the episodes. Science SARU provided 'digitally assisted' animation production services, while Tatsunoko Production served as the primary studio. The series also reunited Yuasa with his old animation collaborator Shinya Ohira, who contributed the opening credits sequence. A major critical success, the series was highlighted as one of the best Japanese animated series of the decade. Ping Pong the Animation was awarded a Jury Selection Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival, and won the Grand Prize for Television Animation at the Tokyo Anime Awards Festival; additionally, character designer and longtime collaborator Nobutake Ito won the Best Animator award for individual achievement. Yuasa finished 2014 by directing an episode of the BONES television series Space Dandy (2014). The episode, entitled "Slow and Steady Wins the Race, Baby", was jointly produced by BONES and Science SARU and received critical acclaim. Return to feature films By early 2016, Science SARU had gained experience and was ready to undertake large-scale projects. The studio's first feature film production, the family-friendly fantasy film Lu Over the Wall (2017), was produced in less than 16 months using 'digitally assisted' animation techniques. Yuasa directed and co-wrote Lu Over the Wall; it was his first feature film with an original story. The film features the importance of self-expression as a central theme; Yuasa emphasized this aspect of the story in hopes of encouraging young people in Japan, who he felt were often not able to express their true feelings and emotions. Yuasa also decided to focus this project on a family audience out of a desire to return to the sensibility of his earlier works as an animator, including Crayon Shin-chan and Chibi Maruko-chan. During the production of Lu Over the Wall, Yuasa was offered the opportunity to produce a second feature film, the comedy romance The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl (2017), based on the novel by Tomihiko Morimi. The offer served as a unique chance for Yuasa, who had previously hoped to adapt the novel in 2010 after the completion of The Tatami Galaxy, but due to circumstances at the time was unable to. When he was given another chance in 2016, he immediately agreed and made use of the preparatory work he had done when initially offered the project. The film reunited a majority of the key creative staff who had worked on The Tatami Galaxy, with the story serving both as a spiritual successor