Although the Grand Prize “Flow” by Sumito Sakakibara which is a short animation film is a very brilliant work, “Flowery” by Daisuke Hashimoto is also impressive. It is a simple idea but has power to attract audiences.

“Flowery”, Daisuke Hashimoto

For the last, I want to go over with my favorite category of all at this festival, the Comics Category. I have looked over any comic books known as good ones, but it is hard to find only good ones from comics published almost everyday in such a comics power, Japan. Of the works selected for this kind of festivals, there still exists unknown comics and this opportunity to discover them is a very pleasure experience. At the exhibition of the Japan Media Arts Festival, it selected ones of the few comic books. This is one uniqueness of this festival.

“8 Fortune Gods Manuever Brigade” by Satoshi Fukushima particularly stood out in my mind. The story is about neo-futuristic SF, girls, and wars (battles), containing such a stereotype-story-set (It reminds me of a Japanese animation “PATLABOR”).

“8 Fortune Gods Manuever Brigade”, Satoshi Fukushima © Satoshi Fukushima/Enterbrain

Despite that, its outcome is eccentric. The story revolves in the neo-futuristic Japan which is disclosed to agendas between powers and threats from them. It is not new that the story reflects the current picture of Japan, but its tongue seems to be a mix of the old and new and it gives a weird quality with pictures to the comics.

I introduced just some of the works here, the total more than 180 exhibited works are at the festival. I saw so many great works. You don’t have to worry about an artistic abstrusity likely seen at a general media art exhibition. Exhibits at the Japan Media Arts Festival are relatively more acceptable and favorable to many people. In the next year, the Japan Media Arts Festival will come to its 10th holding. I will greatly look forward to the outcome of the next festival, as it will be a momentous year. Likewise, it will be a good opportunity to rethink about what the media art is, that has become much more familiar to us than 10 years ago.

The 9th Japan Media Art Festival
Date: February 24th – March 5th, 2006
Place: Tokyo Photograph Art Museum
Address: Ebisu Garden Place, 1-13-3 Mita, Meguro-ku, Tokyo
Tel: +81 (0)3 3535 3501
Organizer: Japan Media Art Festival Executive Committee
http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/festival/