SAN DIEGO, CA – Acclaimed manga creators Taiyo Matsumoto and Yuna Hirasawa were honored with prestigious Eisner Awards at the ceremony held during Comic-Con International on Friday, July 25, 2025, at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel. Matsumoto’s Tokyo These Days (VIZ Media) took home the award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia, while Hirasawa’s My Journey to Her (Kodansha) was recognized in the Best Digital Comic category.
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, named for the celebrated comics creator Will Eisner, are in their 37th year of highlighting excellence in comics and graphic novels. The awards ceremony was a key event at San Diego Comic-Con, celebrating the best in the industry across numerous categories.
Taiyo Matsumoto’s Acclaimed Work: Tokyo These Days
Taiyo Matsumoto, a creator celebrated for his distinctive artistic style and compelling narratives, added another Eisner Award to his collection with Tokyo These Days, volumes 1-3. Matsumoto is already a multiple Eisner Award winner, having previously won for works such as Tekkonkinkreet and Cats of the Louvre.
Tokyo These Days delves into the intricate relationships between a manga editor, manga creators, the artistic process, and the rhythm of life. The story follows Kazuo Shiozawa, a manga editor who, after three decades in the industry, abruptly resigns. Despite his attempt to retire, the manga world continues to draw him back in, leading him to an independent manga project and navigating the chaotic lives of the creators around him. VIZ Media publishes the English edition of Tokyo These Days.
Yuna Hirasawa’s Award-Winning My Journey to Her
Yuna Hirasawa’s autobiographical manga, My Journey to Her, earned the Eisner Award for Best Digital Comic. Published by Kodansha, My Journey to Her is a standalone manga where Hirasawa candidly shares her personal experiences living with gender dysphoria.
The manga chronicles her journey from Japan to Thailand in 2015 for gender-affirming surgery, touching upon topics such as coming out to family and the solitude of traveling to an unfamiliar place. Hirasawa also illustrates the legal and medical aspects of her transition, offering a deeply personal and insightful narrative. The manga was originally serialized in Kodansha’s Morning magazine from March to April 2016, with its English digital release by Kodansha USA in July 2024.
Other Notable Recognitions at the 2025 Eisner Awards
The 2025 Eisner Awards ceremony also recognized other significant contributions to the comics industry. Junji Ito, a renowned horror manga creator and four-time Eisner Award winner, was officially inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame. Ito’s induction, alongside other esteemed creators, further cemented his legacy in the world of comics. The ceremony also presented the Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing to Don Glut and Sheldon Mayer, and the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award to Mad Cave Studios for their L.A. Strong charity comic.
