The Manga Taisho 2026 (organized by the Executive Committee), in which booksellers knowledgeable about manga select "the manga they would most recommend to their friends right now," announced its winners on March 26th. The grand prize went to "Hon Nara Uru Hodo" (The More Books You Sell), a manga by Ao Kojima currently serialized in "Haruta" (KADOKAWA). The author, Kojima, commented, "Thank you very much for selecting 'Hon Nara Uru Hodo' for this prestigious award."
"The More Books You Sell" is a series of short stories set in Jūgatsudō, a used bookstore run by a listless young man with his hair pulled back, depicting the subtleties of the lives of various book lovers. Attracted by the owner's personality and wonderful selection of books, Jūgatsudō is visited by a variety of customers, including book-loving regulars, high school girls trying to act more grown-up, men who come to throw away unwanted books, and widows who come to sell their husbands' book collections. A single book picked up by chance connects unexpected relationships.
Kojima wrote, "Perhaps because my path to becoming a manga artist wasn't particularly proactive, the year since the publication of the first volume has been filled with more bewilderment than joy at the overwhelming response, wondering what was happening. When I received the news of the award, that feeling grew even stronger, and that's when my mother quietly said to me, 'That's great. When you were little, you said you wanted to be an artist, a storyteller, or a bookseller.' I was surprised that my mother remembered my childhood dreams, which I myself had forgotten, and I realized that by drawing 'Sell as Many Books as You Want,' I had unexpectedly fulfilled three dreams at once," before expressing her gratitude.
At the awards ceremony, Kohei Asai, the editor in charge, appeared and spoke about how Kojima debuted and the appeal of her work. Asai said that he found Kojima's work on a social media service for posting manga and illustrations and contacted her. At the time, Kojima had no intention of becoming a manga artist, but she said, "They considered me as a side job, and that's how I started out as a manga artist."
Asai described the appeal of Kojima's work, saying, "One reason is that the artwork is wonderful. When I first saw it, I thought it was a pseudonym used by someone who was serializing something somewhere, because the characters and backgrounds were so complete. I was surprised to hear that it was Kojima's first full-length work. Also, he creates artwork that makes the characters' emotions very clear, and he doesn't explain much, letting the reader imagine. I think his ability to create manga that provides a rich reading experience is a major attraction."
"The More Books You Sell" originated from a short story by Kojima titled "Funering a Book." Asai said that when he read "Funering a Book," which Kojima himself wrote because he loves books, he felt a strong connection to it, saying, "Wow, this is good." The positive response from readers led to the serialization.
"The More Books We Sell," features a variety of real-life books (works). Asai says he has never suggested any books to feature, and explains the behind-the-scenes process: "Basically, the books that Kojima has read that made an impression on him are the ones that appear. We create episodes that are independent of the books, and then we think, 'If we're going to feature a book in this episode, it should be this one.'"
Asai said that although the story is set in a used bookstore, a unique feature of this work is that it features not only people who love to read books, but also people who love to collect them. "There are people with various levels of relationship with books. As you read, you'll find yourself thinking, 'I'm similar to this person,' regarding one of the characters. The fact that it's not a manga where only book lovers appear is also one of the charms of this work."
The Manga Taisho Award, established in 2008, is a manga award characterized by the fact that manga artists, editors, book designers, and other stakeholders with a direct vested interest in manga sales are not involved in the judging process. Works selected for the grand prize attract attention, see a surge in sales, and sometimes lead to media adaptations such as anime or movies.
This is the 19th time the award has been held, and it is open to manga series (excluding past winners) that were released as comics or ebooks between January 1st and December 31st, 2025, and have a total of 8 volumes or less.
Past winners of the Grand Prize include Yuki Suetsugu's "Chihayafuru," Chica Umino's "March Comes in Like a Lion," Satoru Noda's "Golden Kamuy ," Mitsuharu Yanagimoto's "Hibiki: How to Become a Novelist," and " Frieren: Beyond Journey's End ," based on a story by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukasa Abe . In 2025, the award went to Kiko Urino's "Alice, To the Universe."
◇ Nominated works for the "Manga Taisho 2026" (titles omitted)
"My Little Sister Knows" by Ganki Mari; "Welcome Back to the Horizon" by Watanabe Taiyo; "Dissecting Monsters" by Saito Mado; "Thank You Pitch" by Sumiyoshi Kyu; "The Evil God's Bento Shop" by Ishiko; "Dan Mitsu" by Seino Toru; "The Person Who Used to Be My Friend: A Collection of Works by Kinuta Miya" by Kinuta Miya; "The Man-Eating Apartment and the Landlord's Maison" by Tanaka Sora and Akima; "The More Books I Sell, the More I Want to Sell" by Kojima Ao; "The Ichi the Witch" by Usazaki Shiro and Nishi Osamu; "RIOT" by Tsukada Yuta; "Roadside Fujii" by Nabekurao
◇Past Grand Prize Winning Works (titles omitted)
"Gaku" by Shinichi Ishizuka; "Chihayafuru" by Yuki Suetsugu; "Thermae Romae" by Mari Yamazaki; "March Comes in Like a Lion" by Chica Umino; "Silver Spoon" by Hiromu Arakawa; "Our Little Sister" by Akimi Yoshida; "A Bride's Story" by Kaoru Mori; "Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey" by Akiko Higashimura; "Golden Kamuy" by Satoru Noda; "Hibiki: How to Become a Novelist" by Mitsuharu Yanagimoto; "BEASTARS" by Paru Itagaki; "Astra Lost in Space" by Kenta Shinohara; "Blue Period" by Tsubasa Yamaguchi; "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe; "The Darwin Incident" by Shun Umezawa; "Kore Kaite Shine" by Minoru Toyoda; "To Walk Through Space with You" by Inuhiko Doronoda; "Alice, Dokomademo"by Kiko Urino
