The first volume of Tokyo These Days by Taiyō Matsumoto has won the 2025 L.A. Times Book prize in the Graphic Novel/Comics category.
Published by Viz, the manga was originally serialized in Japan from 2019 to 2023, appearing in the magazine Big Comic Original Zōkan. Viz published the first volume in the U.S. in January of 2024, followed by volume two in May and volume three in September, which completed the collection.
The story follows Kazuo Shiozawa, a veteran manga editor who resigns from a prestigious publishing company after 30 years. He spends his final day traveling around Tokyo visiting various creators he’s edited over the years, sharing wisdom and saying his goodbyes. Although Shiozawa begins the day believing he’s done with manga, he discovers that his connections to the community aren’t easily severed—and maybe manga isn’t done with him.
The manga was up against four other nominees in the Graphic Novel/Comics category, including titles by Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes, Ram V and Filipe Andrade, Miroslav Sekulic-Struja, and Bhanu Pratap.
The Los Angeles Times has recognized graphic novels in their annual book awards since 2009, when Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli won the award. Other previous winners include The Love Bunglers by Jaime Hernandez, Duncan the Wonder Dog by Adam Hines, Beverly by Nick Drnaso, Tillie Walden’s On a Sunbeam, The Hard Tomorrow by Eleanor Davis, R. Kikuo Johnson’s No One Else, and Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith’s Wash Day Diaries. A Guest in the House by EM Carroll won the award last year.
You can find the complete list of all winners across all literary categories on the L.A. Times website.