Mechamato wins Anime Fan Award in Tokyo

KUALA LUMPUR: The Mechamato animation series made history when it became the first non-Japanese animation to win the 'Anime Fan Award' at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival (TAAF) 2023.

Animonsta Studios (Monsta) chief executive officer Nizam Abd Razak said the win was a good start for the local studio's animation series in the Japanese, as well as the international market.

"We thank everyone who voted for Mechamato. We are very excited to have won the award at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival, which is from Japan, a country famous for its animation industry.

"Monsta is confident that Mechamato will be able to captivate the hearts of the Japanese audience, especially children, because of its unique concept and the story, which is full of noble values," he said in a statement today.

The results were announced through TAAF's official website. Mechamato secured 40,590 votes, ahead of 50 other competitors in the same category.

Mechamato qualifies to compete for the award after it premiered on Cartoon Network Japan in March 2022.

The popularity of the Malaysian animated series skyrocketed when it aired on Netflix Japan's streaming platform in October 2022.

Meanwhile, Monsta marketing director Faiz Zainal Aabidin, in the same statement, said the award would be a stepping stone for distributors in Japan to accept the works of Malaysians.

"Our thanks to Cartoon Network Japan for trusting the animated series Mechamato...Monsta will continue to strive to bring the Mechamato series to local Japanese television stations, and if possible, to show the Mechamato Movie in Japanese cinemas as well," he said.

The Mechamato series is currently shown in over 70 countries including Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India.

The Mechamato Movie which was shown in cinemas across Malaysia since Dec 8, 2022 has now collected more than RM36 million and is still showing in local cinemas for the 10th week.

-- BERNAMA