As part of
the main ceremony of the 2025 Eisner Awards, considered the
"Oscars of comics", two Japanese authors shone with their own
light: Taiyo Matsumoto and Yuna Hirasawa, who were
recognized for their outstanding works Tokyo These Days and My
Journey to Her, respectively.
International
recognition for Japanese authors
Taiyo
Matsumoto received
the award in the category "Best U.S. Edition of International
Material – Asia" for volumes 1 to 3 of Tokyo These Days,
a work that was published between 2019 and 2023 and can currently be found
under the VIZ Media imprint. Matsumoto, also known for Tekkonkinkreet, Ping
Pong and Sunny, had already won two Eisner Awards in 2008
and 2020.
For her
part, Yuna Hirasawa was awarded in the category
"Best Digital Comic" for her autobiographical work My
Journey to Her. In this book, the trans author shares her experience with
gender dysphoria and the process that led her to have her
gender-affirming surgery in Thailand. The comic is available through Kodansha.
Even
Godzilla created by Jake Williams won an Eisner
The
ceremony also included other surprises, such as the victory of the iconic Godzilla in
the "Best Anthology" category. The title Godzilla's
70th Anniversary, edited by Jake Williams and
collaborators, commemorated the seven decades of the most famous monster in
Japanese cinema.
These
recognitions reinforce the presence of manga and Japanese talent in the global
comic scene, highlighting stories that mix introspection, creativity and new
forms of representation
