The Press Release:
Anime NYC and Japan Society announced today the 35 nominees for the 2nd annual American Manga Awards, set to take place on August 21, 2025, at the historic Japan Society in New York City. The ceremony includes major manga publishers and retailers, including Kinokuniya, Kodansha USA Publishing, Seven Seas Entertainment, VIZ Media, Yen Press, and more participating.
This event is held in conjunction with this year’s Anime NYC convention, the largest Japanese pop culture event on the East Coast, which expects to draw over 100,000 fans of anime and manga from all over the world to the Jacob K. Javits Center in midtown Manhattan from August 21 – 24, 2025.
The American Manga Awards celebrate outstanding achievements in the world of Japanese comics, honoring professionals who have significantly contributed to manga’s popularity in both North America and Japan. These awards aim to elevate outstanding manga creators, great manga stories, and the publishing professionals who make these stories accessible to readers in the US and Canada.
VIZ Media, one of North America’s leading publishers and distributors of manga and anime, is the Gold Sponsor ofthe 2025 American Manga Awards. Home to iconic series such as One Piece, My Hero Academia, and Naruto, VIZ Media’s support underscores its commitment to uplifting the global manga community and celebrating the creators, translators, designers, and publishers. In addition, the American Manga Awards is also fortunate to have the support from industry sponsors such as Mad Cave Studios and Saturday AM.
The American Manga Awards Hall of Fame honors Japanese manga creators and publishing professionals who have made significant contributions to the growth and popularity of manga in America. The 2025 recipient of the Manga Publishing Hall of Fame Award will be Studio Proteus, the pioneering manga translation and publishing team that helped introduce manga series like Blade of the Immortal, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Ghost in the Shell, Oh! My Goddess, What’s Michael and so much more to English language readers in North America and around the world.
Founded in San Francisco, California, in 1986 by visionary editor and entrepreneur Toren Smith, Studio Proteus included an all-star cast of manga translators, editors, artists, and lettering professionals who are all comics publishing legends. Translators Dana Lewis, Alan Gleason, and Frederik Schodt, along with manga artist/lettering master Tomoko Saito, comics creator Adam Warren, and comics lettering masters Tom Orzechowski and L. Lois Buhalis were all part of the Studio Proteus collective. Together, they created the blueprint and the foundation for the English language manga publishing industry as we know it today.
In addition to the Hall of Fame honorees, the nominees for the other awards were selected by subject matter experts in manga, Japanese-to-English translation, lettering, and publication design. Five nominees were selected in each of these six categories: Best New Manga, Best Continuing Manga Series, Best New Edition of Classic Manga, Best Translation, Best Lettering, and Best Publication Design.
In this second year, the American Manga Awards received over 375 entries from 30 different publishers. Publishers were allowed to submit up to 3 titles per category for consideration, and judges were also able to nominate individual titles that they felt were noteworthy.
“It’s exciting to see works from debut creators along side new volumes from long time fan favorites, all brought to life through the efforts of translators, editors, letterers, and designers, who win awards for their amazing work,” said Deb Aoki, American Manga Awards committee chair. “These awards are our way of honoring that full creative chain and spotlighting the people who help manga resonate so deeply with English-language readers.”
The winners will be determined by votes from professionals working in an editorial capacity with North American (US/Canada) manga publishers, who have either registered to vote via the American Manga Awards website or have been invited by the American Manga Awards Planning Committee. Voting will not be open to the general public.
Voter registration for the American Manga Awards is open now until July 21, with voting open until July 24. All who are involved in manga publishing in Japan, the US, or Canada are welcome to register to vote, with detailed guidelines for eligibility and voting procedures available on AnimeNYC’s website. Approved voters will receive an email with voting instructions shortly after registering.
The nominees for the 2025 American Manga Awards are:
BEST NEW MANGA
Hikaru in the Light! Volume 1 by Mai Matsuda
Scholastic Graphix / Azuki
Dragon and Chameleon Volume 1 by Ryo Ishiyama
Square /Enix Manga & Books
The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All Volume 1 by Sumiko Arai
Yen Press
Spacewalking With You Volume 1 by Inuhiko Doronoda
Kodansha USA
A Witch’s Life in Mongol Volume 1 by Tomato Soup
Yen Press
BEST CONTINUING SERIES
The Summer Hikaru Died Volume 5 by Mokumokuren
Yen Press
Innocent Omnibus Volume 3 by Shin’ichi Sakamoto
Dark Horse
Search and Destroy Volume 2 by Atsushi Kaneko
Fantagraphics / MSX
The Apothecary Diaries Volume 12-13 (Manga)by Natsu Hyuuga (Author), Nekokurage (Illustrator), Itsuki Nanao (Compiler)
Square Enix Manga & Books
Hirayasumi, Volumes 3 – 5 by Keigo Shinzo
VIZ Media
BEST ONE-SHOT MANGA
H.P. Lovecraft’s The Colour Out of Space by Gou Tanabe
Dark Horse
Brain Damage by Shintaro Kago
Fantagraphics
A Smart and Courageous Child by Miki Yamamoto
TOKYOPOP
Tamaki and Amane by Fumi Yoshinaga
Yen Press
Stardust Family by Aki Poroyama
Yen Press
BEST NEW EDITION OF CLASSIC MANGA
They Were 11! by Moto Hagio
Denpa Books
Short Game by Mitsuru Adachi
Denpa Books
Mansect by Koga Shinichi
Living the Line /Smudge
The Legend of Kamui, Volume 1 by Sanpei Shirato
Drawn & Quarterly
Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow, Volumes 1-2 by Asao Takamori, Tetsuya Chiba/Kodansha USA
BEST LETTERING
Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow, Volumes 1-2 by Asao Takamori, Tetsuya Chiba
Lettering: Evan Hayden/Kodansha USA
Cat Man by Parari
Lettering: Rebecca Sze/ Seven Seas Entertainment
Love Laid Bare by Ouchi Kaeru
Lettering: Robert Harkins/FAKKU
My Tiny Senpai Volume 1 by Saisou
Lettering: Joven Voon/J-Novel Club
Search and Destroy Volume 2 by Atsushi Kaneko
Lettering: Phil Christie/Fantagraphics / MSX
BEST TRANSLATION
Otaku Love Connection, Volume 1 by Chu Amairo
Translated by minami /Square Enix Manga &Books
FaceMeat by Bonten Taro
Translated by Ryan Holmberg/Living the Line /Smudge
Search and Destroy, Volume 2 by Atsushi Kaneko
Translated by Ben Applegate/Fantagraphics/ MSX
UltraHeaven, Volume 1 by Keiichi Koike
Translated by Ajani Oloye /Last Gasp
The Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant Volume 1 by Mizugaki Egao, various authors
Translated by Andreas Kronborg Danielsen /Blue Feathered Quill Publishing
BEST PUBLICATION DESIGN
The Legend of Kamui, Volume 1 by Sanpei Shirato
Design: Lucia Gargiulo, Tom Devlin
Drawn & Quarterly
Planetes Deluxe Edition Book 1 by Makoto Yukimura
Design: Riley VanDyke, Carl Gustav Horn
Dark Horse
Seaside Beta by ohuton
Design: emuh ruh
Glacier Bay Books
Veil, Volume 1 by Kotteri
Design: Kohei Nawada Design Office
Lettering: Kevin Druelle / Oshino Studio
Udon Entertainment / MSXJoJo’s
Bizarre Adventure—Part 7: Steel Ball Run, Volume 1 by Hirohiko Araki
Design: Adam Grano
VIZ Media
For more information about the American Manga Awards and to stay updated on the latest announcements, please visit www.animenyc.com/americanmangaawards/ and follow Anime NYC and Japan Society on social media.
In addition to the American Manga Awards, returning this year to Anime NYC is the highly anticipated Educator & Librarian Friday Programming Track. Qualifying educators and librarians can apply for a Free Friday Professional badge in order to attend this curated track of educational programming as well as networking events. Professionals can also earn CTLE credits for attending select panels. Find out more at https://animenyc.com/librarians/.
About Anime NYC:
Anime NYC is the East Coast’s largest anime convention and a must-stop destination for anime fans from around the world. Celebrating Japanese pop culture, manga, and animation, Anime NYC has been honored with the Consul General Award from the Japanese Ambassador for its role in promoting Japanese culture. Now expanded to four days, Anime NYC brings fans and publishers together for an unforgettable experience featuring unique exhibits, exclusive screenings, extensive panels, and appearances by some of the biggest creators from Japan. The next event takes place August 21 – 25, 2025, at New York’s Javits Center. For more, visit www.AnimeNYC.com.
About Japan Society:
Japan Society is the premier organization connecting Japanese arts, culture, business, and society with audiences in New York and around the world. At Japan Society, we are inspired by the Japanese concept of kizuna (絆)–forging deep connections to bind people together. We are committed to telling the story of Japan while strengthening connections within New York City and building new bridges beyond. In over 100 years of work, we’ve inspired generations by establishing ourselves as pioneers in supporting international exchanges in arts and culture, business and policy, as well as education between Japan and the U.S. We strive to convene important conversations on topics that bind our two countries together, champion the next generation of innovative creators, promote mutual understanding, and serve as a trusted guide for people everywhere who seek to more fully appreciate the rich complexities and abundance of Japan. From our New York headquarters, a landmark building designed by architect Junzo Yoshimura that opened to the public in1971, we look forward to the years ahead, which will be defined by our digital and ideational impact through the kizuna that we build. Our future can only be enhanced by learning from our peers and engaging with our audiences, both near and far.
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