The American Anime Awards existed for exactly one year, a fleeting moment in pop culture history that began and ended with the 2007 gala. On the 24th of February 2007, the lights dimmed in New York City for the only ceremony ever held, hosted by eight actresses from the anime production company ADV Films. Christine Auten, Shelley Calene-Black, Jessica Boone, Luci Christian, Alice Fulks, Hilary Haag, Taylor Hannah, and Serena Varghese took the stage to present awards that were meant to recognize excellence in the release of anime and manga in North America. This event was not merely a fan convention side show but a formal attempt to legitimize the industry, supervised by Milton Griepp of the industry website ICv2. The ceremony was broadcast live on IGN.com and later aired on the Anime Network, yet despite the high-profile nature of the production, no second ceremony was ever scheduled, leaving the American Anime Awards as a singular historical artifact rather than an enduring institution.
The Voting Paradox
The mechanism designed to determine the winners of the American Anime Awards contained a fundamental flaw that would eventually undermine its credibility. The ballots were populated with nominations from industry companies and professionals, requiring that any anime or manga be available in the United States during the previous year to qualify for consideration. Whether released on DVD, as a book, or through national television, the eligibility criteria were broad, but the execution of the voting process was fraught with controversy. The American Anime Awards partnered with ICv2 to host and track fan voting, aiming to eliminate mass voting by single individuals, yet the impartiality of the poll was heavily questioned. Critics pointed out that certain companies, specifically ADV Films, were overwhelmingly involved in the event, creating a perception of bias that suggested the results were predetermined by the very entities organizing the show. This lack of transparency left many fans wondering if the awards truly represented the community or simply the interests of a select group of industry insiders.The Acting Controversy
The category for voice acting became the flashpoint for the most significant criticism leveled against the American Anime Awards. The ballot listed nominees such as Johnny Yong Bosch, Crispin Freeman, and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, but the criteria for their inclusion were often unclear to the general voter. Some acting nominees were specifically cited for their work on one or more series, while others were listed without any specific series attached, leaving it to the voter to decide if they should consider the series mentioned or the actor's entire body of work. This ambiguity led to bizarre situations where actors were nominated for roles they had performed years or even decades prior, as long as the anime was released in some form in 2006. The situation reached a peak of absurdity when Johnny Yong Bosch was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy, despite the fact that his role in Akira was not a comedy, highlighting the lack of clarity in the nomination process and the disconnect between the voters and the organizers.