Announcing the final results of the "#CreativeAwards2023"!

Review: Kobunsha Literary Editorial Department
An impactful opening, a fast-paced story, and a hook at the end of every chapter. It is a suspense novel that makes you want to keep reading. The strongest point of high praise was that the desire to entertain the reader came through very strongly. The character design is also well done, especially the portrayal of Masataka Mishima as a deadbeat husband. However, perhaps because of the web novel format, there were many parts where the development was too rushed and lacked detailed writing. That is a challenge to address for commercial book publication.

Review: TV Tokyo
It has been a long time since I encountered a novel that pulled me in from the opening blog post and was impossible to stop reading once I started. Shifting perspectives, truths revealed one after another. It seems like an orthodox mystery, yet it has a very ingenious setting. And the terrifying psychology of humans is skillfully depicted. There are things you "should not touch" and words that, once released, can never be taken back. Something that destroys relationships... I strongly felt that I would love to adapt this into a video production with a cast of skilled actors.

Review: Shincho Bunko nex
The protagonist, whose engagement has just been decided, receives news of a childhood friend's death. Then, ominous events happen one after another— This work, "Prayer Fulfilled," was a very interesting piece that never let the reader get bored for a single moment, with the excitement of a romance novel, unpredictable horror developments, and a touch of "iyami" (unpleasant mystery). We chose it for the Shincho Bunko nex Award because we wanted to recognize that it is a novel written with the reader in mind in every detail.

Review: Asahi Shimbun Publications
It was decided unanimously by the editorial staff involved in the selection that we wanted to award the Editorial Department Award to Nanten Seyama's "The House with the Cream-Yellow Sea and Spring Cabbage." Tsumugi Nagai, who worked at a trading company but collapsed from overwork and started working as a housekeeper. This work, which depicts her interaction with the Orino family, a single-father household of six where she began working, is a story that gently snuggles up to everyone who feels a little tired of "work," "life," and "child-rearing."

Review: Hotaru Shinkawa (Special Judge / Novelist)
The excellent setting, professional knowledge, easy-to-read prose, and gentle worldview are all wonderful!!! The quiet writing style fits the atmosphere of the work, and it is also very good that each story has a hopeful ending. Being able to write a gentle and sincere novel that readers will love is a very precious and brilliant quality. Many readers are waiting for your work. Please continue to write sincerely, straightforwardly, and carefully just like this.

Review: Bessatsu Bungeishunju
The premise that nurse Sakiemi Uzuki can see the "unfulfilled wishes" of dying patients is exquisite. The storyline—in which she guesses the circumstances and incidents behind the "unfulfilled wishes" (which may be a young girl or a young man) standing at the patient's bedside and struggles to resolve them—is well-integrated with the charm of the characters and the flavor of the writing style. The daily tasks of nurses and the "ecology" of medical professionals are also interesting, making it feel like a model for a workplace mystery.

Review: JUMP j BOOKS
The contrast composition, created by interpreting the two people in the prompt illustration as a "teacher who once aspired to be an artist but failed" and a "student with overwhelming artistic talent that makes those around them shrink," connects to the universal drama of jealousy over talent differences, making it a gripping work. The skill with which the prompt scene was set at the moment when the story's unease and tension reached their peak, and the process leading up to it was constructed carefully and with high empathy, was also brilliant. The development of overcoming conflict was also convincing, and I felt the high level of writing ability.

Review: Palcy
This was a very stable composition as an isekai story set in a Chinese-style world. While incorporating elements that capture the hearts of fantasy readers, such as cross-dressing and fluffy creatures, the author's own background as a pharmacist shines through in the ideas. Since the hero, Karyo, has not yet appeared in the first three chapters, I am very much looking forward to seeing what kind of romance will unfold with the heroine, Kairi. I am especially looking forward to the emotional love triangle with the sub-character, Yosei, who will develop feelings for Kairi!

Review: Manga Mee
The flow from the protagonist's setback to starting to cross-dress was careful and inevitable, and it captured my heart. In addition, the convincing setting that she can be active on a 2.5D stage because she used to do ballet, as well as showing the differences between the two and presenting challenges, raises expectations for future developments. The protagonist you want to support and the development that makes you want to read more were the deciding factors for the award. I hope the Manga Mee editorial department can support the creation of this work from here on out. Thank you!

Review: Bungeishunju Comic Editorial Department
The protagonist, who finds joy in "eating" while being busy with work and tries to spend her days as cheerfully as possible, was highly likable and very charming. The writing style has a liveliness that makes you smile while reading, and it seems like it will give energy to the reader. I think it would become even more interesting as a mature read if you could show a more realistic side as a workplace story, such as by adding detailed episodes unique to a pharmacist.

Review: Media Works Bunko
Even though it was told in a detached manner, the overflowing emotions and scenes felt very real to me as a reader, and I was simply overwhelmed. I felt a strength in the writing that made it impossible to look away—and I was also moved by the content, which was written in words that only "I" could use to describe the relationship between "me" and "Dad," which cannot be expressed in a single word. I look forward to the words Ito-san will weave in the future, and I am pleased to select this work for the Editorial Department Award.

Review: Gentosha
Even though the premise is not particularly unique, the light and rhythmic writing style immediately drew me into the world of the work. The deep insight into one's own emotions and the precise descriptions of the scenes stir the reader's imagination and empathy. The two scenes that appear in the work are firmly connected by the theme that "guilt is the taste of honey," and the structural ability is wonderful! I felt that this work is packed with the charm of the essay as a form of expression.

Review: Orange Page
It was a brilliant piece that you can read quickly, but it leaves your heart feeling warm afterward. Once you read one chapter, you have the urge to read the next. I liked how the father expresses his daughter's daily words and actions with the utmost love, yet tries to remain calm. The pacing between common child-related tropes and unexpected themes is exquisite, and I also sense a good sensibility in not over-drawing things. As a work that reminds us of the preciousness of ordinary daily life, I felt I wanted to watch over the growth of the "young girl these days" along with the author.

Review: Gentosha Comics
I was first drawn in by the title, where "Netherlands" and "nosebleed" don't match at all. As I read the manga, even though the situation is so urgent that I worried, "Wait, are you okay!?", the author's witty remarks and soft art style made me laugh, and I was very curious about what would happen next. I could feel the sense of presence in this familiar yet terrifying experience that happened in the Netherlands. The fact that it is structured with clear page breaks as a 4-panel manga (treating 8 panels as one page) also shows technique and consideration for the reader. As an experiential comic essay, I think it balances well between being painful yet fun, and fun yet unsettling.

Review: Sai Kitamori (Manga Artist)
An essay manga based on the author's experience of having a mother who is a second-generation religious follower. First of all, I felt the opening was skillful.
My mother doesn't come to my wedding.
The reason is "due to religion." In just six panels, the pain of the daughter and father toward the mother who is a second-generation religious follower, and even the mother's own suffering, are brought to the surface, and it succinctly expresses how much religion can take away from a family. From there, it goes back to the past to show how the mother returned to the religion she had once supposedly abandoned, drawn calmly and carefully from the author Nekoyama's severe perspective. It is very easy to read, has no wasted background information, and is easy to understand.
Although the work is still in progress, I chose it because I believe that with such a solid writing style and perspective, the author will be able to draw a work with a firm structure until the end. I think the fun of essay manga depends cruelly on "how much you can expose yourself and remake it into a readable form." In that respect, Nekoyama-san is truly wonderful. Please draw it to the end. I am looking forward to the continuation.

Review: note
A miniature work so realistic that I doubted my eyes, asking, "Wait, is this real?" I chose this work because the level of reproduction of the retro coffee shop, such as the aging of the floorboards, the texture of the leather sofa, and the brick walls, was extremely high. The passion put into the production and the background story enhance the charm of the work, and the joy of creating is conveyed. It is a special worldview that can only be expressed because it is a miniature, and I would love for many people to see it.

We awarded the Editorial Department Prize to "The House with the Cream-Yellow Sea and Spring Cabbage" by Nanten Seyama. We also highly evaluated the selected work "Highlight" (by Yagiteki Kimura-san) and "Dad and Me" (by Awa Ito-san), which was selected for the MediaWorks Bunko Prize. Although they are writers with completely different styles, they all possessed a unique quality that made us want to read other works written by them. Regarding the essay category submissions, a major point of evaluation was whether the author was able to re-examine and write about the events that happened to them from a bird's-eye, objective perspective. We felt that there were quite a few works where we wanted the authors to explore ways of writing that are not overly swayed by the interest of the facts themselves.

From Orange Page Co., Ltd., we have selected one Orange Page Award winner and two runners-up. Every work we reviewed as a candidate was, in a good sense, uninhibited. Looking back, there were many works that we could only have encountered precisely because of the stage that is "note." While I felt the benefits of not having an editor intervene, my "editor's soul" was also stirred, thinking, "I'd love to team up with this work and see how it could develop!" We look forward to even more creative works that surpass this year's winners in the future.

We regret to inform you that we have decided not to select any winning entries in this selection process.
Regarding the overall trends of the works we judged: A positive point was the diversity felt in the ideas being explored. Because of this, there were many works with eye-catching introductions and those that made us feel expectant about what was to come. On the other hand, a challenge we felt was the narrative structure of the story development. If authors keep in mind where the interest of the story is heading, I believe the ideas and characters depicted would come to life with a power exceeding that of a single book.
If note continues to focus on initiatives in the novel field and increases the number of writers and readers, I feel that a unique "note-style" novel will emerge that goes beyond the hurdle of conventional novels, which was our judging criteria this time. We look forward to this becoming a fertile ground for new storytellers.

This is our first time participating, and it was a fun selection process where we were able to encounter ideas and expressions unique to the free space that is note. Expecting to meet new works, we were involved in many categories. While I usually handle many novels, the Essay category, where I could directly feel the lives and unique perspectives of the creators, was particularly interesting and touched my heart, so I selected the Editorial Department Award as I felt moved.

It was a selection process where reading was fun, but choosing was painful. Valuable experiences, stories of overcoming hardships, little daily slapstick dramas... I read all the works while chuckling in front of my PC, and sometimes almost shedding a tear. Among them, I selected the works that I felt were of a high level as literary pieces, such as in writing style and development capability, for the "Gentosha Award." I respect all the creators who turned their own experiences into literary works this time. Thank you for the wonderful works.

Overall, the quality was high, and there were many rewarding works to read. I felt a strong awareness of wanting to convey events and personal tastes to the readers. However, due to the nature of comic essays, there were works where the author's enthusiasm took precedence in trying to convey experiences and emotions, and there was no consideration for the tempo for the reader. Whatever the subject matter, the one who gets the reader involved wins; perhaps it would be better to relax a little while being conscious of how it is conveyed to the reader. The winning works selected by Gentosha Comics this time were evaluated for the impact of the subject matter as well as the balance between conveying the message and the appropriate tempo for the reader.

From Palcy, we selected one Editorial Department Award winner and one runner-up. Every work we judged showed trial and error in "how to make characters and developments interesting as manga," and I enjoyed reading them while imagining them being adapted into comics. In particular, there were many works with novel angles that utilized the author's background and interests, and I felt the strength that comes from a contest hosted by note, where a wide range of people are writers. Thank you to everyone who applied to the Manga Original Story category for your wonderful works!

Many of the candidates in the Mystery category showed a desire to push the charm of their characters, and I enjoyed reading them. However, the punchlines as mysteries, such as the logic for the solution, were generally weak, and there were few works with surprises. The winning work, "Please Find My Corpse," had hooks at the end of each chapter leading to the next, and the attitude of wanting to entertain the reader stood out. The tempo of the writing was also good, and the fact that one could enter the story world without stress was highly evaluated.

There were some works that did not make good use of the theme illustration and looked as if "the scene of the theme was forcibly added to a story I originally wanted to write." On the other hand, the winning work carefully depicted the swaying of the protagonist's emotions throughout the story, and succeeded in leaving a strong impression by overlapping the moment when self-control collapsed—the climax of the drama—with the scene of the theme illustration. In the future, when you are given a "theme" in the Creative Award or a newcomer award hosted by J Books, I hope you will not forget to face it head-on.

The entire editorial department was stimulated by the soul-filled entries. The work selected for the Grand Prize was chosen because it featured a protagonist you want to support, which is essential for a serialized work, and a development that makes you want to read the next installment. Manga Mee is currently serializing many works that combine attractive art with original stories from a wide range of genres. We would like to continue to actively participate in places where we can meet new talent like this and deliver interesting works. Thank you for this valuable opportunity.

The candidate works I read this time had a wide range of genres, such as mysteries with plot twists, highly gamified entertainment works, and romance novels that keep you reading with novel settings, and they were all high-quality works written with the existence of the reader in mind, so I was able to enjoy the selection process. I realized the potential of posting novels on note.

The Bunshun Comic Editorial Department read works in two categories: original stories and comic essays. Perhaps because the barrier to entry for the Creation Award is low, there were many rough-around-the-edges works that, in a good way, felt like ideas put directly into form, and I found that energy appealing. We selected an Editorial Department Award in the original story category this time, and we would like to put our efforts into it so that everyone can read it in comic form.

I read the works in the "Work-Life Novel" and "Mystery Novel" categories. It was a truly enjoyable selection process, ranging from works that I couldn't take my eyes off of from the moment I started reading until the very end, to works with a deeply tasteful writing style that made me want to aim for greater heights with the author. Ultimately, we selected four works, and after repeated discussions with special judge Hotate Niikawa, we recommended "What Uzuki the Nurse Sees" for the "Bessatsu Bungeishunju Award," and "Building a Garden" and "How to Write a Murder Novel" for the "Selected Works" award.

I was captivated by opening sentences, impressed by world-building, and drawn in by enthusiastic titles... Despite the theme of "romance," a surprisingly wide range of novels were gathered, and I read them with a fresh perspective. While all of them were easy to read and felt modern, I felt they were somewhat lacking when considering the potential for book publication, and since the reader's image didn't expand much, the result was that there were no winning works this time. I look forward to the next one!

We participated in the "Mystery Novel" category, which is an untapped area for our company. As a result, a variety of mystery works were gathered, making for a very meaningful selection process. In particular, there were many works with ambitious gimmicks aimed at the younger generation, and there was more than one occasion where I couldn't stop reading. However, I regret that as a comprehensive and objective judgment, we could not select a work that would lead to an award. I look forward to being able to produce a winning work next time.

This time, we selected a novel for the TV Tokyo Award, but after reading works from various categories other than novels, I once again felt the potential of note as a medium that gathers interesting works. There were several essays that I thought would "surely be interesting" if adapted into a drama by TV Tokyo, including their themes, genres, and even their absurdity, but they were too intense to be adapted into video no matter how you look at it (laughs). I felt an urge to meet each person and shake their hand, thinking, "What kind of life are you living!"

For this second Creation Award, we divided the submissions into categories: novels, essays, and comic essays, which had the most submissions last time, as well as manga originals, which were popular in past note contests. As a result, a diverse range of works where the creator's individuality shines through were gathered in each category, while still being conscious of the type of work sought by the sponsoring media. I am happy that the works that stood out among them were successfully discovered by the sponsoring companies.
In the All-Category section, works covering a wide range of genres were submitted, including works that pursued personal hobbies, works that summarized knowledge gained at work, and creative works other than text such as videos and music, which made me realize once again the diversity of the note platform. We, the management team, will continue to strive to hold the Creation Award in a way that makes the most of note as a place where these diverse creators gather for future events.
Lastly, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the creators who submitted their works, everyone who sent in their thoughts on the works, the sponsoring media, and the two special judges.