[Fish Sandwich]

Oh boy, this is a lot of stuff to get through. My criteria here is probably going to be a mix between personal feelings and what I consider to "objectively" deserve the title the most. Also, I just plain skipped out on some of the categories because nothing came to me.

Best New Show of 2016:
Ultraman Orb. It rocks.

Best New-to-You Show of 2016:
I guess Carranger? I've still got like two dozen episodes to go but it's been a total blast. It's the most watchable show I've seen in forever. That is to say, I've enjoyed the other shows I've been watching this year (though there's not much Toku backlog stuff in there), but I haven't had the urge to just sit down and pound out like three episodes the way I have with Carranger. My pace on it has slowed down significantly since I watched half the show in a like a week, but it's only because I'm making it a point to finish up another show I started watching well before Carranger and still haven't finished.

Best Rewatch of 2016:
So, I'm torn here, because I actually rewatched Toku shows in whole for the first time this year, but I don't think I can choose between the two I did.

Rewatching Kamen Rider Gaim helped me (sort of) make peace with it, but watching Ninninger again was a million times more fun for me, so...

Best Movie of 2016:
Kamen Rider 1. This is sort of by default, but I really did think it was a solid movie. There's still a lot of those Rider spring movie quirks, but I was generally pretty impressed by its desire to actually tell a story, and as a Ghost fan, it fit perfectly with that show in a way that really justifies his presence beyond just being the guy from that year's show.

I'm not particularly enthusiastic about it, but I think it was probably the best spring movie yet, and I get the feeling if I ever sit down and watch it again, my opinion would only improve.

Best Male Lead Character:
Gai from Orb, though he's sort of simultaneously a lead and a supporting character. I probably don't need to explain why he's great, but he hits the crucial notes of:

- Being a fleshed out, well rounded character
- Being just plain fun
- Having a great actor behind him (foreshadowing?)

Best Actor:
Yes, it was foreshadowing. Hideo Ishiguro did a fantastic job throughout Orb, hitting all the various emotions and tones his role called for pretty much perfectly.

Though he's also an experienced actor, giving him a leg up on a lot of other Toku leads, so I'll also give an honorable mention to Shun Nishime in Ghost. Like most things about Ghost, I'm sure people disagree, but I was consistently impressed by his ability to be subtle when the show let him be, though of course it took him a few episodes to get to that point.

Best Villain:
Juggler from Orb, and I don't even think anybody else comes close. Dude is so good I sometimes forget his name is completely ridiculous.

Best Returning Character:
Kamen Rider 1. I don't have any real attachment to the character but the movie made me feel like I really ought to, and I think that's a great sign for how well done it was.

Best Suit Actor:
Seiji Takaiwa, duh.

Best Hero Suit Design:
Oh man, this one is hard to narrow down if only because I like what we got this year so much. Orb's forms were all great. Amazons' suits were great. Ghost's suits continued to great. I like the Zyuohger suits. Ex-Aid finally gave me a full on pink lead Rider, and in general it's suits grew on me really quick. Even Bulky!Rider 1 was awesome.

I guess I'll just go with Mugen Damashii. It's sparkly~

Best Monster Suit Design:
Probably something from Orb? Nothing jumps out at me here, but it's really rare for monster suits to impress me that much.

Best Weapon:
The Orbcalibur, hands down. That kind of sword in the stone fantasy stuff is right up my alley, for one, but between being an awesome sword, incorporating the harmonica music that had been Gai's thing from episode 1, having nifty special attacks, and giving him a stylish new form, it's totally got this category on lockdown.

Other weapons had awesome designs or functions too, but the Orbcalibur has a ton of plot significance to it that really pushes it over the edge for me. It doesn't feel like just another toy the show is shilling.

Best Vehicle/Mecha:
I'd say Lazer, but that seems dehumanizing and also he's becoming just another lifeless bike for at least a bit, thus ruining the whole gimmick. If they get a new person/inexplicably bring Kiriya back the award can retroactively go to him.

Best Fight Scene:
Again, probably something from Orb, though here my problem is less lack of enthusiasm and more being unable to choose. It's probably down to one of Thunder Breaster's early fights or the finale.

Best Dramatic Scene:
I think I'm going to go with the scene from the end of Orb episode 15 in the hospital. Mostly for how much emotion Gai conveys. That was probably the moment where it really sunk in for me how great Orb is.

I mean, I guess Kiriya's death in Ex-Aid was well done and all (even if I don't know where that rain came from so suddenly), but it didn't really do much for me emotionally, whereas that one little scene in Orb really felt like a big moment, despite not involving the death of a main character. It probably helps that Orb is willing to not have music play for an entire scene, something Toei's shows have trouble with now. The silence adds a lot to the atmosphere.

Best Comedic Scene:
That conversation between Gai and Juggler in episode 11. Just perfect.

Best Song:
Orb no Inori is awesome, but Shine your ORB is sweet (in both senses of the word). I'd probably give the edge to the latter, but just barely.

I'm all about Toku themes being relevant to the show and Orb's ending theme is basically Gai's entire arc in the form of a song, while the opening is mostly "Ultraman Orb is the s***", which is great in its own way.

EXCITE is great as a hype inducing opening, but the full song is strangely less punchy than the TV version. Even if that weren't the case, it wouldn't be close to Orb's music, though.

Biggest Surprise of 2016:
Can you tell I like Orb a lot? Because up until halfway through I couldn't. I loved X and despite immediately pegging Orb as being better in a lot of ways it didn't do nearly as much for me. It wasn't a show I looked forward to watching every week.

And then it started blowing my mind.

It's not even just the kind of thing where it got better as it went along (although it did), I feel like I wasn't appreciating the early episodes enough in retrospect. Orb was a show that basically just killed it on every level the whole way through, and that's reflected in my choices for these awards.

It continues to surprise me just how much I do like the show now. I didn't even think I'd give it all these categories until I started writing them and suddenly it couldn't be anything else.

Single Worst Thing in 2016 Tokusatsu:

Um... Uh........

...

I got nothing.

--

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwami

Sorry Fish Sandwich, you know its coming

I'm really flattered that anytime you bring up Ghost, my name immediately follows.

It's okay, Kiwami, I forgive you.