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The American Manga Awards announced its 35 nominees across seven categories, ahead of the 2025 ceremony scheduled to take place on Aug 21 at the Japan Society in Manhattan.
This year’s ceremony is being held in conjunction with Anime NYC, which is expected to attract over 100,000 fans to the Jacob K. Javits Center from Aug 21-24, 2025.
Titles such as JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run, Ashita no Joe, and The Apothecary Diaries are among this year’s nominees, which span seven categories: Best New Manga, Best Continuing Series, Best One-Shot Manga, Best New Edition of Classic Manga, Best Translation, Best Lettering, and Best Publication Design.
The award aims to recognize and honor manga creators, stories, and the publishing professionals who bring them to readers in the US & Canada.
Here is the full list of the nominees:
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 Volumes 12–13 by Natsu Hyuga (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 — Lettering by Evan Hayden (Kodansha USA)
- Cat Man by Parari — Lettering by Rebecca Sze (Seven Seas Entertainment)
- Love Laid Bare by Ouchi Kaeru — Lettering by Robert Harkins (FAKKU)
- My Tiny Senpai Volume 1 by Saisou — Lettering by Joven Voon (J-Novel Club)
- Search and Destroy Volume 2 by Atsushi Kaneko — Lettering by Phil Christie (Fantagraphics / MSX)
BEST TRANSLATION
- Otaku Love Connection Volume 1 by Chu Amairo — Translated by minami (Square Enix Manga & Books)
- Face Meat 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)
- Ultra Heaven 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 by Lucia Gargiulo, Tom Devlin (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Planetes Deluxe Edition Book 1 by Makoto Yukimura — Design by Riley Vandyke, Carl Gustav Horn (Dark Horse)
- Seaside Beta by ohuton — Design by Emuh Ruh (Glacier Bay Books)
- Veil Volume 1 by Kotteri — Design by Kohei Nawada Design Office; Lettering by Kevin Druelle / Oshino Studio (Udon Entertainment / MSX)
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run Volume 1 by Hirohiko Araki — Design by Adam Grano (Viz Media)
This year’s Hall of Fame award will go to Studio Proteus for introducing English-language readers to works like Ghost in the Shell, Blade of the Immortal, Oh My Goddess!, and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, among others.
A total of 375 entries were submitted across the categories by over 30 publishers. Each publisher was allowed to submit up to three works per category.
“It’s exciting to see works from debut creators alongside new volumes from longtime fan favorites, all brought to life through the efforts of translators, editors, letterers, and designers, who win awards for their amazing work. 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,” said Deb Aoki, American Manga Awards committee chair.
Final winners will be chosen by professionals working in manga editorial roles in North America and Japan. Voter registration for the American Manga Awards is open until July 21, with voting closing on July 24.
Viz Media is the Gold Sponsor for the 2025 awards.
Source: Publisher’s Weekly, ANN
