Alas, Stardust

Kadokawa describes Areyo Hoshikuzu's story as a "bromance in the ruins of Tokyo." Kawashima Tokutarou, a drunk in the city's burnt-down rubble, reunites with his old World War II comrade Kuroda Kadomatsu just over one year after Japan's defeat. The manga depicts the daily life in the underworld of post-war Japan, including the black market, the "pan-pan girl" prostitutes and the government's euphemistic "Comfort Facilities," and the war orphans.

• Won the 23rd Osamu Tezuka Cultural Award for New Creator in 2019