Judges Confirmed for the Gemstone Discovery Project

This project is a joint effort between Futami Shobo and the Yamagata Novelist Writer Course, aiming to discover and nurture new talents with a BL (Boys Love) theme who are not bound by conventional frameworks. We had already announced the participation of Shion Miura as a judge, and we are pleased to report that three new judges have also been confirmed.

[Judges]

Shion Miura
Born in Tokyo in 1976. Debuted in 2000 with "Kakutou suru mono ni Maru". Won numerous awards including the Naoki Prize for "Mahoro Ekimae Tada Benriken" in 2006, the Japan Booksellers' Award for "Fune wo Amu" (The Great Passage) in 2012, the Oda Sakunosuke Prize for "Ano Ie ni Kurasu Yonin no Onna" in 2015, the Shimase Award for Love Literature and the Kawai Hayao Story Prize for "Nonohana Tsushin" in 2018, and the Botanical Society of Japan Special Prize for "Ainaki Sekai" in 2019. Other novels include "Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru" (Run with the Wind), "Kamusari Naanaa Nichijo", "Hikari", "Elegy wa Nagarenai", and "Sumi no Yurameki". Essays include "Hon'yasan de Machiawase", "Nokkekara Shitsurei shimasu", "Manner wa Iranai: Shosetsu no Kakikata Koza", and "Suki ni Natte Shimaimashita." Recent works include "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami", "Yubisaki ni Maho", and the essay "Shingari de Neteimasu".

Yukari Fujimoto
Professor at the School of Global Japanese Studies, Meiji University. Her specialties are "Gender and Representation" and "Manga Cultural Studies". Until 2007, while working as an editor at Chikuma Shobo handling gender-related issues, she engaged in critical activities focusing on comics and sexuality. She was also the secretary-general of the Dazai Osamu Prize and a literary editor in charge of Kikuko Tsumura, Rieko Matsuura, Azusa Nakajima, and others. In addition to writing serialized columns for newspapers and magazines, she has served as a selection committee member for the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize and the Kodansha Manga Award. Moved to Meiji University in 2008. Recently, she has been investigating the overseas expansion of expressions such as BL and their relationship with local LGBT communities. Representative works include "Watashi no Ibasho wa Doko ni Aruno?" (Where is My Place?) (Gakuyo Shobo / Asahi Bunko) and "Kairaku Denryu" (Pleasure Current) (Kawade Shobo Shinsha).

Yuri Eda
Novelist. Born in Tokyo, raised in Chiba.
Debuted in 2000 with "Natsu no Shio".
Publishes works across various genres including BL novels, mysteries, and fantasy.
Representative works include the "Negotiator Series", "Youkian Yawa Series", and "Kyutei Shinkan Monogatari". As of 2026, she has published over 170 books.
In 2017, "Kabukibu!" was animated; in 2022, "Sensei no Otoriyose" (co-authored with Asumiko Nakamura) was adapted into a drama; in 2023, "Eien no Kino" was adapted into a drama.
Her latest work is "Koroshiya ga Reji ni Iru" in 2025.

Yusuke Nii
Dentsu Inc.
Entertainment Business Center, Anime Business General Manager
Manga Anime Growth Partners, Leader
Graduated from the Faculty of Letters, Tohoku University. Joined Dentsu in April 2002.
After working in the television department for about 15 years, he moved to the entertainment department.
In his current position since January 2022, he leads the anime business division consisting of about 100 employees, including those at dedicated anime bases in Shanghai and L.A. He has invested and participated in numerous anime works, promoting a wide range of businesses such as production management, domestic and international licensing, promotions, and events including exhibitions and stage plays.

[About the Selection of Judges] (From the Project Team)
The concept of this project is to "Hone talents and deliver them to the world." In other words, it is about discovering new rough stones that are not bound by conventional frameworks or contexts, and creating opportunities in the global market.
To achieve this, we aim to form a panel of judges with diverse backgrounds to evaluate the works from various perspectives, avoiding single-sided evaluations.

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[Project Overview]
1. Introduction of a "Nurturing" Educational Step
Unlike conventional literary awards, those who pass the primary selection will receive 2-3 special lectures (online) by editors and others (a special program of the Yamagata Novelist and Writer Course). We provide opportunities for honing skills to create more attractive works.

2. A Gorgeous Panel of Selection Committee Members
By assigning the gorgeous members mentioned above as judges, we aim to discover works that are not bound by conventional frameworks or contexts and can compete in the global market.

3. End-to-End Support for Book Publication, Comic Adaptation, and Global Expansion
Award-winning works are guaranteed to be published as books and comics, and will be produced with an eye toward global expansion (translation and distribution).

[About Futami Shobo]
Futami Shobo entered the BL field in the 1990s and has led the market by developing specialized labels, nurturing many authors, and publishing series of books. In recent years, we have also focused on e-books and comic adaptations, promoting the diversification and overseas expansion of BL.
Official HP: https://www.futami.co.jp/

[What is the Yamagata Novelist Writer Course]
A literature course opened in April 1997 by Naoki Prize-winning author Yoshio Takahashi. Literary critic Fuyuki Ikegami has served as the caretaker. It is independently operated by volunteers with the motto "Serious yet casual." Many students, including Akio Fukamachi, Yuko Yuzuki, and Aruji Kuroki, have flown out as professionals from this course. The course is held 10 times a year, inviting leading authors and editors as lecturers. Shion Miura, a judge for this project, also takes the stage as a lecturer every year.
Official HP: https://yamagatakouza.fanbox.cc/
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577847224631

[Contact for Media Inquiries Regarding This Matter]
Inquiry dedicated email: jimukyoku@gensekihakkutsu.com