2009 SPJA Awards

The winners of the 2009 SPJA Awards were finally announced on Thursday evening, with all the commotion such an event usually involves. The hotshots of the Anime Expo convention, The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation made sure, once again, that only the "milking cows" would get to feel the chill of the podium, as usual.

Category 01: Best Voice Actor (Japanese)
Kappei Yamaguchi  DEATH NOTE - L

Category 02: Best Voice Actor (English)
Kyle Hebert  GURREN LAGANN - Kamina

Category 03: Best Voice Actress (Japanese)
Junko Takeuchi - NARUTO - Naruto Uzumaki

Category 04: Best Voice Actress (English)
Michelle Ruff  BLEACH THE MOVIE: MEMORIES OF NOBODY - Rukia Kuchiki

Category 05: Best Casting Director
Jaime Simone - BLEACH

Category 06: Best Character Design
Masaru Kitao of Madhouse  DEATH NOTE

Category 07: Best Mechanical Design
Yoh Yoshirari  GURREN LAGANN

Category 08: Best Male Character
L  DEATH NOTE

Category 09: Best Female Character
Rukia Kuchiki  BLEACH THE MOVIE: MEMORIES OF NOBODY

Category 10: Best Mascot Character
Mokona  xxxHOLiC

Category 11: Best Backround Design
Minoru Nakamura of Studio Pierrot - BLEACH

Category 12: Best Original Video Animation
LUCKY STAR OVA - Bandai Entertainment

Category 13: Best Feature Film
THE GIRL WHO LEPT THROUGH TIME - Bandai Entertainment

Category 14: Best Television Series
GURREN LAGANN - Bandai Entertainment

Category 15: Best Original Score
DEATH NOTE Score  DEATH NOTE - Yoshihisa Hirano and Hideki Taniuchi

Category 16: Best Original Song
"Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" - Bleach - Beat Crusaders - Aniplex Inc.  BEAT
CRUSADERS

Category 17: Best Director (Japanese)
Tetsuro Araki  DEATH NOTE

Category 18: Best Director (American)
Karl Willems - DEATH NOTE

Category 19: Best Manga - Action
TSUBASA: RESERVOIR CHRONICLE - Del Rey Manga - CLAMP

Category 20: Best Manga - Comedy
FAIRY TAIL - Del Rey Manga - Hiro Mashima

Category 21: Best Manga - Drama
MONSTER - Viz Media - Naoki Urasawa

Category 22: Best Publication
Shonen Jump - Viz Media

Category 23: Best Full Motion Video in Video Game
FINAL FANTASY IV - Square Enix

I guess the "participants(u)" in this competition are anime licensed in the U.S. Of A,. otherwise I would not be able to explain certain winners. Also, it seems that the Force is still strong with Death Note in North America, as well as Bleach and Naruto. No surprise here.

Frankly, I am pretty surprised (in a very good way, I might add), about The Girl Who Lept Through Time winning the Best Feature Film, and Gurren Lagann getting the Best Television Series award. While not the best show there is out there, Gurren Lagann sure is a step forward from the usual "NARUTO IZ TEH BEST SHOW EVAH!!!1111oneone".

I must say I am pretty dissapointed by the Best Male and Best Female Awards. Also about the Best OVA. Yes yes, Lucky Star is one hell of a funny thing, but... There certainly were better OVAs out there to fill the spot. And how can you just give the Best Female Character to anybody else other than Matsuoka Miu from Ichigo Mashimaro?

Thanks ANN for the scoop.