The judging committee of the 14th Animation Kobe Awards has announced this year's award winners on Friday. The awards are among the most prestigious industry accolades in Japanese animation and media.

Individual Award

La Maison en Petits Cubes

Kunio Katō (director and creator of

Special Award

Ashita no Joe, Candy Candy, Dog of Flanders, Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball, Gegege no Kitarō, Getter Robo, Kimba the White Lion

Shun-ichi Yukimuro (writer for

Theatrical Film Award

WALL-E

(Pixar)

Television Award

Eden of the East

Network Award

Theme Song Award

K-On!

(Production I.G)Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya & Nyorōn Churuya-san (Kyoto Animation)"Don't say 'lazy'" (ending theme) by Sakurakou K-On Bu (Sakura High School Light Music Club)

The 14th Annual Animation Kobe event will hold an awards ceremony on October 18 in the city of Kobe in western Japan. The judging committee is composed of experts in the industry — notably the editors of animation and media magazines such as Animage, Animedia and Weekly ASCII, . Previous winners have included Mitsuo Iso, Hideaki Anno, Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Miku Hatsune, Evangelion: 1.0 You Are [Not] Alone, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, Ghost in the Shell, Paprika, Princess Mononoke, Cowboy Bebop, Fullmetal Alchemist, Key the Metal Idol, Voices of a Distant Star, Phatasy Star Online, Final Fantasy XI, Second Life , Fujiko F. Fujio, Leiji Matsumoto, and the theme songs to the Fruits Basket , The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya , and Macross Frontier television series.