The 2005 Seiun Award winners and nominees, for best science fiction published in Japan in the calendar year 2004.

Japanese Long Stories
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Winner: ARIEL 1-20   Yuichi Sasamoto   Asahi Sonorama

Nominees:

• Sokyu no Yari [A Spear in the Blue Sky]   Takuma Kageyama   Kobunsha
• Hada no Shita [Under the Skin]   Chohei Kanbayashi   Hayakawa Books
• Fukkatsu no Chi [Land of Rebirth]   Issui Ogawa   Hayakawa Books
• Sora no Naka [In the Sky]   Hiro Arikawa   MediaWorks
• All You Need Is Kill   Hiroshi Sakurazaka   Shueisha
• Shamon Kukai To no Kuni nite Oni to Ensu 1 - 4 [Kukai's Pilgrimage to Dine with Demons in the land of T'ang]   Baku Yumemakura   Tokuma Shoten
• Pandora 1 - 2   Koshu Tani   Hayakawa Books
• Shin Chitei Ryoko [A New Journey to the Center of the Earth]   Hikaru Okuizumi   Asahi Shimbun Company

Japan Short Stories
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Winner: "Katadorareta Chikara" ("Kaleidoscape" - official English title)   Tobi Hirotaka   Hayakawa Publishing, Appeared in "Katadorareta Chikara"

Nominees:

• "Shokutaku ni Biru o - Densetsu no Sunekumasuta Hen" ("A Beer on the Table - The Legend of the Snakemaster")   Megumi Kobayashi   Fujimi Shobo, Appeared in "Shokutaku no Biru o 2"
• "Ragiddo Garu" ("Unweaving the Human Being" - official English title)   Tobi Hirotaka   Hayakawa Publishing, Appeared in February 2004 SF Magazine
• "Nihon Kaireki Jijo" ("Reforming the Japanese Calendar")   To Ubukata   Tokuma Shoten, Appeared in Spring 2004 SF Japan
• "Chikyu no Uragawa" ("The Other Side of the Earth")   Masaya Fujita   Hayakawa Publishing, Appeared in December 2004 SF Magazine
• "Kameri, Esukarugo o Tsukuru" ("Cameri Makes Escargo") Yusaku Kitano   Hayakawa Publishing, Appeared in March 2004 SF Magazine
• "Shiawase ni naru Hakoniwa" ("A Happy Idiot's Universe" - official English title)   Issui Ogawa   Hayakawa Publishing, Appeared in April 2004 SF Magazine
• "Tokibunkatsu no Jigoku" "Time Sharing Hell"   Hiroshi Yamamoto Hayakawa Publishing, Appeared in April 2004 SF Magazine

Foreign Long Stories
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Winner: Distress ("Banbutsu Riron" - "Theory of Everything") by Greg Egan/Trans. Makoto Yamagishi Tokyo Sogensha

Nominees:

• To Say Nothing of the Dog: How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last ("Inu wa Kanjo ni Iremasen: Aruiwa, Kieta Victoria Asa Kabin no Nazo" - "The Dog Doesn't Count: Or, the Mystery of the Missing Victorian Vase") by Connie Willis/Trans. Nozomi Omori   Hayakawa Books
• The Prestige ("Kijutsushi" - "Magicians") Christopher Priest/Trans. Yoshimichi Furusawa   Hayakawa Books
• The Fifth Head of Cerberus("Keruberosu Daigo no Kubi") by Gene Rodman Wolfe/Trans. Kiichiro Yanashita   Kokushokankokai
• The Physiognomy ("Shiroi Kajitsu" - "White Fruit") by Jeffrey Ford/Trans. Yuko Yamao, Kanehara Mizuhito, Akemi Tanigaki    Kokushokankokai
• The Embedding ("Enbedingu") by Ian Watson/Trans. Hiro Yamagata   Kokushokankokai
• Down the Bright Way ("Chikyukan Haiuei" - "Interplanetary Highway") by Robert Reed/Trans. Norio Ito   Hayakawa Books

Foreign Short Stories
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Winner: "And Now the News..." ("Nyusu no Jikan Desu") by Theodore Sturgeon/Trans. Nozomi Omori   Hayakawa Publishing, Appeared in July 2004 SF Magazine

Nominees:

• "The Ice Dragon" ("Aisu Duragon") by George R.R. Martin/Trans. Akinobu Sakai   Hayakawa Publishing, Appeared in December 2004 SF Magazine
• "Seven American Nights" ("Amerika no Shichiya") by Gene Wolfe/Trans. Hisashi Asakura   Hayakawa Publishing, Appeared in October 2004 SF Magazine
• "The Last of the Winnebagos" ("Saigo no Uinebego") by Connie Willis/Trans. Nozomi Omori    Hayakawa Publishing, Appeared in May 2004 SF Magazine
• "My Pal Clunky" ("Meiken Kuranki" - "Clunky the Wonder Dog") by Ron Goulart/Trans. Hisashi Asakura   Hayakawa Publishing, Appeared in October 2004 SF Magazine
• "The Asian Shore" ("Ajia no Kishibe") by Thomas M. Disch/Trans. Tadashi Wakashima   Kokushokankokai, Appeared in the Compilation "The Asian Shore"
• The Two Janets ("Futari Janetto") by Terry Bisson/Trans. Toru Nakamura    Kawade Shobo Shinsha, Appeared in the Compilation "The Two Janets"
• Tourist ("Tsurisuto") by Charles Stross/Trans. Akinobu Sakai     Hayakawa Publishing, Appeared in August 2004 SF Magazine

Media
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Winner: Puranetesu ("Planetes" - official English title) Director: Goro Taniguchi   Sunrise, NHK

Nominees:

• Kumo no Muko, Yakusoku no Basho ("The Place Promised in our Early Days" - official English title) Director: Makoto Shinkai    CoMix Wave
• Tetsujin 28go ("Gigantor" - official English title) Director: Yasuhiro Imagawa    GENCO, Ganges, TV Tokyo
• Inosensu ("Innocence" - official English title) Director: Mamoru Oshi    Production I.G.
• Hagane no Renkinjutsushi ("Full Metal Alchemist" - official English title) Director: Seiji Mizushima    BONES, TBS
• Rodo obu za Ringu - Ou no Kikan ("Lord of the Rings - Return of the King") Director: Peter Jackson    Newline Cinema
• ASTRO BOY Tetsuwan Atomu ("Astro Boy" - official English title) Director: Kazuya Konaka    Tezuka Productions

Comics
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Winner: Buremen II 1 - 5 ("Bremen ii" - official English title) Izumi Kawahara    Hakusensha

Nominees:

• Joka Shirizu 1 - 8 ("JOKER series" - official English title) Katsumi Michihara Shinshokan
• Mun Rosuto 1 - 2 ("Lost Moon") Yukinobu Hoshino    Kodansha
• Zettai Karen Chirudoren ("Truly Lovely Children") Takashi Shina    Appeared in Issues 39 - 42 of Shonen Sunday, 2004
• Oson Senso ("The Oson War") Daisuke Nishijima    Hayakawa Books
• Hoshin Ekuzakuson 1 - 7 ("The Cannon God Exaxxion" - official English title) Kenichi Sonoda    Kodansha
• Aijin AI-REN 1 - 5 ("Lovers: AI-REN") Yutaka Tanaka   Hakusensha

Artwork
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Winner: Makoto Shinkai

Nominees:

• Naoyuki Kato
• Mikio Masuda
• Taiko Matsuo
• Range Murata
• Shigeki Maeshima
• Daisuke Nishijima
• Juryoku Iwago
• Yoshitoshi Abe

Nonfiction
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Winner: Maeda Kensetsu Fuantaji Eigobu (Maeda Corporation Fantasy Marketing Department) Maeda Corporation   Gentosha

Nominees:

• Unleashing the Atom: Part 1 of the story of the science fiction magazines from the beginning to the 1950s ("SF Zasshi no Rekishi: Parupu Magajin no Kyoen" - "The History of SF Magazines: A Feast of Pulp Magazines") by Mike Ashley/Trans. Shinji Maki    Tokyo Sogensha
• Raito Noberu - Mettagiri! (Light Novel - Wild Cutting!) Nozomi Omori, Mii Mimura    Ohta Books
• Imaginary Worlds (Fuantaji no Rekishi: Kuso Sekai - "A History of Fantasy: Imaginary Worlds") by Lin Carter/Trans. Toru Nakamura    Tokyo Sogensha
• Tondemo Hon? Chigau, SF da! ("Tondemo? No! this is Science-Fiction!!!!!!!!!!" - official English title) Hiroshi Yamamoto    Yosensha
• Otaku: Jinkaku = Kuso = Toshi: Venechia Biennare Dai 9kai Kokusai Kenchikuten Nihonkan Shutten Figyua Mura Katarogu ("OTAKU: persona = space = city: La Biennale di Venezia 9th International Architecture Exhibition's Japanese Figure Catalog) Japan Foundation    Gentosha

Free
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Winner:Venechia Biennare Dai 9kai Kokusai Kenchikuten La Biennale di Venezia 9th International Architecture Exhibition Japan Foundation
Nomination Reason - For contributions to spreading knowledge about Japan's Otaku (loosely translated as "nerd") culture Public Website: http://www.jpf.go.jp/venezia-biennale/otaku/j/index.html

Nominees:

• Robotto Opera ("Robot Opera: An Anthology of Robot Fiction and Robot Culture" - official English title) Ed. Hideaki SenaKobunsha  Nomination Reason - For the compilation of the anthology
• Yumei Boenkyo Pepakurafuto (Paper Craft Versions of Famous Telescopes) National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ)  Nomination Reason - For the highly creative effort to put together this project Public Website: http://www.nro.nao.ac.jp/~lmsa/outreach/papermodel.html
• Mirai no Bungaku (Literature about the Future) Kokushokankokai  Nomination Reason - For the design and editing of the series (Special Note: The Fifth Head of Cerberus, The Embedding, and The Asian Shore were part of this series)

Special
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Tetsu Yano : Passed away on October 13th, 2004. We present the special award for his efforts as a true SF fan working to build deep relationships within the SF community, and for his contributions and dedication as a professional.
(Special Note: See SFWA news article for more information about his life: http://www.sfwa.org/news/yano.htm)
 

Translated by Eric Bailey

Posted September 8, 2005