Kimetsu no Yaiba Loses Best Animation Golden Globe and Sparks Debate in Japan

Kimetsu no Yaiba lost the Golden Globe for Best Animated Film, and the result sparked a major debate among Japanese fans. The movie Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle Arc Part 1 was nominated in the animation category but ended up losing to a Netflix-distributed production that, according to Yahoo News, was largely unknown to many people in Japan.

The award went to K-Pop Demon Hunters, an animated film that follows a fictional K-pop idol group. I personally haven’t watched it, but it is said to be a story about K-pop singers who fight demons.

On Japanese social media, many users claimed they had never even heard of K-Pop Demon Hunters, questioning how a film like that managed to surpass Kimetsu no Yaiba. Reactions ranged from suspicion and criticism of the CGI animation quality to accusations that the award was influenced by Netflix’s massive global reach.

Experts also point out that another factor may have influenced the outcome. Kimetsu no Yaiba may have lost the Golden Globe because it is part of an ongoing trilogy.

The Infinity Castle arc was planned as a three-part film series, and only the first installment was evaluated. Some jurors believe unfinished works are at a disadvantage in award ceremonies, since the full narrative experience has not yet been presented. Still, many fans feel this is unfair, as individual parts of ongoing series rarely win awards on their own.

In Japan, K-Pop Demon Hunters appears to have low recognition. Online, many critical comments surfaced, such as: “I’ve never seen or even heard of this anime that won,” “This is the first time I’ve heard the title. I looked it up, but it didn’t interest me at all. I’m not into K-pop,” and “This level of CGI animation won a Golden Globe? Kimetsu is clearly superior.”

Below are more reactions from Japanese users:

• “Overseas reactions were the same. People saying ‘this must have been manipulated.’”
• “Even if there was manipulation, Japan does the same thing. If it still lost, then it lost due to lack of real strength.”
• “Oh, that’s the one that was trending on Netflix?”
• “It was hugely popular on Netflix, so saying you don’t know it is a joke.”
• “Demon Hunters wasn’t even released in Japanese theaters, so what people are saying makes sense. This is Japan.”
• “Even if I like anime, if it’s Netflix-exclusive, I usually don’t bother watching it.”
• “Seriously, I’ve never heard of it. I’m confused.”
• “The theme song is good, but the anime itself is boring.”
• “It topped Netflix rankings in multiple countries. There’s no way that’s all just ‘manipulation.’”