If you have not already listened to the podcast of this category, this is the final results, so this will spoil the course of the discussion on that podcast! Be warned!
Adding anime to the list complicated the discussion, as you might imagine. Video game writing is… well, a young art. Anime is just TV, and that means it’s significantly older. We’re still getting used to this new approach, but I think it led to a better conversation, and better winners. Can you imagine if we separated them again? Foolish. A better world is possible.
The Winner
James Savage (El Paso, Elsewhere)
A lot of talented folks worked on El Paso, Elsewhere, from the developers at Strange Scaffolding to contractors and collaborators, and we don’t want to sell any of their contributions short. But it’s hard not to see James Savage as Xalavier Nelson Jr.’s. The studio head and director voiced Savage, and made the man a M E S S. There are lots of fun messes in games- remember, we have a number of Danganronpa fans on staff. But we don’t often get to see well written and executed characters who are just sincerely, earnestly broken people.
El Paso, Elsewhere entices you with the promise of supernatural Max Payne, but that’s not really why you’re there. Very quickly, you learn you’re there for James. You’re there to hear him talk about how he got here, about how scared he is, about how upset he is, about what he may have done wrong, may be doing right, about how none of it may be enough. And you’re there to be that small part of him that stands back up when he falls. He needs you. And you, dear reader, need to hear him. You owe it to yourself.
The Runners-Up
V.IV Rusty (Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon)
A good friend knows when to tell you no. And in your time with Armored Core 6, you will need Rusty to show up and without being harsh, without being mean… shoot you in the damn face. Rusty respects you, even when you make choices undeserving of respect. He admires your ability and tenacity, he is in awe of the potential you have to make things better. And he won’t let you go when you do otherwise.
That’s what makes him stand above the rest, really. Obviously, it’s great to have a buddy in your game. Great to have a pal show up. But when bonds are tested, that’s when we see their merit. And that’s when Rusty is at his best.
Jeramie Brasieri (Ohsama Sentai KingOhger)
It’s uniquely difficult to convey the appeal of a tokusatsu character in text. It’s such a visual form. And sure, you’re like “oh unlike games or anime, those aren’t visual forms.” Well, I understand your snark, but like… acting, dawg! Voice acting is one thing, and it’s great. But how do I describe the expressions and body language of a young actor- or even harder, a suit actor, whose performance is literally masked by a suit that hides a lot of subtlety?
Jeramie is an eccentric character. Fortunately, toku plays well with eccentricity, and this dramatist ends up being a stand-out performance in every category. If we boil it down, it’s simple enough: a narrator who decides that narrating isn’t enough, and they must involve themselves in the matters of the story. You’ve seen it before. But the flair and panache with which the White Ranger is played elevates these ideas, and makes them more than what they seem on paper.
That’s it for this category! We’ll be back Friday with Best Fighting Toolkit!
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