The American comic book industry has no choice
but to continue to recognize Japan's overwhelming dominance. The organizing
committee of the prestigious Harvey Awards has just released its
official list of nominees for this year's edition, making it clear that the
Japanese franchises are the real heavyweights of the season. The winners of
these awards, which unlike other Western awards are chosen directly and
exclusively by industry professionals, will be revealed on October 9 during
the frenetic activities of the New York Comic Con.
In the always coveted category of Best Manga,
this year's contest is full of true literary gems. The legendary Naoki
Urasawa makes an appearance alongside Takashi Nagasaki with his
acclaimed work Billy Bat, going head-to-head against the work of
Kazumi Yamashita in Land, Fumiko Takano with Miss Ruki,
Iijima Ichiro and his My Gorilla Family, closing with My
Life in 24 Frames per Second by author Rintarō. The pressure is very
high for the nominees, considering that last year's trophy was claimed by the
popular Delicious in Dungeon, and that in previous editions
the Chainsaw Man franchise maintained a reign of absolute
terror winning three consecutive years.
But the real morbidity is in the category of
Best Adaptation of a Comic or Graphic Novel, where the Asians threaten to sweep
the floor in front of the giants of the West. On the side of the
animated and live-action adaptation, we have titans such as the highly
anticipated film Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, the first film
of the Demon Slayer trilogy: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle - Akaza
Sairai, the lethal final season of My Hero Academia, the second
installment of the live-action One Piece and even the
impeccable Korean film Your Letter. This entire squad will try to
snatch the award from massive Hollywood productions such as the fifth season
of The Boys, the brutal fourth installment of Invincible and
the second season of Peacemaker.
Considering the absurd level of popularity and
box office takings that the upcoming Demon Slayer and Chainsaw
Man movies are sure to handle,
