The 48th Kodansha Manga Awards ceremony on July 31, 2024, stirred controversy with the nomination of Chiikawa in the General category. The General category had many nominees, including Oshi no Ko, Darwin’s Incident, Nagatan to Ao to: Ichika no Ryoricho, Bokyou Tarou, and Medalist.
Chiikawa, known for its simple and minimalist style, drew attention and debate. Koji Kumeta, the creator of Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei, expressed confusion, asking, “Who included ‘Chiikawa’ in the General category?”
Kumeta pointed out the difficulty in comparing Chiikawa with other nominees like Darwin’s Incident, saying, “I want to know how to compare ‘Chiikawa’ and ‘Darwin’s Incident.’ It’s not about good or bad; it’s like comparing ‘spaghetti’ and ‘bicycles,’ which left some judges puzzled.”
The judges also debated whether Chiikawa fit the traditional manga category or if it was more philosophical. In the end, the committee decided to honor Chiikawa by inducting it into the Hall of Fame and did not include it in the final selection of the remaining five works.
Judge Tsunami Umino, known for Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu, explained the discussions during the award ceremony, saying, “In the General category, ‘Medalist’ and ‘Darwin’s Incident’ remained until the end. There were many opinions saying ‘Chiikawa is too much of an outlier!’ which led to a lot of debate.”
Medalist won the General category at the 48th Kodansha Manga Awards.
The Kodansha Manga Awards started in 1977 with categories for shōnen and shōjo. The General category was introduced in 1982. A children’s category was added in 2003 but was merged into the shōnen and shōjo categories in 2015.
