"Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo" Nominated for the 27th Japan SF Grand Prize

The animation Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time), directed by Mamoru Hosoda, was nominated as one of the five candidates for the upcoming 2006 Japan SF Grand Prize (Nihon SF Taisho), held by the Japan SF Writers Club.

The other candidates are: Ai no Monogatari by Hiromu Yamamoto, Shangri-la by Eiichi Ikegami, Tenku No Toride by Issui Ogawa, and Barubara Ikai by Moto Hagio.

According to the Japan SF Writers Club, although many members wished to nominate Nihon Chinbotu Volume Two (Japan Sinks Volume Two) by Sakyo Komatsu, the project team of Nihon Chinbotu declined the nomination.

Six works were nominated for the 8th Japan SF Rookie Prize: Virus by Aouraei, Hoshi No Uta by Huminori Tejima, Defragment by Masato Kuroha, Soul Catcher by Shimon Sahata, Jan Jack No Jisiki No Bai by Sanei Kabayama, and Senikigun Kejun Butai by Mine Kodachi.

The grand prize winner and the rookie prize winner will be selected by the Japan SF Writers Club in the beginning of December.

The Japan SF Award was established in 1980. Science Fiction writers such as Sakyo Komatsu and Ryo Hanmura have already received the award in the past. Yasutaka Tutui, the author of the novel version of Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo, received the 13th SF Grand Prize for Asa No Gasuparu (Gaspard of the Morning) in 1992.

The Japan SF Grand Prize is selected among not only Science Fiction novels, but also various SF movies, animations, and manga. The 4th prize went to the manga Domu by Katsuhiro Otomo, and the 17th prize went to the movie Gamera 2. The last animation that won the SF Grand Prize was Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, which won the 25th grand prize in 2004. If Toki Wo Kakeru Shoujo wins, it will be the first animation that has won the prize in two years.

Candidates for the 27th Japan SF Grand Prize:
- "Ai no Monogatari" by Hiromu Yamamoto, Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co.
- "Barubara Ikai" by Moto Hagio, Shogakukan, Inc.
- "Shangri-la" by Eiichi Ikegami, Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co.
- "Tenku no Toride" by Issui Ogawa, Hayakawa Publishing, Inc.
- "Toki Wo Kakeru Shoujo" by Mamoru Hosoda, Kadokawa Herald Pictures, Inc.and MADHOUSE Ltd.

Candidates for the 8th Japan SF Rookie Prize:
- "Defragment" by Masato Kuroha
- "Hoshi No Uta" by Huminori Tejima
- "Jan Jack No Jishiki No Bai" by Sanei Kabayama
- "Senikigun Kejun Butai" by Mine Kodachi
- "Soul Catcher" by Shimon Sahata
- "Virus" by Aouraei

Source: Mantan Web