9th
Award-winning WorksAnimation Division

We had many applications which show exciting possibilities. This festival has a style in which both professionals and amateurs are judged on the same table, so we want to maximize the character of the festival when we execute the screening. For this reason, we had to go through very difficult auditions. However, it became a consensus of the examining meeting that we wanted to place more expectations on young fresh sensitivities even though they still lack in experience and are rougher than finely finished works by professionals. I would like to give spurs to the animation industry where the compartmentalization of professionals and amateurs has seemingly been successfully completed. Creators, who are recognized as professionals, are conservative and seem to avoid challenges by shutting themselves in their own style. Professionals themselves should demonstrate their struggles which would be a model for young artists, and the field of animation should not be a shelter of self protection and a hobby for an individual or a business area where sublimation of individual desire is driven underground. The selected 19 works were all produced by creators who keep challenging themselves and have a range of different stories. Jam the HOUSNAIL and Bip & Bap encourage children. One can observe a stance which tackles animation head-on in The Diary of Tortov Roddle A red fruit; Vaudeville; drop; Birds; CALM; and MY HOME. Viewers would also be overwhelmed by NEGADON-the Monster from Mars. The creators of Consultation Room, Love Room and One of the ways give me a sense of their potential. Also the Grand Prize and 3 Excellence Prizes were awarded to short animations and I do wish visitors to give a look at new talent concentrated in this division again this year.

In the commercial animation industry, the rise of young production companies is the latest trend. These companies have succeeded in producing films high in quality by maintaining clear direction in what kind of work they are aiming for and careful assignment of competent staff in production. Although everyone has his or her own taste and these artists may still be immature, I am genuinely happy that we had many such aspiring works this year. Let me take some examples from works which were not accepted. Both Psalms of Planets Eureka sevenN and TIDE-LINE BLUE have outstanding finished forms technologically which belies the fact that they are TV series. As a person in the same industry, I am struck with how much capability and trouble they need to keep producing this quality of work every week and am struck with admiration. As for Fullmetal Alchemist - Conqueror Of Shamballa, some members of the jury criticized its contents, but in my opinion, it is very well done in technical terms. For the TV series My-HiME, Honey and Clover, FUTAKOI Alternative, and BLOOD+, I would like to give applause to their excellent technical capabilities displayed in one limited episode each.

The fact that Flow by SAKAKIBARA Sumito, a sketch, won the Grand Prize was symbolic of the animation situation this year. The reason why the process of screening took time and the discussion was thrown into a state of extreme disorder was that the works were competitive with each other. In the Short Animation Division, the screening itself was enjoyable as the trends in both content and technology were growing into maturity was observed, but, in my opinion, further understanding was needed in how to structure the "changing function" as a visual image work. In the Long Animation Division, some works made us wonder if it marked a deviation from the assumptions of commercialism and here I also feel the loss of drama and sensitivity. In the opening of the 3rd volume of HOKUSAIMANGA by KATSUSHIKA Hokusai, it is written that, "It is easy to draw invisible demons and it is difficult to depict ordinary people". I hope that people who are involved in the animation industry would take the meaning of these words very seriously and develop a structure for a new visual image of the 21st century.