Rakuen Banish" won the Best Animated Film Award at the 24th Japan Film Critics Awards!　Film Awards with only film critics as selection committee members

The animated film "Expelled from Paradise-" won the Best Animated Film Award at the 24th Japan Film Critics Awards.

Released in theaters on November 15, 2014, "Expelled from Paradise-" is a completely original anime film by Toei Animation and Nitroplus. The full-length, cell-look CG film was directed by Seiji Mizushima, written by Gen Urobuchi, with character design by Masatsugu Saito and animation production by Graphinica. The story is about an investigator, Angela, who descends to the devastated earth to solve the mystery of a hacking master who calls himself "Frontier Setter" after the cyber world DIVA, a safe haven for human beings, is invaded by a mysterious hacking attack.

Despite opening in only 13 theaters, the film garnered attention by ranking ninth at the box office in its first weekend, and in its third week, it surpassed the 100 million yen mark at the box office. The final box office gross was 180 million yen, and BD/DVD sales exceeded 70,000 units, making this film a blockbuster hit. This time, it won the Best Animated Film Award at the 24th Japan Film Critics Awards. Toei Animation, which was in charge of the production of the film, commented, "It is very significant that the film was selected for this award.

Incidentally, the Animation Director Award went to Hiromasa Yonebayashi for "Marnie of Memories," the Animation Merit Award to Michihiko Umezawa and Shuji Abe, producers of "STAND BY ME Doraemon," the Animation Voice Actor Award to Koichi Yamadera, and the Animation Special Award to "Giovanni's Island" (director: Mizuho Nishikubo).