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Akiko Higashimura's Kakukaku Shikajika Wins 8th Manga Taisho Award

Manga creator Akiko Higashimura (Princess Jellyfish) received this year's Manga Taisho for her Kakukaku Shikajika (Such-and-Such) series. The semi-autobiographical series tells the story of Akiko Hayashi, a third-year high school girl who wants to be a manga artist.

Higashimura began the series in the debut issue of Cocohana, the relaunch of Shueisha's women's magazine Chorus, in November 2011. She ended the manga in January, and Shueisha is shipping the fifth and final compiled volume on Wednesday.

Unlike many other manga prizes which are chosen by the editors of the manga publishers themselves, the Manga Taisho nominating committee is mostly composed of the bookstore staffers who are in charge of their respective stores' manga sections. (The official English name of the awards is the "Cartoon Grand Prize.") The awards are also limited to works published last year with eight or less volumes to promote relatively newer works. The committee nominated 14 works this year.

Last year, Kaoru Mori's A Bride's Story won the award. Hiromu Arakawa's Silver Spoon, Shinichi Ishizuka's Gaku - Minna no Yama, Yuki Suetsugu's Chihayafuru, Mari Yamazaki's Thermae Romae, Chika Umino's March comes in like a lion, and Akimi Yoshida's Umimachi Diary won the first six Manga Taisho in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively.

Manga Taisho 2015 Final Results

Kakukaku Shikajika (Such-and-Such)
Akiko Higashimura
80 points
Kodomo wa Wakatte Agenai (Children Wouldn't Understand)
Rettō Tajima
66 points
Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice)
Yoshitoki Ōima
65 points
Boku dake ga Inai Machi (The Town Where Only I Am Missing)
Kei Sanbe
57 points
Blue Giant
Shinichi Ishizuka
49 points
Ballroom e Yōkoso (Sweep Over the Dance Floor or literally, Welcome to the Ballroom)
Tomo Takeuchi
40 points
Innocent
Shin'ichi Sakamoto
38 points
Boku no Hero Academia (My Hero Academia)
Kōhei Horikoshi
36 points
Ōsama-tachi no Viking (Kings' Viking)
Sadayasu, Makoto Fukami
35 points

Kasane
Daruma Matsuura
30 points
Gekkan Shōjo Nozaki-kun (Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun)
Izumi Tsubaki
28 points
Mahō Tsukai no Yome (The Ancient Magus' Bride)
Kore Yamazaki
28 points
Hōseki no Kuni (Kingdom of Gems)
Haruko Ichikawa
18 points
Dimitri Tomkins
Fumiko Takano
8 points

Source: Comic Natalie

Update: Final results and Higashimura's illustration celebrating the win added: