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In Japan, the profession of seiyu (voice acting) has been around since the 1920s. It became more well known to the public as the activities of those in this profession expanded to anime, radio programs, CDs, and more. Now, it has become a very popular occupation. In celebration of these vocal artisans who stir up the imagination of fans, every year the Seiyu Awards are held. At this awards ceremony, seiyu who left an impression on the year are recognized for their work.
This year’s Seiyu Awards was held on March 2 at the Bunka Hoso Media Plus Hall in Tokyo, and covered the voting period of April 2012 to March 2013. It was the event’s seventh year, and it was broadcast live on TV and web radio sites. Even though the event is only in its seventh year, it has already become a staple among fans. It was fun seeing who won awards and hearing their comments. Let’s take a look at a couple of them.
This year’s Best Actor in a Leading Role award went to Yuki Kaji, who skyrocketed to fame with his work on Nazo no Kanojo X, Magi, and last year’s Accel World. To date, he has already performed on over 15 works. He had this to say when he accepted his award:
Until just a few years ago, it was hard just affording enough to eat. I’m very thankful to be receiving this award. The characters that I have played so far all have a common feature; they all can’t do anything on their own, but with the help of those around them, they are able achieve much more than they ever thought possible. That’s why this award really belongs to the staff and everyone around me who has supported me.”
Kaji will be performing in this spring’s Attack on Titan and Hentai Prince and the Stony Cat, so fans can expect to see much more of him this year.
This year’s Best Actor in a Leading Role award went to Kana Asumi, or Asumin as she is commonly referred to by fans. When she accepted her award, she explained that for a period of time, she was lost, not knowing which direction to go:
I couldn’t give up my love for anime, voice acting, and radio, and I wholeheartedly tried my best to pursue it. The fact that I am even here is truly a blessing. In 2012, the very first work I performed on, Hidamari Sketch, entered its fourth season. It was a happy reunion for many years. I’m glad that I tried my hardest and didn’t give up on what was important to me. To me, being a seiyu is something that I want to keep doing even more, and keep getting better at; its a job that I keep finding more and more out about. From here on, I want to do even more as a seiyu.
Before leaving the stage, she yelled out, “I love being a seiyu!” which was followed by a surge of cheers from the audience.
More than 55,000 people voted in the Seiyu Awards. It was a night for seiyu to recognize anew the blessing of the support they receive from staff and fans. Look forward to even more works from these talented individuals.
Award Winners
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Yuki Kaji
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Kana Asumi
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Yuki Ano, Junichi Suwabe
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Sayaka Ohara, Haruka Tomatsu
Best Newcomer (Actor): Nobunaga Shimazaki, Kazutomi Yamamoto
Best Newcomer (Actress): Kaori Ishihara, Rumi Okubo
Best Personality: Mitsuo Iwata
Best Musical Performance: Ushirokara Haiyoritai G (Kana Asumi, Miyu Matsuki, Yuka Otsubo)
Kids Family Award: Mayumi Tanaka
Synergy Award: Tatsunoko Production’s 50th Anniversary (Toru Ohira, Katsuji Mori, Mari Okamoto, Noriko Ohara)
Kei Tomiyama Memorial Award: Yuji Mitsuya
Kazue Takahashi Memorial Award: Megumi Ogata
Special Achievement Award: Takeshi Aono
Achievement Award: Shinsuke Chikaishi, Masako Nozawa
People’s Choice Award: Hiroshi Kamiya
