Seiyuu Awards, 3rd Edition

Here we are again, hot on the heels of a new Annual Seiyuu Awards ceremony that took place over the weekend, recognizing the best anime voice actresses. Yeah, yeah, and actors. This year marked the celebration's 3rd edition, after the 2007 debut when Romi Paku won the Best Lead Actress award, and last year's edition when the super-popular and omega-kawaii Aya Hirano was crowned queen of loli squeaking and singing.


Rie Kugimiya - Best Supporting Actress in 2008, Best Lead Actress in 2009
And now... This year's winner of the Best Lead Actress award is Rie Kugimiya for her role as Toradora!'s Taiga. She also voiced Zero no Tsukaima's Louise, Hayate no Gotoku!'s Nagi Sanzenin (speaking of which...), and many other notable characters in the past, including, of course, Shana. Similar to how Aya Hirano won a lesser award in 2007 (Best Rookie Actress) before hitting the jackpot in 2008, Rie Kugimiya was also among last year's winners, as Best Supporting Actress.

Other female winners at the 3rd Annual Seiyuu Awards are Aya Endo (Best Supporting Actress as Macross Frontier's Sheryl Nome), Miyuki Sawashiro (Best Supporting Actress as Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei's Maria, Kannagi's Tsugumi), Kana Asumi (Best New Actress as Shugo Chara!'s Ran, Persona: Trinity Soul's Megumi), Haruka Tomatsu (Best New Actress as Kannagi's Nagi, To Love-Ru's Lala), and Megumi Nakajima (Best Singing as Macross Frontier's Ranka Lee).

Last, but admitedly not least, the Best Lead Actor award went to Hiroshi Kamiya, whom I only bother to mention because of his excellent performance as Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei's titular teacher in relapsing despair. The full list of winners can be perused on ANN, and Otaku2 has some photos from the ceremony.

Purupuru Pururin~... Time for some anime OSTs.