The official website for the 25th Japan Media Arts Festival Awards sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Cultural Affairs announced the winners on Sunday, Mar 13, 2022.

Among the 3,537 entries from 95 countries across the board for 2021, Sonny Boy directed by Shingo Natsume won the Excellence Award for Animated TV Series. Baku Kinoshita‘s TV anime ODD Taxi bagged the New Face Award for Animated TV Series.

In the manga division, Golden Raspberry by Aki Mochida won the Grand Prize while Inio Asano‘s Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction was honored with the Excellence Award.

All the award winners in the Animation Division and Manga Division include:

Animation Division

• Excellence Award for Animated Feature Film: Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko
• Excellence Award for Animated TV Series: Sonny Boy
• Social Impact Award: Pui Pui Molcar
• New Face Award for Animated TV Series: ODDTAXI

Manga Division

• Grand Prize: Golden Raspberry
• Excellence Award: Darwin’s Incident, Dead Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store
• Social Impact Award: Onna no Sono no Hoshi
• New Face Award: Fiance and Two Critters, Rolling Siblings, Lost Lad London

The Entertainment Division’s Grand Prize was awarded to the Naoki Urasawa presents Manben neo -Yoshikazu Yasuhiko- program. The festival also recognized Polygon Pictures president and CEO Shūzō Shiota and professor and manga author belne with Special Achievement Awards.

Last year, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! TV anime series won the Grand Prize in the Animation Division, and March Comes in Like a Lion manga by Chica Umino won the Grand Prize in the Manga Division.

The Japan Media Arts Festival is an annual festival held since 1997 by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs. The festival begins with an open competition and culminates with the awarding of several prizes and an exhibition.

Based on judging by a jury of artistic peers, awards are given in four categories: Art (formerly called Non-Interactive Digital Art), Entertainment (formerly called Interactive Art; including video games and websites), animation, and manga. Within each category, one Grand Prize, four Excellence Prizes, and (since 2002) one Encouragement Prize are awarded.

Source: Japan Media Arts Festival website