The 2025 Scotland Loves Anime festival has concluded with a resounding victory for The Last Blossom, which secured a clean sweep across all major voting categories. The historical drama managed to secure the official Jury Award, the Audience Award, and topped the unofficial exit poll conducted by Geek Native for Edinburgh attendees.
The festival, a significant fixture in the UK animation calendar, completed a multi-city tour this November. Screenings began in Glasgow from 31st October to 2nd November, moved to London from the 7th to the 9th, and concluded with a week-long residency in Edinburgh from the 10th to the 16th. Festival Director Andrew Partridge confirmed that approximately 6,000 people attended events across the duration of the touring festival.
The Last Blossom garnered particular attention during the Edinburgh leg of the festival, aided by the presence of the film’s director, Baku Kinoshita, who attended the showing. The film, set in the late Showa era, clearly resonated with both the casual viewing public and the critical panel.
Jonathan Clements, the Jury Chairman, highlighted just how decisive the victory was regarding the critics’ choice.
“In the voting for the Judges Award, The Last Blossom received double the number of nominations of its nearest competitor. The judges praised it for its tight plotting, balanced storytelling, and incisive evocation of the late Showa era, and its thoughtful empathy with a cast that seemed believable. For its heartwarming tale of love, loss and redemption, they conferred The Last Blossom with this year’s award.”
While official awards carry prestige, the unofficial fan vote often serves as a litmus test for a film’s broader appeal within the geek community. Geek Native was present during the Edinburgh week to run an independent poll of attendees. Mirroring the official results, The Last Blossom secured the top spot among the site’s readers and poll respondents, completing a rare “hat trick” of accolades.
