Determination to Pursue Something Interesting Appeals to People

Unlike last year, when the theme was the lifestyle
transformation amid the COVID-19 pandemic, I was
impressed that this year’s entries showed a glimpse of
determination (almost an obsession) to “create something interesting by all possible means,” even though we
live in a world where the pandemic-related abnormalities
have become the norm. Through the judging process, I
have become convinced that creativity is about struggling; projects driven by hardship indeed appeal to many
people. The Grand Prize winner, Naoki Urasawa presents Manben neo -Yoshikazu Yasuhiko-, is a long-lived
program. I think the award is attributed to the incredible
episode with the genius YASUHIKO Yoshikazu, which
shed light anew on the purpose and the excellence of
the program. Shooting in small spaces is typical low-key
production in the time of the pandemic, yet this program
demonstrates overwhelming creativity, proving a great
potential for future TV programs. I think the Grand Prize
is indeed the fruit of an obsession to “create something
interesting by all possible means.”
I hope many people see other works, including
cutting-edge creative works such as Giant 3D Cat
and YAKUSHIMA TREASURE ANOTHER LIVE from
YAKUSHIMA; INDUSTRIAL JP ASMR with an overpoweringly beautiful output consisting of sound collected
from factories throughout Japan; and viewers:1 with a
simple storyline but surprising development and careful
artwork. Personally, I was more fascinated by and saw
future potential in projects that struggle to find a cloud’s
silver lining, rather than those depending on new technologies and devices. In this regard, the talent of the
13-year-old creator of VR Sandbox is dazzling, and I
am excited about his future. No matter what the world
may look like, I truly hope for the future that we will see
epoch-making works derived from the obsession to
“create something interesting by all possible means.”