Tekkon Kinkreet may have lost the race for an Oscar, as we predicted last autumn (although it didn't take an Edo Rocket scientist to see that coming). But Justice has now been served in Japan, where Studio 4°C's animation film was recognized as the best of the best, by the Nippon Academy-Sho Association (sort of Japanese Oscars, ANN reckons).

Then again, the competition wasn't that challenging, Tekkon Kinkreet only having to prove its superiority against the likes of Evangelion: 1.0 You Are [Not] Alone, Summer Days with Coo, Piano no Mori, and the latest Detective Conan movie. Too bad 5cm didn't make it... By the way, this was only the second year to feature an "Animation of the Year" award, last year's winner being The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Fair enough.