Natterings From Nepantla

The Seiun finalists have been announced.

After last year's Seiun administrators included a complete translation/transliteration for English speakers, I was thinking I'd never need to do this again, but I guess that was a one-off. Here are the categories of main interest to those of us in the West. Once again, Tokyo Sogensha is my lifeline for name pronunciations, excepting one that wasn't findable there.

Best Foreign Novel

• Mecha Samurai Empire, Peter Tieryas, tr. Naoya Nagahara


• Artemis, Andy Weir, tr. Kazuko Onoda


• We Are Legion, Dennis E. Taylor, tr. Hiroshi Kaneko


• Provenance, Ann Leckie, tr. Hideko Akao


• Waking Gods, Sylvain Neuvel, tr. Chiori Sada


• Six Wakes, Mur Lafferty, tr. Takeshi Mogi


• Seveneves, Neal Stephenson, tr. Masamichi Higurashi

Best Foreign Short Story

• "The Circle", Liu Cixin, tr. Naoya Nagahara


• "The Martian Obelisk", Linda Nagata, tr. Naoya Nagahara


• "Liar's House", Lucius Shepard, tr. Masayuki Uchida


• "A Monster in the Midst", Julio Toro San Martin, tr. Yoshio Nomura [Title misspelled on Seiun page]


• "převychování", Jan Barda, tr. Kiyomi Hirano [Original Czech title, since it hasn't been translated into English.]


• "Between Nine and Eleven", Adam Roberts, tr. Masayuki Uchida


• "Cybertank vs. Mechazillus", Timothy J. Gawne, tr. Akinobu Sakai

Best Media

• SSSS.Gridman


• Ready Player One


• Cells at Work!


• Beatless


• Dragon Pilot: Hisone & Masotan


• Planet With


• Penguin Highway


• Bahubali: King's Triumph Complete Edition [Combo release of Bahubali 1 & 2?]


• Pacific Rim: Uprising

[Grumpy anime critic notes: Two shows marred by the inability of the camera to stay away from underpants and cleavage, one that was just bad, one I didn't get to see because Netflix hasn't figured out simulcasts, one charming show that I hope wins, and a movie that's only just now getting to the US. Harrumph.]

Best Comic

[English title for the one which has been translated, transliterations for the rest. Yes, I know Kanata no Astra claims to have an English title for its anime, but it hasn't been licensed yet.]

• Kyomu o Yuku


• Rainman (complete series)


• Girls' Last Tour (complete series)


• Kanata no Astra (complete series)


• Martian Dice (complete series)


• Hitoribocchi no Chikyū Shinryaku (complete series)


• Jabberwocky 1914 (complete series)