KADOKAWA's Newspaper Advertisement for "The Vampire Who Can't Suck Properly" Wins Work Award at the 93rd Mainichi Advertising Design Award

KADOKAWA (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, with Takeshi Natsuno as Representative Director, President, CEO) announced that its newspaper advertisement for the KADOKAWA publication "Chanto Suenai Kyuuketsuki-chan" received the Work Award in the Advertiser Participation Works Division at the 93rd Mainichi Advertising Design Award, organized by Mainichi Shimbun and supported by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The award ceremony took place on April 13, 2026, at Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo. The award-winning advertisement was a full five-column ad for the comic "Chanto Suenai Kyuuketsuki-chan," published in the Mainichi Shimbun morning edition on November 8, 2025. The ad, with the catchphrase "Itadakima-chu!", was designed to be interactive, encouraging readers to place their arm on the newspaper to simulate a vampire bite. Shuhei Abe, a KADOKAWA employee, served as Creative Director, Copywriter, and Art Director for the project. Miki Hasuga (Attic) was the designer, and Kyosuke Nishiki was the illustrator. Abe, who joined KADOKAWA in 2014 and moved to the advertising department in 2017, has a history of winning multiple advertising awards, including the Yomiuri Publishing Advertising Award and the Asahi Advertising Award, making this his fifth overall award. The Mainichi Advertising Design Award, established in 1931, is Japan's longest-running advertising award. The Advertiser Participation Works Division received 101 entries, with 16 ultimately recognized, including 10 Work Awards.