Rakuten Announces Winners of the 2025 International Vertical Reading Comic Contest

Rakuten Announces Winning Entries of the 2025 International Vertical Reading Comic Contest ​ Rakuten Group, Inc. Press Release: October 29, 2025 To Members of the Media Rakuten announces winners of the 2025 International Vertical Reading Comic Contest – The two “Silver Prize” winners will receive a prize of 500,000 yen and will have their works serialized on platforms in Taiwan and Japan. – Rakuten Group, Inc. (hereinafter “Rakuten”) has announced the winners of the 2025 International Vertical Reading Comic Contest, co-hosted by Taiwan Creative Content Agency (hereinafter “TAICCA”) and Contents Lab. Blue TOKYO.
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The “2025 International Vertical Comic Contest” is a vertical full-color comic contest for Taiwanese creators. At the awards ceremony held today, four awards were announced: the Silver Prize, Special Jury Prize, Reader’s Popularity Prize, and Honorable Mention. Seven works were awarded. The Silver Prize winners, “Something is Happening in Hell” and “One Point for Evil,” received prize money of 500,000 yen and will be serialized on platforms in Taiwan and Japan. The Japanese serialization will be carried out on Rakuten’s digital comic distribution service “R-TOON” and elsewhere. The winning works were selected by the “R-TOON” editorial team, TAICCA, the Contents Lab. Blue TOKYO editorial team, and special judges, as well as by public voting via “R-TOON.” Rena Matsui, an actress and novelist active in a wide range of fields, served as a special judge for the contest, and presented the awards to the winners. Rakuten will continue to work with creators and partner companies to deliver diverse entertainment experiences driven by content. ■Results of the 2025 International Vertical Reading Comic Contest
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5889/2516/5889-2516-36517ca1ad3e03c82b4ca1a67066d23f-1136×423.png Silver Award (Prize money: 500,000 yen / guaranteed serialization in Taiwan and Japan) Title of work: “Something’s Happening in Hell” (Author: Jin Yu, Genre: Fantasy/SF) Title: “One Point for Evil” (Author: Udalin, Genre: BL) Special Jury Award (Prize of 200,000 yen / Guaranteed serialization in Taiwan and Japan) Title: “Paper Sewn Doll” (Author: Takekawa Shi, Genre: Horror/Mystery) Reader’s Popularity Award (Prize: 200,000 yen / Guaranteed serialization in Taiwan and Japan) Title: “Hell Emergency (Something is Happening in Hell)” (Author: Jin Yu, Genre: Fantasy/Sci-Fi) Honorable Mention (Prize: 100,000 yen) Title: “Corpse Eyes” (Author: Yang Bai, Genre: BL) Title: “Beast Dream Traveler” (Author: Bai Da Yoha Ge, Genre: Fantasy/SF) Title: “This Is Not a Girl’s Game” (Author: Meruru, Genre: Romance) ■Comment from Rena Matsui Throughout this contest, I was repeatedly moved by the power of stories that transcend cultural differences. From a work centered around Taiwanese customs to a work that evokes Japanese gaming culture, each work possessed a unique worldview, yet firmly captured the hearts of readers. I sense great potential in the rhythm and spatial expression of manga that the new vertical reading format creates, and I’m even more excited about the future of the manga world. ■Rena Matsui Profile
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5889/2516/5889-2516-206cefa7e761ab3aefbec7cdb27cce25-250×374.png Debuted in 2008. Born in Aichi Prefecture. Major appearances include the film “Nighthawk’s Unrequited Love,” the NHK morning dramas “Manpuku,” “Yell,” and “Omusubi.” Recent notable works include the stage play “Minatomachi Junjo Othello ~The Moon is So Lovely~” and the NHK Taiga drama “What Will Ieyasu Do?” Since July 2025, she has been appearing in the stage play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” as Hermione Granger. ■ Overview of the 2025 International Vertical Reading Comic Contest Content: Vertically-reading full-color comic contest for Taiwanese creators Submission Period: Friday, June 20, 2025 – Sunday, August 24, 2025 Submission Guidelines: – Eligibility: Taiwanese creators (individuals or teams) aged 18 or older – Work format: Vertically read, full color / 3 chapters / Chinese
(Traditional) or Japanese Judges: “R-TOON” Editorial Department, TAICCA, Contents Lab. Blue TOKYO Editorial Department Special Judge: Rena Matsui (Actor/Novelist) Organizers: Rakuten Group, Inc., Taiwan Creative Content Agency, Contents Lab. Blue TOKYO Supported by: MANTRA ENGINE (Mantra Inc.) ■ Overview of the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) Established in 2019 under the Ministry of Culture of Taiwan (equivalent to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology), the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) is an independent administrative institution that promotes the
industrialization and internationalization of Taiwanese cultural content. TAICCA offers industry promotion plans such as funding for international co-productions and investment funds to support content development. In collaboration with the private sector, TAICCA supports Taiwanese cultural content and has also been actively promoting it overseas. We support all cultural content originating in Taiwan, from dramas, movies, music, publishing, animation, games, comics, and fashion design to the application of cultural technology, and we aim to promote this content and stimulate business. HP: https://taicca.tw/ ■Contents Lab. Blue TOKYO Overview Contents Lab. Blue TOKYO was established in January 2022 as the Japanese subsidiary of Contents Lab. Blue, a Korean global webtoon production company that has produced numerous hit titles, including “Unapproachable Lady,” “The Youngest Son of a Swordsman,” and “The Genius Summoner of Necromancer Academy.” Aiming to create a hybrid of Japanese manga culture and Korean webtoon culture, the company produces high-quality, engaging webtoons through collaborations with various companies both in Japan and abroad, including two webtoon production projects already underway with TAICCA. HP: https://contentslabblue.jp/ Official X:
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