Taiwanese artist wins top prize at Japan manga awards
March 7, 2024
Taiwanese manga artist Jason Chien secured a Gold Award for his work at the Japan International Manga Awards.
Winning gold: Out of 587 entries, Chien’s manga “Wind Chaser Under the Blue Sky” inspired by historical documents on Taiwan‘s railway, emerged as the top winner in Tuesday’s ceremony in Tokyo. Machiko Satonaka, chairperson of the awards’ selection committee, noted that Chien’s unanimous approval as the top artist by the judges was unprecedented.
About the manga: Set during World War II, Chien’s manga explores the connection between Taiwan and Japan through the dreams of Taiwanese and Japanese teenagers aiming to set sprinting records against trains.
Chien’s learning experience: During his award acceptance speech, Chien expressed that creating the manga provided him with a significant historical learning experience. He discovered commonalities between the people of Taiwan and Japan, emphasizing shared values such as love for their homelands and family. He now hopes for the prosperity of Taiwanese comics alongside Japanese counterparts.
“Even though we speak different languages and come from different cultures, we are all human beings after all and we are able to understand each other emotionally,” Chien said, according to Focus Taiwan.
Other winners: Three other manga artists, including Bonnie Pang from Hong Kong, Nachi from Vietnam and Ana Oncina from Spain, were honored with silver prizes, while two other Taiwanese artists, Lin I-chen and Shimizu, received bronze prizes.
The Japan International Manga Award, established by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2007, aims to foster international exchange and mutual understanding through the globally embraced culture of manga.
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