Another Heavyweight Judge of STVF – “Bones” Studio President Masahiko Minami

　　Following the announcement a few days ago that “young Song Jia” will serve on the jury for the Television Series award category of the STVF, on May 15, the STVF Organizing Committee has made yet another public announcement. Renowned anime studio President Masahiko Minami will serve on the jury for the Animation award category. As maker of Japanese anime classics such as Fullmetal Alchemist and Eureka Seven, Masahiko Minami is known for being very strict with regards to the quality of his works. His joining the “Magnolia” Award jury for the Animation award category is sure to help stimulate its internationalization.

　　For audiences familiar with Japanese anime,“Bones” Studio is definitely a big name that they’ve heard before. This Japanese top animation studio has produced a number of amazing works that anime fans are all familiar with, such as Fullmetal Alchemist, Eureka Seven, and Darker than Black. This year,“Bones” Studio President Masahiko Minami is coming to the STVF, to serve as a judge on the “Magnolia” Award jury for the Animation award category.

　　 Masahiko Minami graduated from the Osaka University of Arts, where he was classmates with famous anime figures such as Hideaki Anno (best known for his work on the popular anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion) and Kazuhiko Shimamoto (manga artist known for the long-running and well-known manga series Kamen Rider). After graduating,Masahiko Minami began his career with the noted Japanese anime company Sunrise. While he was producing Cowboy Bebop, he began to feel the limitations of Sunrise. He then left Sunrise together with his fellow Sunrise staff members Hiroshi ōsaka and Toshihiro Kawamoto, and founded Bones Studio, determined to make “anime with strength of character”.

　　Compared with a lot of other big companies, Bones’ production of about three anime series a year, appears very “low yield”. In contrast however, the quality of the anime produced by Bones is extremely high. Its successive works such as Fullmetal Alchemist and Eureka Seven, while creating international topics, also received an immensely good reputation. Masahiko Minami is recognized by the industry for being a producer that strives for complete quality. The principles with which he tackles anime production can be said to be simple yet rigorous, as “Making good things” is his only objective. His views also happen to coincide with the professional and fair spirit of the “Magnolia” Award.

　　In serving on the STVF “Magnolia” Award jury for the Animation award category, Masahiko Minami will bring with him the high standards he has toward his anime works and use them in his appraisal work. One can’t help but be filled with anticipation as to what this means for the quality of the final award winner.

　　The 2015 Shanghai Television Festival will be held from June 8 to June 12. This year’s will be the 21st STVF. The STVF is a first-rate comprehensive exchange platform for the international TV industry in Asia, and is also the most international Chinese TV festival. The “Magnolia” Award appraisal and selection for international TV programs is renowned for its authoritativeness and fairness, and it was also the earliest award of its kind in China. The “Magnolia” Award jury panel has always been quite the power team, with all of the judges being industry elites with extensive influence either in China or abroad.

　　Zheng Xiaolong, Li Shaohong, Guo Baochang, Zhang Jizhong, Zhang Li, Gao Mantang, Jiang Wenli, Wang Liping, Nicholas Meyer, and Claas Danielsen are just some of the big names that have previously served as “Magnolia” Award judges. The 2015 “Magnolia” Award for Best TV Series will be presided over by famous Chinese director Yan Jian’gang, who will review the entries together with five other Chinese and foreign judges. It is said that the rest of those on the list of this year’s STVF judges will be announced any day now.