Final part.
After some editing I am finally ready to finish off my nominations for 2015: I delayed everything to the last minute because of the Witcher 3 edition.
Without further ado.
Despite being meager on shows this year there were a handful of nice surprises in store from Toonami.
Best Surprise:
Intruder 2 Finally Being Finished
After much discussion it happened. And it was quite fun to boot. Tom shockingly survives and we now have a dope new HQ that should probably be plastered with non-smoking signs considering its origins
Toonami Pre-Flight
Not just surprised with its existence but its quality. It is nice to hang out with the producers of Toonami and discuss what they like and what is coming up. It is a nice mix of nostalgia and hype.
Samurai Jack is Back
#YearOfDreams indeed. NOBODY saw this coming and it is nice seeing the series finally getting its due and hopefully its ending.
Honorable Mention:
The quality of Kill la Kill's dub
Most Wanted New Show:
______ when? There are tons of shows this year and last that were practically made for Toonami. GET ON THESE DeMarco. I also wanted to nominate an unexpected animes as well. Not to mention a bunch of anime you guys should check out that aren't really Toonami material
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 1/2/3:
Hype the anime. I don't want to go into too much detail for fear of spoilers to freshmen but this anime is glorious. It is one of the 'necessary' reads for anime since it permeates modern anime today and is the origin of many tropes not to mention how 80's anime it is in all the best ways. Shame about its shitty DVD release though.
One Punch Man
Pretty much the slam dunk for Anime of the Year. This is up there with Space Dandy as a pure animator showcase. The cherry on top is it is quite funny. Action packed and runs at a great clip at 12 episodes. It is certainly this year's Attack on Titan plus actual quality. In my eyes it isn't a matter of if this will come to Toonami but when at this point.
Ushio and Tora
Why do I keep signing myself up to be hurt? Another Sentai show?!? Well Ushio to Tora is 90's anime in all the best ways. It is like Parasyte in that it is a condensed adaptation of the manga but it doesn't have as many growing pains as Parasyte and the fact it is an older anime isn't quite as evident. Not to mention it actually has some legitimate emotional highs in the series like the hair episode and a particular flashback episode.
Honorable mentions:
Shirobako (anime is pain),
Death Parade, Plastic Memories,
Fate/Zero (ok this actually kind of qualifies),
Valvrave (because I am a terrible person),
Blood Blockade Battlefront, Tiger Bunny
Best Performance by a Voice Actor:
Lots of great performances this year thanks to some returning favorites and long time actors putting in work. I know my pick for winner but I figured I'd give them all their due.
Christopher Ayers (Frieza)
Most people tend to show new sides of characters thanks to their acting. Frieza though? Frieza is just a deliciously evil asshole who loves being evil. Christopher Ayers plays him beautifully (though I want to consider Frieza a woman but eh that is a rant for another time) and he plays both the untouchable and petulant sides of Frieza really well giving well rounded performance to a rather one note character.
Sonny Strait (Usopp)
Damn, I didn't want to nominate him because he is such a slam dunk and I feel Usopp has SO many great moments that he'll just be nominated again but let's face it. Sonny put in WORK with Usopp in one of his most emotional story arcs and even showing off his singing prowess with the Sniper King Theme. Hats off to you for knocking it out of the park.
Akron Watson (Satoshi)
Clenched the nomination for several reasons. Most importantly is it was deserved. He plays Satoshi with such creepy conviction you feel how much of a psychopath Satoshi is and how he slowly falls apart at the seems as the series progresses. Second we need to have more black VA's (and characters) in anime and it is a shame we are still so far behind the times in this aspect. Watson deserves a lot more love
Honorable mentions:
David Vincent (Senketsu for that recap dialogue alone 0.0). Migi would have made this list if it wasn't another god damn voice actress! I was shocked too.
Christoper Sabat (Vegeta). Jason Liebrecht (Rob Lucci would have made the list if not for Usopp), Patrick Seitz (Gamagoori was on my list until I remembered Michiko and Hatchin)
Best Performance by a Voice Actress:
Oh my god where do I start? Kill la Kill alone makes this list hard to fill with one character rule NARROWLY edging out one really great VA. And tons of solid performances all around.
Carrie Keranen (Satsuki Kiryuin)
Come back to another day and I could very well change her up with Mako (Christine Marie Cabanos). Both played VERY hard to match performance and did aces with their own flair thanks to the script of Kill la Kill and their performances. Satsuki was stern and unwavering and Keranen did a wonderful job portraying that on top of Satsuki's arc as she becomes more caring as the series goes on.
Brittney Marie Karbowski (Migi)
I had to give Sentai something and I give it to a Funimation VA. C'est la vie. Karbowski does a great job playing the rational to a fault Migi with the cold alien nature and will to survive.
Jad Saxton (Hatchin)
Playing a child is hard. Saxton played Michiko well, breathing life into the no nonsense kid who is dragged along on an epic adventure to meet her father. She plays the subtler sides of Michiko as well. Her vulnerability and steel will. Kudos to turning a role normally played with ear grating effects as a realistic kid that is enjoyable to watch. Quite the feat. Drunk Hatchin is the best.
MILE LONG LIST OF HONORABLE MENTIONS!:
Colleen Clinkenbeard (Luffy), Sarah Williams (Nonon), Monica Rial (Michiko), Sametria Ewunes (Atsuko), Erica Mendez (Ryuko), Stephanie Sheh (Nui), Christine Marie Cabanos (Mako) plus many others I forgot.
And it is done! Good luck to all the nominees! I am going back to edit my list a bit and submit my final nominees.