Ponyo Wins 2 Animation of the Year Awards

Old habits die hard, it's been rumored, and so does the increasingly questionable tendency to proclaim Ghibli's works as the finest animations Japan has to offer. But when a film like Ponyo wins not just one, but two major "Animation of the Year" awards in its own country, there's not much left to argue.



And so, studio Ghibli and famed director Hayao Miyazaki are once again honored with the highest animation award, both in the "Japan Academy Prizes" from Nippon Academy-Sho Association (their Oscars of sorts), and the "Tokyo Anime Awards" from Tokyo International Anime Fair (TAF).

At the 32nd Japan Academy Prizes, Ponyo also won a music award for its soundtrack composed by Joe Hisaishi. And it should be pointed out that the competition it faced in the "Animation of the Year" category was modest, to say the least - with titles such as Doraemon: Nobita to Midori no Kyojin Den, The Sky Crawlers, Detective Conan: Full Score of Fear, and One Piece: Episode of Chopper + Fuyu ni Saku, Kiseki no Sakura. By the way, this category had only been aroud for two years, when The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Tekkon Kinkreet took the top spots.

As for the 8th Tokyo Anime Awards, aside from winning the "Animation of the Year" for 2008 award, Ponyo also topped several other categories, which are listed below together with other winners. The awards will be publicly presented at this year's TAF 2009 (Tokyo International Anime Fair) on March 20.

Best Animation of the Year - Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea
Best Domestic Feature Film - Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea
Best TV series - Macross F & Code Geass R2
Best OVA - Detroit Metal City
Best International Feature Film - Kung Fu Panda

Individual awards:
Best Director - Hayao Miyazaki (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea)
Best Original Story - Hayao Miyazaki (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea)
Best Screenplay - Ichiro Okouchi (Code Geass R2)
Best Art Direction - Noboru Yoshida (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea)
Best Character Design - Tetsuya Nishio (The Sky Crawlers)
Best Voice Actor - Jun Fukuyama (Code Geass R2)
Best Music - Yoko Kanno (Macross F)