The was an event established by

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

in 1996 to promote

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

and other visual media. The were given annually until 2015 by Kobe and the Organising Committee to creators and creations.

Event

Animation Kobe has been held annually in

since 1996. In addition to the awards ceremony, the event holds screenings of the prize winners and talk shows. The 11th event, in 2006, was carried live on the official website. The awards event was closed in 2015.

Major staff

; Chairman of the Committee * Yasuki Hamano, 1996–2005 *

Akira Kamiya is a Japanese voice actor. He played several notable roles in Japanese manga and anime television series, including Kenshiro in ''Fist of the North Star'', Ryo Saeba in ''City Hunter'' and Shutaro Mendo in ''Urusei Yatsura''. In mecha anime, he ...

, 2006–2015 ; Chairman of the examination The examination is done mainly by a panel of chief editors of the magazines covering

, such as ''

Newtype is a monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime (and to a lesser extent, tokusatsu, manga, Japanese science fiction, seiyuu, and video games). It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985, with i ...

'', '' Animedia'' and ''

Animage is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. Hayao Miyazaki's internationally renowned manga, ''Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', was serialized in ''Animage'' from 1982 through 1994. Oth ...

''. Usually, one of the city employees sent by Kobe City also participates.Judges
at the 3rd event (1998)

at the 6th event (2001)

at the 9th event (2004) The panel vote for one of its members to serve as chairman:
at the 6th event (2001) * Nobuo Oda, 1998 – chief editor of '' Animedia'' * Susumu Asaka, 1999 – chief editor of ''CD-ROM Fan'' * Toshihiro Fukuoka, 2000 – chief editor of '' Weekly Ascii'' * Masahito Arinaga, 2001 – chief editor of a new magazine of MediaWorks * Akitaro Daichi, 2002–2003 – animation director * Kenji Yano, 2004 – chief editor of ''

'' * Yasushi Nakaji, 2006 – chief editor of '' Animedia'' * Toshihiro Fukuoka, 2007 – chief editor of '' Weekly Ascii'' * Isao Fujioka, 2008 – chairman of ''MdN Corporation''

Winners

The committee chooses most of the winners. Only the ''Animation Kobe Theme Song Award'' is chosen by fans' votes in the first selection, though the decision is by the committee. Therefore, the tendency of the prize winners is a little different from other prizes by the fans' vote. (''See'': Animage Grand Prix)

Individual Award

The activities from September of the previous year to August of the event year become objects for the examination. Newcomers expected to have future prominence are noted.criterion of examination
at the 3rd event (1998)
at the 5th event (2000) *

Watanabe Watanabe ( and other variantsSee #Miscellaneous) is a Japanese surname derived from the noble and samurai Watanabe clan, a branch of the Minamoto clan, descending from the Emperor Saga (786-842), the 52nd Emperor of Japan, and refers to a loca ...

, Okiura, Nagahama,

Iso ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization. ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance * Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007 * Iso ...

and Katō received the award for their first films as director.

Special Award

Awards for individual(s) or group that contributed to Japanese anime during a long period. In the first year, the Yomiuri Award was posthumously given to

Fujiko F. Fujio was a manga writing duo formed by Japanese manga artists and . They formed their partnership in 1951, and used the Fujiko Fujio name from 1954 until dissolution of the partnership in 1987, upon Fujimoto's illness. The pair was best known f ...

who died two months before the event.

Theatrical Film Award

Animation films released in Japan from September of the previous year to August of the event year become candidates. The candidates are selected not only from Japan, but also from other countries. However, the committee sees more importance in a point of view promoting young creators of Japan.

Television Award

The TV animations broadcast in Japan from September of the previous year to August of the event year, excluding rebroadcasts, become candidates. The candidates are selected not only from Japan but also from other countries. However, the committee sees more importance in a point of view promoting young creators of Japan.

Packaged Work Award

The packaged media distributed in Japan from September of the previous year to August of the event year become candidates. The candidates are selected not only from Japan but also from other countries. However, the committee sees more importance in a point of view promoting young creators of Japan.

Network Award

Re-created in 2000 as ''Network Media Award'', the anime-related media making the best use of interactive distribution in Japan from September of the previous year to August of the event year become candidates. The word ''Network'' does not mean only Internet. The candidates are selected not only from Japan but also from other countries. However, the committee sees more importance in a point of view promoting young creators of Japan.

Theme Song Award

The theme songs of either anime or other forms of animated media distributed in Japan from September of the previous year to August of the event year become candidates. The voting by fans is counted, and the five songs with the highest number of votes become the candidates for the final competition. Especially, the committee sees more importance in original songs made for an anime, sung in the 'spirit' of the work. Only the ''Thema Song Award'' is influenced by the fans. This format started from the 4th event. The total number of votes in a year is about 10,000 votes. The result of the vote is also announced on the official sites of

Radio Kansai Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

, Anitama.com and the programs of Radio Kansai before the event. Though this is a preliminary vote to reduce the candidates to final, the candidates chosen in first by the vote have always won the award.

References

External links

* {{Animation industry in Japan Kobe Anime awards Tourist attractions in Kobe 1996 establishments in Japan 2015 disestablishments in Japan Recurring events established in 1996 Recurring events disestablished in 2015 Annual events in Japan Awards established in 1996 Awards disestablished in 2015 Animation awards