“The art level was astonishingly good! I believe this is because the international creator community exchanges comments and feedback about each others works, which is why not just few entries have great visuals like in the last rounds, but the general quality of the entries is so high. We could feel your huge effort to have the pages as beautiful as possible, so thank you very much for your hard work. We cannot wait to judge the same amount of great entries in SMA19!”
Creator: City Hunter, etc.
“This time, the amount of emotions that the creators added inside each page was extremely powerful. I could feel how much passion and dedication each of the entrants dedicated to each single panel. I want to tell the entrants that didn’t receive the award they hoped for to not give up and to keep on trying until you reach the MasterClass, so that you can be professionally guided by us to create even more emotional works.”
Co-Creator: Fist of the North Star, etc.
“The art and personal style of the entrants have improved incredibly since the last few rounds. However, sometimes I had difficulties understanding the endings of certain entries. I think the creators are thinking too widely when creating manga for SMA: you only have up to 17 pages and no dialogues to tell your story. Please keep it simple and you will be receive higher awards next time!”
Creator: Yoroshiku Mecha-Doc, etc.
“SMA18 was a difficult round to judge because of the great amount of extremely good entries. On the other hand, another reason why it was difficult to judge was because some of the finalists had a very limited number of pages in their entries, even though the maximum number of pages is just 17. This prevented me to fully understand their potential, since their entries were short yet full of information. Please draw more pages with a simpler story in SMA19!”
Creator: Koroshi-ya Menkichi (Menkichi the Avenger), etc.
“The number of entries have decreased this time for numerous factors influenced by worldwide situations, but I must admit that this round is perhaps the one with the most high-quality entries. Not only creators’ art style, but also their paneling and storytelling have improved. I’m looking forward again for this standard of quality for entries from even more people next time: we want to you all to receive as many Grand Prix awards as possible!”
CEO, COAMIX Inc.
Author: Keiji’s Kabuki Adventure, etc.
(Former Chief Editor, Weekly Shonen Jump)
Monthly Comic ZENON Editorial Dept.
“The quality of the drawing is incredible as always. We as an editorial department mostly care about the impression that the works leave on us, and if they make us feel like we want to read more from this creator. That being said, you don’t have to worry about your style or composition at this stage; it will be with our editorial support that you’ll be able to debut and work in Japan. For the moment focus on creating entries that can at least leave that “something” on the readers, and the rest will be done together with us!”
Publications: Record of Ragnarok, etc.
A curated set of 12 colored markers bundled with a guidebook from Copic.
Check THIS VIDEO to see how this prize can be used to create beautiful manga!
A manga set with models and instructions to learn how to draw analogue manga from I・C.
Check THIS VIDEO to see how this prize can be used to create beautiful manga!
GRAND PRIX
500,000 JPY
Offer to Enter the MasterClass
Introduction to our Artists Village Aso 096k Project
To Be Published on the Manga App “MangaHot”
To Be Featured in Monthly Comic ZENON
TITLE My Future
CREATOR Brandon Chen & Comipa
COUNTRY United States
Read this MANGA
Nobuhiko HORIE:
“You are so talented and able to perfectly convey the emotions of your characters using panels and facial expressions. We are really looking forward to your next works that you will be making with our editorial support. Welcome to the MasterClass!”
Tetsuo HARA-sensei:
“The young manga artist impressively displayed their talent in this short manga. With the lead of the professional SMA editors we expect you to reach a debut in Japan as soon as possible.”
GRAND PRIX RUNNER-UP
300,000 JPY
Offer to Enter the MasterClass
Introduction to our Artists Village Aso 096k Project
To Be Published on the Manga App “MangaHot”
To Be Featured in Monthly Comic ZENON
TITLE The Distant Mountains
CREATOR Ochechula
COUNTRY Czech Republic
Read this MANGA
Ryuji TSUGIHARA-sensei:
“It was so easy to emphasize with the protagonist, especially from the point of view of a Japanese office worker! The style of its creator was also interesting to us, since it’s not a style any Japanese creator has. We are looking forward for your next manga once you join the MasterClass!”
Copic:
“The level of the work is very high; from the rich expressions on the characters’ faces to how the double-page spreads show the change in mood.”
TITLE Angel of Death
CREATOR PoodPoopsie
COUNTRY United States
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Tsukasa HOJO-sensei:
“This entry’s atmosphere and general feeling of the pages was superb. To be honest, it was difficult sometimes to catch all of the information inside the panels, but the final result was extraordinarily high, which is why we decided to award it with a Grand Prix Runner-Up. CONGRATULATIONS!”
TITLE Not Your War
CREATOR nemuisemi
COUNTRY Ukraine
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Jun TOMIZAWA-sensei:
“We are all aware of the ongoing situation in Ukraine and we were very impressed by your work for such reason. Your art style is great, so from now on we would like you to use your own personal experience to create fictional settings and characters. I’m looking forward for your next work!”
EXCELLENCE AWARD
100,000 JPY
To Be Published on the Manga App “MangaHot”
To Be Featured in Monthly Comic ZENON
TITLE Never too long ago, never too far away
CREATOR Don
COUNTRY Finland
Read this MANGA
Tsukasa HOJO-sensei:
“This manga had one page that made me excited about its details when I read it for the first time! The creator is able to express perfectly the emotions of the characters, which is the greatest achievement for a manga work. Incredible work with that!”
Copic:
“This manga really portrays the beauty of deep friendship: you meet someone special who you just naturally connect with, you love and support each other, despite different passions and life paths, though thick and thin.”
TITLE It’s You
CREATOR YUKIRA
COUNTRY Malaysia
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SMA Editorial Department:
“As expected of your high-level drawing skills, you once again take us into the rich world of fantasy, emotions, and human drama! It is a pleasure to see your growth and to see that you never run out of attention-grabbing ideas. Some parts of the story may have been a bit too difficult to convey through silent manga, but overall well done! We are eagerly waiting to see your works evolve beyond silent manga.”
I・C:
“Even though it was a silent manga, the emotional expression of the characters was wonderful!”
TITLE There Is No Plan B
CREATOR Jeffrey Roberto Lopez
COUNTRY Nicaragua
Read this MANGA
Tetsuo HARA-sensei:
“There’s an incredible display of emotions and speed in your pages. I fully enjoyed your entry and believe you could become the representative of your country in the Japanese manga industry. We can’t wait to read your next entry!”
TITLE Indelible Memory
CREATOR Thuntopia
COUNTRY Thailand
Read this MANGA
Nobuhiko HORIE:
“The idea was extremely interesting and we liked it a lot! You are a pro, aren’t you? Your dedication in each panel was incredible. Remember that in manga “merihari” (balance) is very important, so if you could have a variation of detailed panels and more “empty” ones that would improve the reading experience.”
TITLE Through cold and fire
CREATOR Dương Đức
COUNTRY Vietnam
Read this MANGA
Tsukasa HOJO sensei:
“Another of my favorite SMA18 entries. The moment where the protagonist runs away along with his little sister and was saved by the people of the village left a strong impression on me. Please aim for simpler story next time, since you are adept at conveying incredible emotions on your pages!”
TITLE Stella is Happiness
CREATOR PSI Team (RHanata & WMachado)
COUNTRY Brazil
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Jun TOMIZAWA sensei:
“What an incredible display of art! Every single element on the pages was curated meticulously and the reading experience was delightful. However, there was no explanation for who exactly the kid was at the end, so that affected the final evaluation of your work.”
HONORABLE MENTION
10,000 JPY
TITLE Requiem for a Passion
CREATOR King Shu
COUNTRY Malaysia
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Ryuji TSUGIHARA-sensei:
“We are happy to see you joining SMA again! This time we didn’t feel the same attachment to your main characters like last time, so in your next entry please try to convey more emotions into your protagonist.”
I・C:
“The drawing and storytelling ability displayed in this manga made it an easy choice for the I・C Prize!”
TITLE Itsumo
CREATOR Punix
COUNTRY Thailand
Read this MANGA
ZENON Editorial Department:
“The story was greatly built up with a pleasant ending. The art was great, but we would suggest to use less blacks to leave a “lighter” impression of the pages. Next time, please try a “lighter” approach – we feel that matches your style better.”
TITLE Tickles（くすぐり）
CREATOR suonäcy
COUNTRY France
Read this MANGA
SMA Editorial Department:
“Your ability in paneling and the general display of emotions of your characters is extremely high! The moment when the protagonist hugs the other female character really left a strong impression on us. With a more incisive story, you could aim for higher awards.”
TITLE Sleeplessness
CREATOR Hariv
COUNTRY Vietnam
Read this MANGA
Jun TOMIZAWA-sensei:
“I could not draw such a charming and yet simple story. It was so nice to read! I hope that in the next round the creator will keep on sending the same amount of emotional work.”
SMA Editorial Dept. Award
For more amazing manga, check out the SMA18 Nominees and Candidates!
View the SMA18 Finalists – Nominees and Candidates!The new SILENT MANGA AUDITION® is already open!
We can’t wait to display YOUR work in the next SMA!
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
“We would like to express our gratitude for your continuous love of the SILENT MANGA AUDITION® and your participation in SMA18!
This round we received 440 entries from 73 countries, with the top number of entries from Brazil, and 2 countries, Nicaragua and Côte d’Ivoire, joining SMA for the first time!
With the theme of “Moments of HAPPINESS, AFFECTION, or TEARS,” we stayed true to the importance of depicting emotions in manga. We understand it may be challenging, but mastering how to show emotions is something that every manga creator should strive to master.
The top four entries were extraordinary in depicting emotions, so its creators will have the chance to enter the MasterClass and be considered for our most exclusive project so far; the Artists Village Aso 096k!
We can proudly say that after every round you manage to surprise us with the unknown depths of your potential and passion for manga, and were very pleased to see a Grand Prix awarded after a long time. At the same time, it was difficult deciding the awarded works, since so many talented artists joined this round; for the next round we hope to see you grow even more. We suggest you use the awarded works as a reference, or you can find manga-making advice in our newest video series “Ｍinute Manga Tips!”
In addition, we are also incredibly thankful to receive so many of your replies to our Feedback Survey. Your invaluable suggestions will help us do our best to improve the audition and offer you even more chances to debut in Japan. In fact, the top awarded entries will be displayed not only on our website, but also on COAMIX’s manga app “MangaHot.” Other exclusive opportunities can be found on the SMA19 round page.
Thank you all again for your continuous love and support. We wish you all the best in your preparations for the next round!”
Shuichi “Mocchi” Mochida