:anime: The American Anime Awards...Finalists?

A few weeks ago, many, including myself, were upset over the circumstances that was the American Anime Awards. The strange and numerous nominations gave the reeking sense that it was more fan contest than industry. Well, news of a list of finalists Wednesday was made, which seemed to make the large number of nods understandable, though it would have been of much better help to all if the organizers had actually made notice of the ballots being nothing more than of the selection type. Be it late addition to the rules or not, it is a good way of involving the fans in the awards, though I still wish that they would be excluded altogether. And though it is still plagued by the likes of "Akira = Comedy," among many others, there are some nice finalists that popped up, such as the Lupin III acting nods, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG cast, and the BLEACH Vol. 1 DVD package.

Good thing that I didn't post the follow-up piece yet (once-expected date of a week before or the day after the ceremony), as this shed a little more light on the AAAs. Of course, as I alluded to earlier, there are still quite a few kinks that need to be worked out before it can be truly revered or taken seriously.


P.S.: The "Babes of Anime" motif splattered constantly on nearly everything AAAs is eyeroll-inducement at its finest. ADV really needs to rein the horses in on that one.