The Boy and the Heron won the most recent Japan Academy Film Prize in the animation category.
This proves that Ghibli is still a relevant studio, something fans doubted after 10 years without any big releases.
The nominees look weird, but that’s because they are based on Japanese release dates.
Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru ka) getting an Oscar for Best Animated Feature is something many fans initially didn’t expect to happen — but were very happy to see. Even those who didn’t like the movie were happy for the anime receiving attention from the Western public.
That said, the movie is actually critically acclaimed even outside of the Oscars Ceremony. It already got a Golden Globe Award — it was the first anime film to actually receive one. And just recently, the movie also won the Japan Academy Film Prize — which is actually a very big deal.
Ghibli can still make bangers
The movie received an award in the Best Animated Picture category. This particular award has existed since 2007, and studio Ghibli is the studio with the most awards — this is their fifth. The previous one was exactly 10 years ago, for The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu).
The studio not winning any prizes for 10 years actually made some people feel like they fell off. But this is proof that they still can put out some bangers. Besides, Miyazaki is their most famous director, and he wasn’t notably involved with anime between The Wind Rises and The Boy and the Heron.
Why are the nominations so weird?
Western fans might actually be confused about the list of nominated movies. It really looks like it was engineered with The Boy and the Heron winning in mind — most fans probably haven’t even heard of the other nominees.
They are Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window (Madogiwa no Totto-chan), Blue Giant, and the most recent movies for Detective Conan/Case Closed (Meitantei Conan) and Gegege no Kitarou.
Notable anime films that you don’t see on this list are The First Slam Dunk, One Piece Film: Red and Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume no Tojimari. However, all of these were actually released in 2022 and were in the previous year’s ceremony.
You have to remember that the nominees are based on Japanese release dates. In case you missed: Suzume didn’t even win the prize last year, The First Slam Dunk did.
Fans are happy about the movie winning so many prizes
Overall, despite the movie being somewhat controversial — it’s way too confusing for many fans — it might just be Miyazaki’s most acclaimed film. The Boy and the Heron winning so many awards is truly a blessing for Ghibli fans
It’s just as well-received in Japan.
Summary:
The Boy and the Heron won the most recent Japan Academy Film Prize in the animation category.
This proves that Ghibli is still a relevant studio, something fans doubted after 10 years without any big releases.
The nominees look weird, but that’s because they are based on Japanese release dates.
Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru ka) getting an Oscar for Best Animated Feature is something many fans initially didn’t expect to happen — but were very happy to see. Even those who didn’t like the movie were happy for the anime receiving attention from the Western public.
That said, the movie is actually critically acclaimed even outside of the Oscars Ceremony. It already got a Golden Globe Award — it was the first anime film to actually receive one. And just recently, the movie also won the Japan Academy Film Prize — which is actually a very big deal.
Ghibli can still make bangers
The movie received an award in the Best Animated Picture category. This particular award has existed since 2007, and studio Ghibli is the studio with the most awards — this is their fifth. The previous one was exactly 10 years ago, for The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu).
The studio not winning any prizes for 10 years actually made some people feel like they fell off. But this is proof that they still can put out some bangers. Besides, Miyazaki is their most famous director, and he wasn’t notably involved with anime between The Wind Rises and The Boy and the Heron.
Why are the nominations so weird?
Western fans might actually be confused about the list of nominated movies. It really looks like it was engineered with The Boy and the Heron winning in mind — most fans probably haven’t even heard of the other nominees.
They are Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window (Madogiwa no Totto-chan), Blue Giant, and the most recent movies for Detective Conan/Case Closed (Meitantei Conan) and Gegege no Kitarou.
Notable anime films that you don’t see on this list are The First Slam Dunk, One Piece Film: Red and Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume no Tojimari. However, all of these were actually released in 2022 and were in the previous year’s ceremony.
You have to remember that the nominees are based on Japanese release dates. In case you missed: Suzume didn’t even win the prize last year, The First Slam Dunk did.
Fans are happy about the movie winning so many prizes
Overall, despite the movie being somewhat controversial — it’s way too confusing for many fans — it might just be Miyazaki’s most acclaimed film. The Boy and the Heron winning so many awards is truly a blessing for Ghibli fans
