South Korean animators stage clean sweep in Tokyo

TOKYO: South Korea has added another trophy cabinet to its cultural conquest. After K-drama and K-pop colonised global screens and playlists, Korean animators have now stormed the animation world—at least the bit that matters in Tokyo.

On 8 January, South Korean creators swept every top prize at the annual TBS Digicon6 Awards at TBS Blitz Studios in Akasaka. Not a single award escaped their grasp.

Young Chan Jeon’s The Statue—a meditation on fame’s fleeting nature and the fickle worship of heroes by the masses—won best story. Yumi Joung took Asian gold for Glasses, an art-house piece tracking a young woman’s psychological journey after she accidentally crushes her spectacles and visits the optometrist.

But the grand prize went to Dahee Jeong for Society of Clothes, a 15-minute 2D animation that abstractly examines humanity’s obsession with appearance. The film features coats, trousers, hats and dresses wandering about without bodies to adorn them—and not getting very far.

The biggest surprise, however, was what didn’t win. India’s entry, Suresh Eriyat’s Annecy award-winning Desi Oon, had been the bookmakers’ favourite among creators from the 13 nations competing. It left with precisely nothing. Not even a special jury mention.

The 90-minute ceremony drew Tokyo’s top animation studios working with TBS. They came expecting a contest. They got a coronation.