Manga Adaptation of 'Solaris' Nominated for Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize

The manga adaptation of Stanisław Lem's classic science fiction novel Solaris has been selected as a final candidate for the 30th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Manga Award. The two-volume work, illustrated by Takehito Moriizumi and published by Hayakawa Shobo, is available on the publisher's Hayacomic site.

First published in Poland in 1961, Lem's novel is a philosophical work about a sentient ocean on a distant planet. It has been adapted into films by Andrei Tarkovsky and Steven Soderbergh.

Moriizumi used a specific artistic technique for the adaptation. "For this work, I used pencil," he said. "I drew the Earth side with 'lines' to create blank space, and the Solaris side was drawn densely with 'planes.'"

The manga has drawn international publishing interest, with editions planned for English, Chinese, Taiwanese, and Russian markets, including offers from Poland.

Hayacomic, Hayakawa Shobo's comic site launched in 2024, features the series alongside other adaptations like Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.

The 30th edition of the prize considers manga published in Japan during 2025.

A free preview of the Solaris manga is available on the Hayacomic website. The publisher's online store lists the Japanese volumes.

Source: PR Times via 株式会社 早川書房