2014 Debbie Award Nominations

What are the Debbie Awards? Simply put, they are my answer to both the Emmys and what passes for anime awards on the otaku blogosphere. I have grown tired of tired awards that seek to divide anime into genres, only award characters instead of their voice actors, and completely ignore the army of talented people behind the scenes of our favorite anime. So, I'm going to start my own awards. Awards that recognize those talented people and throw all of anime into the same bin. I am not an expert on animation in general, and since these awards only have a committee of one, that's a flaw I have to accept. But, I think it will be a good start.

Why are they called the Debbie Awards? Well, because I think awards need a catchy, human name (Oscars, Tonys, etc). And because I want to memorialize a friend of mine who took her own life. In her honor, I'd like to make these awards into a sort of fundraiser for suicide hotlines in Japan and the United States. I feel that this would be a way for our community to give back in some small way. You know, if I ever got a readership. But hey, a guy can dream.

How do I choose? Well, first off, there are rules. For a show to be eligible, it must meet the following requirements:

1. The show must have ended in the year 2013.
2. The show must have episodes of a standard length (around 23-25 minutes).
3. The show must have first aired on Japanese television.

That's it. There are fourteen categories, five nominees per category. I chose the categories based on the ones from the Annie Awards, as well as what I felt I could fairly judge. With that intro done, let's hit the jump to see who got the noms.



Outstanding Art Direction:

•         Akiyama Kentaro for Aku no Hana

•         Bizen Kouchirou for Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo

•         Iijima Hisahara for Monogatari: Second Season

•         Kakoi Hirotsugu and Katou Hiroshi for Kyousougiga

•         Shimuzu Tomoyuki for Chihayafuru 2

Outstanding Editing:

•         Hida Aya for Shingeki no Kyoujin

•         Hiraki Daisuke for Aku no Hana

•         Kimura Kashiko for Chihayafuru 2

•         Matsubara Rie for Monogatari: Second Season

•         Tsubone Kentarou for Shinsekai Yori

Outstanding Character Design:

•         Akai Toshifumi for Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

•         Asano Kyoji for Shingeki no Kyoujin

•         Kawaura Kousuke for Uchouten Kazoku

•         Hayashi Yuuki for Kyousougiga

•         Takahashi Yuuichi for Gatchaman Crowds

Outstanding Animation Direction:

•         Kadowaki Satoshi and Ayano Kyouji for Shingeki no Kyoujin

•         Kanno Hiroki and Oshiro Masaru for Zetsuen no Tempest

•         Nishiya Futoshi for Free!

•         Onda Naoyuki, Takahiro Chiba, and Ayano Kyouji for Psycho-Pass

•         Tashiro Masako for Suisei no Gargantia

Outstanding Sound Direction:

•         Aketagawa Jin for Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta

•         Kikuta Hiromi for Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

•         Masafuma Mima for Shingeki no Kyoujin

•         Motoyama Satoshi for Shinsekai Yori

•         Tanaka Kazuya for Aku no Hana

Outstanding Original Song:

•  “All Alone With You” for Psycho-Pass – Music and Lyrics by Ryo

•         “Owaranai Melody o Utai Dashimashita” for Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi – Music and Lyrics by Nakamura Hiroshi

•         “Preserved Rose” for Kakumeiki Valvrave – Music by Asakura Daisuke, Lyrics by Inoue Akio

•         “Guren no Yamiya” for Shingeki no Kyoujin – Music and Lyrics by Revo

•          “Wareta Ringo” for Shinsekai Yori – Music by Ozaki Chikara, Lyrics by Inaba Emi

Outstanding Original Score:

•         Ooshima Michiru for Zetsuen no Tempest

•         Sagisu Shirou for Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

•         Sawano Hiroyuki for Shingeki no Kyoujin

•         Shina Gou for Kyousougiga

•         Yamashita Kousuke for Chihayafuru 2

Outstanding Writing:

•         Itami Aki for Aku no Hana

•         Kakahira Yuuko for Chihayafuru 2

•         Kobayashi Yasuko for Shingeki no Kyoujin

•         Sogo Masashi for Shinsekai Yori

•         Yokotani Masahiro for Hataraku Maou-sama!

Outstanding Performance by a Voice Actor in a Supporting Role:

•         Kaji Yuki as Asahina Satoru in Shinsekai Yori

•         Sakurai Takahiro as Makishima Shougo in Psycho-Pass

•         Sugita Tomokazu as Chamber in Suisei no Gargantia

•         Suzumura Ken’ichi as Myoue in Kyousougiga

•         Taniyama Kishou as Jean Kirchstein in Shingeki no Kyoujin

Outstanding Performance by a Voice Actress in a Supporting Role:

•         Hikasa Yoko as Saeki Nanako in Aku no Hana

•         Inoue Marina as Armin Arlert in Shingeki no Kyoujin

•         Ishikawa Yui as Mikasa Ackerman in Shingeki no Kyoujin

•         Noto Mamiko as Benten in Uchouten Kazoku

•         Takamori Natsumi as Kamiigusa Misaki in Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo

Outstanding Performance by a Voice Actor in a Leading Role: 

•         Eguchi Takuya as Hikigaya Hachiman in Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteru

•         Ishikawa Kaito as Ledo in Suisei no Gargantia

•         Kaji Yuuki as Eren Jaeger in Shingeki no Kyoujin

•         Seki Tomokazu as Kougami Shinya in Psycho-Pass

•         Ueda Shinichiro as Kasuga Takao in Aku no Hana

Outstanding Performance by a Voice Actress in a Leading Role:

•         Hanazawa Kana as Tsunemori Akane in Psycho-Pass

•         Ise Mariya as Nakamura Sawa in  Aku no Hana

•         Kitta Izumi as Kuroko Tomoki in Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaete mo Omaera ga Warui!

•         Seto Asami as Ayase Chihaya in Chihayafuru 2

•         Taneda Risa as Watanabe Saki in Shinsekai Yori

Outstanding Direction:

•  Araki Tetsurou for Shingeki no Kyoujin

•         Ishihama Masashi for Shinsekai Yori

•         Matsumoto Rie for Kyousougiga

•         Nagahama Hiroshi for Aku no Hana

•         Yoshihiro Masayuki for Uchouten Kazoku

Outstanding Anime Series:

•         Aku no Hana 

•         Chihayafuru 2 

•         Kyousougiga

•         Shingeki no Kyoujin 

•         Shinsekai Yori 

A quick look at how the award nominations broke down:

13: Shingeki no Kyoujin

9: Aku no Hana

8: Shinsekai Yori

6: Chihayafuru 2, Kyousougiga

5: Psycho-Pass

3: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Suisei no Gargantia, Uchouten Kazoku

2: Monogatari: Second Season, Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo, Zetsuen no Tempest

1: Free!, Gatchaman Crowds, Hataraku Maou-sama!, Kakumeiki Valvrave, Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi, Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaete mo Omaera ga Warui!, Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteru, Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta

I will be posting articles about each category in the next two weeks, and the awards will be announced on March 16, the day after I give a panel on my favorite anime of 2013 at Con Ja Nai in Ann Arbor, MI. That event will be held at the Modern Language Building on the campus of the University of Michigan. And if you have any opinions, please feel free to give them to me, as that is how I will learn how to do these things better.