The Japanese anime "Oni: Thunder God's Tale," a story about a girl growing up in a world of gods and monsters, won two prizes in the TV/Media category at the annual Annies on Saturday.

The stop-motion animation directed by Daisuke Tsutsumi won the category's Limited Series and Production Design awards at the 50th Annie Awards.

"I cannot believe it. There were many nominations of very high-quality work, so I am extremely happy," Tsutsumi told reporters.

The four-episode anime series released on Netflix was produced by Tonko House, which has a studio in the central Japan city of Kanazawa and California.

Daisuke Tsutsumi, director of the Japanese cartoon "Oni: Thunder God's Tale," speaks to reporters on Feb. 25, 2023 in Los Angeles after the film won two prizes in the TV and Media category at the annual Annies. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The studios were launched by Tsutsumi and Robert Kondo, his co-director of "The Dam Keeper," which was nominated for the short animation category of the Academy Awards in 2015.

Another Japanese production, "Inu-Oh," a fantasy musical depicting maverick artists in 14th-century Kyoto, was nominated for Best Indie Feature and Best Writing for a feature film but did not win.

"Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio" bagged five trophies at the Annies, including the most prestigious, Best Feature. The work also won the Golden Globe for best animated feature in January.

The Annie Awards recognize outstanding achievements in and contributions to the art of animation each year.