This hand-drawn animation depicts the dynamism of life. All the motions and actions of living are treated as dancing, and synchronized with music. The work makes full use of the characteristics of flat animation such as visualization and linkage of images, and metamorphosis of form.

There are few competitions open to animation works in Japan. Having one’s work appraised in an arts festival or media festival that accepts high-quality works, brings an artist status and honor. I also expected my work to be juried based on objectively sound standards. This is why I applied for Japan Media Arts Festival this year. I was very excited to receive an award. Considering that Japan Media Arts Festival is almost equal to the International Animation Festival Hiroshima in scale and popularity at present, the award is very encouraging. In fact, an award can lead to offers of work. The award, for me, is not only a great honor but also important in giving me the opportunity to take my next step as an artist. Thank you very much.

The life and death of all living things is depicted dynamically with black charcoal strokes against a solid orange background. Synchronized with music, this animation arouses emotion in the viewer. It reminded me of the Lascaux cave paintings, which could be called the first animation in the world. Though the work could have allowed more refinement, it successfully conveys the tremendous fun the creator must have experienced during the drawing and animating process. The term “animation” derives from the Latin word “anima,” which means life. This work, full of the primordial and forceful attraction of animation, is a worthy winner of the Encouragement Prize.