The Japanese government will officially recognize Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! and Japan Sinks 2020 director Masaaki Yuasa's contributions to the arts.
As reported by the NHK, Yuasa will be the latest recipient of Japan's Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon, an award given to artists who have excelled in their field and have made a significant impact to Japan's art and culture. Yuasa is well known as the director of many celebrated anime series such as The Tatami Galaxy and Devilman Crybaby. Yuasa will be the latest manga and anime industry luminary to be honored with the award, with previous recipients including Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata, Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo and Ranma 1/2 and Inuyasha creator Rumiko Takahashi.
Yuasa began his career working as an animator on series such as Chibi Maruko-Chan and Crayon Shin Chan, as well as Studio Ghibli's animated movie My Neighbors The Yamadas. The young artist made his directorial debut with 2004's Mind Game, which was based on a manga by Robin Nishi and produced by Studio 4°C. The film received a cult following and was praised by other film makers, most notably Perfect Blue and Paranoia Agent director Satoshi Kon. Following that film's success, Yuasa took a position within animation studio Madhouse, where he directed several series, the most acclaimed of which was 2010's The Tatami Galaxy, an adaptation of Tomihiko Morimi's novel. The series was the first of Yuasa's works to be officially streamed internationally and is widely regarded by critics as one of the best anime series of the decade.
Following the release of The Tatami Galaxy, Yuasa worked on a number of independent projects before establishing a new animation studio, Science SARU, with fellow animator and frequent collaborator Eunyoung Choi in 2013. Since then, the studio has worked on a number of critically lauded anime series and feature films, including the previously mentioned The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl and the anime adaptation of Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! In March 2020, Yuasa stepped down from his role as president of Science SARU, but will continue to work with the company in a creative role. Choi now serves as the president of the studio.
The director recently completely his latest project, a musical animated film entitled Inu-Oh, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September and will be given a theatrical release in 2022. Science SARU's latest anime series, a historical fantasy named The Heike Story, also premiered in September and is currently available for streaming through Funimation. The studio is also working on Tatami Time Machine Blues, a sequel to The Tatami Galaxy which will be directed by Sonny Boy's Shingo Natsume.
Source: NHK, via Anime News Network
