Studio Ghibli’s ability to create audience swaying anime films broke down the barrier officially in 2003 with “Spirited Away” for its first Academy Award, and again last year for “The Boy and the Heron.” We should expect a resurgence of the genre at the Academy Awards, given 2025 has been a year of box office upsets, particularly for anime films.
The end of the year meant the release of three huge films: “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Infinity Castle,” “Chainsaw Man - the Movie: Reze Arc,” and, releasing early next year in the U.S., “Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution.” Although not known for short titles, these movies have already shattered records.
Ufotable and Mappa have the opportunity to win their first Academy Awards and make history for animation studios outside of Studio Ghibli, paving the way for further recognition of shonen, or action, anime.
To name a few records already; “Chainsaw Man” upset “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” and “Black Phone 2” with $18.8 million for a global $108 million at the box office. The long-awaited second arc adaptation of the popular manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto has been given a whopping 95% Rotten Tomatoes score and currently sits at the top as the number one movie globally.
These records were unheard of for an anime film before “Demon Slayer” broke the records at the box office first, claiming its name to fame and breaking the initial barrier. The movie became the highest-grossing international movie in U.S. box office history and brought in $126.8 million and counting.
These movies aren’t just doing well, they are beautifully made, written and in general, are good films. Rotten Tomatoes rated “Demon Slayer” even higher at 98% with critics’ consensus being that it's the franchise’s most "polished presentation yet.” Which, for fans of the popular show and manga, is a difficult feat in and of itself.
"Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution" has dropped in Japan and debuted at number one Nov. 7 and made $4.15 million in its first weekend. The movie drops in the U.S. early next year, and if the trend continues, it should bode well considering how well “Chainsaw Man” did for Mappa in its opening weekend.
Mappa is mostly known for its outstanding work in the most popular mainstream anime like "Attack on Titan," "Chainsaw Man" and "Jujutsu Kaisen." Despite the incredible work the animators have done, the company has come under fire in the last year for overworking its animators on projects such as these movies.
The turnaround of pushing out the next arcs in the series was due to its unexpected initial success, and the recent success of these films is sure to accelerate this abuse. With these successes, there is also a responsibility to point out wrongdoing. There are ways to separate commending the art that has been done, from still condemning abusive behavior and demanding for proper treatment of animators.
The Academy has been recognizing “excellence in cinematic achievements” for nearly 100 years. These movies and this genre provide that excellence, and the barrier has now been shattered by multiple movies and studios. It’s now up to the Academy itself to recognize it and for fans to push for that recognition.
Abby Jenkins is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Abby about her column? Email her at aj205621@ohio.edu.
