Tokyo International Anime Fair

[Lt. Gen. Jecon]

Bandai Entertainment Leads with Most Nominations Followed by Viz Media, Geneon Entertainment, Bandai Visual and FUNimation Entertainment

The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA), the overseeing body of the nation’s largest anime/manga convention (Anime Expo®), announced the SPJA Industry Award finalists for 2008 at the SPJA Symposium held at Tokyo International Anime Fair held within Tokyo Big Sight’s Special Theatre 2(Thursday; March 27, 2008; 16:30-18:00-Tokyo time). More information can be found on the website http://www.spja.org.

Leading the pack, of top five (5) companies receiving nominations, is Bandai Entertainment with thirteen (13) nominations including two (2) for Best Voice Actor (English) followed by Viz Media with twelve (12) nominations including two (2) for Best Voice Actor (English) as well. Geneon Entertainment follows with 11 nominations including two (2) for Best Voice Actor (Japanese), Bandai Visual with 9 nominations including two (2) for Best Background Design and FUNimation with seven (7) nominations. Other companies receiving nominations include:

Anime News Network
Aniplex
ADV Films
BONES
Broccoli Books
Columbia Music
Dark Horse Comics
defSTAR Records
Del Rey Manga
Digital Manga Publishing
Gonzo
Infinity Studios
Kodansha
Ki/oon Records
Kadokawa Shoten
Lantis
Media Works
Otaku USA
Oxybot
Right Stuf
Shaft
Shogakukan
Sony
Sony Music
Toei Animation
TokyoPop
The public is invited to vote for their choices for the 21 categories via the SPJA Industry Award voting page.


SPJA Industry Awards official criteria for eligibility, rules, procedures and forms can be downloaded from the official SPJA website http://www.spja.org. Inquiries can be made to Awards@spja.org

SPJA Industry Awards Nominees

Category 01: BEST VOICE ACTOR (JAPANESE)

Jun Fukuyama – xxxholic – Kimihiro Watanuki
Mamoru Miyano – Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (Double O) – Setsuna F. Seiei
Joji Nakata – Hellsing Ultimate – Arucard
Daisuke Namikawa – Black Lagoon – Rock
Tomokazu Sugita – The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya – Kyon
Category 02: BEST VOICE ACTOR (ENGLISH)

Johnny Yong Bosch – The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya – Itsuki Koizumi
Crispin Freeman – The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya – Kyon
Alessandro Juliani – DEATHNOTE – L
Christopher R. Sabat – One Piece – Zoro
Jason Spisak – Zatch Bell! – Kiyo Takamine
Category 03: BEST VOICE ACTRESS (JAPANESE)

Aya Hirano – The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya – Haruhi Suzumiya
Ayako Kawasumi – Nodame Cantabile – Megumi “Nodame” Noda
Rie Kugimiya – Hayate no Gotoku! – Nagi Sanzenin
Nana Mizuki – Darker Than BLACK – Misaki Kirihara
Mamiko Noto – sola – Matsuri Shihou
Category 04: BEST VOICE ACTRESS (ENGLISH)

Laura Bailey – Shin-chan – Shin-chan
Maryke Hendrikse – Black Lagoon – Revy
Shannon Chan-Kent – DEATHNOTE – Misa
Anna Morrow – The Third: The Girl with the Blue Eye – Honoka
Stephanie Sheh – The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya – Mikuru Asahina
Category 05: BEST CASTING DIRECTOR

Randi Riediger – Black Lagoon
Kaeko Sakamoto – The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Hiroyuki Sakurada – Ge-Ge-Ge No Kitaro
Jamie Simone – Naruto
Kazuhiro Wakabayashi – Darker Than BLACK
Category 06: BEST CHARACTER DESIGN

Shoko Ikeda – The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Makoto Koga – sola
Shino Masanori – Black Lagoon
Ken Ueno – Ge-Ge-Ge No Kitaro
Makoto Uno – Witchblade
Category 07: BEST MECHANICAL DESIGN

Black Lagoon – (Staff includes Masahiro Kimura)
Eureka 7 – (Staff includes Shoji Kawamori)
Full Metal Panic! TSR – (Staff includes Kanetake Ebikawa)
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 – (Staff includes Kanetake Ebikawa, Naohiro Washio, Takayuki Yanase)
The Third: The Girl with the Blue Eye – (Staff includes Naohiro Washio)
Category 08: BEST MALE CHARACTER

Arucard – Hellsing Ultimate
Hei – Darker Than BLACK
Ichigo Kurosaki – Bleach
Lelouch Lamperouge – Code Geass
Luffy – One Piece
Category 09: BEST FEMALE CHARACTER

Haruhi Suzumiya – The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Matsuri Shihou - sola
Megumi “Nodame” Noda – Nodame Cantabile
Nami – One Piece
Revy – Black Lagoon
Category 10: BEST MASCOT CHARACTER

Kanaka – Shigofumi: Letters from the Departed
Mokona – Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles
Mokkun – Shonen Onmyouji
Na-san – Kirarin Revolution
Shamisen – The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Category 11: BEST BACKGROUND DESIGN

Mobile Suit Gundam 00 – Sunrise
Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei – Shaft
Shigofumi: Letters from the Departed – J.C. Staff/Bandai Visual
sola – Nomad/Bandai Visual
The Third: The Girl with the Blue Eye – XEBEC/Right Stuf
Category 12: BEST ORIGINAL VIDEO

Detective Conan: Detective Conan vs. Kid the Phantom Thief – Shogakukan
Hellsing Ultimate – Geneon Entertainment
I Luv Halloween – TokyoPop
Naruto: The Lost Story: Protect the Waterfall Village – Viz Media
Super Robot Wars Original Generation: The Animation OVA – Bandai Visual USA
Category 13: BEST FEATURE FILM

Paprika – Sony
SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers: The Next – Bandai Visual USA
Stranger – Mukoh Haden – BONES
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time – Bandai Entertainment
Vexille – Oxybot
Category 14: BEST TELEVISION SERIES

Black Lagoon – Geneon Entertainment
Darker Than BLACK – BONES
DEATHNOTE – Viz Media
One Piece – FUNimation Entertainment
sola – Bandai Visual
Category 15: BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad – Beat Crusaders – defSTAR Records
Darker Than BLACK – Yoko Kanno – Sony Music
Naruto – Toshio Masuda & Musashi Project – Aniplex
sola – Hitoshi Fujima – Lantis
The Third: The Girl with the Blue Eye – Megumi Ohashi – Columbia Music Entertainment
Category 16: BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Hare Hare Yukai” (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya) – Aya Hirano, Minori Chihara, and Yuko Goto – Lantis
“Hit in the USA” (BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad) – Hidaka Toru – The Beat Crusaders / defSTAR Records
“Nagareboshi ~ Shooting Star ~” (Naruto Shippuden) – HOME MADE Kazoku - Ki/oon Records
“Red Fraction” (Black Lagoon) – MELL – Geneon Entertainment
“Tsukiakari” (Darker Than BLACK) – Rie Fu – Sony Music
Category 17: BEST DIRECTOR

Sunao Katabuchi – Black Lagoon
Tomoki Kobayashi – sola
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn – Naruto
Hiroshi Nagahama – Mushi-Shi
Tensai Okamura – Darker Than BLACK
Category 18: BEST MANGA - ACTION

Black Lagoon – Rei Hiroe – Shogakukan
Gunsmith Cats Burst – Kenichi Sonoda – Dark Horse Comics
Murder Princess – Sekihiko Inui – Broccoli Books
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles – CLAMP – Del Rey Manga
Vampire Hunter D – Hideyuki Kukuchi / Saiko Takaki – Digital Manga Publishing
Category 19: BEST MANGA - COMEDY

Disgaea 2 – Hekaton – Broccoli Books
Dramacon – Svetlana Chmakova – TokyoPop
Hayate no Gotoku! – Kenjirou Hata – Shogakukan
Gintama – Hideaki Sorachi – Viz Media
Negima! – Ken Akamatsu – Del Rey Manga
Category 20: BEST MANGA - DRAMA

Blood Alone – Masayuki Takano – MediaWorks / Infinity Studios
Eden – Hiroki Endo – Dark Horse Comics
Eureka Seven – Jinsei Kataoka / Kazuma Kondou – Bandai Entertainment
Kitchen Princess – Miyuki Kobayashi / Natsumi Ando – Del Rey Manga
Lovely Complex – Aya Nakahara – Viz Media
Category 21: BEST PUBLICATION

Anime Insider – Wizard Entertainment
Newtype – Kudokawa Shoten
Otaku USA – Otaku USA
Protoculture Addicts – Anime News Network
Shojo Beat – Viz Media
About Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation
The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is a non-profit organization with a mission to popularize and educate the American public about anime and manga, as well as provide a forum to facilitate communication between professionals and fans. This organization is more popularly known by its entertainment property – Anime Expo®. More information can be found at its website (http://www.spja.org).

The statements made in this press release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. The Company cautions readers of this press release that a number of important factors could cause Anime Expo®/SPJA’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation, product delays, industry competition, rapid changes in technology and industry standards, protection of proprietary rights, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, vendors and third-party developers, international economic and political conditions. The Company may change its intention, belief or expectation, at any time and without notice, based upon any changes in such factors, in the Company’s assumptions or otherwise. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

[fudgie47]

wow...

[m_o_dwill]

astig naman, pangarap kong makupunta sa sa isang anime show
pag cosplay naman
gusto ko gayahin si nobita ng doreamon hahahah

[Lt. Gen. Jecon]

If I can go there again.. Maybe I can cosplay Minato Namikaze of Naruto....

[orenji19]

nice..^_^

[fudgie47]

astig naman, pangarap kong makupunta sa sa isang anime show
pag cosplay naman
gusto ko gayahin si nobita ng doreamon hahahah

ha ha ha! ...

pwede!!!! ...

[Abbala]

Great....