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.
