Manga about war in Ukraine gets nominated for major cultural award in Japan
Обкладинка манги Battle Scar. Фото: X / @kobayashi_niki
The manga Battle Scar, which depicts the war in Ukraine, has reached the finals of the prestigious Japanese Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.
The announcement came from Asahi Shimbun, the company that has organized the competition since 1997.
Finalists were chosen based on votes from a panel of seven judges, as well as recommendations from the public, manga industry professionals, and bookstore employees. Battle Scar received the highest number of recommendations.
The manga's author shared that Battle Scar is their debut work, created after a decade of striving to become a manga artist.
ウクライナ戦争を取材した漫画『Battle Scar』#漫画が読めるハッシュタグ
(0/7) pic.twitter.com/4avPhHGGqe— 蔵本千夜 (@kobayashi_niki) January 9, 2025
The manga is said to feature multiple stories based on firsthand accounts of the Russian-Ukrainian war, structured into chapters. The author shared excerpts from these stories on social media.
Ukrainian servicemen, among others, assisted in gathering material for the manga.
現在前線にいる、「Battle Scar」のウクライナ語および文化協力のヒロシマさん(コールサイン)に届きました！
さすがノヴァ・ポシュタです！Frontline photo from a soldier with the call sign "Hiroshima" (who advised me on Ukrainian language and culture while working on the manga "Battle Scar")
— 蔵本千夜 (@kobayashi_niki) September 6, 2024
In social media comments, the author suggested that the manga could be published in Ukrainian.
In Japan, it is published by Kadokawa.
シノビ氏は作中でも書いてありますが、2022年9月に負傷し、後方へ移送されたあと手術のリハビリ中に取材させていただきました。
(3/5) pic.twitter.com/uqh0qZSqeM— 蔵本千夜 (@kobayashi_niki) January 10, 2025
The award, named after the renowned manga artist Tezuka Osamu, is given for:
- Outstanding works,
- Individual authors,
- Groups in the field of manga published or released in Japan.
Reference
Manga, also known as komikku, is a style of comic created in Japan or written in the Japanese language.
While modern manga began to develop after World War II, the tradition of illustrated storytelling has deep roots in early Japanese art. Today, manga is recognized as both a visual art form and a literary phenomenon, encompassing a wide range of genres and themes, including adventure, romance, sports, history, humor, science fiction, horror, and erotica. Manga is created for diverse audiences, varying by age, gender, and interests.
Since the 1950s, manga has become a major sector of Japanese publishing and has gained worldwide popularity, particularly in the United States.
A professional manga artist is called a mangaka. Often, the mangaka also writes the story, but in some cases, a separate scriptwriter, known as a gensakusha (or more specifically, manga gensakusha), is responsible for the narrative.
Additionally, as part of an ongoing project, Ukrainian servicemen will receive 4,280 books on financial literacy, provided by Cultural Landing and PrivatBank. Employees of the financial institution have signed the books with messages of gratitude and support.
