|
|
Screening Committee Chairman Comment |
 |
 |
|
Yoichiro Kawaguchi
Screening Committee Chairman
(CG artist, Professor at the Graduate School, University of Tokyo) |
| Overall Evaluation |
|
In this year's DCA, the screening committee was most anxious about the theme "Darkness, Obscurity, Night, and Shadow :  ," but may be because it turned out the theme represented the current social situation, overwhelming number of works were submitted on the probably the most difficult theme - "Darkness, Obscurity, Night, and Shadow : " - and a large number of the most brilliant of the entries dealt with the same theme. I am amazed, therefore, at the bottomless sense and the expression ability of Japanese in the world of digital arts toward the theme, "Darkness, Obscurity, Night, and Shadow : ."
The overall quality of the works is becoming very high. It was extremely fun to do the screening.
Also, in addition to illustrations and drawings, many 3D programmed works were submitted this year. I think it was good that there was a balanced between the world of illustration and the world of 3D programs in the entries.
|
| Review of Award-Winning Works |
|
*The Grand Prize winning work "HANA" (Masaki Maru)
Although it was a sharp contest with the growth in the number of entries, the work that survived the fierce competition, "HANA" (Masaki Maru), presents beautifully and with careful tenderness the delicate colors of the nature and skillfully describes, in a way, a surreal world. Extremely bright directional movement is expressed, and from the perspective of color sense, the way it captures the nature is extremely unique and interesting, and as such marvelously won the Grand Prize.
*Excellence Award winning works
Despite of Syoichiro Kato, who created the Excellence Award winning work, "1. The pain of separation from loved ones(Madama Butterfly) 2. The pain of contact with hated ones (Aoi No Ue)" on the theme "Darkness, Obscurity, Night, and Shadow : " being 79 years old, he has a youth of 20's or 30's in respect to his sense of color and layout. The colorfulness and the intensity are overwhelming. While the approach is of an extremely traditional elegance, it is a beautify work that outfits a combination of both Japanese and modern world's goodness, and is skillfully processed in a contemporized manner. In spite of the theme, "Darkness, Obscurity, Night, and Shadow : ," energetic sense of color like that of the bright blue sky is fantastic.
The Excellence Award winning work, "icon parade" (Masaru Kawahara) on the theme "Dance, Excite, Alive, Leap, and Flicker :  " is a work with extremely unique perspective. When this work is viewed in an overhead view, the work is composed as a distant landscape, but when viewed closely, each one of the people and the buildings have extremely rich facial expression. The intriguing extreme precision like that of the Japanese woodblock print is overwhelming, and the work was highly praised by the members of the screening committee. The sense of color is unique. I also think there is a possibility of applying this approach to the future of Japanese gaming industry.
The Excellence Award winning work, "It shines whether the sun is a throat" (Shinsuke Kanagawa) on the theme "Beauteous, Ostentatious, Balmy, and Grace :  " is interesting in that although the work is the most colorful and rich in colors, it doesn't depict the beauty itself beautifully, but rather expresses the theme "Beauteous, Ostentatious, Balmy, and Grace : " from the looks of it by including flowers, plants, and various things into the base design, which is not necessary a world of beauty. Since the work is extremely unique in terms of color and image layout, it has quite an "abnormal" touch. I felt this work was unique the moment I saw it.
*Special Recognition Award
"Midnight Party" on the theme "Dance, Excite, Alive, Leap, and Flicker : " submitted by a graphic artist, Atsumi Kurotaki, is extremely good. She has a terrific level of capability.
Since the screening committee regarded Ms. Kurotaki's fantastic skills and configuration sense, color sense, and rhythmic sense indispensable by any means, as an exception this year, the committee decided to award her the Screening Committee's Encouragement Award. This person has a tremendously clear ability and is admired for that. |
 |
| Scenes of the judging process |
|
 |
|
 |
| Members of the Screening Committee in front of the Grand Prize-winning work; from left, Mr. Saitou, Mr. Tosa, Mr. Kawaguchi, Ms. Kanda, Mr. Mayerson |
|
Yoichiro Kawaguchi, a Screening Committee Chairman |
|
 |
|
 |
| Nobumichi Tosa, member of the Screening Committee |
|
Saori Kanda, a Screening Committee member |
|
 |
|
 |
| Kevin Mayerson, a Screening Committee member |
|
Norihiko Saitou, a Screening Committee member |
|
 |
|
 |
| A record number of 687 works(DCA : 484 works, DCA JUNIOR : 203 works) is being reviewed one by one. |
|
 |
|
 |
| All members of the Screening Committee exchanging opinions to narrow down the potential award-winning works |
|
