"Manga Taisho 2026" Winners Announced! Grand Prize Goes to Ao Kojima's "Hon nara Uruhodo," Toru Seino's "'Danmitsu,'" and Rankings Up to 12th Place Revealed

The manga "Hon nara Uruhodo" won the grand prize at the "Manga Taisho 2026" announced on March 26th.

"Hon nara Uruhodo" is a manga work by Ao Kojima. The story, centered around the used bookstore "Jugatsu-do," depicts tales woven between books and people in an omnibus format, resonating with book lovers and many other readers.

The setting of this work is the used bookstore "Jugatsu-do," run by a languid young man with slicked-back hair. This is a place where books and people meet again. Attracted by the owner's personality and wonderful selection, various customers visit today as well: regular customers who love books, high school girls eager to seem more mature, a man coming to discard unwanted books, a widow coming to sell her late husband's collection, and more. A single book picked up by chance connects unexpected relationships—this is a gem of a human drama dedicated to all those who love books and whose lives have been changed by them. The work has been selected for numerous awards, including 1st place in the Men's category of Takarajimasha's "Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2026," 1st place in "Recommended Comics Selected by Publisher Comic Staff 2026" (organized by Nippan), and 1st place in the comic ranking of "Da Vinci's" "BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025."

2026 Manga Taisho

Grand Prize: "Hon nara Uruhodo" (Ao Kojima)
2nd Place: "'Danmitsu'" (Toru Seino)
3rd Place: "Jashin no Bentou-ya-san" (Ishiko)
4th Place: "Okaeri Suiheisen" (Hiromu Watanabe)
5th Place: "Tomodachi Datta Hito Kinuta Miya Sakuhin-shuu" (Miya Kinuta)
6th Place: "Kaijuu wo Kaibou Suru" (Mado Saito)
7th Place: "Robou no Fujii" (Fu Nabekura)
8th Place: "Thank You Pitch" (Ku Sumiyoshi)
9th Place: "RIOT" (Yuta Tsukada)
10th Place: "Maotoko no Ichi" (Original story: Osamu Nishi, Art: Shiro Usazaki)
11th Place: "Hitokui Mansion to Oya no Mezon" (Original story: Sora Tanaka, Art: Akima)
12th Place: "Imouto wa Shitteiru" (Mari Gangi)

The "Manga Taisho," established in 2008, is a manga award run by a volunteer executive committee, marking its 19th year this year. Volunteers from various professions, including bookstore employees, serve as judges, with the purpose of spreading works they feel they "want to recommend to someone right now" to the world.

Eligible works are those published in the previous year (January 1st to December 31st) with a maximum of 8 volumes (including e-books). The judges thoroughly read all top 10 works (nominated works) selected in the first round of judging, rank them, and determine that year's "Manga Taisho."