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Ao Kojima’s Hon Nara Uru Hodo Manga Wins Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize – News

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3 months ago

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The Asahi Shimbun paper announced the winners for the 30th Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize awards on Monday. The awards commemorate the contributions of the manga pioneer Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy/Mighty Atom, Kimba the White Lion/Jungle Emperor, Phoenix, Black Jack) by recognizing the manga that best follow his tradition.

Grand Prize

honnara
Image via Amazon

© Ao Kojima, Kadokawa

Hon Nara Uru Hodo

Ao Kojima

Kadokawa

The anthology story manga centers on the second-hand bookstore Jūgatsudō, its easygoing young owner, and the variety of people who come to the bookstore.

New Creator Prize

kaiju
Image via Amazon

© Mado Saitō, Kadokawa

Kaijū o Kaibō Suru

Mado Saitō

Kadokawa

The manga centers on kaiju specialist Akira Honda, who is called to oversee the dissection and research of the corpse of a 210-meter-long, nearly 85,000 ton kaiju nicknamed “Tokyo.” Akira begins to suspect that while Tokyo is immobile, it is not really dead.

Short Work Prize

atarashiitomodachi
Image via Amazon

© Kawajirō, Magazine House

Atarashii Tomodachi: Kawajirō Tanpenshū

Kawajirō

Magazine House

A collection of 10 short manga by Kawajirō depicting everyday life.

Special Prize

91pm19gzuvl._sl1500_
Image via Amazon Japan

© Kazuyuki Takeda, Hakusensha

Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise

Kazuyoshi Takeda

Hakusensha

The manga takes place during the Battle of Peleliu, a months-long battle that took place during World War II between the U.S. and Japan on the island of Peleliu in Palau. The manga takes place in the summer of 1944. Peleliu is a paradise with coral reefs and beautiful forests. Tamaru is a soldier who wants to become a manga creator. The manga depicts Tamaru’s daily life during a drawn-out battle between Japan’s approximately 10,000 troops and the U.S.’s 50,000 troops, exploring themes such as what the soldiers fight for when so far from home on a small island.

Asahi Shimbun scheduled an awards ceremony in Tokyo on June 11. The Grand Prize winner will receive a bronze statue and 2 million yen (about US$13,300), while the other winners will each receive a bronze statue and 1 million yen (about US$6,600).

Last year, seven titles were nominated, and anime director Rintarō‘s 1-byō 24-koma no Boku no Jinsei (Ma Vie en 24 Images par Second, or My Life at 24 Frames per Second) autobiographical manga won the Grand Prize. Shiho Kido‘s When the Chameleon Flowers Bloom (Dokudami no Hana Saku Koro) won the New Creator prize, and Shunji Enomoto‘s The Kinks won the Short Work Prize.

Hon Nara Uru Hodo also won the 19th Manga Taisho award this year. It topped the list for male readers in Takarajimasha‘s Kono Manga ga Sugoi! (This Manga Is Amazing!) guidebook for this year, and the manga in Kadokawa Media Factory‘s literary news magazine Da Vinci’s 25th annual “Book of the Year” list.

Sources: Asahi Shimbun, Comic Natalie

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Happy International Cat Day 2026 From Around the Anime World, Part II – Interest

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33 minutes ago

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August 9, 2026

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If Cat Day in Japan on February 22 wasn’t enough, Japan gets a second dedicated day to celebrate cats with International Cat Day on August 8. While Cat Day in Japan is primarily a wordplay on the number two (ni) in Japanese sounding like a cat’s meow (nyan), International Cat Day raises awareness on the health and welfare of domestic cats — and the anime and manga worlds are celebrating with their very own cats:

Akira Failing in Love


International Cat Day
Manga panel: Carried away by cats


Black Torch

Cyberpunk 2077

HIDIVE

Inherit the Winds


Today is International Cat Day🐈‍⬛
The world belongs to cats🌎


Atsushi Kamijou (To-Y)

August 8 is International Cat Day🐈

August 8 is International Cat Day🐈 blue cat

August 8 is International Cat Day🐈 Niya and Nia

August 8 is International Cat Day🐈

Yori Katakura (Yakuza vs. Cat)

May all the cats be happy🐾

Mitsuru Kido (Too Cute Crisis)


Today, August 8 is International Cat Day
May all the cats and their owners around the world be happy.


Kodansha

Kojima Production

Licca-chan


Today is International Cat Day☆
The kitties all gathered for Dad’s birthday party♪
Everyone’s gathered around the cakes, and it’s so lively, meow♡


Pragmata

Here are the cats from Pragmata🐱✨

Daisuke Sakuma


International Cat Day
Tomboish Shachi-chan←
　　　　　　　　　　　Mischievous Tuna-kun→


Miki Tori (Anywhere But Here)

International Cat Day

Yajima (Neko oji: Salaryman reincarnated as a kitten!)

International Cat Day

Did we miss any International Cat Day 2026 greetings? Feel free to let us know in our forums or by email!

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Happy International Cat Day 2026 From Around the Anime World, Part I – Interest

Published

3 hours ago

on

August 9, 2026

By

August 8 marks International Cat Day around the world. The International Fund for Animal Welfare created the day in 2002 to raise awareness for cats. Today, the unofficial holiday is run by International Cat Care, which strives to improve the health and welfare of domestic cats. The anime and manga worlds are doing their part to celebrate the holiday with greetings and more:

ANGYAMAN (Red Cat Ramen)

International Cat Day

Kamen Rider

International Cat Day

Medalist


🐈⛸️✨
International Cat Day


Yūsuke Nakamura

I am International Cat Day.

I’m also International Cat Day

Manabu Nii


International Cat Day 🐾
Takina: “Thanks for… the ears?”


Nontan

Have you read it?

Masami Ōbari


International Cat Day
A distinctive shot from my opening animation sequences
A kitty that embodies “that dazzling thing from the upper left”🐱✨


Ocha-ken

Let’s pretend to be cats and relax~🐈

Oyoneko Boonyan


Today is International Cat Day
We’d love to do something for cats through Oyoyo😺


Red Cat Ramen


＼＼　 \ 　/ 　／／
　Today, August 8 is
🐈International Cat Day🐈‍⬛　
／／　 /　 \　 ＼＼
May all the cats around the world be happy✨
Please share your favorite photo 📸🐾 too!!
“Red Cat Ramen Season 2”
Premieres in January 2027🍜


Rui (Usagi no Tsumori no Katatsumuri)

International Cat Day

Umi Sakurai (A Man and His Cat)


Toady, August 8, is International Cat Day meow🐱🐱🐱❗️❗️
I’ll make everyone in the world happy with my fluffiness, meow✨


Sega

SEGA & cat

Shikaruneko


Today is International Cat Day!
Today is “World Cat Day”!
May all the cats around the world live in happiness!!
To all you cat owners out there, show off your beloved cats in the comments section!🐾
Comic: Panel 1: Apparently today is International Cat Day
Panel 2: So, please spend the day playing with cats❤️
Panel 3: Hey! Not all day long! People have busy lives, after all…
Panel 4: Look, look❤️


SNK

Today is International Cat Day 🐈

Did we miss any International Cat Day 2026 greetings? Feel free to let us know in our forums or by email!

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Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. Season 2 Casts Yusuke Shirai – News

Published

6 hours ago

on

August 8, 2026

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The official website of Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc., the television anime based on Sekka Iwata and Yū Aoki‘s Magilumiere Co. Ltd. (Kabushikigaisha Magilumière) manga, announced on Sunday a new cast member for the second season.

Yusuke Shirai plays Shō Manao, a mysterious, but gentle man without a past or history.

magilumiere
magilumiere-2
Image via Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. anime’s website

©岩田雪花・青木裕／集英社・マジルミエ製作委員会

Viz Media and MANGA Plus release the manga in English, and Viz Media describes the magical girl workplace story:

Kana Sakuragi is an excellent candidate for the job. Any job! She’s motivated and organized, and has a fantastic memory. So why has she interviewed at over 15 companies without receiving a single offer? She’s trying to keep a positive attitude, but it seems like her bad luck is only getting worse when a monster crashes her latest interview. As havoc ensues, she finds herself helping the magical girl who comes to their rescue and ends up with more than just her life in return. Meet the newest magical girl at Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc.!

The previously announced cast members for the new season are:

Riki Fukushima (Beyblade the Movie: Fierce Battle, Skate-Leading Stars) is the new director of the anime at J.C.STAFF. Michiko Yokote (Prison School, RIN-NE) is the new script supervisor, Masahiro Fujii is returning as the character designer, and Makoto Miyazaki is returning to compose the music.

New staff members for the new season include assistant director Hiroyasu Oda (Delico’s Nursery, Honey Lemon Soda episode director), sound director Yoshikazu Iwanami (Ajin, Ghost in the Shell Arise), art director Shun Yoshii (background art for 2.5 Dimensional Seduction, One-Punch Man season 3), CG director Shunsuke Kasuga (Honey Lemon Soda 3D director), and editor Yūji Kondō (Fate/strange Fake, Sword Art Online: Alicization). First season’s episode color coordinator Asuka Hino is now the new season’s color key artist, and Yūsuke Noguchi, who worked on compositing and cinematography (also known as “photography”) on episodes of the first season, has been promoted to the new season’s compositing director of photography.

VTuber Marine Houshou performs the new ending theme song “BooooM!!!”

syudou×Yūsei Yagi (FANTASTICS) perform the opening theme song “Latte Magic.” 

The new season premiered on NTV on July 4 at 24:55 JST (effectively July 5 at 12:55 a.m.).

The first season of the anime aired in Japan from October to December 2024. Amazon Prime Video streamed the anime globally.

Writer Iwata and artist Aoki launched the manga on Shueisha‘s Shonen Jump+ service in October 2021, and ended the manga in its 160th chapter in July 2025. The 18th and final volume shipped on September 4.

Sources: Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. anime’s website, Comic Natalie

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