Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back Writer to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

Over a decade ago, fans were introduced to a film that would come to define so many children. At the height of Pokemon's craze, theaters announced they would bring Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back to fans overseas. The movie went on to become a hit with fans, and it turns out Pokemon has managed to snag a major award.

As reported by Crunchyroll, the Tokyo Anime Award Festival has announced its award line up for 2020. The organization will be giving out several lifetime achievement awards, and one of the recipients will be the screenwriter behind the first Pokemon movie.

Takeshi Shudo will get a posthumous achievement award from the Tokyo Anime Award Festival this year. The writer penned the very first Pokemon movie, but he also did extensive work on the franchise's TV series. Shudo began work on Pokemon back in 1997 and ultimately stepped away from the series in 2002, eight years before his death in October 2010.

Of course, Shudo has other credits to his name. The screenwriter did work for Legend of the Galactic Heroes, GoShogun, and a few more more. However, it was his dedication to Pokemon that left Shudo a lasting and loving legacy with audiences.

The 2020 ceremony will also honor eight other recipients this year. Shoji Sato (Future Boy Conan), Junzo Nakajima (Girl of the Alps), Kazuko Nakamura (Astro Boy), Hisao Shirai (My Neighbor Totoro), Akiko Koyama (Soul Eater), Michio Mamiya (Grave of the Fireflies), Masako Ikeda (Galaxy Express 999), and Seiki Co. Ltd. will be gifted lifetime achievement awards as well.

Does the first Pokemon movie still impress you after all these years? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Pokemon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution officially released on July 12th in Japan. The film is directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and Motonari Sakakibara, with a screenplay written by Takeshi Shudo. There was a hint that the film would be a complete CG remake of the original Mewtwo Strikes Back film, but that was not confirmed until the first audiences saw it for themselves during its world premiere at Anime Expo 2019 earlier this month.