Kamiya Hiroshi dominates at Seiyuu Awards

07.03.2009 by Patrick W. Galbraith

It was another star-studded evening at the 3rd Annual Seiyuu Awards on March 7, with Kugimiya Rie and Kamiya Hiroshi taking top honors, twice in one night for the latter.

The message, highlighted in the Star Wars opening text role, was a new generation of seiyuu who would support and spread anime to come. The hosts must have said the word "fresh" about five times in as many minutes.





Looking particularly fresh was Nakajima Megumi, who made her debut last year as Ranka Lee in "Macross F" and took the top prize for her song, "Seikan Hikouki" (the "kira" one that drove all the otaku mad). She looked stunning in a layered dress not so far from an idol costume, and her voice was Ranka all the way.

But it was also a time to honor the rich history of anime and seiyuu in Japan. Some long overdue winners included the original cast of "Astro Boy" (1963), the first Japanese anime to adopt the 30-minute format for TV, and voice actors Tomita Kosei (Dr. Hell from "Mazinger"), Utsumi Kenji (Raoh from "Fist of the North Star") and Nagai Ichiro (the "Gundam" narrator).



These classics gave the audience quite a show, especially Utsumi, who took the stage sporting a smart white goatee, a black gangster fedora and a purple vest. Holding his trophy up high, he called for people everywhere to support seiyuu, and then bowed out with a thunderous "Thank you!" in his best Raoh voice. He quipped with Yamadera Koichi, also in rare form as he accepted the prestigious Tomiyama Kei Award for expanding the profile of seiyuu.



Taking the stage, he first shouted "O-ha!" a trademark from his variety TV appearances, then turned more solemn: "I only had dinner alone with Mr. Tomiyama once, and he told me that I would be someone. As I hold this award, I feel I finally am. I want to keep doing my best from now so that I don't embarrass him."

He then said his goal was to get the Achievement Award like Utsumi and other greats.





The cast of "Astro Boy," joined by a kigurumi Atomu (just like the "Kamen Rider Denno" gimmick last year), were also humorous and poignant in turn. The voice of Uran still sounded remarkably unchanged after all these years, and Atomu's voice said she remembered when Tezuka Osamu told her he saw Atomu in her. Then Katsuta Hisashi, now 82 and in character as Dr. Ochananomizu, elicited chuckles when he called out, "Tezuka-sensei! Are you well? Oh, wait, maybe I shouldn't ask that... We owe it all to you." As a parting shot, he said "Anime happy!" in English.




Looking almost as sharp as Utsumi was Fukuyama Jun, who came away with the inaugural Foreign Fan Choice Award for his work in "Code Geass." Looking very visual-kei in a white goth suit with silver bling rings, he talked of how seiyuu performances could overcome language barriers, adding that he could not have imagined he would be recognized internationally when he first stood on the Seiyuu Awards stage two years ago. The votes, collected online, for Fukuyama mostly came from South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and China.

Fukuyama was a favorite to win the best actor prize, as he already was chosen best seiyuu in Japan by the Tokyo International Anime Fair.



By this point, the crowd in the Tokyo Anime Center watching him on the monitor was by all accounts going crazy. This peaked again when the bizarre Sugita Tomokazu in his best Kyon voice talked about how his Seiyuu Award trophy looked like a weapon and attacked the MC with it.








After all this, the best actor and actress were a bit of a let down. Kugimiya Rie was stunning in her pink kimono (again, like Hirano Aya last year), but her comments about the joys of being able to communicate with fans through anime seemed strained. In fact, the whole refined miss bit didn’t come off well. Better if she had just gone with her tsundere self, as that is her most lasting contribution to anime with roles such as Nagi ("Hayate no Gotoku!"), Shana ("Shakugan no Shana") and Louise ("Zero no Tsukaima"), though one understands her desire to fight the typecast.



Kamiya Hiroshi took both top honors and the personality award, but his only comments at that amazing feat were simple thanks for the fans and a declaration of lifelong seiyuu servitude.













Results:








Newcomer Award (female): Asumi Kana ("Hidamari Sketch" Yuno) and Tomatsu Haruka ("Yozakurakarutetto" Kishi Touka, "Kannagi" Nagi)

Newcomer Award (male): Okamoto Nobuhiko ("Persona Trinity Soul" Kanzato Shin), Kaji Yuki ("Kuro Shitsuji" Finnian)



Personality Award: Kamiya Hiroshi (for his radio work)

Song Award: Nakajima Megumi ("Seikan Hikouki," Macross F)

Synergy Award: Astro Boy (voices of Atomu, Uran and Dr. Ochanomizu)







Special Achievement Award: Muto Reiko ("Sound of Music" Julie Andews, "Marvelous Melmo" Melmo, "Moomin" Nonnon)

Achievement Award: Tomita Kosei ("Mazinger" Dr. Hell), Utsumi Kenji ("Fist of the North Star" Raoh), Nagai Ichiro (Gundam narrator)

Tomiyama Kei Award: Yamadera Koichi ("Cowboy Bebop" Spike Spiegel, "Neon Genesis Evangelion" Ryohji Kaji)

Foreign Choice Award: Fukuyama Jun ("Code Geass" Lelouch Lamperouge)



Supporting Actress Award: Endo Aya ("Macross F" Sheryl Nome), Sawashiro Miyuki ("Kannagi" Tsugumi, "Yozakurakarutetto" Isone Kotoha)

Supporting Actor Award: Inoue Kazuhiko ("Natsume Yuujin Chou" Nyanko-sensei), Sumita Tomokazu ("Hashaku to Yousei" Raven, "Haruhi" Kyon)

Leading Actress: Kugimiya Rie ("Toradora" Aisaka Taiga)

Leading Actor: Kamiya HIroshi ("Natsume Yuujin Chou" Natsume Takashi)