2011 was a pretty good year for anime, and one of the reasons was the inspired work of many seiyuu. Here are my end of the year awards:
Breakout Star (F): Ai Kayano
2011 was a breakthrough year for Ai Kayano, who came out of nowhere to star in some very high-profile roles. Her voice is slight, but like Mamiko Noto, she has full command of every inch of it. From the mysterious loli Menma in Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shirinai to the ballbusting Class Rep Ume in Ben-To, Ai more than held her own against some industry heavyweights. She needs a little more polish before she can become a consistent leading lady, but that’s just a matter of time.
Breakout Star (M): Yuuki Kaiji
Kaiji has always been a reliable character actor, but now he’s being entrusted to one of the more difficult roles for guys: harem lead. It takes a steady hand not to fall into the many traps awaiting harem leads, but he has acquitted himself nicely. As the teenaged basketball coach of middle school girls in Ro-Kyu-Bu, he had to be attractive without crossing the loli line. As Haruaki in C³, he had to manage a group of anthropomorphized cursed objects without winding up the final casualty. He also could do action, as the lead in Guilty Crown. Not a bad résumé in one year!
MVP (F): Yukari Tamura
One of the highest honor paid to a seiyuu is that they make whatever it is they’re in better – regardless of how bad the show is! Yukarin has that rare ability to elevate slight material and make it watchable. In fact, she nearly steals the show. As Tabane, the genius inventor of the IS System in Infinite Stratos, Yukarin stole every scene she was in – and she didn’t show up until episode 9! She also took a challenging role as Fiya, the torture cube trying to become human in C³. It’s getting so that if you see Yukarin in the credits, you should give that series an even chance. Even if it sucks, you’ll get an outstanding performance!
MVP (M): Yuuichi Nakamura
Nakamura looks like this generation’s Takehito Koyasu: a seiyuu that can do anything, and isn’t afraid to try! He did bad guys (Gai – Guilty Crown), strong silent bros (Ryuu – Kimi ni Todoke 2), slapstick comedy (Goro – Squid Girl 2), and anything else that was asked of him. Plus, he’s one of the few in the male seiyuu brotherhood that can go toe to toe with Tomokazu Sugita. Look for more of him in 2012.
Aya Hirano Award (Most Overexposed): The girls of SPHERE
While each of the girls are fine actors in their own right, I think the whole SPHERE phenomenon is on it’s last legs. It’s as if the anime public is starting to recognize that strong personalities don’t overcome a lack of singing talent. Haruka Tomatsu has the most juice right now, she might be able to continue on as a solo idol. Minako Kotobuki may be the best singer, but she’s often overshadowed by the other girls’ stronger personalities. Ayahi Takagaki is the odd woman out, which is a shame because she’s the most comfortable on a stage. Aki Toyosaki seems to have withstood the boyfriend scandal, and she’s continuing to do fine acting work. There’s rumored to be a series this Summer featuring SPHERE. I wonder if anyone will still care after the abortion that was SPHERE CLUB.
2012 is off to a roaring start. Let’s hope we get another strong year from anime’s acting professionals!
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