Kyoryuger, Wizard, and Garo Nominated for Japan Action Awards

Image Source: Kamen Rider W Forever Blog

This March will see the return of the Japan Action Awards. Now in its second year, the awards celebrate the accolades of the Japanese action/stunt industry. This year, however, there are several prominent Tokusatsu productions from 2013 in the running.

Starting in the Best Stuntman category, Kamen Rider and Super Sentai suit-acting legend Seiji Takaiwa is nominated along with names like Kosuke Asai (suit actor for Nick and Go-Buster Ace in Go-Busters, Kyoryuu Green in Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger), Yoshifumi Oshikawa (suit actor, Kyoryuu Red, Red Buster), Makoto Itou (suit actor, Orga in Godzilla 2000, GARO: The One Who Shines In The Darkness), and newcomer Rina Takeda (Karate Girl).

Speaking of actresses, in the best Action Actress category, the two big names to keep an eye on will be Nao Nagasawa for her work in Hurricanger: 10 Years After, and Yasue Sato for the Garo side-story movie, The Tougen Flute. While in the Action Actor category, Wataru Kuriyama (Ryuga in GARO: The One Who Shines In The Darkness), is nominated alongside Toma Ikuta (Honey and Clover, Nou Otoko), Junichi Okada (From Up On Poppy Hill, Library Wars), Komi Hashimoto (Tenkai in Hurricanger: 10 Years After), and Ryosei Konishi (GARO: Demon Dragon of the Blue Cries).

Koichi Sakamoto (Kamen Rider Fourze, Kyoryuger) will be once again up for Best Stunt Director/Coordinator. This year, he’s being pitted against the likes of Yuji Shimomura (Versus, Devil May Cry, Library Wars), Makoto Yokoyama (GARO), Toshihiro Ogawa (Super Hero Taisen Z, suit actor for Ryutaros in Kamen Rider Den-O), Shinsuke Sato (Library Wars), Kensuke Sonomura (Machine Girl, Bushido Man) and Hirofumi Fukuzawa (action director for Go-Busters, Kyoryuger, Tokkyuger).

Meanwhile, the Kamen Rider Wizard TV series is up for two awards: Best Action Picture, and (surprisingly enough) Best Action Scene for literally every Wizard VS Ghoul sequence. But Wizard isn’t the only Tokusatsu production in the Action Picture category. It’s up against not only Kyoryuger, but both GARO: The One Who Shines In The Darkness and The Tougen Flute.

It looks to be stiff competition all-around this year, but you have a hand in deciding. There’s a form on the Japan Action Awards website where fans can write in their choices. The winners will be revealed in a special awards even this March.

Source: Japan Action Awards 2014