50th Kodansha Manga Awards Winners Announced: Gachiakuta, Darwin Incident, and a Shoujo Title Take the Top Spot
The winners of the 50th edition of the Kodansha Manga Awards, one of Japan's most prestigious manga awards, have been announced. According to the results revealed on May 13, 2025, one work in each of the three main categories was deemed worthy of the award. In the Shounen category, Gachiakuta (Kei Urana) took the win, in the Shoujo category Shinimodori no Mahou Gakkou Seikatsu o, Moto Koibito to Prologue kara (※Tadashi Koudoka wa Zero) (artist: Shirakawa Ari, writer: Mutsu Hana Eiko) won, and in the General category, Darwin Incident (Shun Umezawa) emerged victorious.
Held since 1977, the awards have previously honored major productions such as A Silent Voice, Attack on Titan, and Fruits Basket. This year's jury selected some of the most remarkable names in the industry in recent times. Gachiakuta (serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine since 2022) has quickly built a cult following with its story of revenge and redemption set in a world of trash. There is no digital edition of the series in Turkey yet, and the studio previously announced for the anime adaptation (Bones?) has not yet given an official date.
The work that won in the Shoujo category draws attention even with its title: “The Magic School Life of a Reincarnated Person, Starting from the Prologue with an Ex-Lover (But Intimacy is Zero)”. The manga, which is a novel adaptation, combines time loops and relationship comedy. On the other hand, Darwin Incident (serialized in Monthly Afternoon since 2020) tells the story of Charlie, a human-chimpanzee hybrid, on a journey that pushes ethical and political boundaries. Shun Umezawa also received an award at the Angoulême Festival in France last year for this work. In Kodansha's official statement, it was emphasized that "all three works guide contemporary manga in terms of drawing and storytelling."
This victory increases the chances of a Western release, especially for Gachiakuta and Darwin Incident.
