After Smashing Success Last Year, The American Manga Awards Return with their list of 2025 Nominees. The Second Edition of the Annual Awards introduce New Seventh Category, picking the best one-shot manga.
Professional Registry and Voting Are Now Open. Winners Will Be Announced During Cereony at New York City’s Japan Society on August 21, coinciding with anime nyc weekend.
American Manga Awards Committee Chair Deboki SAID:
“It’s exciting to see works from debut creators Alongeside New Volumes from Longtime Fan Favorites, All Broucht To Life Through the Efforts of Translators, Editors, Letterers, and Designers, Who Win Awards for Their Amazing Work. You Creative Chain and Spotlighting The People Who Help Manga resonate so deeply with english-jugage readers. ”
This Year’s Nominees Represent Solid Mix of Genres and Publishers, Honoring Boch Major Players and Smaller Pressures. Yen Press Leads The Pack With Five Nominations, Including Two Each in The Best New Manga and Best One-Shot Manga Categories. The Most-Nominated Title Is Search & Destroy vol. 2 by Atsushi Kaneko (Fantagraphics). Kaneko’s modern retelling of Osamu Tezuka‘s Dororo Received Three Nominations: Best Continue Manga Series, Best Translation, and Best Lettering. This Marks The Second Nomination for Letterer Phil Christiewho was the series’ Sole Nominee at Last Year’s inaugural Awards.
The 2025 Manga Publishing Hall of Fame Will Induct Studio ProteusA pioneering Company in Manga Import, Translation, and Lettering. FOUNDED IN 1986, STUDIO PROTEUS PLAYED TO KEY ROLE IN BRINGING JAPANESE COMICS TO THE US ALONGSIDE FOUNNING EDITOR TOREN SmithSTIs notable Roster Includes L. Lois Buhalis, Alan Gleason, Dana Lewis, Tom Orzechowski, Tomoko Saito, Adam Warrenand Frederik Schodt“Who was inducted into the hall of fame last year.”
As The American Manga Awards Website Notes:
“The 2025 recipients of the manga public Blade of the Immortal, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Ghost in the Shell, Oh! My GodDess, What’s Michael? and so much to English Language Readers in N. America and Around the World.
A Panel of Industry Experts Selects The Nominees, While Registered Professionals from the Manga Publishing Ecosystem Vote for The Winners. Retailers, Comics Scholars, Literary Agents, and Librarians Are Also found to Register. The Voter Registration Deadline Is 5 pm et on July 21, and Voting Closes at 5 pm et on July 24.
Judges for the 2025 Awards Include Shige Suzuki (Associate Professor, City University of New York), Liberian and Writer Ashley HawkinsYatta-Tachi Editor-in-Chief Katy CastilloAnime News Network Executive Editor Lynzee Loveridgeand Mavericks manga editor-in-chief Varun Gupta. Translation Judges Are Altjapan Co-Founders Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt. Lettering Will Be Judged By Freelancers Aditya Bidikar and Ariana MaherWhile Publication Design Will Be Evaluated by Freelance Designer/Art Director Carina Taylor and Kinokuniya USA Regional Manager Shigekazu Watanabe.
Best New Manga
- Dragon and Chameleon, vol. 1by Ryo Ishiyama (Square Enix Manga)
- The Guy She was intersted in wasn’t a guy at all, vol. 1by Sumiko Arai (Yen Press)
- Hikaru in the light!, Vol. 1by Mai Matsuda (Scholastic)
- Spacewalking with You, vol. 1by Inuhiko Doronoda (Kodansha)
- A Witch’s Life in Mongol, vol. 1by Soup tomato (Yen Press)
Best Continue Manga Series
- The Apothecary Diaries, vol. 12 – 13by Natsu Hyuuga, Nekokurage et al (Square Enix Manga)
- Hirayasumi, vol. 3 – 5by Keigo Shinzo (BIZ)
- Innocent, Omnibus Edition, vol. 3by Shin’ichi Sakamoto (Dark Horse)
- Search and Destroy, vol. 2by Atsushi Kaneko (Fantagraphics)
- The Summer Hikaru Died, vol. 5by Mokumokuren (Yen Press)
Best One-Shot Manga
- Brain Damageby Shintaro Kago (Fantagraphics)
- HP Lovecraft’s The Colour Out of Spaceby Gou Tanabe (Dark Horse)
- A smart and courageous childby Miki Yamamoto (Tokyopop)
- Stardust Family, by Aki Poroyama (Yen Press)
- Tamaki & dawnsby Fumi yoshinaga (Yen Press)
Best New Edition of Classic Manga
- Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow, vol. 1 – 2by Asao Takamori & Tetsuya Chiba (Kodansha)
- The Legend of Kamui, vol. 1by Shirato Sanpei (Drawn and quarterly)
- Mansectby Shinichi Koga (Living the line)
- Short Gameby Mitsuru Adachi (Denpa Books)
- They were 11!by Moto hagio (Denpa Books)
Best Translation
- Ryan Holmberg – Face Meat, by Bonten Taro (Living the Line)
- Minami – The Otaku Love Connection, vol. 1, 1 By Chu Amairo (Square Enix Manga)
- Ben Applegate – Search and Destroy, vol. 2, by ATSushi Kaneko (Fantagraphics)
- Andreas Kronberg Danielsen – The Tale of Jiraiya The Gallant, vol. 1by mizugaki egao, ippitsuan and ryukatei tanekazu (lacuna lit press/blue feathered quill)
- AJANI OLOYE – Ultra Heaven, vol. 1By Keiichi Koike (Last Gasp)
Best Lettering
- Evan Hayden – Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow, vol. 1 – 2, by Asao Takamori & Tetsuya Chiba (Kodansha)
- Rebecca Sze – Cat manby stop
- Robert Harkins – Love Laid Bareby Ouchi Kaeru (Fakku Books)
- Young voon – My Tiny Senpai, vol. 1, 1 By Saisou (J-Navel Club)
- Phil Christie – Search and Destroy, vol. 2By Asushi Kaneko (Fantagraphics)
Best Publication Design
- ADAM GRAIN – Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure – Part 7: Steel Ball Run, vol. 1by hirohiko araki (viz)
- Lucia Gargiulo & Tom Devlin – The Legend of Kamui, vol. 1, 1 By Shirato Sanpei (Drawn and Quarterly)
- Riley Vandyke & Carl Gustav Horn – Planets Deluxe Edition, Book 1by Makoto Yukimura (Dark Horse)
- Emuh Ruh – It is BetaBy Ohuton (Glacier Bay Books)
- Kohei Nawada Design Office – VEIL, vol. 1 – Temperature of Orangeby Kotteri! (Udon Entertainment)
