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Cel Shaded
Jason Yadao
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Recognition for forgotten Anime Awards
By the time you read this, the winners of the first American Anime Awards should have received their trophies in a ceremony held yesterday during the New York Comic Con. I'll have those results for you in a future column.
This week, though, I'd like to recognize some of the people and series that, for one reason or another, were snubbed in the nomination process or voting. The envelope, please ...
Best of the Rest of the Actors: Monica Rial. ADV and Funimation have given her plum roles in high-profile series, like Jo in "Burst Angel" and Hyatt in "Excel Saga." Last year was another busy year for her; roles included Papuwa in "Papuwa," Momoko in "Ghost Stories," Konoka in "Negima" and Mayu in "Rumbling Hearts." All key roles; all different from one another. Yet Rial wasn't even nominated.
Best Comedy Series That Apparently No One Watched: "Ninja Nonsense." There were cute girls, perverted ninjas and an extremely talented English cast that -- dare I say it? -- surpassed the quality of the Japanese cast. But while Sean Schemmel and Zoe Martin were up for individual awards, and the show was nominated in the "Best Cast" and "Best Comedy Anime" categories, none made it to the final five in any category.
Most Curious Fan Vote: Among the five finalists for Best Comedy Actor is Johnny Yong Bosch for his role in that knee-slapper, "Akira." Because, you know, post-apocalyptic sci-fi dramas are funny and stuff.
Best Manga: Take your pick -- there's a good chance it wasn't on the original nomination list. "Fullmetal Alchemist," "Ranma 1/2," "Inu-Yasha," "Ruruouni Kenshin" and "Ah! My Goddess" are just a few of the high-powered franchises left off the ballot. Then again, it's difficult to summarize an entire industry branch in one category and 20 nominations. Perhaps this is an issue that should be taken up with, say, American Manga Awards?
Cel Shaded, a look at the world of Japanese anime and manga, appears every Monday. Reach
Jason S. Yadao at
jyadao@starbulletin.com