The 48th Japan Academy Prize announced the nominees for Best Animated Feature on January 21. These five films, released between January 1 and December 31, 2024, were selected by the Japan Academy Prize Association’s 4,046 members. The winner will be revealed during the award ceremony on March 14 at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa.
- Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM
- Ganbatte Ikimasshoi
- Haikyu!! The Movie: Battle at the Garbage Dump
- Detective Conan: The Million Dollar Star of the Pentagram
- Look Back
Releasing in late January 2024, Gundam SEED Freedom has been a massive success for the Gundam series, becoming the highest grossing Gundam film dethroning the 1982 Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space, which held the franchise box office record for forty-two years with 2.3 billion yen, while the 2021 Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash is the third highest performing franchise film at 2.23 billion yen.

In August, it was announced the film would be receiving two “limited-time special edition” screenings, featuring over 500 updated cuts that would also be included in the Blu-ray release, each with different epilogue cuts. Part 1 would be shown in theaters from September 20 to October 3, while Part 2 screening from November 1 to November 14. The film presently has earned approximately 5 billion yen with 3 million ticket sales.

The tagline of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom is “The wings of freedom to seize the future”. The film is directed by Mitsuo Fukuda, featuring a script by Fukuda, Chiaki Morosawa, and Ryu Goto. Hisashi Hirai returns for character design, while the mechanical design team includes Kunio Okawara, Kimitoshi Yamane, Kazutaka Miyatake, Junichi Akutsu, Manabu Shintani, Zenseava, Takuya Io, and Hiroyuki Taiga. Satoshi Shigeta returns as mechanical animation director. Toshihiko Sahashi is the composer for the film’s music, and the theme song “FREEDOM” is performed by Takanori Nishikawa with Tetsuya Komuro.
The Gundam SEED theatrical film was first announced in May 2006 at Sony Music Anime Fes’ 06. The project was touted at the time as the first original Gundam theatrical film since 1991’s Mobile Suit Gundam F91. Before headwriter Chiaki Morosawa’s passing in 2016, she had completed the plot for the movie.
Story
In C.E.75, the fighting still continues.
There are independence movements, and aggression by Blue Cosmos… In order to calm the situation, a global peace monitoring agency called COMPASS is established, with Lacus as its first president. As members of COMPASS, Kira and his comrades intervene into various regional battles. Then a newly established nation called Foundation proposes a joint operation against a Blue Cosmos stronghold.
Cast:
- Kira Yamato | Soichiro Hoshi
- Lacus Clyne | Rie Tanaka
- Athrun Zala | Akira Ishida
- Cagalli Yula Athha | Nanako Mori
- Shinn Asuka | Kenichi Suzumura
- Lunamaria Hawke | Maaya Sakamoto
- Meyrin Hawke | Fumiko Orikasa
- Murrue Ramius | Kotono Mitsuishi
- Mu La Flaga | Takehito Koyasu
- Yzak Jule | Tomokazu Seki
- Dearka Elthman | Akira Sasanuma
- Agnes Giebenrath | Houko Kuwashima
- Toyah Mashima | Ayane Sakura
- Alexei Konoe | Hochu Otsuka
- Albert Heinlein | Jun Fukuyama
- Hilda Harken | Michiko Neya
- Herbert von Reinhard | Taiten Kusunoki
- Maas Symeon | Junichi Suwabe
- Aura Maha Khyber | Yukari Tamura
- Orphee Lam Tao | Hiro Shimono
- Shura Serpentine | Yuichi Nakamura
- Ingrid Tradoll | Sumire Uesaka
- Redelard Tradoll | Misato Fukuen
- Daniel Harper | Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
- Liu Shenqiang | Kentaro Tone
Griffin Arbalest | Win Morisaki
Gilbert Durandal | Shuichi Ikeda
And nothing about Hathaway’s Flash trilogy continue. what a waste…