American Anime Awards
On the 24th of February 2007, the American Anime Awards held their first gala at New York Comic Con in New York City. It was also their last. The awards set out to recognize excellence in how anime and manga were released in North America. Who decided what counted as eligible, and who got to vote? Which series left the room with the most trophies? And why did some fans decide the whole process was too loose to trust?
Eight actresses from the anime production company ADV Films shared the hosting duties: Christine Auten, Shelley Calene-Black, Jessica Boone, Luci Christian, Alice Fulks, Hilary Haag, Taylor Hannah and Serena Varghese. The presentation lasted one hour. A streaming version of the ceremony was posted on IGN.com, and the Anime Network later broadcast the awards.
News of the event appeared on major websites, including affiliated sites such as ICv2. IGN also reported on the awards and followed them.
Luci Christian and Hilary Haag did not only host. Both appear on the nominee lists, Christian for several voice roles and Haag for Paniponi Dash. That overlap between the stage and the ballot would become a point of contention.
Milton Griepp of the industry website ICv2 supervised the balloting for the first and only time. Nominations came from industry companies and professionals. Fans then voted through an online ballot system. The organizers partnered with ICv2 to host and track those votes, with the stated aim of keeping the count accurate and stopping any single person from voting in bulk.
To qualify, an anime or manga had to be available in the United States during the year before the gala. Any legal route counted: a DVD, a book or periodical for manga, a national television run, or a theatrical release. The rules also defined the terms. Anime meant animation, and manga meant comics, originally produced in Japan.
How loosely that eligibility window was applied became a flashpoint among fans.
Naruto collected seven nominations, the most of any anime on the ballot. It does not appear among the multiple winners. Bleach and Fullmetal Alchemist each earned five nominations, and FLCL earned four.
Fullmetal Alchemist turned those nominations into the night's biggest haul, with five wins. Among them was the song prize, which went to "Rewrite" by Asian Kung-Fu Generation, a track tied to the series. FLCL won twice. So did Zatch Bell!, whose two wins came for its voice performers, Dave Wittenberg and Debi Derryberry.
The field was wide. The film nominees included Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, Akira, Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa, InuYasha Movie 4: Fire on Mystic Island and Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. Manga nominees included Bleach, Death Note, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Naruto, with Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya listed as the winner.
Akira, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG, Hellsing Ultimate, InuYasha, Lupin the Third and Rurouni Kenshin each drew three nominations, a spread that showed how many different eras of anime shared one ballot.
Fans criticized the nominating and voting process for a lack of clarity and for being too inclusive. Some acting nominees were cited for one or more specific series, while others were cited for none at all. That left each voter to decide whether to judge the named series or the performer's whole body of work.
The release rule drew its own complaint. Because any anime released in any way in 2006 was eligible, some actors were nominated for work done years or even decades earlier. Another apparent error stood out. Johnny Yong Bosch was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy for Akira, a film that is not a comedy.
The impartiality of the poll was also questioned. Even with ICv2 tracking the votes, critics said certain companies, ADV Films among them, were overwhelmingly involved in the event.
The awards ran only once, so the question of whether voters should judge a series or an actor's whole career never got a second ballot to settle it.
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Common questions
When were the American Anime Awards held?
The American Anime Awards held their first gala on the 24th of February 2007 at New York Comic Con in New York City. It was the first and only annual balloting.
Who supervised the voting for the American Anime Awards?
Milton Griepp of the industry website ICv2 supervised the balloting. ICv2 also hosted and tracked the online fan voting to prevent mass voting by single individuals.
Which anime won the most American Anime Awards?
Fullmetal Alchemist won the most, with five wins. FLCL and Zatch Bell! each won twice.
Which anime got the most nominations at the American Anime Awards?
Naruto received the most nominations, with seven. Bleach and Fullmetal Alchemist followed with five each, and FLCL had four.
What made a title eligible for the American Anime Awards?
An anime or manga had to be available in the United States during the previous year, before the gala. It could appear on DVD, as a book or periodical for manga, on national television, or in theaters. It also had to be animation or comics originally produced in Japan.
Why were the American Anime Awards criticized?
Fans criticized the nominating and voting process for unclear rules and for being too inclusive, since work from years or decades earlier could be nominated. Critics also said ADV Films was overwhelmingly involved in the event, and Johnny Yong Bosch was nominated for a comedy award for Akira, which is not a comedy.
Where could people watch the American Anime Awards ceremony?
A streaming version of the one-hour ceremony was available on IGN.com. The awards were later broadcast on the Anime Network.
All sources
5 references cited across the entry
- 2American Anime Award Winners First Large Scale Fan-Driven AwardsICv2 — February 26, 2007
- 3NYCC 07: American Anime Award Winners RevealedCarle, Chris — IGN — February 24, 2007
- 5Lillard, Kevin. "American Anime Awards". Newtype USA. 6 (5) p. 20. May 2007. .