On May 28, 2022, the digital Manga and romance service Piccoma announced the 9 winning titles of the “Piccoma Award 2022”. They were selected and analysed through data of about 16 million readers of Piccoma, including several other criteria such as the number of readers, sales and likes between the period from March 2021 to February 2022. Of the nine works, the “Absolutely Interesting” award was handed out to three works which are Manga, another three belongs to SMARTOON (short comic strip) and three were awarded to novel titles. The awards were denominated with days of the week and elements of the universe in Latin to express appreciation in which “works that make everyday life fun” and “works that enrich everyday life”
The Luna (Monday) Award
Tokyo Revengers
The “Tokyo Revengers” Manga, which won the LUNA (Monday) Award, had more than 100,000 copies sold per month on Piccoma after the live-action debut. Even though the work is a Shounen title, it is quite popular with both the female and male audiences, and has great support from the 20-year-old audience.
Synopsis: Watching the news, Hanagaki Takemichi learns his junior-high girlfriend Tachibana Hinata has died. A sudden shove sends him 12 years into the past to face the Tokyo Manji Gang that once made his life hell, which is also responsible for Hinata’s death in the present. To save Hinata and change the future, Takemichi must rise to the top of Kanto’s most sinister delinquent gang! But things aren’t so simple when he befriends the gang’s leader, Mikey. What turned Mikey from a petulant child to the leader of the most infamous gang in Tokyo?
Comment: Tokyo Revengers is one of Kondasha’s popular Manga titles that is serialized in the Weekly Shounen Magazine, and according to Oricon in the first-half of 2022 it has accumulated a total of 7,200,532 copies. Its official twitter account announced that the manga has also reached 50 million copies in circulation. The Manga has already had an Anime adaptation released in the Spring of 2021 and a second season was announced December last year. It also had a live-action adaptation released in July 2021. You can read the chapters of the Manga on the Azuki and INKR websites, but the volumes can be bought digitally at Kodansha USA or if you prefer the printed editions, their volumes are available at Seven Seas or Amazon.
The Ignis (Tuesday) Award
Kumo desu ga, Nani ka?
The winner of the IGNIS (Tuesday) Award is the Light Novel “Kumo desu ga, Nani ka?” which recently ended with 16 volumes. On Piccoma, this novel of an unusual reincarnation as a spider is very popular with a wide age group, from 20 to 40 years old, and is very popular with the male audience which represents 68% of the total audience.
Synopsis: I used to be a normal high school girl but in the blink of an eye, I woke up in a place I’ve never seen before and-and I was reborn as a spider?! How could something that’s nothing more than a tiny spider (that’s me) possibly survive in literally the worst dungeon ever? Are there no rules? There should be some rules! Who the hell is responsible for this? SHOW YOUR FACE!
Comment: The novel “Kumo desu ga, Nani ka?” or in its official English translation “So I’m a Spider, So What?” is a web novel adaptation of the same name. The work won an Anime adaptation of 24 episodes in the Winter 2021 season, and according to Kadokawa Books‘s Twitter account, the series has reached 4.3 million copies in circulation. The series can be read digitally through the Book Walker website or you can buy it physically through Yen Press or Amazon.
The Aqua (Wednesday) Award
Father, I Don’t Want this Marriage
A little unusual in the Japanese market, but not for the Piccoma Awards as we have a Korean work as the winner for the AQUA (Wednesday) category, the famous SMARTOON “Father, I Don’t Want this Marriage”. Its audience is composed mostly by female, this being 90% of the readers, and is mostly composed of readers in their 20s, but it is also popular among the 30 – 40s.
Synopsis: Juvelian is a villainess so hated by everyone that even her lover and father leave her to die a pitiful death. Just as she’s about to face her fate, she gets the chance to change the course of her story. In order to avoid the tragic end she knows awaits her, she breaks up with her lover and gives up trying to win her father’s love. Instead, she focuses on using his wealth to enjoy her new life to its fullest! But while she prepares for her extravagant life as a lady, her father begins looking for her new suitor. Afraid that he’ll marry her off to the infamously unpredictable and stormy prince, she lands on a desperate solution: a dating contract. And the best candidate is none other than her father’s student.
Comment: The work “Father, I Don’t Want this Marriage” is an adaptation of the web novel of the same name, which was completed at 203 chapters. The SMARTOON is launched on Kakao’s platform on February 24, 2021, and you can read the Manga series on the Tappytoon platform. However, if you prefer the novel, it is also available on Tappytoon or on Wordexcerpt.
The Arbor (Thursday) Award
The Archmage Returns After 4000 Years
For the ARBOR (Thursday) Award, we have another Korean work, the SMARTOON “The Archmage Returns After 4000 Years”. The male audience between the ages of 20, 30 and 40 are the main readers of this SMARTOON, however the readers are mainly in the age of 20s.
Synopsis: Lucas Trowman was the greatest archmage in history until he was condemned by Demigod to spend eternity losing his mind. But 4,000 years later, he’s thrust back into this world, into the body of Frei Blake, the weakest, most un-talented student at the prestigious Westroad Academy for mages. After all this time, the world of magic has barely progressed. Could this be the work of Demigod? Determined to find out, Lucas seeks to reach the highest levels of power once again and get his revenge.
Comment: “The Archmage Returns After 4000 Years”, the SMARTOON title that was released on Kakao is an adaptation of the web novel of the same name which is still in progress with two seasons that would total up to 851 chapters, but it will have a third season set to be launched. If you are interested, you can read it on the Tapas platform.
The Aurum (Friday) Award
Nibun no Ichi Fuufu
The Manga “Nibun no Ichi Fuufu” was the winner of the AURUM (Friday) Award. The Manga has attracted the attention of the female audience between a very varied age group of 20 to 40 years old, but we have to highlight that this is the only one Manga that is very popular among the female audience among the rest on the list, particularly those in their 40s, making up 32% of its total readers.
Synopsis: Nakayama Aya is a 32-year-old housewife who has been happily married for two years. To others, Aya and her husband seem like a perfect couple. Aya notices a message from a mysterious woman on her husband’s cellphone, leaving her to wonder if he might be having an affair. She then remembers that they have not been intimate in the past two months. Aya begins her search in earnest for additional evidence of a potential affair. (Source: AsianWiki)
Comment: “Nibun no Ichi Fuufu” was finished in 8 volumes with a total of 2.6 million copies in circulation and a TV Drama adaptation was released in 2021. The Manga is also an adaptation of a complete web novel which lasted 25 chapters. Unfortunately, it has not been licensed by any publishers yet, and neither has its TV Drama outside of Japan.
The Terra (Saturday) Award
Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu
For the TERRA (Saturday) Award, we have the critically acclaimed Light Novel “Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu” which is very popular among the male audience in their 20s and 40s including those in their 30s. The title had an Anime adaptation last year (2021) and Piccoma describes it as “having a growing number of fans”.
Synopsis: Kicked out by his family and wandering the streets, an unemployed 34-year-old shut-in thinks he’s hit rock-bottom—just as he’s hit and killed by a speeding truck! Awakening to find himself reborn as an infant in a world of swords and sorcery, but with the memories of his first life intact, Rudeus Greyrat is determined not to repeat his past mistakes. He’s going to make the most of this reincarnation as he sets off on the adventure of a second lifetime!
Comment: The “Mushoku Tensei” novel in Japan is officially being released by KADOKAWA and it already has an Anime adaptation that were separated into two cours, released in the Winter and Fall seasons of 2021 respectively. The title is reportedly having a second season in production. With 10 million copies in circulation be sure to not miss this title as you can buy the digital volumes on Book Walker or if you prefer the physical volumes, you can find them on Seven Seas or on Amazon.
The Sol (Sunday) Awards
Tomb Raider King
For the SOL (Sunday) Award, the winner was “Tomb Raider King”, a SMARTOON that really pleased the young male audience in their 20s. The work is also popular among the 30 – 40 age group, but the presence is more intense with the 20-year-olds.
Synopsis: Mysterious tombs appeared all over the world one day, each containing a relic which grants its owner supernatural abilities. Jooheon Suh is a tomb explorer, excavator, and raider. Betrayed by his employer, he’s about to die at the hands of a powerful new relic when he suddenly finds himself 15 years in the past, before any relics or tombs made their debut. Driven by feelings of revenge, how will Jooheon use his knowledge of the future to become the Tomb Raider King?
Comment: This exciting dungeon SMARTOON is an adaptation of a web novel that ended with 415 chapters. It was originally released in South Korea and is exclusively available on the Kakao’s platform, but you can read the chapters digitally on Tapas. In the future, you will be able to purchase the physical volumes through Yen Press as recently through the Ize Press label the company announced that it will license the “Tomb Raider King” series among other Korean titles.
The Lux (Light) Award
The Abandoned Empress
For the LUX (Light) Award, we have the Korean novel “The Abandoned Empress” which is very popular for its SMARTOON version, but over time its novel has also gained popularity, to the point where it became very popular with women in their 20s.
Synopsis: As the proud daughter of the House of Monique, Aristia was the girl of prophecy. She was raised to marry the crown prince and become the next empress. But with the sudden appearance of a mysterious girl from another world, Aristia’s destiny is turned upside down. The crown prince cruelly turns his back on her and marries the mysterious girl. Poor Aristia suffers as the lower queen until she’s executed by order of the emperor himself. But a second chance sees her travel back in time to seven years earlier. Will her knowledge of the future save her from her awful fate?
Comment: The novel was already finished as of Volume 6 with 367 chapters which can be read digitally through TappyToon, or if you like, its SMARTOON version is available on the very same platform. Its physical volumes can also be bought via Yen Press or Amazon. Currently, two volumes of its SMARTOON have been officially released in English and the 3rd volume is scheduled for September 20, 2022. As of its 6th volume, the series has noted to have reached the mark of 1,070,000 copies in circulation in Japan.
The Ventus (Wind) Award
Shizukanaru Don
Finally, we have the VENTUS (Wind) Award, which was won by the Manga “Shizukanaru Don”, a very popular yakuza manga among the male audience between 20 and 40 years old, though more concentrated to those in their 40s.
Synopsis: Being the only son of the leader of the largest criminal organization (yakuza) in Kantō area, Shizuya Kondō chose not to join the gang and became a rookie designer of an underwear company. However, the assassination of his father forced him to inherit the gang, with one condition: keeping his day job while hiding his true identity from his coworkers, including an aspiring female designer, who is his love interest as well as the only person capable to keep his violent instincts contained. (ANN)
Comment: “Shizukanaru Don” finished its serialization at 108 volumes, and in Japan the manga has reached the mark of 45 million copies in circulation. In addition, it received a 19-episode TV Drama released in 1994 and an OVA in 1991, plus other adaptations. The Manga has not been officially licensed outside of Japan.
Piccoma is a service that was developed and released by Kakao Piccoma Corp. and was launched as a Japanese Webtoon subscription service back in 2016 that is available on smartphones, tablets and computers.
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Source: Piccoma
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