Best of 2007 Anime Awards, Day 6 - Music & Voice Acting
Posted by 0rion on December 31st, 2007 - 5:00 am
Up to this point the awards have mostly been silly and nonsensical. The final two days of our award show, however, will be a little different. We’re putting aside the random awards in favor of a few more traditional categories. Today we’ll be talking about the best the year had to offer in music and voice acting, and then tomorrow wrap things up with the “Best of the Best”.
Music is one of those things that sometimes gets overlooked. A good soundtrack, however, can really define and enrich a series. Great sound and music make cinematic moments all the more captivating and engaging. Music creates an intricate bond between the images in a work of cinema and the emotion displayed in a given scene. If you’ve ever listened to a song and immediately thought of a film or TV series, then you know precisely what I’m referring to. Today we catalog some of those bits of sonic excellence that helped define the past year.
Best OP
Winner: Motteke! Sailor Fuku, Lucky Star
Runners-up: Curriculum (Moyashimon), Prism (Dennou Coil), Kaze Sagashi (Sketchbook), Sora Iro Days (Gurren Lagann), Guns & Roses (Baccano), Mirai wa Bokura no Te no Naka (Kaiji), Hishoku no Sora (Shakugan no Shana II), Hito Toshite Jiku ga Bureteiru (Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei), Sketch Switch (Hidamari Sketch), Poltergeist (Ghost Hound), Raison d’Etre (Claymore), Hayate no Gotoku! (Hayate no Gotoku)
There were quite a few great OP songs this year, so choosing just one to highlight as “the best” is quite a task. That said, one song really stood out from all the others.
When I loaded up that first episode of Lucky Star way back in April (wow has it really been that long?), not really knowing what to expect, I was instantly floored by the ridiculously fast-paced song and dance sequence. I watched it, mouth agape, eyeballs spinning back in my head. Then I rewound and watched it again. Then a third time.
Often the OP is just filler space, but here it completely stole the show. And while that initial shock factor has worn off over time, even after having seen / heard the song dozens of time I’m still not tired of it. Some may pass it off as just another KyoAni dance dance contrivance, but regardless I certainly still enjoyed it.
Other notables include Moyashimon’s amazing OP Curriculum by the talented Sarasa Ifu, with its genki dancing CG microbes and happy-go-lucky vibe, the mysterious and somewhat haunting strains of Dennou Coil’s OP, Prism, and the amazingly soothing Kaze Sagashi, the OP from Sketchbook ~full color’S~ (I love the show, but gosh I hate that title so much).
They’re aren’t too many opening themes that could be accurately described as complete and total sensory overload. Lucky Star’s, however, definitely fits that description. The frenetic pace of the song combined with the ridiculously energetic dance sequence was just unbelievable. And much like the song “Louis, Louis”, the lyrics were virtually indecipherable (especially for me with my rudimentary understanding of Japanese). However, that almost seemed to add to the maddening intensity of it all.
Additionally, after listening to the off vocal version of the song, I really came to appreciate the composition. The bass line especially is actually pretty damned rockin’ for a show with such laid back presentation. Ultimately, whether you adored it or despised it, it’s clear that Lucky Star had one of the most original and impressive openings of the year. Also, the final line was just the perfect crescendo for the sugar-crack montage, “My darling, darling please!”
Awesome, just awesome.
There were certainly plenty other worthy OPs this year, though. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had “bure bure bure bure~” stuck in my head for days after watching Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. The matching animation with the bizarre bondage depictions, seemingly spasmodic photos of the creators, and the embryonic ending made it all the more insane. Which is to say, it was good.
As far as the most categorically rockin’, as in Queens of the Stone Age caliber rockin’, I’d have to cast my vote for Kaiji. Not only do the lyrics resonate perfectly with Kaiji’s defiant underdog character but it ends with triumphant shouts! What more could you ask for really?
Best ED
Winner: Dango Daikazoku, Clannad
Runners-up: Mebae Drive (Hidamari Sketch), Zessei Bijin (Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei), Sora no Kakera (Dennou Coil), Get My Way! (Hayate no Gotoku), Danzai no Hana (Claymore)
Dango, dango, dango, dango…
You really can’t hate this song. It just has such a great feeling of innocence and happiness, like a good children’s book. It’s only made all the more awesome by the recent revelation that, like many other anime, it is in fact based on real world places. I’ve blogged about this song before, so I’ll spare you the rest of the overflowing praise.
Mebae Drive was also a really tempting choice; call it a very close runner-up. I love the song so much, and it’s such a great match for the overall vibe of Hidamari Sketch - both happy and peaceful at the same time.
The whimsically horrific ending theme of Sayonora Zetsubou Sensei was also excellent. I mean, you have a swing tempo with highly genki singing accompanying it, but the lyrics are describing death, screaming, and other similarly macabre things. It should be unsettling, but in all actuality it’s highly entertaining. The juxtaposition of dirge-like lyrics with Count Basie swing is enough to pull you out of perpetual despair.
Best Insert Song
Winner: Sora Iro Days, Gurren Lagann
I’m not usually a fan of insert songs, but Sora Iro days was an absolutely perfect backdrop to the final battle for the universe.
The video, by the way, is actually a pretty cool compilation using the full length version of the song.
Best Sound
Winner: Ghost Hound
Sound is one of those things that when done with notable excellence can really define a series or film. Movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Apocalypse Now, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly excellently illustrate the way amazing sound can make a story so much more visceral and moving.
Unquestionably, the series that accomplished that this year was Shirow Masamune’s psychologically gripping Ghost Hound. When I watched the first few minutes of the episode one the first thing that entered my mind was, “Damn, my laptop speakers are deplorable.”
After watching it again with 5.1 surround sound all I could think was, “Holy crap, I have been transported to some mysterious dream realm!” The series has such a rich tapestry of sound - from footsteps to door latches to trippy gurgling noises, it’s all stellar. The narrative is compelling in and of itself, but the sound draws you in all the more.
Best Overall Soundtrack
Winner: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Runners-up: Dennou Coil, Lucky Star, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Baccano
With Gurren Lagann’s story boasting such an adventurously GAR plotline, it was only just that it be coupled with a truly epic score. And epic it is; if you’re ever played a Final Fantasy title and enjoyed Nobuo Uematsu’s brilliant symphonic compositions, then you’ll be duly impressed with the stirring musical score of Gurren Lagann.
Perhaps it’s just because it’s so well paired with the action packed story, or perhaps it’s because it gives such a grandiose, epic feel to the mecha combat sequences. Either way, the soundtrack is undeniably riveting; it’s enough to make you want to break into a ostentatious battle stance and proclaim your desire to pierce the heavens.
Gurren Lagann’s musical score is quite simply incredible. The songs are epic in scope, and serve to support and dramatize the series brilliantly.
Without a doubt, my favorite song of the entire soundtrack is the second half of “BafBaf! Sonna ni Moeru no ga…Suki Kai?” It’s the perfect sinister yet badass music for when the bad guys make a dramatic entrance.
Add in the triumphant strains of “Ten wo Tsuke!“, the melancholy piano solo of “Love Conservative“, the tension and drama of “Omaera Zenin Moete Shimaetsu!“, Viral’s totally GAR theme song “Nikopol“, and then of course a healthy dose of ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWA, and you’ve got an incredible recipe for glorious success.
Female Seiyuu of the Year
Winner: Hirano Aya
While she’s perhaps not the most seasoned or talented seiyuu in the world, no one can deny that Hirano Aya certainly made quite a splash this year. Plus I really do love her Konata voice. The maid cafe scene in which she switches back and forth between her Konata and Haruhi voices was one of the highlights of the series. Her character songs in which she sings as Konata impersonating other Lucky Star characters were also fantastic. And despite the numerous technical problems, I very much enjoyed her concert with Goto Yuko and Chihara Minori at Anime Expo, as well.
Also I got to touch her hand at AX. Haha, take that Aya fanboys!
Though I wasn’t able to make physical contact with Aya-chan (lucky bastard), I must concur that her leap into the forefront of the voice acting scene certainly does merit some recognition. Granted, it helps that the projects she was associated with became immensely popular: Haruhi, Lucky Star, and Death Note. Still, it’s undeniable that she has quite the broad range of expressions. Not only do her various roles differ substantially in their character but they each have their own distinct quirks, especially Konata. Additionally, to do other impersonations or imitate different voices while using a character voice takes exceptional talent. Whether it be Konata or Haruhi, Hirano Aya’s work was most assuredly win.
Male Seiyuu of the Year
Winner: Shiraishi Minoru
Between his Lucky Channel persona and his Lucky Star ED songs, Shiraishi Minoru really came under the spotlight this year.
His crazy ED antics started getting old toward the end of the series, but still they never failed to make me laugh. I’ve said this before, but his personality really comes through via the improvised song ‘n dance skits, and he demonstrates a laidback and fun loving attitude that’s a pleasure to watch. You’ve gotta give props to a guy who’s not above getting in front of the camera and goofing off for his fans.
After his captivatingly trivial songs, like “Ore no Wasuremono” and “Otoko no Ikizama”, as well as his devastating rampage on Lucky Channel, it would be difficult to deny that Shiraishi’s presence was anything short of hilarious. Also, to do something so self-deprecating and comical showed his virtuosity as a voice actor. Well played Shiraishi, maybe you’ll be the host to Lucky Channel next year.
Best Overall Vocal Cast
Winner: Lucky Star
Runners-up: Gurren Lagann, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Hidamari Sketch
Every member of the Lucky Star cast had both a distinct and a memorable voice. The “main four” were all perfectly cast and fun to listen to. Konata is obviously the most notable one, but the others were equally excellent. Even the “side characters”, often weaker in terms of voice acting, really stood out in this show.
Patty-chan, with her “Domo desu~!”, was a rare example of a gaijin accent done right. Shocking! I also enjoyed her “Otome Road-o!” exposition scene. Really, her voice is just fun to listen to. Then you have Kuroi-sensei, Yui-neesan, Misao, Tamura, Yutaka - all of them had great memorable voices that fit their characters perfectly.
The vocal cast of Lucky Star was excellent all around. From the main four girls to literally every member of the supporting cast, the voices were distinct, well rounded, and enjoyable. Though Konata may have stolen the show with her adorably amusing mannerisms, the rest of the cast were certainly no slouches. From Soujirou’s goofiness to Kuroi-sensei’s funky Kansai-ben slang, to Yui-neesan’s fun loving genkiness, the voices are well done all around.
Personally, I found Yutaka and Misao’s voices to be among the best of the side characters. They each had such a distinctness to them that I found myself chuckling at virtually every line they spoke. And who could forget the vocal prowess of Patricia Martin? In all sincerity, I’d have to say “Domo desu!” was a strong contender in my book for Best Catchphrase just simply for the fact that Patty’s voice was so entertaining. Through and through, Lucky Star’s vocal cast was top notch, making the show that much more fun through their performances.
They all deserve a big thumbs up and a Konata “Good job!”
What, no Minna no Peace for Best ED?
You’re as biased as I am, El Cazador de la Bruja music rulez. And yeah I’m a proud Kajiura Yuki fanboy
Where’s a mention for Minorin? Well, her characters don’t exactly use their voices, so she’s not much of a voice actress.
Dango Daikazoku for best ending? Really? It’s OK I guess, but don’t those dangos really creep you out? I mean, they have eyes and hop around!
The bass for Motteke! Sailor Fuku was pretty damn awesome, but I just couldn’t stand the voices.
I’d have to disagree with female seiyuu of the year. I’d have to give it to Ayako Kawasumi, if not for the variety of her roles this year (from Nodame to Nono from Hitohira to Shion in Shion no Ou to other characters like apparently someone from Potemayo which I haven’t seen yet), than for the fact that each of the voices worked well for the different characters she voiced. And maybe Kana Ueda just for her Kansai-ben (which you could here in Sakuya from Hayate no Gotoku, Honami from Rental Magica and Hayate from Nanoha StrikerS).
Best OP would probably be SZS’s (though if you were counting stuff that started in 2006, definitely Negima?!’s OP would be the best of this year) for me, and Best ED would probably be Dennou Coil’s.
I’m insane like that.
Woah. Now these are some winners I can relate to. Good Job~ Dango-san. Haha.
I totally agree with Hirano Aya, She was excellent as Konata; I Didn’t even know it was her for Misa-Misa. Shocking. That just shows how much she can change her voice. But, Yeah. Everyone in Lucky Star really excelled and I distinctly knew who it was [And I know very very little Japanese, a few random sentences]. So it was indeed helpful to have such a variety of voices.
Also, I’m stealing that Haruhi picture.
Great picks all around - I’d have to agree with the Lucky Star cast sweeping voice awards (although I still don’t see why everyone loves Patty’s voice so much; maybe because I still am but a English-only gaijin that I don’t understand).
I’m all for the Zessei Bijin nomination for Best ED, my personal favorite, and the dango song isn’t bad too. I’d have to throw sola’s mellow melody up there too, it certainly lives up to its title.
Best OP…Lucky Star’s and Shana II’s (which was, incidentally, speaking as a correctness Nazi, JOINT) were definitely good in their own ways, but I’d have to put Bokurano’s Uninstall up there, even though I didn’t watch the show. :X It’s so very atmospheric and emotional with its slow pace, and the lyrics, from what I’ve heard, complement the show perfectly.
And for insert song, School Days had quite a few good ones, like the ones at the end of episode nine.
Now that I’m done with my 15-seconds-of-being-the-ultimate-authority, I can say, nice post you’ve got together here.
I’m jealous that you’ve managed to stretch out your series one more day than mine, so I’ll wait and see what in store for tommorow.
(P.S. I now worship the comment editing feature after trying to get those links to work)
You touched Aya! DX Damn lucky bastard!
Looks like Lucky Star did a clean sweep off the Epic Win Seiyuu awards (and more).
Believe it or not, it was that scene where Konata cosplayed Haruhi that got me to start watching Lucky Star. I was pretty much oblivious to the series until I saw that particular screenshot that finally caught my interest.
The cast of Lucky Star was so fitting, I wondered before whether they were made to match the Seiyuus instead of the other way round. While some of the characters literally only showed up near the end of the series each of them became memorable along with their voices, even for Kanata who made a single ~10 minutes appearance.
I’m rather surprised that ef ~ a tale of memories didn’t get a mention. The music made the series.
For example, the powerful background music behind episode 10 which really creates the dramatic tension of the series. The beautiful OP, EDs, and inserts composed by the ingenious Tenmon. Ef should at least merit an honorable mention, if not first place.
And don’t forget the absolutely chilling voice acting. The seiyuus of ef, especially that of Miyako, are amazing. At first I was worried since they were ported from the visual novel, but they prove to be immensely versatile. Don’t believe me? Check out episode 7, with Miyako’s seiyuu delivering powerful statements that just creates shivers down my spine.
I may sound like a rabid ef fangirl, but I’ll also have to mention ef’s OP. It’s artistic, very much fitting of SHAFT. With each characters “breaking down” and symbolic words in the background — it’s amazing. And the subtle difference in the last OP just solidified the show for me.
Can’t say I have any major complaints with the choices.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Happily Ever After the Gurren insert song? Yeah, Sora Iro Days from the OP gets popped in every once in a while, but it’s Happily Ever After that starts playing when some smack is about to be laid down (and the Ep 16 ending).
And Ten no Tsuke rocks my socks (but I’m an instrumental music geek, so that’s ok).
@ kucigaromeo
Of course we’re biased; everyone is. We just shamelessly pick the stuff we like the best. :3
And I do agree, Kajiura Yuki’s stuff is great. I just couldn’t stomach El Cazador at all, though, which is why you won’t see it here.
@ DS
Haha, very funny.
@ TheBigN
Ahh yeah, Ueda Kana sure is great. Her Sakuya voice is just fantastic. I think my favorite of her roles has to be Kinon from TTGL, though. Really though, every year there are so many great seiyuu performances that it’s hard to pick just one. So I guess in the end in just comes back to being a “LOL We’re Right Again” award.
@ Jayme
Don’t bother with that tiny one. Just search for “gekisou” on a Google image search and you’ll probably be able to pull up a much higher res copy.
@ CCY
Good additions! For whatever reason, though, I didn’t really enjoy sola’s ED as much as you might have expected from some of my other picks.
And yeah, isn’t comment editing great?! Every blog should have that feature available, really.
@ Nekonron
Haha, I knew I would get somebody with that comment about Aya!
@ Will
Well, you can’t really talk about “the” TTGL insert song, since there were several over the course of the series. Happily Ever After was good, too, but you just can’t beat the awesomeness of Sora Iro Days for the final showdown.
I guess that’s what makes horse races. I thought the Potemayo OP was a lot better than the Lucky Star OP. Everyone’s got an opinion…
Sweet, Lucky Star dominates this year
.
I thought Lucky Star had some of the best voice casts this year.
Gurren Lagann had an epic soundtrack.
Lucky Star just blew everyone away. Even those who don’t like it can’t run away - it’s everywhere!!!
By far, Lucky Star has had the MOST audio CD/DVD releases e.g. Radio Bangumi Lucky Channel has 7 releases? And i love each and every single one of them! (Check out the Character CDs for more info) Remember the Single Album Konata was speaking of in the Cosplay Cafe episode? SUCH A CD EXISTS (hears lots of ignorant fanboy squeals of glee).
OH, Happy New Year to you guys at Epic Win, and your readers too! ^^v
Omg did my comment just get filtered/lost-in-the-internets/wiped like Kuroi-sensei’s long entry T.T
I’m too lazy to retype, so: LUCKY STAR FOR-THE-WIN. I could rewatch every single episode and laugh just as much. Now, it’s time to redocorate all your belongings in Lucky Star fashion - Car decal, Keitai/mobile themes, blogskins, wallpapers, ipods, t-shirts and whatever you can think of - so that we’ll never forget Lucky Star 2007. *sticks a Konata poster on wall next to desktop*
And, Aya Hirano is definitely seiyuu of the year, even though she can’t really sing live (yet), I’m sure the exposure she’s getting is gonna bring us more lovable characters like Konata & Haruhi!
Happy New Year to Epic Win! Looking forward to a whole new year of laughs from you guys!
@ Steven Den Beste
“Dorama no youuu ni~ (fu-furu-fu)!”
Yeah, Katamichi Catch Ball was an awful lot of fun, but then again, it’s not the sort of thing I would just sit and listen to on its own.
Of course, it we all had the same opinion, there wouldn’t be much left to talk about, now would there?
@ Hiyuu
Haha, fear not valient Hiyuu! I have rescued your comment from the pit of Akismet!
I suspect a lot of the difference of opinion is in what we view the purpose of an OP to be.
For a lot of people, it should be an AMV. That’s what the Lucky Star OP is. Myself, I think it should be an advertisement for the series. It needs to be fun to watch, and to have catchy music, but more important than those things is that it needs to introduce me to most of the major characters and give me some idea of what they’re like, and what their relationships are like. (But it shouldn’t give away spoilers, of course.)
That’s why I think the OP for Petite Princess Yucie is one of the best ever. It shows us all of the five girls, and shows us that Beth is apart from the other four, and it shows Yucie and Glenda glaring at each other, and shows Gunbard being an oyabaka, and gives us hints about Arc without revealing anything.
The Potemayo OP does show us those kinds of things, too. For instance, it shows Mikan trying to get close to Sunao and being chased away by Potemayo. It shows Guchuko bouncing on top of Potemayo, and Potemayo getting mad. We get to see Guchuko’s laser beams. Lots of relevant stuff packed into there.
The Lucky Star OP doesn’t do any of that. You can’t tell from it that Konata is an otaku, that Tsukasa is a wimp, and Kagami is strong and sane.
But as an AMV, maybe it’s better. I wouldn’t know about that; I don’t find AMVs even slightly interesting.
[…] made an interesting comment last week in response to our choice of Lucky Star for OP of the Year in our Best of 2007 Anime Awards, and it really set me thinking. I know which OPs I like and don’t like, of course, but I had […]
Shakugan no Shana II’s OP is Joint.
Hishoku no Sora is the first Shana’s OP.
Both are great songs tho
I also really liked Myself/Yourself’s OP/ED.
What anime is the first pic from?
@Jizzy: Holy Haruhi, you honestly don’t know?
It’s The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, a very popular and slightly overrated anime, yet has proven itself to be one of the best despite that.