The official website for the 2020 Tokyo Anime Award Festival (TAAF) announced the nine recipients of the festival's Meritorious Service Award on Thursday. The award honors those who have made great contributions to the growth of the animation industry and culture, and who have elevated the status of the anime industry through their art, expression, training of others, and international exchange.

The nine recipients of this year's award include:

Shoji Sato

Producer

Conan, the Boy in Future



Junzō Nakajima

Producer

Heidi - A Girl of the Alps



Takeshi Shudō (posthumous award)

Scriptwriter

Pokemon: Mewtwo Returns



Kazuko Nakamura (posthumous award)

Animator

The White Snake



Hisao Shirai (posthumous award)

Director of Photography

My Neighbor Totoro



Akiko Koyama

Color Designer

Little Women



Michio Mamiya

Composer

Gauche the Cellist



Masako Ikeda

Voice Actress

Galaxy Express 999 (Maetel)



Seiki, Inc.

Photography, Filming Equipment





The Tokyo Anime Award Festival will be held next year in Ikebukuro in Tokyo from March 13 to March 16. The festival will host an exhibition of the works of the 10 recipients.

The Tokyo Anime Award Festival launched the Meritorious Service Award in 2005 (when the festival was then called the Tokyo Anime Award and was part of the Tokyo International Anime Fair event). In 2014, when the Tokyo International Anime Fair and the Anime Contents Expo merged to form AnimeJapan, the festival launched as its own separate event.

Tokyo Anime Award Festival also grants awards to theatrical and television anime, as well as individual awards for different staff positions.

Sources: 2020 TAAF website, Comic Natalie