A Ceremony Held in Person, Judged From Everywhere

The pandemic hadn't gone anywhere by early 2021, so the international jury once again reviewed every entry through online screenings and video conferences. But the ceremony itself returned to a physical room, held at Toshima Civic Center on March 15, 2021, a small but welcome piece of normalcy after the previous year's fully remote announcement.

Violet Evergarden: The Movie took Animation of the Year, Film. It closed out a story about a former child soldier learning to understand love and grief by writing other people's letters, a release that had already been delayed more than once before finally reaching theaters. It landed as a fittingly cathartic pick for a ceremony still finding its footing in a difficult stretch for the industry.

On the television side, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! took the top prize, Science SARU's story about three high school girls building their own amateur animation club from scratch. It's a meta love letter to the craft of making anime, echoing the same instinct that had already won Shirobako this same prize a few years earlier. Best Director went to Haruo Sotozaki, and Best Screenplay went to Reiko Yoshida for the film.