Few but genuinely refreshing bands fronted by male seiyuu and seiyuu units took the stage to dazzle everyone in 2022.
From January 15 until January 22, 2023, readers and viewers of THTFHQ voted for these awards that value, first and foremost, talent and quality over popularity.
Nominees were shortlisted by The Hand That Feeds HQ and a winner emerged in each category.
To avoid petty fights between fans and disrespect towards seiyuu and their fans, no votes are disclosed in any of the written features covering THTFHQ AWARDS 2022.
If you want to check the abridged version of the complete results of this year’s edition, those were unveiled on episode 130 of SEIYUU LOUNGE, THTFHQ’s weekly podcast all about male seiyuu music and 2D groups.
Without further ado, these are the bands/seiyuu units that shone in 2022.
#1 GRANRODEO
The battle for the top spot in this category was fierce! GRANRODEO managed to pull through, continuing their reign as the best band of the year for the third consecutive year.
2022 was a full year for the band. Between several live shows – which were held throughout the year – and the release of the experimental single “Kami mo Hotokemo” and the full-length album “Question”, the band was on top of their game.
The quality of their music, the wonderful stories created by KISHOW, and the awesome soundscapes gaining life through e-ZUKA’s guitar made GRANRODEO shine yet again.
GRANRODEO is your best band of the year.
From this point on, the seiyuu mentioned are not ranked (the order in which they appear below doesn’t correspond to the place they ranked in the final voting):
Sir Vanity
Sir Vanity was in full throttle in 2022.
The rock band fronted by Yoshiki Nakajima and Yuichiro Umehara released 2 digitals singles “will” and “finder“, culminating in the release of its 1st full-length album “Ray“.
“Ray” ended up shining a whole lot with a robust, daring rock sound that, at times, got experimental and quite emotional. The performances were overall really good and the instrumentals were bloody amazing, with the bassline and guitar work in the spotlight.
To wrap everything up neatly, the band also held its first live show in July.
Stylish and with a unique approach to rock music, Sir Vanity continues to be one of the most exciting bands fronted by seiyuu, and in 2022, they were absolutely impressive.
SparQlew
SparQlew changed gears and regrouped, now that it only has 4 members, having lost one of its most versatile vocalists in Shoya Chiba.
The group continued its good spell with a mature and more confident sound following up the release of the flawless 1st mini-album “Daybreak”.
“neon” brought forth one of the most eclectic sets of songs ever compiled in a SparQlew CD and surprisingly, they worked really well together.
For each of the songs in this album, all members rose to the occasion showcasing their improved teamwork as well as every little bit they grew individually as singers.
Whether it was rock, pop, jazz, ballads, dance, or hip-hop, SparQlew shows that the change that happened in tone and concept in “Daybreak” only brought good things to them.
Matured, and improved, showing their skills without the restrictions of bubbly pop, the group shows that it is ready to take that crown of best seiyuu unit to itself.
After another awesome year, SparQlew arrives in 2023 riding on a lot of momentum.
TRD
TRD, seiyuu unit consisting of Takayuki Kondo and Daisuke Ono, did not release any new music in 2022, making the best of the year to regroup.
However, later in the year, the duo held the live show TRD Visual Live Event2022 and left fans wanting more. Soon after, they announced the release of their 2nd single “Cozy Crazy PARTY!”, set for a release in 2023.
Thank you to everyone that voted at the THTFHQ AWARDS 2022! A new edition will be held in January 2024 so make sure to follow THTFHQ on social media for notifications when the voting starts.
