contenders like The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All, The Summer Hikaru Died, Tokyo These Days, and Wind Breaker.
Past winners reflect the evolving landscape of popular and critically acclaimed manga:
- 2018: Kabi Nagata's My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness (the inaugural winner)
- 2019: Kohei Horikoshi's My Hero Academia
- 2020: Kamome Shirahama's Witch Hat Atelier
- 2021: Tatsuki Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man
- 2022: Tatsuki Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man
- 2023: Tatsuki Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man
- 2024: Ryoko Kui's Delicious in Dungeon
Chainsaw Man's remarkable three-year winning streak from 2021 to 2023 stands out as a significant achievement, cementing its place as a modern classic.
From Foreign Material to Dedicated Category
Before 2018, manga were acknowledged within the "Best American Edition of Foreign Material" category. This historical context highlights the progress made in recognizing manga as a distinct and vital part of the comic book industry. Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titan was the last manga to win this category in 2014. Other notable manga like One-Punch Man and Showa: A History of Japan (1953-1989) were nominated in 2016 but did not secure the win. The "Best American Edition of Foreign Material" category has since been retired, making way for the more specific and prestigious Best Manga award.
What Makes the Harvey Awards Unique
Unlike many other awards in the North American comic book industry, such as the Eisner Awards, the Harvey Awards stand apart due to their unique selection process. Nominations and winners are exclusively chosen by comic book professionals themselves. This peer recognition adds a significant layer of prestige and industry respect to the awards, as it reflects the judgment of creators, writers, artists, and editors who intimately understand the craft.
Mark Your Calendars
The anticipation will culminate at New York Comic Con on October 9, where the winners of the Harvey Awards will be officially announced. Manga fans and industry professionals alike will be eagerly awaiting the results to see which exceptional work takes home the Best Manga trophy this year.
Which of these incredible manga do you think deserves to win? The competition is fierce, and each nominee brings something truly special to the table.
