Since I'm an avid watcher of the Academy Awards, BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and Spirit Awards....movie award shows...uhuhuhu...>:3 I decided, why don't I look at manga awards festivals?
I looked at Kondansha...but...I mean, that's specifically for manga, but they're all pretty much the same. Almost all the shounen manga that have won are sports related (in recent years)...O.o; Children is just made up of whatever is most popular...Shoujo is almost the same...The only thing that seems at all deserving is the General Category. If you got an award in the General category I'd say you're doing pretteh well.
But the thing about Kondansha, it just seems like a popularity contest...or an award based on entertainment value rather than art.
Then I look at the winners for Japan Media Arts Festival....doood, they know what they're doing! The manga even that just got the excellence prize is some serious art. I recommend checking out all of them!
The only thing that slightly bothers me about the Japan Media Arts Festival award winners is that most of them have this...sort of stale taste...I don't know how to explain it....They're colourful in their own way, but they seem a bit harsh, I guess? They're very realistic. I suppose that is good thing.
Maybe it's good to have both Kodansha and Japan Media Arts Festival. Kodansha has much more vibrant and entertaining award winners and Japan Media Arts Festival has much more serious award winners.
It's the seriousness that bothers me. Not that they're all serious...but there aren't any that are like DOGs or Deadman Wonderland...which is probably a good thing, but I like seeing that thick lined, clean paged, art style. They all seem a bit rough.
Okay, I should stop pointing out faults. It's art, fine art, not design...that must be the problem I see. I'm used to the clean cut look rather than the somewhat messy, but getting the point across, look.
I guess that's because I'm American and am used to seeing graphic novels in the same box as illustration and graphic design...Which it should probably not be in, now that I think about it. Graphic design and fine arts, categorizing art just breaks art in a way.
I'm seriously just rambling here....
But yahhh...check out all the manga that has won the Japan Media Arts Festival Encouragemet, Excellence, and Grand Prizes~! They really do know what they're doing!
(Also, Sakanaction's Arukuaround won an excellence prize in the interactive arts category....uhhuhuu...one of my favourite songs and mv...They really DO know what they're doing! ;D Ohohoho!!)
Actually anything by sakanaction is great. I could watch their mvs for houurrrssss
Here are two other good ones:
You need to watch these will all your attention or else they're not as spectacular, which they really are. The first time I saw the second one I was bored and disappointed, but I wasn't really paying attention. The second time I saw it my mind was blown somehow....the editing is great.
Okay~! BAIBAI!!