JIN among finalists for Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize

The Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize is a yearly comic book prize hosted by the Asahi Shimbun Company, and is awarded to mangas published in the year preceding the award. The finalists are chosen from works nominated by both people in the manga industry and by the public. 2,000,000 yen ($20,000) is awarded to the grand prize winner.

Past winners have included Doraemon (1997), Vagabond (2002), Moyashimon (2008), and Ooku(2009).

This year’s finalists are as follows:

“Full Metal Alchemist” by Arakawa Hiromu

“JIN” by Murakami Motoka

“Ouma ga Hashi” by Kondo Yoko

“Shigurui” by Yamaguchi Takayuki

“Takemitsu Zamurai” by Eifuku Issei (Story) and Matsumoto Taiyou (Art)

“Chuushun Komawari-kun” by Yamagami Tatsuhiko

“Tentai Senshi Sun Red” by Kubota Makoto

“Fantasium” by Sugimoto Ami

Since only works with volumes published in the previous year are considered for the prize, this is the last year that “Full Metal Alchemist”, “Shigurui”, and “Takemitsu Zamurai” will be in contention, as these series published their final volumes in 2010. “Ouma ga Hoshi” was a standalone work and will also be excluded from next year’s prize.

The last volume of “JIN” was released in January 2011, so it will have one final shot at the prize next year if it does not win this time. The other three works are still in serialization.

Take a look at the cover arts for the mangas below (in the same order as the above list), and tell us which ones you have read and which you think should win!