Popular series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba received recognition at the 2021 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Awards.
Coming days after the release of a major feature film, Koyoharu Gotouge’s Demon Slayer manga was awarded the Special Prize by the award's committee, according to Anime News Network. The accolade was accompanied by a bronze statue and 1 million yen (approximately $9,000 USD). The series was nominated last year, as well, but didn't win.
This was the 25th year of the annual awards ceremony, which was created to honor artist and so-called "Father of Manga" Osamu Tezuka. Regarded for his innovative techniques, one of Tezuka’s most notable works is the classic Astro Boy series. Other winners included Kazumi Yamashita’s Land, which took the Grand Prize, and Kanehito Yamada’s Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Sōsō no Frieren), which received the New Creator Prize. The awards ceremony is scheduled for June.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba is one of the bestselling manga of all time, with over 100 million copies in circulation. The series follows the trials of a young boy, who wants to become a demon slayer, and his sister, who is transformed into a demon. The Demon Slayer anime premiered in 2019, running for 26 episodes and developing an even larger following.
Demon Slayer will officially receive the Special Prize award at the 25th Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize awards ceremony, occurring June 3 at the Asahi Shimbun Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.
The Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba manga is available on VIZ. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train is now in theaters.
Source: Anime News Network