The of the

Japan Academy Film Prize The , often called the Japan Academy Prize, the Japan Academy Awards, and the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Japan Academy Film Prize Association (日本アカデミー賞協会, ''Nippon Akademii- ...

is one of the annual Awards given by the Japan Academy Film Prize Association.

History

Although the Japan Academy Film Prize has been awarded annually since 1978 to Japanese films, animation films were disregarded in the early years of the Prize. Animation films have included top grossing Japanese films of the year, such as ''

Doraemon ''Doraemon'' ( ja, ドラえもん ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. The manga was first serialized in December 1969, with List of Doraemon chapters, its 1,345 individual chapters compiled into 45 ' ...

'' (1980,1981,1983,1984),

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and ha ...

's ''

Kiki's Delivery Service is a 1989 Japanese Anime, animated fantasy film written, produced, and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, adapted from the Kiki's Delivery Service (novel), 1985 novel by Eiko Kadono. It was animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Yamato Transpor ...

'' (1989), '' Only Yesterday'' (1991), ''

Porco Rosso is a 1992 Anime, Japanese animated Adventure film, adventure-fantasy film, fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It is based on ''Hikōtei Jidai'' ("The Age of the Flying Boat"), a three-part 1989 watercolor manga by Miyazaki. It ...

'' (1992), ''

Pom Poko Pom or POM may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Pom (comics) (1919–2014), a Belgian comic strip writer and artist * Baby Pom, a fictional character in the British television programme ''Fimbles'' * Pom, a character in the video game ''Them's F ...

'' (1994), and ''

Whisper of the Heart is a 1995 Japanese animated romantic drama film directed by Yoshifumi Kondō and written by Hayao Miyazaki based on the 1989 manga of the same name by Aoi Hiiragi. It was animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network ...

'' (1995). Yet no animated film received a nomination for a Japan Academy Film Prize during those years. This was notably different from other major Japanese film awards, such as the

Mainichi Film Award The are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by Mainichi Shinbun (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan, since 1946. It is the first film festival in Japan. History The origins of the contest date back to 1935, ...

and

Kinema Junpo , commonly called , is Japan's oldest film magazine and began publication in July 1919. It was first published three times a month, using the Japanese ''Jun'' (旬) system of dividing months into three parts, but the postwar ''Kinema Junpō'' ha ...

, which both awarded Picture of the Year to ''

My Neighbor Totoro is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten. The film—which stars the voice actors Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, and Hitoshi Takagi—tells the story of a ...

'' in 1988. In 1990, the Japan Academy Film Prize Association gave a Special Award to ''Kiki's Delivery Service'' at the 13th the Japan Academy Film Prize, and again in 1995 to

Takahata file:Yamagata Takahata Winery.JPG, 270px, Yamagata Takahata Winery is a Towns of Japan, town located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 23,367, in 7629 households, and a population density of 130 persons per ...

's ''Pom Poko''. However, there was still no nomination for these animated box office hits. But in 1998, the Japan Academy Film Prize Association's attitude toward animated films changed with the hugely successful ''

Princess Mononoke is a 1997 Japanese animated epic historical fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network and Dentsu. The film stars the voices of Yōji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida ...

'', the highest box-office record ever in the history of Japanese cinema, which dominated the other major film prizes (''See'':

Awards An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award ...

). As a result, at the 21st Japan Academy Film Prize that year,

's ''Princess Mononoke'' became the first-ever animation film to be nominated for and win the Japan Academy Film Prize Picture of the Year.

Yoshiyuki Tomino is a Japanese mecha anime creator, animator, director, screenwriter, songwriter and novelist best known for creating the ''Gundam'' anime franchise. He was born in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, and studied at Nihon University's College of Art. ...

, famed for ''

Gundam is a Japanese military fiction media franchise. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks), the franchise features giant robots, or mecha, with the name "Gundam". The franchise began on April 7, 1979, with ''Mobile ...

'', mentioned it: "A hole that

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widel ...

made spending ten years". In 2002, at the 25th Japan Academy Film Prize, another animated film by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, ''

Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Tohokushinsha Film, and Mitsubishi and distribut ...

'', was again nominated and won the Picture of the Year. In 2007, the Japan Academy Film Prize followed the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, which instituted the

Academy Award for Best Animated Feature The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is given each year for animated films. An animated feature is defined by the Academy as a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes in which characters' performances are created using a frame-by- ...

in 2002, by creating the Japan Academy Film Prize for Animation of the Year. Only one film is awarded , but all five nominees are recognized by the association with the awarding of .General information on the awards

List of winners and nominees

with 4 films has the most awards as a studio while

Studio Chizu A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design, ...

& Madhouse feature prominently. No franchise has won the award twice but

Detective Conan ''Case Closed'', also known as , is a Japanese detective fiction, detective manga series written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' ...

is the most nominated franchise with 8 nominations while

One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual chapte ...

& Evangelion feature prominently.

References

External links

Japan Academy Film Prize official website
- {{Animation industry in Japan Anime awards Awards for best animated feature film Animation of the Year Awards established in 2007 2007 establishments in Japan

History

List of winners and nominees

See also

References

External links