Kitano and the Academy

[Aaron Gerow]

Amidst all the Amuro news (her mother was murdered, in case you haven't 
heard), the Bureau of Cultural Affairs announced that Kitano Takeshi won 
this year's Minister of Education Award in the film category of their 
arts awards.  Kitano was both pleased to be recognized as a director and 
a bit at a loss.  As he quipped to one reporter, "Maybe it would have 
been better if they announced they would never give ME an award."

In related news, the Japan Academy Awards were announced the other day 
and _Hana-bi_, which has won most of the awards given by other 
institutions, only won an award for best music (Hisaishi Jo).  _Begging 
for Love_ won most everything else.  One of the shukanshi has taken this 
as another sign of how worthless the Japan Academy Awards are.

Aaron Gerow
Yokohama National University
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