Image: Band 1 von "Ich verkaufe so viele Bücher, wie ich kann"
AMBot | 03/26/2026 | Reading Time: 3 Min.
The short story collection "Hon Nara Uru Hodo" (approximately: "The More Books You Sell, The Better") by Ao Kojima has won this year's "Manga Taisho" award. The award ceremony was held on March 26th in Tokyo.
The series is set in an antiquarian bookshop called Jūgatsudō, run by a reserved young man with an updo hairstyle. In episodic narratives, it highlights the fates of various book lovers – from regular female customers to a schoolgirl who wants to appear more mature, and a man who wants to dispose of old books. "Hon Nara Uru Hodo" is published by KADOKAWA in the magazine "Haruta". The third collected volume is scheduled for release on April 15th. Previously, the series was already recognized in the "Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2026" list as the best manga for male readers and ranked first in the comics category of the "BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025" ranking.
In addition to the winning work, twelve other titles were nominated for the award:
• "Imōto wa Shitteiru" by Mari Gangi
• "Okaeri Suiheisen" by Taiyō Watabe
• "Kaijū o Kaibō Suru" by Mado Saitō
• "Sankyū Pitch" by Kyū Sumiyoshi
• "Jashin no Bentōya-san" by Ishiko
• "Danmitsu" by Tōru Seino
• "Tomodachi Datta Hito: Kinuta Miya Sakuhinshū" by Miya Kinuta
• "Hitokui Mansion to Ōya no Maison" by Tanaka Sora and Akima
• "Hon Nara Uru Hodo" by Ao Kojima
• "Ichi the Witch" by Nishi Osamu and Usazaki Shiro
• "RIOT" by Tsukada Yūta
• "Robō no Fujii" by Nabekurao
The final point distribution resulted in the following ranking:
1. "Hon Nara Uru Hodo" (Ao Kojima) – 77 points
2. "Danmitsu" (Tōru Seino) – 59 points
3. "Jashin no Bentōya-san" (Ishiko) – 58 points
4. "Okaeri Suiheisen" (Taiyō Watabe) – 54 points
5. "Tomodachi Datta Hito: Kinuta Miya Sakuhinshū" (Miya Kinuta) – 53 points
6. "Kaijū o Kaibō Suru" (Mado Saitō) – 50 points
7. "Robō no Fujii" (Nabekurao) – 48 points
8. "Sankyū Pitch" (Kyū Sumiyoshi) – 39 points
9. "RIOT" (Tsukada Yūta) – 36 points
10. "Ichi the Witch" (Usazaki Shiro, Nishi Osamu) – 33 points
11. "Hitokui Mansion to Ōya no Maison" (Tanaka Sora, Akima) – 30 points
12. "Imōto wa Shitteiru" (Mari Gangi) – 27 points
The "Manga Taisho" is an award given by booksellers and other manga enthusiasts. Eligible series are those that were published as collected volumes in the previous year (January 1st to December 31st) and comprise no more than eight volumes. In a first round, each jury member suggests five titles they particularly recommend. From the results, the ten most frequently mentioned works emerge as nominees. These are read in full by the jurors and evaluated in a second round of voting, from which the overall winner is determined.
The series is set in an antiquarian bookshop called Jūgatsudō, run by a reserved young man with an updo hairstyle. In episodic narratives, it highlights the fates of various book lovers – from regular female customers to a schoolgirl who wants to appear more mature, and a man who wants to dispose of old books. "Hon Nara Uru Hodo" is published by KADOKAWA in the magazine "Haruta". The third collected volume is scheduled for release on April 15th. Previously, the series was already recognized in the "Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2026" list as the best manga for male readers and ranked first in the comics category of the "BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025" ranking.
In addition to the winning work, twelve other titles were nominated for the award:
• "Imōto wa Shitteiru" by Mari Gangi
• "Okaeri Suiheisen" by Taiyō Watabe
• "Kaijū o Kaibō Suru" by Mado Saitō
• "Sankyū Pitch" by Kyū Sumiyoshi
• "Jashin no Bentōya-san" by Ishiko
• "Danmitsu" by Tōru Seino
• "Tomodachi Datta Hito: Kinuta Miya Sakuhinshū" by Miya Kinuta
• "Hitokui Mansion to Ōya no Maison" by Tanaka Sora and Akima
• "Hon Nara Uru Hodo" by Ao Kojima
• "Ichi the Witch" by Nishi Osamu and Usazaki Shiro
• "RIOT" by Tsukada Yūta
• "Robō no Fujii" by Nabekurao
The final point distribution resulted in the following ranking:
1. "Hon Nara Uru Hodo" (Ao Kojima) – 77 points
2. "Danmitsu" (Tōru Seino) – 59 points
3. "Jashin no Bentōya-san" (Ishiko) – 58 points
4. "Okaeri Suiheisen" (Taiyō Watabe) – 54 points
5. "Tomodachi Datta Hito: Kinuta Miya Sakuhinshū" (Miya Kinuta) – 53 points
6. "Kaijū o Kaibō Suru" (Mado Saitō) – 50 points
7. "Robō no Fujii" (Nabekurao) – 48 points
8. "Sankyū Pitch" (Kyū Sumiyoshi) – 39 points
9. "RIOT" (Tsukada Yūta) – 36 points
10. "Ichi the Witch" (Usazaki Shiro, Nishi Osamu) – 33 points
11. "Hitokui Mansion to Ōya no Maison" (Tanaka Sora, Akima) – 30 points
12. "Imōto wa Shitteiru" (Mari Gangi) – 27 points
The "Manga Taisho" is an award given by booksellers and other manga enthusiasts. Eligible series are those that were published as collected volumes in the previous year (January 1st to December 31st) and comprise no more than eight volumes. In a first round, each jury member suggests five titles they particularly recommend. From the results, the ten most frequently mentioned works emerge as nominees. These are read in full by the jurors and evaluated in a second round of voting, from which the overall winner is determined.
This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical support and editorially reviewed before publication.
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