Mamagoto (MATSUDA Hiroko)

A woman who runs a hostess bar in a rundown area, whose child died as a result of her thoughtlessness when she was young, is compelled to look after a young boy by one of her former colleagues in the nightclub business, and resumes her role as a parent. With its delicate, affectionate portrayals and ironic gags, this manga keenly depicts how people living at the very bottom of society, while dealing with the pain of the past, try to live courageously, while dreaming of a "normal family."

(Source: Japan Media Arts Festival)

Note: Winner of the Merit Prize of the 42nd Japan Cartoonist Awards (2013).