Attack on Titan author Hajime Isayama has been awarded the Noma Publishing Culture Award, Kodansha announced on Thursday.
Kodansha established the award in 2019 as a way of acknowledging those who have made significant contributions to publishing and has been given to individuals from a variety of different fields. Isayama was additionally rewarded a prize of ¥1 million (roughly USD $8,800).
J-Pop duo YOASOBI and novelist Shizuka Ijuin were also given the award alongside Isayama, while the Kadokawa Culture Museum was recognized with a special prize. YOASOBI’s seventh single, “Kaibutsu”, was featured as the opening song for the second season of Beastars. Ijuin has received a variety of awards over his career and is most well-known for his short story collection, Ukezuki.
Isayama started on Attack on Titan in 2009, following his work on a successful one-shot of the same name from 2006. After a successful run in which the series reached over 100 million copies in circulation, the manga ended in April 2021. It would go on to win several awards, and the manga’s success spawned various adaptations, most notably an incredibly popular anime.
The Attack on Titan anime has managed to stand out in its own right, boasting both critical and commercial success in Japan and overseas. Since debuting in 2013, the anime has amassed four compilation films, 8 OVAs, and 75 episodes spread out through four seasons, with the final season set to resume in January.
Wit Studio worked on the series’ first three seasons from 2013-2019. The studio has gone on to produce notable titles such as Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, The Ancient Magus' Bride and will head the Spy x Family adaptation set to release sometime in 2022. MAPPA took control of the series for the final season and will be working on the heavily anticipated Chainsaw Man adaptation soon after Season 4 is finished.
Isayama isn’t the only prominent figure in the anime and manga industry to receive the award. Director Makoto Shinkai won it during its inaugural year, and author Koyoharu Gotouge won it the year after. Shinkai is best known for his work on the acclaimed Your Name as well as 2019s Weathering With You, while Gotouge is the mangaka behind the immensely popular Demon Slayer.
Source: Kodansha via Crunchyroll