The official website for the Japan Movie Critics Award announced on May 30, 2022, that Hideaki Anno had won the Animation Director award for Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time. The 31st Japanese Movie Critics Award winners were declared on March 31, 2022, and the award ceremony was held on Monday.

Anno was unable to attend the ceremony due to work reasons. Instead, the host, Maya Anna Masai, read a message sent by the director. The message read:

“In recent years, with the spread of the new coronavirus infection, business activities has become extremely difficult. Although the box office activities were severely restricted, such as being forced to postpone the release twice, thanks to the support of the fans who supported the work and the efforts of the people involved, I was able to leave a work that is loved by many people and a wonderful result. I would like to express my deep gratitude. Thank you.”

Besides Anno, Keishi Otomo won the Director Award for Rurouni Kenshin: The Final, Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning and the Shinya Watada directed original anime feature film Hula Fulla Dance won the Animation Film Award.

Distinguished cinema reviewers such as Haruro Mizuno, Nagaharu Yodogawa, and Kazuko Komori founded the Japan Movie Critics Award in 1991. Since then, the winners have been chosen exclusively based on the viewpoints of film professionals for more than 30 years.

The theme of the 31st Award was “The Power of Words,” because one of the major tasks of film critics is to “verbalize invisible values.” 

Hideaki Anno is a Japanese animator, filmmaker and actor. He is best known for creating the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995).

His style is defined by his postmodernist approach and the extensive portrayal of characters’ thoughts and emotions, often through unconventional scenes presenting the mental deconstruction of those characters.

The Evangelion franchise has had a significant influence on the anime television industry and Japanese popular culture, with many deeming Anno as one of the medium’s first auteurs.

Anno’s Evangelion: 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time also won the Animation of the Year award, at the 45th Annual Japan Academy Film Prizes.

Source: Oricon, Comic Natalie