‘Its Like Comparing Spaghetti To Bicycle’: Chiikawa Manga’s Inclusion At 48th Kodansha Manga Award Stirs Controversy Amongst Judges

The 48th Kodansha Manga Awards ceremony, which was held on July 31, 2024, sparked significant controversy and debate among the judges for the nomination of Chiikawa in the General category

The General category featured a wide range of nominees, including Oshi no Ko, Darwin’s Incident, Nagatan to Ao to: Ichika no Ryoricho, Bokyou Tarou, Medalist.

However, it was the inclusion of Chiikawa, known for its simple, often minimalist style, that raised eyebrows.

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei mangaka Koji Kumeta voiced his bewilderment, questioning, “Who included ‘Chiikawa’ in the General category…?“.

Kumeta elaborated on the challenges in evaluating Chiikawa alongside other nominees like Darwin’s Incident, stating, “I want someone to tell me how to compare ‘Chiikawa’ and ‘Darwin’s Incident.’ Humanity does not possess such a ‘measuring stick.’ It’s not about good or bad; it’s like comparing ‘spaghetti’ and ‘bicycles,’ which left some judges perplexed.“

The judges even questioned whether Chiikawa fit within the traditional manga category or if it should be considered philosophy.

Ultimately, the committee decided to honorably induct Chiikawa into the Hall of Fame, excluding it from the final selection process of the remaining five works.

“There was even some confusion about whether this was even considered ‘manga’ or if it was more like ‘philosophy.’ So, I’m sorry to say, but we decided to induct ‘Chiikawa’ into the hall of fame and selected the winner from the remaining five works.“

Judge Tsunami Umino, known for Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu, provided further insight into the deliberations during the award ceremony, explaining, “In the General category, ‘Medalist’ and ‘Darwin’s Incident’ remained until the end. The General category always includes various genres, and this time, there were many voices saying ‘Chiikawa is too much of an outlier!’ which caused quite a bit of debate”.

48th Kodansha Manga Award General category was bagged by Medalist.

Kodansha Manga Awards began in 1977, with categories for shōnen and shōjo. The first award for the general category was in 1982. Kodansha introduced a children’s category award in 2003. However, it was merged into the shōnen and shōjo categories starting in 2015.

Source: Oricon