The Next Manga Awards 2024 celebrated standout titles across both print and web manga categories.
Takeru Hokazono’s Kagurabachi claimed first place in the Print Manga category, while Girl Meets Rock! by Kuwahali and Tetsuo Ideuchi took the top spot in the Web Manga category.
Kagurabachi, which is serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump, follows a young boy named Chihiro who trains under his famous swordsmith father, only to seek revenge after tragedy strikes.
The manga is set to be released in English by Viz Media later this fall. Meanwhile, Girl Meets Rock! runs on Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ website, though it was previously available in English on MANGA Plus before being delisted.
Other notable manga in the Print category included Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun if Episode of Mafia and Tsumiki Ogami & the Strange Everyday Life., which secured second and third places respectively.
In the Web Manga category, Masaoki Shindō’s RuriDragon came in second, while Vtuber Kusamura Shigemi by Sakamegane took third place.
RuriDragon, which tells the story of a lazy young dragon girl, is also set for an English release by Viz Media in 2025.
These awards highlight the growing influence of both traditional and digital manga platforms, with fan engagement playing a significant role in determining the winners.
In addition to the main awards, special prizes were also given out, including the Global Special Prize, which went to My Girlfriend’s Not Here Today in the English category and Samurai in Another World for the Traditional Chinese Edition.
This year also saw the introduction of the Nichirei Prize, awarded to I Love Dokagui! Mochizuki-san, a manga that resonates with readers while enjoying Nichirei’s frozen food products.
The awards saw massive participation, with over 522,000 votes cast from fan submissions. The recognition given to these manga, both established and emerging, reflects the dynamic and ever-evolving world of manga.
