Masaaki Yuasa, Science Saru's Japan Sinks: 2020 TV Anime Wins Jury Award at Annecy

Masaaki Yuasa and Science SARU's Japan Sinks: 2020 anime series won the Jury Award for a TV Series for its first episode "The Beginning of the End" at this year's Annecy International Animation Film Festival on Saturday.

The anime competed in the TV Films category this year, and was slated to compete in the category last year, but was removed from last year's event, following a delay in delivery linked to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The anime series adapted Sakyo Komatsu's Japan Sinks (Nihon Chinbotsu) science-fiction novel, and premiered on Netflix in July 2020. The show had 10 episodes. Nihon Chinbotsu 2020 Gekijō Henshuban: Shizumanu Kibō, the compilation film version of the show, opened in Japanese theaters with 5.1ch sound on November 13.

Other works by Yuasa or Science SARU that have competed at Annecy include Yuasa's short film "Kick-Heart," their Adventure Time episode "Food Chain," and their Ride Your Wave' film. Yuasa and Science SARU's Lu over the wall film won the top "Cristal for a Feature Film" award in 2017 — the first win by a Japanese film at the festival in 22 years.

Jonas Poher Rasmussen's animated documentary Flee won this year's Cristal for a Feature Film award, the event's top award. Masashi Ando's The Deer King (Shika no Ō), Kotaru Tamura's Josee, The Tiger and the Fish, and Yusuke Hirota's Poupelle of Chimney Town films competed in the Features category.

Mirai Mizue's "Kanashimi No Kodomotachi" music video for the idol group Maison book girl competed in the Commissioned Films category, but Martina Scarpelli's "Kai 'A Little Too Much'" short won the category. Momoka Furukawahara's "Kata no Ato" competed in the Graduation Short Films category, but Zehao Li's "Hippocampus" won the award.

Established in 1960, Annecy is the world's oldest and largest animation film festival. This year's event ran from June 14-19 in the French town of the same name, and it celebrated the event's 60th anniversary.

Last year's physical Annecy International Animation Film Festival was canceled due to concerns about the spread COVID-19. Instead, an online version of the festival was held last June.