TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese cartoonists won big at the 2020 International Manga Award in Japan, claiming three of the 15 prizes, including the Gold Award.

Taiwanese comic artist Rumui (韋蘺若明) took the gold for “Funeral Director” (送葬協奏曲), which deals with the life of a mortician and traditional funeral rites, wrote CNA. The artist paid visits to Taiwanese funeral parlors for inspiration as he sought to depict people’s final journey.

The Silver Award was handed to Ruan Guang-min (阮光民) for “The Illusionist on the Skywalk and Other Stories” (天橋上的魔術師圖像版：阮光民卷), a graphic adaptation of a work by Taiwanese novelist Wu Ming-yi (吳明益). The stories illustrate children’s fantasies against the backdrop of Taipei’s Zhonghua Market (中華商場) in the 1980s.

One of the Bronze Awards was snatched by Taiwanese cartoonist D.S., whose “Blossom” (百花百色) revolves around the LGBT community and gender stereotypes. The “blossoms” are a metaphor for the various sexual identities and personalities of the young characters.

Founded by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2007, the Award honors talented artists and seeks to foster international exchanges in the manga scene. The competition received 383 entries from 61 countries, including the Gold, three Silver, and 11 Bronze Award winners.