“I had so much fun judging the manga entries this time. What it is good about SMA is that any type of creator, from amateur to pro, can join and aim for an award. However, the common factor for any good manga should always be its accessibility and this time I found myself having some trouble understanding what was happening in certain entries and ended up reading them more than one time. In the real manga business this would not be accepted by the readers, so I encourage future entrants to always have in mind how to deliver the message of their manga in the most direct and clear way possible.”
Creator: “City Hunter,” etc.
“SMA16 reminded me once again of the great potential international creators have. I want to especially praise the young artists that keep on sending their entries to the audition; I wish the SMA Editorial Dept. would dedicate their effort and knowledge to help these young people to debut in Japan as soon as possible. As a manga artist, the details are very important to me, so I’d like to see creators spending time and putting their heart in every single panel. With that said, I can’t deny that in general incredibly well structured and interesting manga were sent to SMA16, and I’m looking forward to see more of these high quality works in future.”
Co-Creator: “Fist of the North Star,” etc.
“This round was a display of incredibly talented artists from all over the world. I especially enjoyed “The Answer” and “The Girl with Snake Hair.” Both works let me entered the manga with a movie-like feeling, with the latter one having a good atmosphere that engaged me since the first page with a well performed “KI-SHO-TEN-KETSU” structure. In general the drawing style of all the SMA entrants are improving time after time, so I really hope to see more manga creators focusing on how to create entertaining entries for the readers with more “KI-SHO-TEN-KETSU”-centered stories.”
Creator: “Yoroshiku Mecha-Doc,” etc.
“The general quality has increased and it’s becoming harder and harder to try to decide a single winning entry. From my point of view as a manga artist, I really hope that the international creators would share their work with another person (editors or even just friends) to see if they can actually understand what is going on inside the pages. Especially scenes that took place in the past were so difficult to identify this time. Also, I do understand that the general trend now is to work digitally, but remember that your ultimate goal is to have your work being published in Japan, so be sure to not draw lines that are too thin or faint because they may not be displayed once printed. ”
Creator: “Koroshi-ya Menkichi (Menkichi the Avenger),” etc.
“I’m happy to see that more and more creators with original and personal characteristics are joining the audition. At the same time, I wish that those creators would not let their personal touch win over the final goal of entertaining the readers. I’m not just talking about drawing style; I hope that from now talented international creators could have a talk with our SMA Editorial Dept. and work together on much more enjoyable entries.”
CEO, COAMIX Inc.
Author: “Keiji’s Kabuki Adventure,” etc.
(Former Chief Editor, “Weekly Shonen Jump”)
Monthly Comic ZENON Editorial Dept.
“All the entries were incredibly well done, with some of them already having higher quality than the ones sent to our Japanese manga competitions. We were particularly surprised by the quality of the work “Gift of Time.” We hope to have the opportunity to work closely with international creators in the future to enable a series of worldwide manga being published on our many digital and printed magazines.”
Publications: “Record of Ragnarok,” etc.
GRAND PRIX RUNNER-UP
300,000 JPY
TITLE Lacrimosa
CREATOR Laica Chrose
COUNTRY Brazil
Read this MANGA
Tsukasa HOJO sensei:
“This manga creator is already a pro in their field and it was a pleasure to see
their art on the pages. If anything, I hope to see more story-focused works from
now on.”
TITLE Gift of Time
CREATOR Nalu
COUNTRY Philippines
Read this MANGA
Nobuhiko HORIE:
“Nalu has something in common with Hojo-sensei; the way they make characters
look big on the page. I want Nalu to put this ability into more completed works
in the future.”
EXCELLENCE AWARD
100,000 JPY
TITLE The Girl with Snake Hair
CREATOR monotone_ink
COUNTRY Australia
Read this MANGA
Tetsuo HARA sensei:
“I gave monotone_ink the highest evaluation for the “art” category. By doing
this, I don’t mean the art style is already perfect as it is, but I’m sure that
if he puts more effort into completing the manuscript he could appeal to a large
number of readers.”
TITLE 坂道リメンバー (An uphill road to remember)
CREATOR Ichigin
COUNTRY Spain
Read this MANGA
SMA Editorial Department:
“The life of a person seen as a journey was very well displayed in this manga.
Even though this time you won a high award, we always encourage you to draw
about places you know, like your own country – that would add realism to your
works.”
TITLE The Answer
CREATOR gawinsat
COUNTRY Thailand
Read this MANGA
Jun TOMIZAWA sensei:
“I really don’t have much else to say but “Well done!” to gawinsat. Since you
are a SMA veteran, I’m looking forward to seeing your next masterpiece.”
TITLE The Wall
CREATOR Virand
COUNTRY Italy
Read this MANGA
Ryuji TSUGIHARA sensei:
“This manga creator has a very good style that I’m sure would be appreciated by
readers from any country. I had some difficulties understanding the theme of
this work, so I hope to see something clearer next time.”
EXCELLENCE AWARD RUNNER-UP
30,000 JPY
TITLE A Souvenir
CREATOR Enewald
COUNTRY Finland
Read this MANGA
ZENON Editorial Department:
“This manga creator is so young and yet so talented. This time the work would
have received a higher award if the characters were introduced more smoothly.
All in all, well done.”
TITLE A Taste of Freedom
CREATOR Carrière Alexandre
COUNTRY France
Read this MANGA
SMA Editorial Department:
“We were impressed by Alexandre’s drawing skills and camera work. The main idea
of the story is also something that many people might relate to. What we would
like to see is a more powerful ending; for example, the main character leaving
the restaurant and entering the city (and the society) with a smiling face.”
HONORABLE MENTION
10,000 JPY
TITLE Bad Day
CREATOR ci-jins
COUNTRY Italy
Read this MANGA
Jun TOMIZAWA sensei:
“I enjoyed the simplicity of this manga that focused solely on the fear of
insects. The protagonist was beautifully drawn and very energetic, but the empty
backgrounds created a mismatching effect on the final manuscript.”
TITLE Dear Sketchbook
CREATOR Don Arvidsson
COUNTRY Sweden
Read this MANGA
ZENON Editorial Department:
“The art style of this entry was good and, in a way, very characteristic of the
home country of its manga creator. We encourage the artist to read more manga in
their free time and send more entries to the next SMA.”
TITLE Parent and Child
CREATOR Alexey_Trishkin
COUNTRY Russia
Read this MANGA
Ryuji TSUGIHARA sensei:
“The artist has a good knowledge of human anatomy and I enjoyed his personal
style. However, it was difficult to really grasp the story because of the lack
of emotions being portrayed inside the pages.”
TITLE Wonder Brother
CREATOR Max Demons
COUNTRY Italy
Read this MANGA
SMA Editorial Department:
“The story was well organized with a protagonist that was immediately
identifiable thanks to a unique design. However, the drawing style and the
general plot could have been done better since it didn’t leave any particular
emotion in the reader. We are waiting for your next SMA17 entry!”
SMA Editorial Dept. Award
For more amazing manga, check out the SMA16 Nominees and Candidates!
View the SMA16 Finalists – Nominees and Candidates!
A message from SMA Chief Editor, Shuichi “Mocchi” Mochida
Shuichi “Mocchi” Mochida
Board Member, COAMIX Inc.
CEO, Kumamoto COAMIX Inc.
Chief Editor, SILENT MANGA AUDITION® Committee
Thank you for joining SMA16!
This time with 744 entries from 82 countries, we’ve received the most entries yet for a twice-yearly SMA round!
The judges and myself were ecstatic to see the sheer quantity of high quality works. There’s no denying that your skills are improving after every SILENT MANGA AUDITION® round. We also saw a lot of potential in many of the creators, so allow me to give you some advice that could be useful for your next silent manga.
If you can understand the basics of manga making, you will be able to create a manga that is both entertaining and easy for the reader to understand. We saw some creators struggle with this, but by looking at your works objectively and asking other people for their opinions you can find what’s missing; whether it be the plot, page layout, paneling, camera work, etc.
Of course it’s important to make a manga that you enjoy, but other readers have to understand it. We also recommend that you think deeply about the plot before you start drawing and make good use of the “KI-SHO-TEN-KETSU” story structure that is used by Japanese manga artists.
In addition, we could see that many creators crafted a story that showed “Moments of FEAR, JOY, or LOVE,” but it’s equally important to tell a message to the readers. What do you want them to feel or know after reading your manga? This is a question that we must always ask ourselves.
When preparing for your next silent manga, please don’t hesitate to check our social media accounts for manga making tips and advice from the SMA Editorial Department!
We look forward to reading your SMA17 submissions and seeing how much you all have improved.
Best of luck in your preparations for the next round!
Shuichi “Mocchi” Mochida