13th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Winners Announced

The Asahi Newspaper has announced the winners of the 13th annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize for works published in 2008. Two titles share the grand prize for the first time in the award’s history. After being nominated for the past three years, Fumi Yoshinaga’s historical fantasy drama Ooku was awarded top honors beside Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s autobiographical drama A Drifting Life. Hikaru Nakamura’s Saint Young Men, a comedy about Buddha and Jesus sharing a cheap apartment in Tokyo, was recognized with the Short Work Prize. And Suehiro Maruo won the “New Artist Prize” for his Panorama Toukidan, despite Maruo being a published manga creator since 1982.

Drawn & Quarterly distributes an English translation of A Drifting Life. The Ooku: The Inner Chamber manga series will premiere in English from Viz Media in August.

Source: Anime News Network